Signed To The Mafia King - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

ALINA
I stepped out of the shower, dried off, and pulled on jeans and a sweater.
As I picked up my phone from the nightstand, it rang with an incoming call. It was a number I didn’t recognize. It wasn't saved on my phone.
I allowed it to keep ringing.
If it was important, they’d call again.
I grabbed a brush, ran it through my hair, then wore some flats and used some lip gloss on my lips.
The last few weeks had been very busy. I needed to rest, and to do something I actually enjoyed while doing that.
A lazy day. That’s what I wanted. Something simple. Maybe shopping. I needed a few things anyway.
I imagined Sofia would want to come. I called Pietro to get the car ready for me.
I headed to her room, knocking lightly before pushing the door open. She was sitting on the bed, reading a fashion magazine.
She looked up. "What’s up?"
"Felt like shopping. Thought you might want to come."
She dropped the magazine onto the bed. "Absolutely. I won't give up the opportunity to shop for anything.”
I smiled. "Great. Let’s go."
We walked outside together, the cool air hitting my skin as we stepped onto the driveway. Pietro was already waiting by the car, leaning against the door.
Pietro opened the car door for us. "Where to?" He asked.
"Shopping," I said as Sofia and I slid into the backseat.
Pietro nodded and pulled out onto the street. Sofia was talking about a new boutique that had just opened somewhere in town and that she had wanted to go.
I agreed that we should.
"Mikhail called," Pietro said, looking at me through the mirror.
I looked up. "About what?"
"Someone’s been asking questions about you. From the men."
That sent a wave of irritation through me. "Who?"
"Not sure yet. But he wants you to come to one of the clubs later tonight."
I frowned. "Why didn’t he call me directly?" Mikhail had instructions to come to me directly.
"He did," Pietro said simply. "You didn’t pick up."
I pulled my phone from my bag, and checked my missed calls. Mikhail’s name was right there. He had called.
Right. I had been with Luca then.
I blushed, my face hot as I remembered yesterday.
After we got back last night, we stood outside my door talking, neither of us moving, neither of us wanting to leave.
Then he kissed me. It wasn’t rushed or rough like usual. He had been mellow and the kiss had felt very sweet, like he was taking the time to savor my lips.
And then he’d left.
I had gone to bed smiling, staring at the ceiling like a complete idiot. I hadn’t even been mad that he hadn’t tried to come into my room.
I looked out the window, pressing my lips together. I was losing it.
We reached the store, and Sofia put her arm through mine as we walked inside.
The store was a luxury boutique filled with designer pieces, the kind of place where the price tags were hidden because if you had to ask, you probably couldn’t afford it.
"By the way," she said as we looked through a row of jackets. "I might be leaving Chicago soon. Back to the UK."
I turned to her. I hadn't expected that quite this early. "Yeah?"
She nodded. "I was thinking about it before, but with everything happening, it just doesn't seem like the right time."
I had told Luca she might want to leave. And he had listened and actually asked her about it. That's felt oddly sweet, like he was actually starting to listen to me.
I felt like I wanted to see him right then. I knew I couldn't though, he was probably too busy at work.
“And now?” I asked Sofia.
“Luca offered me two bodyguards so I might just go alone if father doesn't want to come along.”
I nodded. So that was why Luca had asked me to call my mother. The two of them going over together wasn't a bad idea anyway.
It had been a while since I let myself enjoy shopping, really enjoy it, so I turned my attention back to it.
I ran my fingers over a soft cashmere coat, admiring how beautiful it was before draping it over my arm. Sofia had already pulled a few dresses off the rack, holding them up against herself.
"You should try this," she said, holding out a silk dress in deep red. "It would look amazing on you."
The dress was a statement piece with a long slit almost to the waist.
My first thought was how comfortable that would be to wear. The slit looked like it was too high.
Then I thought of how Luca would react seeing me in it. I didn't think he'd be happy. "I don’t know…"
"Come on," she said, pushing it into my arms. "Just try it."
I sighed but took it, heading into the fitting room. The fabric slid over my skin like water, fitting perfectly. When I stepped out, Sofia’s eyes lit up.
"See? I was right."
I turned to the mirror, tilting my head. She wasn’t wrong.
I smoothed my hands down the dress, a small smile pulling at my lips.
It looked damned good. I could have the slit stitched shut a bit before wearing it but the dress fit me like a glove, hugging all my curves.
By the time we reached the counter, our arms were full. The cashier barely blinked as she rang up the total, just another day selling overpriced clothes to people who didn’t think twice about it.
Sofia pulled out a black card and handed it over.
I could already tell that it was Luca’s card.
I pulled out my own. "I’ll pay for mine."
She waved me off. "Luca won’t care."
I frowned. "That’s not the point."
"Relax," she said, amused. "You’re his wife."
The word still felt foreign.
The cashier handed Sofia the receipt.
I nearly fainted when I saw the total. I'd never spent that much on clothes before even though we could afford it.
The dresses had cost almost ten thousand dollars.
Sofia grinned at my shocked face. "It’s just money."
I dropped my card into my bag, almost grateful we were paying with Luca’s card.
Maybe she was right. I liked dressing well. I liked shopping. So why not?
As we stepped out of the store, Sofia stretched, looking excited. All the shopping had made her happy.
I could admit I was happy too. "Let’s get lunch."
We ended up at a nice restaurant which Pietro found for us.
The restaurant was upscale, with quiet booths and soft music playing in the background. I twirled my fork against the plate, pushing a piece of grilled salmon through the sauce.
Sofia was talking about London, about her plans once she got back.
I was listening, but at the back of my mind, I kept thinking about the man asking after me.
Mikhail hadn’t called again. My phone had been silent since Pietro told me about it.
Was it nothing? Or something I needed to be worried about?
I sighed and reached for my phone, thinking about calling Luca to see if he wanted to join us for lunch. I hadn't seen him since morning.
Before I could dial his number, my phone rang. My heart jumped, thinking he was the one.
It wasn't Luca, it was the same number that had called me earlier in the morning.
I answered. Whatever it was, must have been important then. "Hello?
Whoever had called me didn't say anything. They were silent.
But it wasn't completely silent, I could hear breathing slowly in the background.
It was a woman.
I frowned. "Hello?"
More breathing. I felt chilled all of a sudden. I knew this woman could hear me because I could hear her clearly too.
My fingers tightened around the phone. "Who is this?"
Nothing. Just that steady inhale and exhale.
I was about to hang up when, finally, the woman spoke.
"You bitch. I hope you die a very painful death someday.”
The woman hissed the words filled with anger and venom.
My stomach clenched.
Then the woman ended the call, my phone beeping.