Page 16 of In Ruins
“The ballroom is that way,” the butler standing to the side of the open door says, pointing out the direction we need to head in. I can already hear the slight thumping of the music as we get closer.
As soon as we step inside the room, it’s like I've been transported into another world. The room is tastefully decorated in black and red, with mask and feather displays on the tables and the walls. There are even flashing lights around the room that change from black to red every couple of seconds. It looks amazing. I scan the entire room in awe.
Is this how the wealthy and famous party? In such an elegant and expensive style? I mean, I know my family has money, but I don’t think it’s this much. I don’t know anything about our finances. Besides, it’s not like I’d ever see any of it anyway. My father would never spend a dime on me if he didn’t have to keep up appearances. Most of the expensive things I have were bought for me by my brother.
“Have fun, you guys!” I tell Giana and Bruno as I begin to walk away to explore.
The room itself is huge and packed with people, but not in an overcrowded way. The men are dressed in tuxes while the ladiesare all dressed up in gorgeous dresses, gowns, and elaborate masks.
I feel the energy in the room as I slowly make my way around. It’s a contagious vibe. As much as I love this, I certainly couldn’t survive if I had to do this often. I much prefer a quiet spot with a book in my hand.
The soft music continues to play throughout the room, along with the quiet chatter of everyone around me. Almost everyone has a drink in their hand, and those who don’t are the ones dancing.
I swear, people use these parties as an excuse to drink excessively. Then again, it’s not like some of them don’t already do that at home. At least that’s what I’ve heard. A second later, I feel bad for stereotyping everyone here.
Even though I rarely go anywhere, I know enough details of the things that usually go on at parties like this, since the maids like to gossip among themselves. Giana tells me everything. She knows how to keep me entertained.
I stroll around aimlessly and sit for a while at one of the tables. A few people try to engage me in conversation, no doubt wondering who I am, but I avoid them by quickly moving away. They probably think I’m being rude as hell, but in my defense, it’s so I don’t give away my disguise.
I get a drink and sip it through the straw, which turns out to be quite difficult since there is no opening where the lips are on my mask, so I have to slip the straw underneath.
Eventually, I get bored, so I head to the balcony for a while to get some fresh air. Maybe I’ll just stay there until it’s time to meet up with Giana again. I’m sure she’s already hidden away somewhere with Bruno, having a good time.
The air out here is a bit chilly, and it feels good. The ballroom is big and spacious, but with that many people in there, it was bound to get hot even with the cool air running.
I see a garden and a maze at the back of the house, so I decide to take a walk and explore. Gardens and mazes are two of my favorite things, and my curious nature sometimes gets the better of me. Exploring sounds a whole lot better than sitting here being bored.I mean, any party would be boring when you can’t talk to anyone.
There are three balconies out here, and I’m on the middle one. Stairs on both sides lead down to a little landing that connects the other balconies to it, and then there are the final stairs that take you down to the side of the house.
The outdoor lamps along the stone pathway light the way for me to walk to the garden and maze. I’m just walking past the end of the house when I turn my head to the left and notice a set of those cellar-type doors that lead down to what must be a basement.
They're wide open, and curiosity gets the best of me as I change direction and walk over to them.I mean, if you didn’t want anyone snooping around your space, then you shouldn’t leave the door open, right?
I look down through the open doors and don’t see anyone there. It’s silent, so I walk down the stairs to a big room with four other doors. They’re all closed, but I’m curious to see what’s behind them, so I pick one door at random, twist the knob, and surprise flashes across my face when it actually opens to reveal a hallway.
Without thinking about what the repercussions of being caught down here would be, I make my way down the corridor. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I shouldn’t be doing this. The adrenaline in my body is making me want to throw up, but I can’t think of that right now. I need to look down here and see if I can find their torture room or see if they have any prisoners. What if they have my brother?
Since we’re supposedly at war with the Andrettis, they could have kidnapped my brother. It wouldn’t hurt to look to make sure I’m wrong, right? I know in my heart that my brother isn’t dead, no matter what my father or anyone else says. I just wish I knew where he was so that I could bring him home. Someone somewhere has to know something about the attack.
The hallway is empty so far, which I’m happy about as I keep walking. If anyone caught me down here, I’d be dead in an instant. Come to think of it, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. At least then I wouldn’t have to marry Salvatore. The only way out of that arrangement is through death.
I get to the end, and there’s another door. I slowly swing it open and discover another large room. The air is cool in this one, sending a shiver throughout my body. The first thing I notice is that the walls are covered in paintings. Even from here, I can tell they look authentic and expensive. Whoever purchased these has great taste.
Guess that’s why it’s cool in here. I slowly walk around the room, taking a moment to look at each piece of art as it captivates me. They’re all gorgeous, and some are worth millions of dollars. Damn, this is quite the collection. I only know this because Luca used to collect art too. Ever since he started collecting, I have been interested. I wanted to know the history, so I studied by doing tons of research and reading about famous and expensive paintings and sculptures. I learned a great deal about the subject.
“I do believe this is called trespassing,” a voice suddenly speaks from behind me, sounding a little harsh and authoritative, disrupting the otherwise silent space. I was so engrossed in studying the paintings that I hadn’t realized someone else was in the room with me. A scared shriek escapes me as I spin around to face the person standing there. He starts speaking again before I can say or do anything.Not like Iactually want to say anything, though. “Who are you and what the hell are you doing down here?”
I don’t respond because what the hell do I say? For all I know, he could think I’m here trying to steal the art. I just stand there and stare at him, hoping he’ll disappear, but I have no such luck.
The guy is tall, like freakishly huge, as he towers over me. He’s definitely over six feet, I’d say about six four or something like that.
I slowly start to inch my way backward, not that there’s anywhere to fucking go. He notices the movement and stalks over, grabbing me by the throat and slamming me back against the wall.At least he did it where none of the art pieces are,I muse.
An oomph escapes me. I’m ticked off at how this damn brute is handling me. The top of my head only comes up to his shoulders, as he almost flattens me into the wall. I can see him staring at me through the slits in his mask, and it’s intense. His mask is half white and half black, with a gold design around the eyes and down the middle. My body trembles a little at the contact between us, creating a weird current that washes over me as we continue to take one another in.
He moves even closer to me, so that his front is touching mine. A gasp slips out when I feel him harden against me, and I’m sure my face is scarlet red right now. I’m beginning to feel many things that I can’t explain. But for some unexplainable reason, I want to explore them and see where they will take me.
And maybe I will, since it’s my one night to be reckless, but not here. Giana and I are still going to the club later, so I have to figure someway out of this mess I’ve gotten myself into. I can’t let these new and unexplainable feelings get in the way of my escape.
