Elena's POV
I finished writing Rio's speech for tomorrow's event - short and sweet, no snoozefest for the guests, please , plus Rio doesn't like long speeches , I mean who does ?
Board meeting was a must, so I showed up , because it was mandatory for everyone in the office to attend ,didn't want to share a room with him, but hey, duty calls and I didn't have a valid excuse to skip . We didn't speak a single word to each other , the moment the meeting ended I was first to step out .
The clock hit 4:00 PM sharp. Time to pack up and dip. Shopping spree with Mariana awaited - gotta find a dress that doesn't scream "I'm a nervous mess but atleast am pretty" for the ball.
Most of my stuff was still at the apartment, but going back there? Nah. I'd ask Marco, Rio's right hand man,to send my things to the mansion instead am sure he wouldn't mind . Avoiding Rio was the top priority, I wasn't planning on speaking to him anytime soon matters concerning us outside this office .
Just as I slung my bag over my shoulder, the office door slid open.
"Ready?" Mariana's soft Italian accent floated in. I nodded and we stepped into the elevator, pressing the ground floor button.
"Rio told me you're staying with him?" she asked casually.
I went quiet, wondering what I should say.
"He told me everything. You'll be safe with him - trust me," she said, flashing a smile.
"Yeah, well, it's just for a while. Not forever," I replied, fixing my hair in the elevator mirror.
The doors dinged open. Out we stepped , bumping into Rio .
Great .
"Hey bro," Mariana hugged him tight. I just stood there, eyes dropping away from his gaze. His deep voice hit me like a punch.
"Hey," he said, and I swallowed hard. My body betrayed me every damn time.
"Where are you girls off to? Pretty early," he asked, glancing at his watch.
I couldn't stop staring at him because this man has no business looking this fine . But I drifted my gaze to the floor.
"The mall. Shopping for a dress for tomorrow's ball," Mariana said, slinging an arm over my shoulder , pulling me closer to her .
I smiled back at maria when she smiled at me , but Rio's expression didn't soften.
"Oh. Alright. Take my card." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out a sleek black card, and handed it to me.
I looked at it, then at him, rolling my eyes because who the fuck told him I needed his money.
"Take the damn card, Elena," he snapped, voice sharp.
I scoffed. The audacity.
"No thanks. I can afford my own damn dress. Don't want your money." I glared, broke free from Mariana's hold, and headed out to wait outside.
The wind was cool against my skin as I sighed, imagining I had to leave with that arrogant asshole.
Do I look like I need his millions? I rolled my eyes again.
"Hey."
Mariana's voice pulled me back. I turned, guilt creeping in like unwanted shadows.
"Hey. Sorry for that."I said genuinely sorry voice soft and apologetic.
"Don't be. It was nothing. Mind telling me what that was about?" she asked as we walked down the steps toward her Lamborghini, which was already turning heads she's a classy girl .
"Your brother's an asshole, Maria," I giggled.
"That I know. And trust me, I don't even wanna know what you guys are on about - save me the drama," she said, raising her hands in surrender.
I was happy she didn't push , I didn't wanna talk about it.
I opened the passenger door and it popped open like a damn rocket.
She slid behind the wheel.
The interior was red - classy, sexy, low like the car itself. I'm more of a big-car girl, but damn, this ride was gorgeous.
Engine roared as she peeled out toward the mall.
"If you can't stand him, you can always come stay with me," she said, glancing sideways To face me as she pressed her foot on the gas . Reckless driver just like her brother .
"I'll survive ,for now. But don't close the offer. I might change my mind," I chuckled looking outside the window .
We went silent for a bit .
"Whose your date?" i asked, breaking the silence turning to face her .
"Don't have one. Usually roll solo to these things," she shrugged.
"Really? Why?"I ask wide eyed .
Genuinely curious because Mariana is one drop dead gorgeous girl.
Her gorgeous face softened. "Don't wanna talk about it."she sighed tapping her nails on the wheel .
I pressed her. She shut down, and I changed the subject.
"You won't guess who I'm going with."I say leaning back on the seat .
She looked at me, then back to the road.
"Rio. He told me when you walked out," she said, grinning wide.
My face dropped. Shit. Shit. Shit.
"What? He didn't tell you? Maybe he wanted to surprise you." She said parking outside the mall and switched off the engine, turning to me.
"I thought he wouldn't want to go after our little fight today, so I accepted Chad's offer." I facepalmed groaning in my palms .
"Who's Chad?"she asks confused.
"The projects manager."I say dropping my hands from my face .
"His name's Charles, Elena," she laughed.
I hadn't even gotten the name right.
"Yeah, him. What now?" I slumped back in my seat.
I should have cleared this with Rio first. Major oops.
"Rio is sooo going to kill him," she giggled as we stepped out.
Walking toward the mall, she shot me a look.
"You need to cancel with Chad."she giggled but she was serious, and she was right, knowing Rio he wount like the idea of me showing up with someone else .
"Okay. I will," I smiled, nervousness sneaking in.
The rest of the time we spent it shopping through stores and stores for makeup new shoes and offcourse we didn't just buy one dress we did a whole shopping spree for a whole closet transformation.