ONLINE NOVEL XO His Tesoro: Chapter 20
My eyes were wide as Matteo stormed out of the apartment. Had I done something to upset him? After how we left things yesterday, I’d been hopeful about things going forward. But now, the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach was back. Whenever my father got mad, it always meant worse things later.
“These Mafia men are so dramatic,” Sienna said, spinning back towards me. “And they say women are the emotional ones.” She was smiling, completely unconcerned with her brother’s behavior.
“It seemed like he didn’t want us to go?” I asked hesitantly.
“As if Matteo’s going to stop us.” She winked and handed me the cup of coffee. “We should start by getting something for breakfast. There’s a cute bakery next to my favorite shops.”
“That sounds lovely.”
I desperately wanted Sienna to like me. My loneliness surrounded me like a thick blanket. I’d cried all night, thinking about what Katya and Stasya had gone through, and missing Mila. I’d tried to call her, but her phone was off.
“Excellent,” Sienna said, clapping her hands. “We’re going to have the best day.”
Her excitement was infectious. I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. “Just give me a minute to grab my stuff.”
I moved off the kitchen stool, my legs screaming in pain. I crept back to my room and sat down heavily on my unmade bed. I hadn’t had the energy to make it this morning. I eyed my wheelchair. I should take it today. My knee was subluxing, my joints were aching, and I felt lightheaded. But it would be such an inconvenience to Sienna to lug it around.
And I was embarrassed.
I couldn’t hide the wheelchair from Matteo and his men, but I didn’t want to be out in public with it.
I mustered up the energy to get up from the bed. I grabbed my purse, phone, medication, and the thirty dollars Mila had given me before the wedding. I’d refused to take it, but she had slipped it into my purse when I wasn’t looking.
It had been years since I went shopping. Once I started using mobility aids, the Pakhan forbade me from leaving the house. He said it was because his enemies would target me, but I knew it was really an effort to hide his dark shame—the head of the Bratva with a disabled daughter. Matteo didn’t seem to have the same reservations about me being seen in public, although maybe that was why he’d been angry at the idea of Sienna and me going out. I clenched my jaw as a wave of overwhelming emotion washed over me. The urge to make myself small, to hide away, was strong. I had to be stronger.
I put my things in my bag. Thirty dollars wouldn’t go far, but I was just excited to get to leave the apartment and get to know Sienna. And if I could buy a new shirt or phone case or something, that would be a bonus.
Sienna smiled when I returned to the kitchen. “All set?”
“Yep.” I clung to my rollator, resting as much of my weight on it as I could without aggravating my wrists.
“Before we go, is there anything specific you need? Or that would be helpful to you?”
My chest grew tight at her concern, and especially the way she asked, as if it were no big deal. “Not really, but I appreciate it.” The tension in my shoulders eased, and the smile on my face felt more real as I followed Sienna to the door.
“You would look so cute in this!”
I turned towards Sienna, who was holding up a sparkly silver dress. We were in the dressing room of an absurdly fancy department store on Fifth Ave. Angelo had directed three other guards to sweep the store before we entered, and within moments, the entire top floor had been cleared and personal shoppers were bustling around us, bringing armful after armful of clothing with price tags that made me want to throw up.
“Sofiya? What do you think?”
I blinked and forced a smile onto my face. I loved the dress. Somehow Sienna had nailed my style in seconds, although it was more revealing than anything I’d ever worn. I used to have a whole wardrobe of luxury clothing, but I hadn’t had an excuse to dress up in years. It wasn’t that I missed attending my father’s Bratva cocktail parties, but being kept in the house was dehumanizing. Anyway, I’d gained too much weight to fit into any of my old clothes, so I hadn’t even brought them with me. All I’d worn recently was leggings and sweatshirts.
“It’s really pretty,” I said, chewing my lip.
Sienna grabbed another handful of dresses from a nearby rack and brought them over to me. “Try them on.”
My cheeks heated as I tried to figure out how to explain that I couldn’t afford to buy a single sock in this store. Before I could find the words, the clothes were draped over my rollator and Sienna was holding the changing room door open for me. When the door shut behind me, I put my face in my hands.
Fuck.
I wanted Sienna to like me. I hadn’t had anyone to talk to in ages besides Mila and Nikolai, and I was out of practice. Would she be embarrassed to be around me if she found out I didn’t have any money?
I ran my finger along the sparkly dress material. It was light and gauzy, with a long skirt and high slit. Unable to resist the temptation, I pulled off my clothes and managed to get the dress on, using the sofa in the dressing room to stand as I adjusted the dress. My breath caught as I saw my reflection. The soft light in the room bounced off the fabric, casting sparkles on the tall mirrors. The top of the dress accentuated my boobs and then flowed out over my hips, covering my new stomach rolls.
I’d never worn something so pretty.
I sat down on the seat of my rollator, but instead of feeling awkward and frumpy, a high slit parted to reveal my thigh, making me feel almost sexy. My EDS made my skin especially sensitive, but this dress fabric was silky soft and didn’t cause irritation.
“Sofiya, are you dressed? Can I see?” Sienna’s excited voice floated through the door. I unlatched it and moved out of the room.
Sienna’s lips parted with a gasp. “Oh my God, you look like a literal angel. Fuck, I have a great eye. So that’s a definite yes. You love it, right?”
I blushed. “I do, it’s so pretty, but—”
Sienna looked around. “Let me see if we can get them to hem it. Unless you want to find heels with it?”
“I don’t know that I could wear heels,” I said.
“That’s what I figured,” she said with a smile.
Sienna pulled one of the store workers over, and I silently panicked as they talked about alterations. I couldn’t let them alter a dress I wouldn’t be able to afford in a million years.
“Alright, just go ahead and try on the next outfit and they’ll take that dress for alterations,” Sienna said, turning back to me. Her bright smile fell when she took in my panicked expression. “What’s wrong?”
“I just…” I caught Angelo’s eye over Sienna’s shoulder. The bodyguard looked concerned.
“Let’s come over here,” Sienna said, gesturing to a seating area. We sat down and she took my hand. “What’s going on?”
I took a deep breath. “Well, I really just wanted to come shopping to get to know you. I didn’t really expect to get anything for myself.”
Sienna’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”
I shrugged, trying to feign a nonchalance I didn’t feel. “I don’t really need anything.”
“Honey, let me tell you, you need this dress.”
The corner of my lips tugged into a smile. I looked around to make sure no one else could hear. “I just… I can’t afford it.”
Sienna’s face fell.
“It’s totally fine,” I rushed to say. “I’m happy to watch you try things on and get to know you.”
“Sofiya, you’re married to my brother.” She spoke the words slowly.
I cocked my head, confused. I’d never had any sort of allowance from the Pakhan, and Matteo hadn’t said anything different.
Sienna huffed. “Has he not given you a credit card?” At my silence, she swore. “For fuck’s sake. Men are impossible.” She pulled out her phone.
“What are you doing?” I asked quickly.
“Texting Matteo, the idiot.”
“Wait, no, don’t do that.” Sienna must have heard the panic in my voice because she looked up from the phone, lips parted. “I don’t want him to be mad.”
Sienna slowly put down her phone. “Has something happened between the two of you?”
“What do you mean?”
Sienna glanced over at Angelo before leaning in and lowering her voice. “He hasn’t hurt you or anything, right? Because if he has, I will kill him.”
She looked so serious, so intense. Would she truly defend me against her brother? The head of the Family?
“No, he hasn’t done anything like that.”
Sienna relaxed, a soft smile teasing at her lips. “Good. He’s not like that, Sofiya. He protects the ones close to him, I promise. But we can wait to address the credit card issue if it makes you nervous. I’ll just pay for today.” She already had her finger held up to ward off my protests. “No, I insist. I’ll buy you things whether you want me to or not, so you might as well choose what you want.”
Before I could say anything, Sienna waved one of the store assistants into the dressing room and instructed her to measure for the proper dress alterations.