Venom's Alliance: Loyalty's Fracture

Chapter 31

Kalia's POV

I slipped into the dress Mina and Tony had chosen for me last week — a stunning royal blue silk piece that draped elegantly over my frame. The dress featured a square neckline, gracefully covering my arms, with a daring slit down both legs, teasing a glimpse of my olive skin. Pairing it with gold earrings, I swept my hair into a chic bun, leaving a few loose strands to frame my face on one side.

It has been over three weeks since we were invited to the wedding. It took place in the Vatican City, and although we wanted to stay longer for a small vacation, Aira's new Art Gallery was opening in two days. So, we made this trip fast, and we would be traveling to New York after the wedding.

I wanted to hate the idea of going to a wedding, considering my past experiences, but I just couldn't. In fact, I was looking forward to it, mostly because of the man standing in front of me. Jay had gone for a classic look: a sleek black suit with a black shirt underneath. He hadn't put on his tie yet, leaving his sculpted chest and the tattooed veins leading down to the center in plain view. The name "Kalia" was inked on his slightly reddened skin, boldly claiming me as his and him as mine.

"Ready, my heart?" Jay's deep voice broke into my thoughts as he walked over with a big smile. He bent down to pick up my right foot, expertly strapping on my gold high-heel sandals. He planted a tender kiss on my thigh and let his fingers gently trail up and down my bare leg. After doing the same with my other foot, he let his gaze linger on my exposed legs for a moment. With a resigned sigh, he stood up and said, "You're lucky we're running late."

I couldn't help but bite my lower lip in anticipation. "I wouldn't call this lucky," I breathed out, already imagining what we could do on our way to the event.

"Be a good girl and don't tempt me; I promise you'll be rewarded." Jay placed a kiss on my neck while effortlessly picking me up with one hand, carrying me out the door. I couldn't help but chuckle, unable to resist the warm feeling that took a deep route to my heart.

Once we got outside, our group was ready to meet up with Sofia, Arch, and James. Since Sofia was born in Italy and her dad lived nearby, James invited her to come to the wedding with him as his plus one. It was a great chance for her to see her family. Plus, Arch refuses to sit with anyone but Sofia or me; even James couldn't handle him alone anymore. So, Sofia had to come along.

I was really happy to have them here, but the thought of having Arch in such a public place made me nervous. Probably, nothing would happen, but I still felt uneasy about it even if Xander assured us he'd help us blend into the crowd and keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

"Auntie Kalia!" Arch shouted, running into my arms.

"You look amazing, my little one." I replied, hugging his little body to my chest.

"Thank you, Sofia chose it for me," Arch said, smoothing the fabric of the black velvet suit. I looked up to see Sofia with her long brown hair down, wearing a similar dress to mine. The theme of the wedding was blue and black, and her dress was a lighter blue with a v-neckline and some gold accents on the fabric, fitting her hourglass-shaped figure perfectly. She gave me a big smile and a wink, raising her brows at my outfit. I mimicked her gesture, signaling to her that I also loved what she was wearing. We had planned our outfits to match, but we still hadn't seen each other fully dressed up.

"Come on, you two, with your secret sign language," Jay said, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Where is James?" I said, looking around and searching for him. As if on cue, James appeared in the huge lobby, wearing a black velvet suit with a light blue shirt underneath, fitting his muscular frame perfectly and matching Sofia. He walked with confidence towards us, talking on the phone. I exchanged a smile with Jay; we had an ongoing joke with Jake that James was probably talking business even when he was sleeping. James gave me and Jay a questionable look before his eyes lingered on Sofia for a bit. It was a subtle look that no one else would have noticed, but I did. His gaze then moved to his son, and he gave one of his now rare smiles. Sure, his smiles were rare before, but after Easton and Lili, it felt like he didn't know how to smile or couldn't find a reason to, besides his son. Sofia smiled at them and us, and after Jay took my hand, we walked out and made our way to the big wedding.