novelxo The Devil’s Fire by Mariam El-Hafi Chapter 20
Althaia
Planning a wedding was absolutely no joke! There were so many things that needed to be done and it was not even my own wedding, and I was out there killing myself. When I said to Cara she owed me a big time for spending hours looking at materials, cakes, colors, and whatnot, she simply said my reward is staying in this majestic manor.
What a sucker.
A week had gone by already, and it has also been a week since I last saw him. Not that I was counting the days and especially not because I think about him every damn minute. …Okay, so maybe I did think about him… But who the fuck just comes and pleasures you, then freaking disappears out of the blue?!
The Devil apparently.
I was starting to get a sullen mood the more I thought about it as I made my way down the stairs. I raised my brows when I noticed a bunch of people rushing back and forth, carrying flowers, tablecloths, vases, and all kinds of decorative stuff. I looked around at the people, confused as to what was going
Huh, did I miss something?
I spotted Rosana walking towards the stairs, carrying blankets
in her arms.
“Hi Rosana, what is all this fuss about?” I gestured to all of
C
these people. ‹
“Oh, a party is being held tomorrow in the garden.” She said cheerfully. I had really come to like Rosana, and we would often chat whenever I had my breakfast. She had taken a liking to me because I always returned my plate empty even after having seconds, but it was hard not to when she created heaven on a plate for me. She was such a good cook, and with this rate, I would be rolling soon instead of walking.
“A party? For what occasion?”
“For Mr. Lorenzo and Miss Cara.”
“Oh… Is it like a formal party or a casual one? If formal, then I need to do some shopping.” I said mostly to myself.
“It’s up to you, hun. It’s just family and close friends who are coming.” I gave her my thanks and continued my way to the kitchen. How many parties were they supposed to have? I mean, yes, I did ruin their engagement party, but how was I supposed to know I was supposed to be dead, and not exactly show up? Therefore, that one was not entirely on me… The dinner party was my Uncle’s fault. Hence, why he had no tongue anymore.
I smiled. The thought of that always made me happy.
I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and looked at the time, debating whether I should go out and buy a dress for tomorrow, or just wear something simple I could put together with the clothes I had brought with me. I decided it was better to have something fancy as a backup in case everyone decided to show up as if they came from a fashion runway.
I spotted Dario at the front door and immediately thought he
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could give me a ride to a boutique.
“Hi, Dario! I was wondering if you could give me a ride? I need a dress for tomorrow’s party.” I asked with a bright smile, but he looked a bit hesitant.
“Sorry, but no one is allowed outside the manor.” He said and I raised my brows in surprise.
“Why is no one allowed outside?”
“Boss’s order.”
“Why?” I scowled at him.
“Can’t say.”
“Well, this is an emergency. Would you rather have me walk around naked instead?” I was exaggerating but if it got me out to a boutique then I didn’t mind pulling that trick. He looked uncomfortable when I said the last part and cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry but an order is an order. I can’t let anyone out. Especially you.” I gaped at him.
“Especially me? What have I done to be grounded?”
“Miss, I can’t tell you. I don’t ask questions and just follow the order.”
“What a dickhead …” I muttered lowly under my breath. Not low enough because Dario’s eyes widened at the comment. Why the hell wasn’t I allowed to go out?
“Call him.” I squinted my eyes at him.
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“Miss, I really can’t do that.” He shook his head at me, having me cross my arms.
“It’s Althaia.” I corrected him.
“… Althaia, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“He specifically ordered not to interrupt him unless it’s a life- or-death matter.”
“Well, where is he?” Dario stared at me blankly, not answering my question.
“Call him.” I pressed on, hoping he would budge.
“He would really have my head if I did.” I sighed. I almost gave up but then a genius idea popped into my head.
“Then give me his number.” Dario shook his head once again.
“I won’t leave you alone if you don’t give me his number. And trust me, I can be more annoying if I want to be.” Dario sighed as he looked at me, not really knowing what to do, and I just gave him an ‘it will be your hell’ look.
“Fine. But you didn’t get it from me.” He gave in, already wanting to get rid of me.
“Thank you, Dario!” I gave him a big hug and he just stood there, startled by my actions.
I went upstairs to my room, closed the door behind me, and sat on the bed. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to say but it was too late to back out anyway because I had already dialed the number and it was ringing. But he wasn’t
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answering.
It kept ringing and I sighed, about to hang up.
Then he picked up.
“Althaia.” I shivered at the sound of his voice. I felt it was already too long ago I heard his voice, and it was so deep…
“How did you know it was me?” I asked in surprise.
“What’s wrong?” Damiano asked firmly, maybe almost concerned? Oh, shit! Did he think something was wrong?
“Oh… Erm, nothing. Well, I need to go out and buy a dress for tomorrow, so I have to go out.” It sounded more like a question than a statement.
“No.” He said immediately, almost cutting me off.
“What do you mean no?” I frowned.
“I said no.”
“But I need a dress.” I tried to explain to him.
“I will have someone get you one.”
“No, thank you. I want to go out and find one by myself.” What the hell was the big deal?
“No.” He said as a final order. I let out a noise of frustration.
“Why the hell not?!”
“Damiano, who are you talking to?” I stilled when I heard a woman’s voice in the background.
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“No one.” He replied.
I hung up the phone.
I stared at my phone for a long time, just blinking at it. I shouldn’t care I kept telling myself but still, I felt hurt. That son of a bitch! Did he really think he could just come and touch me, and then fuck another bitch? My fist tightened around my phone as I felt my blood boil.
I wanted to rip his stupid head.
I took a deep breath to calm down and went to Cara’s room. I needed to let out my frustrations. I barged into her room but she wasn’t in there. I could hear the shower running and made my way to the bathroom.
“Can you believe that bastard!” I almost yelled. Cara let a scream as I barged in. I ignored her and sat on the toilet lid.
“Could you at least knock?! What if I was shaving?!”
“Yeah, whatever. Sorry. Back to my problem.” I said
dismissively and she poked her head out of the shower to look
at me.
“I talked to The Devil.”
“What Devil?” She looked confused.
“That Devil, Damiano.”
“Ah, why?”
“Because I wanted to go out to get a dress for the party, which you didn’t tell me about.” Now I was frowning at her for not even giving me a heads up.
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“I told you about the party tomorrow. But you were zoning off. It’s not my fault you decided not to listen.” I must have been really tired if I couldn’t remember she had informed me about the party. I shook my head as I had more pressing matters to discuss.
“But what about Damiano?” She asked.
“I was on the phone with him, going back and forth about letting me go out. And then, I heard a woman’s voice in the background.” Cara’s mouth formed an ‘o’.
“What if it’s the tv or something?”
“Nope. She said his name and asked who he was talking to. And he said no one. Then I hung up the phone.” I said angrily and Cara sighed.
…
…
“Thaia, I hate to break it down to you But it’s common for a man like him to have affairs. Especially in his position, and multiple of them, in fact.” My heart clenched at her words, and I looked away. I couldn’t look at her as I felt so fucking stupid at the moment. Of course, he had… Why did I ever think he didn’t just because he decided to give me a little attention?
“So, I’m just a side hoe, then. Got it. Thanks.” I got up and made my way out.
“Althaia, I’m sorry.” She sounded apologetic, but it wasn’t her fault.
“For what? I’m the one who’s naïve and stupid.” I gave her a forced smile and walked out.
I locked myself in the room for the rest of the day and
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cuddled my pillow in bed. I felt so stupid that he might actually have cared for me a little. But I didn’t know why I even thought he would care about me in the first place. Maybe his actions toward me had me confused or I was just delusional. It was not like I even knew him so I shouldn’t care.
At some point, Cara came to get me for dinner, and I
pretended to be asleep. She knew I wasn’t, but she respected my wish to be alone.
I didn’t sleep a wink at all, and it was now almost time for the party. My mind kept wandering to the golden-brown-eyed Devil, and then I felt even more stupid all over again. I huffed and dragged myself out of bed and to the bathroom to take a shower. Hopefully, it would help wake me up and refresh me a little.
I wrapped a robe around my body just in time for a knock sounding on my door.
“Come in.” It was Rosana walking in with a gown bag.
“This was sent for you.” She smiled and hung it up.
“I didn’t ask for it…”
“Mr. Damiano wishes for you to wear it.” I sighed and said thanks anyway. It wasn’t the poor woman’s fault, and I shouldn’t give her a hard time about it.
Lignored the dress and went through my luggage to see what I could pull together. After almost emptying my luggage, I found a dress that I had completely forgotten I had packed, and perfect for an outdoor party.
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I started to get ready and did a soft makeup look with winged eyeliner and a red lip. I let my hair be loose since I didn’t feel like doing anything with it. The dress I decided to wear was a black halter maxi dress, with a front twist that showed a bit of my mid-drift and a very high slit going all the way up to my right hip. It was very revealing, and I had to be careful how I moved if I wanted to avoid flashing people. I had packed this one in case we decided to have a night out, but I guess a garden party would do.
I finished the look with black heels with gold chains acting as the straps.
Pleased with the result, I made my way out but stopped when I saw the gown bag.
“Stupid dress.” And I kicked it.