Here is the new chapter! Enjoy :)

Valentina

New York, United States – January8th, 2021

I've been back at work for nearly a week, and I already wish I were not.

Having had the luxury to sleep in as long as I want to and spending my time relaxing, I've gotten used to the life I used to have before I ever had to work.

I wasn't made for a corporate job schedule, that's for sure. I don't know how my father can handle even more than forty hours a week of work.

Aiden, the new Human Resources intern, brings in this week's contracts for my father to sign.

I've become sort of an assistant rather than whatever job title is going to show on my mandatory internship report. I guess doing anything that Viktor tells me to do should be good enough as long as it can pass as an actual internship. The only problem is that (besides having to wake up at 7am five days a week) once I step foot into the building I am motivated to work, and nothing has been as exciting as the meeting I had with Lorenzo Giudice two months ago. They haven't included me in a meeting since then and I am starting to lose my mind – that's how bored I am.

I've tried getting my dad to let me not come into work and just sign off on the internship slip but he wouldn't have it.

So here I am, on my third month, signing off on double checking a date and a contract number against a database. What a fucking joke.

"All good?" Aiden asks.

My face always betrays me.

I nod. "All good."

***

New York, United States – January 26th, 2021

There's a pretty, dark green envelope on my desk when I get back from a cigarette break after lunch that Friday. All white, tied up with a bow and a sealing wax with a wolf's face embedded into it. I'd recognize the Volkov family crest anywhere – I haven't seen it in years, but I remember it creeping me out ever since I was young.

I open the envelope.

Raisa Volkov and Sergei Pavlov

Those are the two things that stand out at first glance.

Oh shit, it's a wedding invitation.

March 6th, 1pm, at Pavlov Palace

I don't know her boyfriend personally, all I know is that he's a Russian who studies law at NYU.

Oh, and that she cheated on him with Matteo.

All the hope I had of finding a way out of this dies when I read the names at the top of the page.

Vanessa and Kyril Levin

I groan and close the invitation.

"Everything alright?" Aiden startles me. He's standing a few feet away from me with the rolling paper cart by his side.

I place a hand over my chest. "I didn't hear you come in."

He always sways his hips as he walks in a way that makes me rethink the way I carry my own self.

"There's a wedding that I have to attend and I kind of don't want to." I explain when he hands me today's envelopes.

"Ah, ex-lover?"

I laugh. "No. Family friend."

I haven't seen Raisa since last year on Halloween, but I know that she's back in Moscow living with her boyfriend. Oh, right - I do know something about him. I know that he's filthy rich, judging by the stories she tags him in. We're talking 'private lake mansion in one of the richest gated communities outside of Moscow' rich.

Aiden waves a hand in front of my face.

"Do you want to go for a drink tonight after work?"

This piques my interest. I haven't been out in New York since the Halloween fiasco, and bars and clubs are still closed.

"Where?"

"My apartment. I live fifteen minutes away by metro."

If he were straight I'd probably hesitate because I just cannot entertain the idea of being romantically interested in somebody right now. Not when I keep having dreams of Matteo coming over and fucking me until I can't breathe.

"Sure."

"The receptionist, Ines, is also coming."

"Alright, sounds fun. I'll meet you downstairs at the reception at five?"

He nods and doesn't wait for me to even open the envelopes he placed on the desk.

"Are you in a hurry?" I joke.

"Have you seen the size of that pile? You'll take a while, and I am shadowing an interview in ten minutes."

It's nothing new, just more of it; hotel leases that need to be renewed, startups that will get a capital infusion, and business that were acquired under the company name.

The invitation is still in my line of sight as I check the dates and numbers on the contracts, mocking me.

I take a photo of it and send it to the family group chat.

Valentina: Did you put this on my desk?

The reply comes three minutes later.

Dad: yes

Valentina: You didn't think to tell me this during our lunch just half hour ago?"

Dad: i didn't think you'd care

My jaw drops.

Valentina: Raisa getting married IS a big deal

Dad: I didn't want you to feel bad.

Adrik: Raisa is getting married?

Adrik: Lmaaaao

Valentina: Why would I feel bad?

Dad: because you don't have anyone

Adrik: 💀

Valentina: How do you know?!

Adrik: Do you?

Valentina: No

Valentina: But still

Valentina: Aren't invitations supposed to be sent like 1y before??

Dad: They didn't want to wait

Mom: It's on a Saturday, but we're going over for the whole weekend.

I let out a groan. The only thing worse than a one-day family event in Moscow is a three-day family event in Moscow where Raisa will be the center of attention. I can already hear her going on and on about the amazing things her soon-to-be husband has done for her, and how much power and money his family has.

Valentina: That sounds like fun :D

Adrik: You're just jealous because it's not you :))

Valentina: 🖕

Mom: Please come home next month

Valentina: I have university and work

Dad: courses are still online

Dad: and I am your employer

Valentina: 😃 🔫

***

5pm rolls around and I am grateful for the Aiden's invite because I could use a drink. Having nothing to do at work really allows you to just sit around and think of the worst possible things. One of them being my mother trying to set me up with one of Raisa's boyfriend's (fiancé, whatever) friends. I know she wants me to move back to Moscow after university, she's always wanted that, and finding a guy in Russia would be one of the ways to get me to do it.

The receptionist, turns out, is Aiden's friend from college, and she was the one who recommended him for the job a couple of months ago. They're both doing their mandatory internships at NYU; Ines is studying Management Communications and Aiden's studying Human Resources Management.

Aiden lives in a one-bedroom apartment that has a big kitchen, on the second floor of an old five-story apartment building. It's modest compared to what I've seen in New York so far, but then again, comparing mine or Matteo's lifestyle to anyone else's is would be unfair.

We sit down at the table in the kitchen right by the window, because Aiden is also a smoker and it's too cold to do it on the balcony.

Each of us bought a bottle of wine before boarding the metro, so there's plenty of alcohol to go around. Tomorrow's Saturday anyway.

"I can't wait for the clubs to officially open again. I want to go out and make out with an average looking sweaty guy." Ines sighs.

We're one bottle in and I'm glad I'm enjoying myself.

Aiden shakes his head and raises his glass. "Same." The ash from his lit cigarette falls on the table as he waves his hand, looking like he's just remembereded something.

"Who do you want to see this year?"

I look confused so he explains. "We started making a list of guys we want to hook up with during our first year, and so far it has been successful."

Ines smirks. "I think I have like...four guys on my list that I haven't done yet."

I've never met anyone who makes a list of people they want to fuck.

"Guys as in...celebrities?"

"Yes." Ines states but Aiden rolls his eyes.

"They're New York famous, not famous famous."

New York famous.

I guess I haven't been living here long enough to think about someone I consider 'New York famous'.

"Who haven't you had sex with?" I ask, intrigued.

"Jared McQueen."

I shake my head and take another sip of wine. "No idea who that is."

"His father's an investment banker."

"He's not New York famous, Ines. You just want him because he rejected you two years ago."

She ignores him and continues. "Sergei Pavlov."

My eyebrows must be on the ceiling. "Pavlov? How do you even know him?"

Ines' mouth falls open. "Are you serious? His family owns like half of the casinos in New York, he's everywhere."

"And for everyone." Aiden adds and they both burst out laughing.

This peaks my interest. "What? What do you mean?"

I already think I know what he's going to tell me, but I want to hear it anyway.

"He's had sex with almost half of the girls on the cross country team, back when we were still going to classes."

Ines nods as she stands to refill our glasses. "Now he's getting married, but I heard he's already cheating on his future wife."

"Hm." Aiden ponders. "I heard he's hung."

Ines blushes and continues enumerating guys she hasn't done from her list.

"Jamie Van Hearst, oh, and Matteo Giudice."

The mention of that name sends shockwaves through my body.

Aiden shakes his head. "Wow, Matteo Giudice, fuuuck. I forgot about him. I haven't heard his name since the pandemic started."

"Matteo Giudice?" I ask in disbelief.

"His family owns half of New York. Not just the casinos."

"You've never heard of him?" Ines asks, genuinely shocked.

"I go to school with him. We're friends."

'He's fingered me twice before' is what I don't say.

"No way." She whines. "We've been to his club loads of times but I've never met him." She sounds almost suspicious, so she picks up her phone from the table and types before she looks up at me again, shocked.

"He follows you."

"His brother's also fine as fuck." Aiden buts in, showing me a picture of Marco from a couple of months ago. "He's on my list."

Ines throws him a look. "We've been through this, he's not gay."

Aiden turns to me. "I saw him at The Row, he was making out with another guy."

I'm not sure whether I can believe him, but I've thought about this before.

"You were drunk that night, I don't trust you to remember anything clearly." Ines disagrees.

They look at each other.

"Fuck, marry, kill. Pavlov, Van Hearst, and Giudice." Aiden starts out of a sudden, and it seems like they've done this before many times.

Ines takes a large gulp from her glass.

"Wait, are we still talking of Matteo Giudice? Or his brother?"

"Matteo, of course."

Two people who don't know him talking about him like this feels surreal.

"No brainer." Ines laughs. "Fuck Pavlov, kill Van Hearst, and marry Matteo."

"What is the reason behind these choices?" I can't help but ask.

The fact that my work world is colliding with my other world is fascinating. I've never expected to have the receptionist I saw on my first day say she'd marry Matteo Giudice, yet here we are.

"Fuck Pavlov for obvious reasons." she places a hand on Aiden's arm. "I also heard he's hung like a horse from Amelia. Kill Van Hearst because he's rich but boring. And marry Matteo Giudice, because duh."

"I'd marry him too." Aiden says.

"Why?"

"He runs a club on the Upper West Side, Redlight. I have seen him there before, and he's hot as fuck, fuck! He looks so good and fun-"

"When did you seen him?"

"You already know this. It was that one time when you stayed home sick." He turns back to me. "And I feel like he's smart."

Ines nods. "I bet he's very good in bed also."

Aiden agrees. "Nobody gets those tattos and doesn't know how to fuck."

I burst out laughing. "What? What do tattoos have to do with anything?"

"Have you seen his tattoos?"

Yes, in fact, I have.

I saw them on his arms when he hovered above me, I saw them on his chest when I was sitting on top of him, and I saw it on his legs when I first met him.

The flashback of the ouroboroughs tattoo on his chest comes before I can stop it.

"They all have meanings and are extremely well done." Ines gushes. "His family crest is a pair of scales, from justice as in Giudice, and he has it on his calf."

"Very hot." Aiden agrees.

"I heard he went down on a girl he used to go to school with and she had two orgasms in a row."

They both suddenly look at me, offended.

"Why are you rolling your eyes? If he were standing in front of you right now, you wouldn't tell him no."

As a matter of fact, she's right.

"To sum up our conversation, yes, I'd marry Matteo Giudice, because it doesn't only mean fucking him – it means doing everything with him.

"I feel like he'd be really fun in bed." Ines continues and I watch her down the remains of her glass.

This conversation is a colossal mindfuck.

"You're talking about him like he's a celebrity."

Aiden walks over to the fridge to get the third bottle out. "He is a New York celebrity, that's why he's on her list."

"He's the heir of one of the richest families in New York. Everybody knows who he i-oh!"

Ines points at him, then back at me. "I heard his sister just got accepted at NYU, but we haven't seen her because everything's online."

We both watch Aiden walk back to the table. "He broke up with the blonde, right?"

"For sure, she deleted all the pictures they had together."

I want to say that they were never really together but I also don't want to talk about him behind his back.

He ended it with her – maybe. It is clear to me that Aiden and Ines love to gossip, so I can't trust anything they're saying.

"Have you ever been to one of his houses? I heard they're enormous." Ines asks me.

I don't want to lie. "Yes I have." I want to have to talk about this as little as possible. "How do you even know so much about him?" I switch the spotlight back onto her.

"You don't read tabloids?"

I shake my head and they give each other a look before Ines shakes her head.

"We have a lot to teach you."

---

Next chapter will be up December 21st!

see you there ;)