"You look beautiful," Valentina says, and I can hear the sincerity in her voice.
I do look different. Not just the hair, but the manicured nails, the smooth skin, a polish that I expect is kept by doing this kind of thing regularly. I look more like I belong in the mansion, at the very least, like I could be a part of this world, even if I still don’t feel like I belong.
“Thank you,” I say softly, and Valentina grins.
"Don't thank me yet. We haven't even started shopping."
The boutiques Valentina takes me to are the kind of places I used to walk past and dream about entering. Everything is beautiful and expensive and completely out of my league —or it was, until yesterday.
"I don't know what to choose," I admit, overwhelmed by the options. "I've never bought anything this nice before."
"Then we'll get everything," Valentina says matter-of-factly. "Dresses, casual clothes, lingerie, shoes. You need a complete wardrobe."
"But the cost—" I bite my lip. I’ve spent over a thousand dollars already today. It’s mind-boggling to me. The idea that Damian won’tbe angry, that he won’t expect me to justify each and every one of these purchases?—
"Sienna." Valentina stops walking and turns to face me, her expression serious. "Let me tell you something about men like Damian and Konstantin. They measure their worth partially by their wealth, by their ability to provide, to spoil the women that they care about, that belong to them. It’s old-fashioned, yes, but there’s a certain pride in it. Damian married you, which means he's claimed responsibility for your well-being. No matter the circumstances behind it, if you refuse his generosity, it’s insulting to him.”
Shit. That’s the last thing I want to do. I press my lips together. “I just—I’ve never done anything like all of this before.”
“So enjoy it,” Valentina says firmly. “There’s no shame in it, and you have all of this, so why not have a good time? Men like Konstantin and Damian don’t do anything halfway, Sienna. The money is nothing to him. Making sure you feel provided for is. Men like these take care of what’s theirs.”
Theirs. A shiver runs down my spine. I tell myself that it’s fear, the cold feeling slithering down my back, but for the first time, I wonder. I’m terrified of Damian, there’s no question of that… but I can’t help but wonder if there’s some curiosity there, too.What would it be like, to be with a man like him?Would it be rough and animalistic, like Carmen said? Would I enjoy it? Would he care about my pleasure at all, or just take his?
I push the thought away as Valentina hands me an armful of clothes, steering me toward the dressing rooms. With her encouragement, we make our way through the stores again, this time with me trying on everything that catches my eye. I end up with dress after dress, each one more beautiful than the last—a black cocktail dress that makes me feel like a femme fatale, a flowing sundress with a tropical flower print, a gorgeous tiered green dress in swiss-dot lace that brings out my eyes.
“That one for sure,” Valentina encourages when I step out of the dressing room in that one, trying not to think about the six-hundred-dollar price tag. "Damian won't be able to take his eyes off you."
“Isn’t this just about making sure I have nicer clothes?”
"It is," she says innocently. "But that doesn't mean you can't think about what he’ll find stunning while you're at it."
I buy all three dresses, along with several others, pairs of jeans, blouses, shorts, tops in every style, shoes that cost more than I used to make in a week, and sleepwear that might not make Damian fly into a jealous rage if he sees me walking around the mansion in it, as well as a few other sets that I like, skimpy or not.
“This has got to be too much,” I protest, looking at Valentina as we watch a sales associate ring up the third four-figure purchase in the last hour, and she shakes her head.
"Nonsense. You haven't even gotten started yet."
We stop for lunch at a restaurant that usually requires reservations months in advance, and we’re whisked away to a table with a view overlooking the city. I’m overwhelmed by the luxury of it all, everything from the fact that there are three options for water, the drink list, the food that’s impossible to choose from, because I don’t even recognize the names of some of the ingredients. I finally settle on one of the salads, too overwhelmed to eat much, and Valentina does as well, pointing out the ones she likes best on the menu.
"Thank you," I tell Valentina over the salads that are more art than food. "Not just for today, but for being so kind to me. I know this situation is weird, having a stranger suddenly thrust into your lives."
Valentina waves a hand. “I’ve had to deal with much stranger things in my life. And it’s nice having another woman around. I mean, other than the staff. I’ve never gotten used to having people do things for me all of the time, so I don’t have a personal maid, and I try to keep them from having to do too much. I’ve never been good at making friends, honestly. A side effect of my former job.” She laughs. “So you’re doing me a favor, really.”
I find that hard to believe, that today is a favor for anyone but me, but I smile anyway. She seems like she’s being genuine, even if I don’t understand it all.
“I know men like Konstantin and Damian can be difficult, if you haven’t grown up around men like that,” she says, taking a bite of herfood. “I did, but I can see that this is all very new for you. And Damian is… well, I can’t imagine Damian being the easiest man to be married to.”
Something about the way she says it piques my interest. “What do you mean?”
Valentina glances at me. “Damian has always been married to the Bratva, so far as Konstantin has told me,” she says simply. “He worked for Konstantin’s father before. Has done so since he was eighteen. He’s devoted his whole life to being the right hand to thepakhan, an enforcer, the most trusted, loyal man in the organization as far as the boss is concerned. He and Konstantin are the same age, so there’s a closeness there. He stayed in the position, when Konstantin took over.”
I nod, trying to wrap my head around all of this. It sounds complicated, like hierarchy and politics and things that I never really considered being a part of a crime family. “He is very… reserved,” I say slowly, and Valentina chuckles.
“That’s one word for it. He’s a difficult man to get to know. But if he said he would protect you, you can believe that he will.”
I want to ask more questions. I want to ask Valentina why Damian won’t touch me, why he would refuse to take something that he could have without question. I want to ask if she has any idea what game he might be playing, what I’m expected to do, what I should do to repay him for today. I want to ask her how to please a man like that, but I can’t say the words out loud, can’t think of how to phrase what I want to know.
I dig into my salad instead, feeling my cheeks heat, and we eat our lunch, making small talk about shopping and the weather, and things that don’t really matter. After we finish eating, there’s more shopping—more boutiques, more clothes, jewelry to buy, and a lingerie store that Valentina convinces me to go into. I end up purchasing some things too beautiful to ignore, even though I can’t imagine when I’ll wear them. We go to a beauty store for makeup and skincare, and I force myself to stop calculating how much I’ve spent today, worrying about what Damian might think or say when he sees the numbers.
