CHAPTER 5: LUXURY
921 Words
The moment we got back to the penthouse, my mother would not shut up.
“I told you, Mellu! I told you, didn’t I? Now look at us—billionaires!” Veronica tossed her designer bag on the glass table and twirled in front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the glittering lights of Milan sprawling beneath us. “You always doubted me, chiquita.”
I collapsed onto the couch, rubbing my temples. “Mamá, I never doubted that you were a gold digger. I doubted that you’d actually land a De Luca.”
She waved me off like I was an insect. “Oh, please. Lorenzo was practically made for me. Did you see how he looked at me?”
I blinked. Had we been at the same dinner? Because from my perspective, he barely acknowledged her existence. He had, however, stolen more than a few glances at me.
Not that it mattered.
Not that I cared.
Right?
I swallowed, forcing my thoughts elsewhere. “So, what now? Are we just… rich?” The word felt foreign in my mouth. I’d spent my life watching my mother scheme her way into money, only for it to slip through her fingers like sand. But this? This felt different. Permanent.
Veronica flopped onto the couch beside me, scrolling through her phone with a smug smile. “Oh, mi amor, we’re not just rich. We’re royalty now. And Lorenzo just sent one million dollars to our account.”
I choked on my own spit. “Excuse me?”
She grinned. “To prepare for the wedding. Dresses, jewelry, spa treatments—you name it.”
I stared at her, waiting for the punchline. It never came. “You mean to tell me that tonight—not even 24 hours before you marry the man—you need a full transformation?”
She sighed dramatically. “Ugh, you’re so negative, Mellu.”
I stood up, pacing. “No, I just think it’s wild that you’re about to marry a man whose money you love more than his personality. Do you even know anything about him?”
She shrugged, inspecting her nails. “I know enough.”
I rolled my eyes, pulling out my phone. If I was going to survive this insanity, I needed to talk to the only person who truly understood me.
—CALLING: LILIANA—
It rang twice before she picked up.
“Mellu, I swear if you’re calling me to tell me you got arrested again—”
“It’s worse.” I flopped back onto the couch, staring at the chandelier above me. “My mother is getting married tonight. To a billionaire.”
Silence. Then—
“… Are you high?”
“I wish.”
She groaned. “Who the hell marries someone they just met? Is she out of her mind?”
“You’ve met my mother, Lili. Take a wild guess.”
She cackled. “Fair point. But wait… who is this billionaire?”
I hesitated. Because saying his name out loud felt dangerous. Like summoning a demon.
“… Lorenzo De Luca.”
The line went dead.
“… Lili?”
A beat of silence. Then—
“Mellu, are you out of your goddamn mind?!”
I winced. “What? It’s not my fault! My mother is the one marrying him.”
“No, you don’t get it! He’s not just a billionaire! He’s mafia! Like, the kind that makes people disappear!”
I bit my lip, my pulse quickening. “Yeah… I kind of got that impression.”
Lili exhaled sharply. “Girl, I don’t know whether to be scared for you or jealous. This is some dark romance novel type of shit.”
I laughed, but it came out shaky. “Trust me, it feels like it.”
“Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid, okay?”
I hesitated.
Because the problem was…
I already wanted to do something stupid.
And his name was Lorenzo De Luca.
--
The next few hours were a blur of silk, gold, and champagne. Veronica dragged me from boutique to boutique, throwing diamond-studded dresses and luxury heels at me like I was her personal mannequin.
“Lorenzo likes elegance,” she mused, holding up a ridiculously expensive silk dress against my frame. “You need to start dressing like a woman, not a street rat.”
I snatched the dress from her. “I dress fine.”
She arched a brow. “You dress poor.”
I gritted my teeth, shoving the dress at the sales attendant. “I’ll take it.”
By the time we were done, I was drowning in shopping bags filled with silk gowns, expensive heels, and perfumes that smelled like money and sin.
Then came the spa.
“What even is a diamond facial?” I mumbled as a woman smeared some glittering cream on my face.
Veronica sighed, sipping her champagne. “It’s what rich people do, Mellu. Try to act like you belong.”
That was the problem.
I didn’t belong.
I might’ve been draped in luxury, but I still felt like a girl from the slums.
A girl who had no business staring at a man like Lorenzo De Luca the way I did.
A girl who, despite every logical thought, wanted him anyway.
Even worse?
I had a feeling he knew.
And that terrified me.
Because if I wasn’t careful…
Lorenzo De Luca was going to ruin me.
Or worst my dark cravings would grow.
- Writer
