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I’m only half listening. My phone is buzzing beside me. I check it. It’s Juanita asking me what time I’m coming out and how far along dinner is. It’s accompanied by a photo of her with the girls. I respond and let her know I’ll message her as soon as I’m in the cab.
“What do you think, Ana?” Natalia asks me.
I look up quickly, sliding my phone into my bag. “Sorry? I was distracted.”
“What do you think of the food?” Natalia asks.
I smile. “It looks great! I can’t wait to dig in.”
I’m only half paying attention to what everyone’s saying, but Luigi is commanding the conversation.
While we’re eating dessert, he glances at me. “So what are you doing after this?”
“Going out to a rave with friends,” I grin. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“I didn’t take you for the rave kind of person,” he admits, digging into his giant bowl of ice cream.
Our eyes meet, and I feel a stinging inside of me. No, not a stinging. It doesn’t hurt. Almost like a pull, but I quickly look to my dessert. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“I hope to learn everything about you,” his voice is quiet enough that only I hear him. I blush slightly and look down the table at my father, who is looking at the two of us. I offer my father a smile, and he nods slowly.
Once the dinner is over and people start leaving, I get up. “It was nice to see you again, everyone. Especially you, Luigi.” I smile at him, but before they can ask any questions, I walk to my father. “Right, I’m late to meet my friends. Will you excuse me now the dinner is done?”
“Don’t stay out too late, and be safe,” my father says. I feel embarrassed as he stands and kisses the side of my head.
“Papa, come on,” I groan softly.
“You’re never too old for your father,” he chides me with a small smile. “Now, off you go. Do you need a ride?”
“No, I’ll get a cab. Don’t worry,” I smile before saying a polite goodbye to Alessandro and Katya and leaving. Luckily Luigi is being spoken to by Natalia again, so he doesn’t offer to escort me out or ask to join in on my plans.
I order a cab from my phone and walk slightly down the road to wait for it. A guard keeps me in his sights, but that doesn’t bother me.
The cab arrives, and I climb in, messaging Juanita that I’m on my way. I take a photo in the cab and send it to her.
The cab can’t take me to the inner industrial area, but I can hear the music from a few blocks away where I get out. I walk amongst several couples making their way toward a warehouse that seems a little too active to be abandoned.
I take a deep breath and steel myself. There are two ways to make it to the top of a family as a woman these days. You can sleep your way to the top or prove your worth through actions.
Tonight, my revenge will prove I deserve a place at the top of the family.
As I reach the door, a bouncer holds out a hand. “Name?”
“Anastasia Volkov.” I try not to say it too loud. He consults a tablet the guy next to him holds and then nods. “You will be escorted to the VIP section.”
I nod as he disappears into the door and returns with another burly guard. I try to appear utterly confident as I follow this guard through an intensely busy rave party.
He takes me around a corner and through a guarded door that is the VIP section. The VIP section is raised and has its own bar. I find Juantia and the girls standing at the bar ordering shorts, and they squeal when they see me.
I plaster the biggest smile on my face and squeal, too, excited to end what her father started.
Chapter 6 - Luigi
I don’t know when she left. I finished talking to her… is it cousin? I don’t know, but I finished talking to Natalia, and when I looked up, she was gone. I wandered around for a bit but couldn’t find her anywhere.
I’m disappointed because I thought we could go to the rave together. From her social media and the few times I’ve bumped into and hung with her, she’s a blast to have a party with.
I can’t make it obvious that I want to hang out with her and drink. Her father would not appreciate the sentiment, whether or not it’s innocent. I decide to head out to La Club and see if anyone is hanging out there before I try to find the rave scene. Maybe I can catch up with her.
