"Are you ready, Bambi?" Dario asked as he knocked on my bedroom door. He was being a gentleman when I knew he was dying to see me naked, and I loved it. He respected my boundaries. 

I wore my black high heels that matched my black dress and exited the room with a smile. I loved how I looked. I felt confident and beautiful. "Oh shit," he whispered the moment his eyes landed on me, and I stopped in my tracks.

"What? Is something wrong? Do I look bad?" Just like that, I was self-conscious, and that had never happened before. 

Damn you, Dario Fucking Romano.

He stepped closer, wrapped his muscular arms around my waist, and stared me down. I forgot how to breathe from the intensity of his gaze. "You look like an angel walking down on earth to salvage me. La mia bellissima Bambi." He kissed my forehead, and I was gone. "Un giorno ci metterò un anello vero," he added, and I arched my eyebrows.

"Can you translate, please?" I placed my arms around his neck and kissed his jaw.

Before he could say anything, Phoebe stood behind him, almost screaming at the sight. "He said he wants to put a ring on it one day! Oh my God, this is priceless and romantic, and I want to throw up from this overload of cuteness!"

I laughed and blushed at the same time. My mafia don was unexpectedly romantic.

"I forgot she understood Italian," he grumbled under his breath, and I chuckled at his sulking. From his reaction, I assumed he was not going to translate what he said. 

Thank you, Phoebe.

"And you look like the couple we watched on TV the other day, Joe. Royal, elegant, and powerful. Let's not forget good-damn-looking!" Phoebe was having a fangirl moment, and I let her. She was genuinely happy, and I was happy for her.

"Thank you, Phoebe. You look very beautiful, doesn't she, Dario?" I said as I hugged her, but I could tell that Dario did not appreciate that I let go of him. He was going to have to suck it.

He nodded, still sulking, as he wore his expensive-looking watch from our new collection. I forgot to put mine, so I returned to my room, opened the box, and put it on. It defied all the purpose of having this day if I did not wear one. "Yes, Abramo will faint," Dario remarked, and I giggled.

"Are you being honest? Because I do want him to faint in love with me," she replied with a smirk, and I laughed at her bluntness.

"Woman, you have no filter." Dario's comment made us laugh so hard that I almost fell down the stairs, but he held me tightly and securely. "And you have no steady feet," he said with a roll of his eyes, and I slapped his chest.

"Stop flirting, and let's go. I think the whole mafia is waiting outside your house, Don," Phoebe mocked, walked down to the main entrance, and opened the door. Indeed, almost everyone was waiting outside for us. The sight was comical yet very powerful. 

"The lovebirds have emerged from their nest at last. Did you use protection?" Lazo was the first to comment, and I slapped his arm. Everyone knew we were a couple, so they took the liberty to mess with us each time they saw us.

"I hope you did not ruin the sheets today," Abramo exclaimed as he casually wrapped his arm around Phoebe's waist. He whispered something in her ear, and she turned crimson red. I did not want to know what he said to her, but I knew it was something she liked. We ignored the teasing comments and walked to the cars.

"You look beautiful, Jolene. You too, son," Basilio said and kissed my hand—such a gentleman.

"I agree with Grandpa. Stunning!" Enola hugged me, then walked to Mattia's car. Andrea was not with them, so I figured he was with his nanny.

"You look mesmerizing, Enola. Mattia hit the jackpot!" I winked at them and slid into the passenger seat next to Dario. Basilio was driving, and Lazlo sat next to him. "Are the workers there already? I need to go through everything before the opening." I looked at the time, and we had an hour before the main event.

"Yes, everything and everyone is in place. Don't worry," Lazlo replied as he cleaned his gun. I looked at Dario with a questioning expression, and he sighed.

He held my hand and placed it on his knee. "I can't take risks, not today, not ever. If Atlas doesn't strike, other enemies might. I won't take any chance. Each one of us has a gun."

I nodded in understanding. I crossed one leg over the other, where the slit was, to show him my weapons. "I figured, so I strapped the knives on me."

"Bambi, I have no words except sei fantastica!" Dario exclaimed, and I laughed.

~~~

"Benvenuti a tutti, it is my great pleasure to invite you all to our newest branch of Hansely's Watches. With great dedication and hard work, the Romano family helped us open the first luxurious branch outside of the US, and my family, the company, and I are grateful for their tremendous support. Welcome, and have a lovely evening. If you have any inquiries, you can ask anyone with this golden broach. We would be happy to help!" I concluded my short speech and opened the doors to the building. The store was huge and glamorous, and I could already see the women's eyes sparkle. Men were impressed, and I grinned at their reactions. 

Dario stepped closer to me as I took in everything around me. "You did great, amore mio," he whispered, kissing my cheek quickly. Not a second later, a few businessmen wanted to chat with him, so I stepped aside and observed the scene. 

Two men were laughing and smiling at whatever Dario said, but the other two were too damn serious to crack a smile. I could tell they were mafia-related due to their aura and stance.

"Everything's alright, Donna?" Giovanni asked as he drank his wine.

I smiled. "Yes, everything is perfect so far. Thank you guys for helping! You can open a factory in just a few days if you set your mind to it."

"Anytime, Donna."

"Giovanni, can you not call me Donna? Jolene is enough," I requested with a smile. He reluctantly nodded, unconvinced. "Is Fabio here? Did he bring Diana with him?" I changed the topic, and Gio pointed to the end of the store. Fabio and Diana laughed at something Orlando said, and I felt happy for her. I invited her today to help her forget what happened, even for a day. She deserved a break.

"Ho una domanda," an elderly woman with her neck filled with diamonds, caught our attention, but I did not understand what she said, so I tapped Giovanni's shoulder.

He understood his mission, held her hand, and took her somewhere else. "Da questa parte, signora," he replied with a charming smile. 

God bless him.

I need to learn Italian, and fast.

"Two o'clock, green," Phoebe whispered as she passed me with a young couple, leading them to their destination. I looked at the direction she instructed, and I was stunned. 

A brunette woman was standing too close to Dario and touching his shoulder every few seconds. I could see he was uncomfortable. He could not be rude, especially not today, since we did not want to make a scene and ruin the vibes, but I knew what to do.

I walked confidently toward him, grabbing the males' attention. "Dario," I called, and he immediately relaxed, stepping away from the woman. "Did you lock the house?" I asked, and she listened to our conversation. I held my hand with his ring and placed it on his cheek for her to see.

He caught on to my plan and kissed the ring. "I did, amore," he said, loud enough for her to hear. She took the memo and stormed off somewhere else. "Thank you for coming. I did not want to push her filthy hands off me and make her cry. I did not want any attention on her when it was your day."

He kissed my forehead and let go of me when another man tapped his shoulder. I stepped aside to give them privacy, and then another man, who seemed to be in his mid-thirties, smiled at me and stepped closer. "Ciao, you are the owner of this shop, si?"

I smiled and shook his extended hand. "Jolene Hansley. How can I be of assistance, sir?"

"I loved this bronze watch and am thinking of getting two. Is that possible?" the man asked as he pointed at the boxed bronze watches. They were a limited edition, and I was thrilled that they caught his attention.

"Of course, sir. Just tell me which exactly, and I will have someone get them for you," I replied as I stepped in front of him to get a closer look at what he needed. However, the moment I did that, I felt a hand on my butt. I turned my body quickly, disgusted. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" I asked, not loudly, because I, too, did not want to make a scene out of this.

He smiled creepily as he got closer. He invaded my space, and I hated that. "I thought this was in the customer service manual," he joked, but I did not laugh. I looked around, and when I ensured no one was looking at us as we were in a blind spot, I grabbed one of my knives and held it to his throat. He was startled, not expecting to do anything, but I did not care.

"This is in the customer service manual. Would you like to read more?" I countered as calmly as possible, and then I saw Dario standing behind the disgusting man with an unexplainable expression. He was not pleased, and I feared he might explode at any second. 

"No. Mi dispiace! Let go of me, please." He tried to wiggle his way out of my grip, but Dario smiled wickedly and slid his arm around his shoulders.

"Let me lead the way, sir. You are lost and in need of my assistance," Dario remarked, leading the man outside the store. I quickly hid the knife behind my back when a woman approached me to ask me something, and I prayed that I would not see blood tonight. 

~~~ 

2.11.2023 

What would you do if you were in Jolene's shoes? 

I hope you liked this chapter!