Page 65 of Redemption

“Just be yourself, but don’t speak to my father out of turn. Let him speak first.” There was no sense in sugarcoating it. He was the Don.

“Okay, now I’m scared.”

“Don’t be; it’s just an expression of reverence.”

“And what if I mess up?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

I tightened my arms around her, pulling her closer. “You won’t.” I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

“But what if I do?” She persisted, turning in my arms to look at me.

“Then we deal with it,” I reassured her, brushing my thumb against her cheekbone. “Nothing serious will come of it. There are just rules you aren’t used to.”

A sharp “ding” from the plane’s intercom system ended the conversation. The captain announced we would be landing soon.

“That was fast,” she said as she cleared her throat, stood up from my lap, and returned to her seat, reaching for her champagne.

“Yeah, time flies,” I replied, watching as she shakily poured herself more champagne.

“Pour me one too.”

“How far is the drive once we land?” She asked while filling my glass.

“There is no drive. We have an airstrip.” Her eyes went wide. “Look out your window. There.” I pointed. On the hilltop, surrounded by meadows and forests, was my home—the heart of what would one day be my Empire.

“It’s amazing,” she said, unable to look away.

“Excuse me, miss,” the flight attendant said, getting her attention.

She turned toward him slowly. “Yes?”

“You will have a selection of dresses to choose from when we land. Would you like to see some pictures of the options?”

“Yes, that would be nice, thank you.” I smirked. If this interaction was any indication of how she would behave when we land, she would be fine. The plane began to descend.

She smiled. “I’m feeling pretty good about this, I think.” I smiled back, glad the alcohol was kicking in for her. I finished my glass and poured us another.

“Just keep that feeling going,” I said with a smirk, easing back in my seat.

She nodded and turned her attention back to the window, her fingers playing with the stem of her champagne glass. The mansion was becoming clearer as we descended, sprawling gardens and acres of woodland coming into view. The mansion itself was vast and imposing, an architectural beauty that held a lifetime of memories and secrets.

As our wheels met solid ground on the airstrip, concealed by trees and forest, she turned to me again. “Here we go,” she said, putting on the face she would wear.

“Here we go,” I replied. We were both apprehensive about different things, but she didn’t need to know I was anything other than calm and composed. The plane came to a stop, andwe waited in silence. The flight attendant returned with the dress she picked—a deep, sleek red dress that would suit her well. She held it with an almost sentimental grace.

She stood up and stared into the mirror by the bar, holding the red dress against her body, then turned toward me with excited eyes.

“I’m going to change,” she said, clutching the fabric. She disappeared down the corridor as I finished my drink.

“Yes, yes you are.”