I was scared to go to Grace's bachelorette party because after the scene this morning, I have no idea where Grace and I stand. She must hate me, who wouldn't... She must think Nikolai and I were together the whole night and after we had been spending so much time together, it must feel like a betrayal on her part.

Well, she did say she won't mind if Nikolai slept around, maybe, she will spare me the wrath of Grace Russell, the mafia princess.

She had told me herself multiple times that infidelity is common in the Cosa Nostra but her reaction in the morning proved otherwise. She looked ready to rip my head off and rightfully so but then again, she contained her emotions... I don't know what to believe.

I can't imagine what she must be feeling the way Nikolai treated her afterward, knowing that they both had no choice in the matter.

Marriage of convenience was wrong and despicable, no one should be forced to spend life with someone that they don't want. Nikolai's father was wrong to force such behavior on his son. If he hadn't done that then Nikolai, Scott, Grace, and I won't be in this situation.

Heaving a sigh, I propped the strap of the black clutch onto my shoulder. I was wearing a black bodycon dress with black heels. Bianca had done my makeup and my hair.

I was dreading going downstairs and facing Grace. Bianca retouched her makeup before sliding her arm into mine and tugging me along with her to go downstairs.

"I really don't want to go..." I said to her.

"Why?" Bianca asked cluelessly.

"No reason, I just don't feel like it."

"Well, too bad, I'm not going without you."

I couldn't tell Bianca that Nikolai was sleeping in my bed and Grace found us together this morning. She will ask questions as to why Nikolai was in my bed in the first place. I don't know if Nikolai and I were in a place to tell people that something was there.

With his father hovering over his head and pushing him to marry a woman he does not want, I don't think it will be good to tell any of the Costellos what was going on between Nikolai and me.

Nikolai wants to be with me, he said so himself. He has a plan and I need to trust him with that. He will make all this right.

I went downstairs, Nikolai wasn't home and the cars were parked out front waiting for us. Bianca deliberately sat in a different car than Grace because she couldn't stand her and I was silently grateful.

As it was Grace's bachelorette party, it wasn't held in any of Nikolai's nightclubs. She took us to a strip club that was not even in Nikolai's territory. On the way to the club, Bianca explained to me what a strip club was. I had never been to one and neither did I know what it was.

We entered the high-end strip club. Grace had invited over twenty to thirty girls from her side and some of Nikolai's cousins. Bianca stayed by my side as I did with hers.

"God! I hate her!" Bianca cringed at Grace's dance moves. "She is so annoying, it's not really hard to hate her."

I stayed silent, not saying a word, not participating in the conversation.

Bianca eyed me, knowing that something was going on with me. "What's up with you and Scott?"

I frowned. "What about us?"

"You guys got engaged out of the blue. Is there something fishy going on that I don't know about?" she asked, squinting her eyes.

"Nope, Scott and I had gotten quite close after the kidnapping and all that, and then he just proposed," I explained.

She looked highly unconvinced. "Really? Just like that?"

I nodded. "Yup!"

I picked up the drink from the table and put the straw in my mouth, avoiding Bianca's doubtful gaze.

The men were dancing all around us, stripping and showing off their bulges. Some of them were not even wearing underwear as Grace's cousins and friends gave them handjobs, some of them even disappeared into private booths but their screams and moans were loud enough for anyone to hear.

I have been to a strip club for the first time and I realized that it wasn't my scene, and neither was Bianca's because she was equally disgusted by all of it.

"Why aren't you both joining in on the fun?" Grace asked us as she handed us drinks.

"No thanks, it's not really my scene," I gave her a tight-lipped smile.

Something flashed in her eyes as she looked at me, it was an equal part of rage and resentment. She then plastered a sickly sweet smile on her face. "Bullshit!" she turned and gestured for a bunch of performers to come towards her.

She whispered something to the boys, pulled out dollar bills from her bra, and handed it to them, kissing one of them on the lips.

"BOYS, SHOW MY FRIENDS A GOOD TIME!" she screamed and laughed as if we were best friends and she was just having harmless fun.

I gave my head a shake, but before I could do anything, a couple of performers started to circle and dance around me. I tried to get out of it but it was difficult, those men were trying hard to convince me that I wanted them. I glanced at Bianca and she looked like she was enjoying it, she shrugged.

"Loosen up, Evangeline!" Grace screamed and all of her friends loudly cheered.

The performers made me sit on the chair and danced all around me, taking off their clothes, and swinging their packages into my face. I cringed a few times, I was disgusted and I wanted to throw up. It was not fun and arousing at all, definitely not for me.

Thankfully the song ended and I got off the chair as fast as I could. "That'd be enough," I said to the performer that tried to follow me back to my seat.

The performers went towards other ladies with dollars bill tucked in their thongs.

"Hey, where are you going?" Bianca asked

"Ladies' room," I told her.

I went to the toilet and walked into the empty stall. I put a bunch of toilet paper over the seat before I sat on it. The door opened and I heard Grace's voice. I went completely silent, I didn't want her to know that I was here.

"Can you imagine? Niko was in her bed, they were fucking sleeping together. I actually trusted that bitch but I knew, I just knew there was something going on with them. Niko couldn't keep his eyes off her perky ass, and why the fuck is she staying at his house when she is Scott's fiancé."

"Maybe, Niko and Scott share her. They take turns on the whore."

"Oh, they do, Niko told me that himself. That little lying whore is going to get what's coming her way. She messed with the Grace fucking Russell."

"Send the video to Scott's phone and also Niko's," her friend suggested.

"Oh, hun, I already did."

They retouched their makeup and threw a few more colorful words my way before they finally walked out of the bathroom. I stayed right where I was for a few moments then I shook my head and made my way out of the stall. Tears stung in my eyes but I didn't let them fall. I washed my hands, watching my bloodshot eyes in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom.

As I was walking back to where Bianca was sitting, someone grabbed my upper arm. I turned to look at Grace with a malicious smile on her face.

"Let's see what Scott thinks of this..."

I frowned. "What?"

She played the video where the three strippers were trying to rub themselves on me and then sent the video to Scott.

I just watched her with a poker face, I could care less about what Scott thought of me. I pulled my arm out of her grip and made my way back to Bianca.

My feet were killing me, I took off the stupid heels and sat in the corner as the girls partied on and on.

I don't know what Grace was trying to accomplish when she sent that video to Scott but it clearly didn't work. Neither Nikolai nor Scott had texted or called me yet.

Tired and frustrated out of my mind, I called Marco. I asked him if he can pick me up, and he said he was on his way. It had been half an hour and I think he will be here soon. Bianca called Stefano, she said she wanted to go straight to his place, so, she won't be joining me.

My phone vibrated and I saw Marco's name flash across the screen, I picked it up. "Hey, are you here yet?"

"Yeah, I'm outside."

"I'll be right out."

I walked straight out of the club and saw Marco's Maserati parked across the street, I made my way to it and settled in the backseat.

"Thank you for picking me up."

He didn't say anything, it was a typical Marco behavior. You could talk to this man for an hour and he'd give you one-worded replies or nothing at all. He wasn't a big talker.

He dropped me at the mansion, I got out holding my heels in one hand and my clutch in the other. The lights were turned off as it was almost 2 a.m, the house gave an eerie feeling. I glanced at Nikolai's study, its door was locked from the outside giving the impression that he must not be at home.

I headed up the stairs and into my bedroom. I closed the door, dropping my heels on the ground. I turned to face my bed and my breath whooshed out of me with fear.

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