"She had the type of walk that made an atheist say 'God Damn"

-

Adelaide
-

"Oh, how lovely it is to see you again darling!"

Cassandra brought her soft hands up to my face and lovingly caressed my cheeks. Her eyes sparkled with happiness and I felt my heart tug at the expression on her face. I grabbed her hands and held them against my skin, smiling just as brightly.

"Cass, it's only been three months not three years." I reminded the old woman, to which she rolled her grey eyes and released her hold on me, waving a dismissive hand in front of her face. "You know old people; time feels longer for us." a low chuckle pushed past my lips and she dragged me into the dining area where both Val and her mom sat, awaiting dinner to be served.

The sound of our footsteps caused the two ladies to look at us and my friend patted the seat next to her. With one last squeeze from Cassandra, she let go of my hand and I sat next to Val.

"Cassie is still so smitten over you dear, she treats you as if you were her own." The silence in the room was cut short when Azelia spoke up. I smiled softly at her in agreement. I was about to reply to her statement when two members of staff walked into the room, hands filled with different dishes which instantly made my stomach grumble and my mouth water.

"Our menu tonight is as you requested, Mrs. Strocelli." one said, delicately placing each item onto the expensive tablecloth. I wracked my brain, attempting to remember the man's name, but it completely slipped my mind.

"For your starter, we have Beef Carpaccio with a side of Bruschetta. I have paired it with a delicate red wine." he raised his middle and index fingers and motioned for a barrel of ice to be brought over, with a single bottle of—no doubt, expensive wine placed strategically inside.

The woman looked pleased and gave a polite smile to the server. "Thank you, Michael. Tell Cassandra as well as the rest of the kitchen staff to take an early night off. I'll serve the rest of the dishes."

Michael. That was his name.

"Are you sure Madam?" Michael asked, straining his happiness. Azelia nodded encouragingly and he gave her an appreciative smile and with one last thank you, he walked away.

I stared at the food in front of me. The portion was small, but the smell radiating from the dish was nothing short of magnificent. My thoughts were interrupted by a light tap on my knee.

"Definitely ordering pizza later." Val whispered, staring at the dish with distaste. I stifled my laugh by biting my lip. We chatted for a few more seconds before the sound of heavy footsteps were heard and our conversation died down.

"Oh, honey! You're home."

Christian Strocelli strode into the room with strong, demanding steps. He radiated power and instilled fear into anyone who hadn't seen how much of a softie his was around his family.

He kissed his wife leisurely and Valentina fake gaged. "Gross." the couple laughed and he ruffled his daughters wavey hair in greeting which caused her to whine and protest.

Unfortunately, for as long as I could remember, his joyous, carefree side was only extended as far as the two women he loved. Although he used to be a little more kind, it came to a complete stop almost a year ago. And I still had no idea why. He stared at me for a few seconds and his laughter died down, as if he had just realized they weren't alone. He nodded his head in my direction, that was his way of saying hello.

I felt a weird feeling of rejection course through me but I shrugged it off. I was used to his curt behavior and by the sympathetic smiles I was gifted by both his wife and daughter, they were too I gave them a reassuring grin to let them know it was completely fine.

"Honey, you remember Adelaide, correct?"

Mr. Strocelli only nodded in acknowledgement, refraining from looking at me. Val cleared her throat and clasped her hands together, attempting to clear the thick tension in the room.

"Why don't we say grace?" she suggested. The three of us nodded in agreement and bowed our heads, listening as a grateful prayer was recited for the food in front of us.

"Amen."

"Right! Let's dig in, shall we?"

-

"I'm stuffed." I announced, flopping back onto the comfortable mattress.

Val giggled, laying down next to me with a hand over her stomach. "Same. Wanna get pizza?" she asked, already typing away on her phone. I eagerly agreed and we placed an order for two pepperoni pizzas—with extra cheese. Of course.

After throwing her phone somewhere on her bed, she turned to me with a sad smile on her face. "Sorry 'bout my dad. I have no clue what's going on with him lately." she said, blowing stray curls out of her face.

I rolled my eyes and laughed lightly. "It's no big deal. I barely see him anyway in this large as fuck house you have."

Which was true. Whenever I had the pleasure of being in the Strocelli mansion, I would never cross paths with the man. Maybe once or twice as I roamed the halls, but other than that-- I never did. Which was often a blessing in disguise as I assumed it would be more awkward and tense than anything else.

"Yeah, but it still doesn't excuse his behavior. I'll talk to him."

My eyes widened and I immediately rejected the idea. "No-- really, it does not bother me."

"You sure?" she asked warily.

"I'm sure."

Minutes later the two of us were sprawled on top of the bed, my feet dangling in the air as I stuffed my face with mouthwatering pizza.

Takeout over rich people food any day.

"I still can't believe she broke up with him to date his brother."

I murmured a reply, the sound muffled by the food in my mouth and she looked at me with a disgusted expression to which I rolled my eyes and swallowed. "That isn't even the craziest part."

As the last episode of season three came to an end, Val wiped her hands on a paper towel and shut off the TV. We threw the pizza boxes into the trash and I rummaged through my bags, hoping to find a good set of sleepwear for tonight as Val fluffed up the pillows.

"Right or left?" she asked, pointing to each side of the bed.

"Left. Can I shower first?"

She threw out a quick 'yup' and I walked into the large En-suite bathroom. The shower cubicle was as large as my closet back home.

I made sure the water was scorching hot before stepping in. The feeling of the hot water droplets cascading down my figure was luxurious, the pressure at my house was never this good. I took my time lathering citrus scented body wash over my skin. After that, I massaged shampoo onto my scalp and almost moaned at the feeling. I even had a quick shave; in case we were spending any time at the pool tomorrow.

After ensuring I was cleaned to perfection, I stepped out of the shower and applied some over the counter skincare products onto my face in the large mirror. I was lucky enough to have glowing skin since birth, I did little to nothing to prevent any red spots popping up on my face because they simply never did, some moisturizer and a little cleanser was all I needed to maintain the glow on my natural rosy cheeks.

"I still can't believe you don't have to spend hundreds on products for your skin."

I looked at the door and took note of Val standing against it, a teasing smile on her face.

"Hey, you have the money for it." I replied, staring at the vast amount of Glossier, Clinique and Mario Badescu bottles on her bathroom counter.

She rolled her eyes and ushered me out the room with a small shove and a 'shoo'. Once the door shut behind me, the sound of running water could be heard and I slipped on my clothing for the night. Instantly hopping into my side of the large bed.

I cuddled up into the warm sheets with a pleased sigh.

There was nothing better than freshly shaven legs on a clean set of sheets.

I scrolled through social media for a few minutes, smiling at the photos of all my friends on Summer Vacation and answering a few texts, before I was pulled into sleep, my fatigue from the day taking over me.

-

I tossed and turned next to a fast asleep Val for twenty minutes before finally deciding to get up. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and rubbed the tiredness away from my eyes before staring at the bright red figures on the alarm.

3:03 a.m.

I stifled a yawn a slipped on my shoes, heading down to the kitchen to grab a glass of water to soothe my dry throat.

The house was dead silent as I walked through it. I flipped the switch in the dark kitchen and almost jumped out of my skin at the figure sitting at the island.

"Oh--um, I didn't think anyone would be in here Christian." I mumbled in a small voice. As much as I wanted to be confident in the way I spoke—this man intimidated me.

He twirled the neat whiskey in his glass around, not bothering to look up from his drink. I had assumed, by the messy hair and loose tie around his neck that he had only just finished working.

He seemed tired.

Acknowledging that he was just going to ignore me, I silently shuffled to the fridge and poured myself a glass of water from the dispenser. With one last look at the man, I turned around and began to make my way upstairs.

"Mr. Strocelli." he murmured.

I stopped dead in my tracks at the sound of his voice and swiveled to look at him. Did he speak to me? Or was I imagining it all due to my sleep deprivation.

"Excuse me?" I asked unsurely.

This time his voice was clearer. "It's Mr. Strocelli. Do not call me by my first name."

I took a step back, surprised at his rude words. I couldn't form a reply, so instead I rushed out of the room, a pink hue tinting my cheeks as I hopped back into my side of the bed.

Before I had the time to fully comprehend the awkward moment, I fell into a deep sleep. Hoping this was all just a really bad dream.

-

A heavy feeling on my face woke me out of my slumber and I groaned loudly and opened my tired eyes. "What the fuck?" I asked, realizing the heaviness came from Valentina's arm strewn across my face. I violently tossed it back onto her side and she grunted, immediately sitting up. "Did you just hit me?" she asked, confusion laced in her tone.

I rolled my eyes and decided on ignoring the girl, which she obviously didn't appreciate because a second later a felt a pillow wack the back of my head and I gasped. I hated when she did that.

I retaliated and grabbed my own pillow, skillfully jumping on top of her and attacking her with the fluffy object. Her screams were heard across the room and I laughed at her horrified expression before slapping her in the face once more for good measure.

I flopped back onto my side, out of breath and sighed happily.

"You're a violent bitch."

"I know."

-

"Breakfast at your house is a luxury I still haven't gotten used to." I said, placing one last grape into my mouth.

The two of us had just finished the breakfast Cassandra had kindly brought up to Val's room. It consisted of multiple different foods. Ranging from fruits to bagels. And I ate every last bite.

"Honestly, me neither." she agreed, stacking her plate on top of mine.

"Now, get your ass in the shower. We have a long day ahead of us."

A/N:

I hope you enjoyed this LONG overdue chapter. My updates will be more frequent now hopefully!

It'll get more interesting soon I promise <3

Have a great day!