Page 128 of Mafia and Gold Digger

EMERALD

I’ve come to the bridal boutique with Milena, Giulietta, Jaspar, Jacquetta, Nicki, and Anni Marchiano.

Anni is Christian’s sister, and she is visiting from Chicago where she now lives after her marriage to Lorenzo Marchiano. But since Anni is in town, I invited her here today because I’ve always got on well with her.

Just before we’re due to start, Fidella—Jacquetta’s mom—rushes in. And I shoot her a smile, really glad that she managed to make it today. Fidella has also brought Ma Veneti along with her. Ma Veneti is Fidella, Anni, and Christian’s mother, as well as being Jacquetta’s grandmother. Ma Veneti totters into the boutique like she owns the place, wearing six-inch stilettos and a leopard-print fur jacket. She must be around seventy, but as usual, her hair is dyed an unnatural shade of bright auburn, and she’s wearing huge hoop earrings.

The boutique has crystal chandeliers and an expensive scent that drifts through the air. And everywhere I look, I can see racks of sophisticated and elegant gowns, their silk, satin, lace, taffeta, and tulle fabrics illuminated under the bright lights. As we’re sitting on the couches and waiting for our bridal consultant to finish her previous appointment, an assistant comes over to us, carrying a tray with a bottle of champagne and several filled flutes. “Can I offer you ladies a glass of bubbles?” she asks in a singsong voice, holding out a flute to Ma Veneti.

Ma Veneti’s nostrils flare as she scowls at her.

“Er, is there something else you would prefer,” the assistant asks, practically wilting under the death stare she’s currently receiving.

Ma Veneti can only manage a fierce growl as she bares her teeth, and the assistant looks like she’s about to run away screaming.

“Just give my mother the whole bottle,” Anni sighs.

“Um…okay…whatever she needs,” the assistant gulps, glancing uneasily at us and our bodyguards before holding out the bottle to her.

Ma Veneti snatches it from her with a gleeful cackle. “Let the party begin!” she shrieks.

Fidella is about to say something, but the consultant arrives, so the dress appointment gets started. I try on several dresses before finding one which is just perfect. Everyone coos over my dress and tells me how beautiful I look. And although I’m trying to enjoy it, all I can think about is the baby.

Saint is picking up the kids and me after this, so I text him to let him know that I’ve nearly finished and that he can pick me up soon.

“This brings back memories,” Ma Veneti sighs. “I wish I was getting married again.” Then her eyes light up as an idea pops into her head. “I think I should be allowed to get a dress too!”

“Ma,” Fidella sighs. “You don’t need another dress. And Christian says you really need to rein in your spending.”

Ma narrows her eyes at her and then bursts into tears. “But I w-w-want one!” She’s sobbing now—extremely loudly.

“Oh God, we shouldn’t have let her have all that alcohol,” Fidella mutters to Anni.

“As if we could have stopped her,” Anni replies with a grin. “You know there’s three things which Ma loves and won’t let anyone take away from her: alcohol, guns, and her gambling.”

Jacquetta merely giggles at her grandmother’s antics because she’s more than used to her acting in this way. I don’t know if it’s because Ma Veneti belongs to the ruling family of the Imperiosi, but she’s always been extremely demanding…and slightly crazy. When Anni married Lorenzo Marchiano so that the Imperiosi could make an alliance with his family, Ma Veneti was instrumental in nearly messing up the whole marriage due to her outrageous behavior which drove Lorenzo up the wall. Anni was already a. lot for Lorenzo to handle, but the added interference of her ma was almost too much for him to bear.

Realizing that Fidella isn’t being swayed by her tears, Ma Veneti ups her game and starts wailing at the top of her voice. “You’re being so m-m-mean, Fidella!”

Fidella looks horrified at the scene her mother is causing, while Anni stifles a laugh behind her hand. The assistant looks at us in alarm. The bridal boutique is supposed to be a place of joy where dreams come true—not somewhere where dramatic scenes of family disharmony unfold.

“Okay, Ma!” Fidella hisses as she reluctantly gives in. “You can have one dress,but you have to stop the hysterics.”

And with that, Ma Veneti stops crying—instantaneously. And she snatches up her champagne flute. “I’ll need another bottle,” she announces with a mischievous gleam in her eye. And her change in mood is a bit too quick if you ask me, but then I get the feeling that this woman knows exactly how to get whatever she wants. And Anni just grins as she shakes her head because she knows that her ma is never going to change.

Then dresses are brought out for Ma Veneti, and she’s enjoying trying them on and being the center of attention.

“Which one do you think you want?” Anni asks her mother.

She frowns. “None of these are quite right…”

“Can we bring you out some dresses in a different style to try on, Madam?”

Ma Veneti nods manically “Yes, that’s what I need. A different style—bring out the slutty dresses!”

“Ma!” Anni rolls her eyes, while the assistant’s jaw drops. But Anni gives the assistant a nod, knowing that she won’t be going home until her ma gets exactly what she wants.

“This reminds me of my wedding day—and also of my wedding night. Oh, how your father loved having a virgin in his bed!”

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