It was days later. Samantha and I were having breakfast. Sin's wounds were already healed, and things were back to the way they were before.
Samantha and I were having a conversation while we ate. That was when Sin came in, all dressed up in his black Amarni suit. Since we came to Italy, he has been very busy, going out more and coming back late, or he is trapped in his office going through some documents, but I don't complain because he always makes time for me, despite his very hectic schedules.
"Sin, join us for breakfast!" Samantha beamed at him.
"I can't, Sam; I'm going to be late." I let out a quiet sigh. Samantha looked at me and then lightly ifw4nudged my shoulders.
"Come on, Nikolai, just have breakfast. You haven't been eating well lately. Please. "I pleaded with him.
His gaze shifted from me to his watch, then back to me, and he let out a curse. He took a seat at the counter stool, sitting beside me. "I can never say no to you, bambina."
I stood up to pour a cup of brewed black coffee into a mug and pushed it to his front, then took two pieces of waffles and put them on a plate in front of him. I went back to my seat beside him and took a seat.
"So Sin, Zoey, and I wanted to take Mani shopping today." Samantha said, smiling at him.
"No," he answered sternly as he ate his food.
"You know you can't keep her here all day doing absolutely nothing." Samantha tried to reason with me.
I must admit, I was tired of staying indoors all day doing absolutely nothing. I wanted to work, make other friends, and live a normal life with him.
"Nikolai, I can't stay indoors, doing nothing." I covered his large hand with my small ones, trying to change his mind.
"You know it's dangerous, Amore," he continued.
"Will I keep on living looking behind my back without doing the things I love?. I can't do that; I can't be scared all the time, Nikolai."
"Amore," he started, but I cut him off.
"Please, we won't take long, I promise." I smiled at him, hoping this would work.
"Fine, Mateo would be going with you, along with double security." It was more of a command, and I just nodded, suppressing my squeal. He kissed my cheek and then walked out of the kitchen.
When he was a good distance away, Samantha and I let out a squeal, jumping and clapping hands with each other.
"Okay, I will go tell Zoey while you get ready." She suggested, then ran up the stairs to Zoey's room.
I went up to the room to change into comfortable blue jeans with an off-shoulder black top. We got into the car with Mateo at the front, Samantha, Zoey, and I sitting at the back. Four cars followed us—two in front of us and two behind us. When we got to the mall, we moved to different stores as we tried on different clothes, shoes, bags, and other things.
◇◇◇◇
Right now, I am sitting on the sofa while Zoey and
Samantha tried on different dresses; I had already gotten the things I needed, but the other girls couldn't decide on what they wanted.
I had also gotten a new thong, and I couldn't wait to show it to Sin. I smiled when I imagined his face and reaction when he saw the sets of thongs. I smiled, and I saw someone at the corner of my eye who looked to have been following us since we got into the mall. He was dressed in a black shirt and trousers with a cap on his face, which helped hide his face, making it hard to identify his face.
I knew for sure that he was watching us; I could feel it. After what happened at Sin's house in New York and how Mateo got shot and I almost got killed, you could say my senses had become sharpened. I turned to look at the girls; they were chatting among themselves, so I turned my gaze back to the mysterious man but didn't find him there.
It was like I imagined everything, but I knew better than to think that. I was sure he was somewhere else, watching us.
"Is everything okay, Mani?" Mateo asked, following my glance to look in the same direction the man was.
"Yes, Mat." I replied, smiling at him. I stood up from the sofa and followed Zoey and Samantha to the cashier, and they paid for their clothes. I was craving ice cream, so I asked Mateo
if we could stop for one before heading back home. Mateo wasn't a fan of the idea but had no other option but to stop for ice cream like I requested.
We went into a small ice cream parlor, and I took a seat with Zoey beside me and Samantha opposite me. Mateo and the rest of the men sat two seats away from us, ordering absolutely nothing.
"I can never get tired of shopping." Samantha gushed, scooping a ball of vanilla ice cream into her mouth.
"Me too." Zoey backed her up.
"I don't know how you guys do it, but shopping is very stressful. Well, at least to me." I whined, not agreeing with them.
I looked out the window to see the man again from across the street; he had a phone in his ear and was talking to someone on the other end of the line. Pretending to be so immense with the call
"I think it's best we go." I say to the girls, standing up.
"why. I'm not done with my ice cream yet." Zoey complains. I ignored her and walked out of the door with
Mateo and the men following after me I got into the car alone with Samantha. The door swings open, and Zoey enters grumpily. I looked back across the street where I saw him standing, and he was still there, not so discreetly staring at us. I let out a sigh when the car pulled out of the parking lot of the ice cream parlor and headed in the direction of the mansion.