Revenge Wears Red Lipstick-Chapter 167: The End

A month later,

Everyone was running helter-skelter, instructions being yelled out like sirens while decorations adorned the church.

"Don’t put the flower there," Maxine instructed one of the girls helping with the decorations. "Move it a little to the right."

The girl shook her head in resignation but still did as she was told. She had been on the ladder for almost ten minutes, trying to perfect the spot where the flowers were meant to be placed.

Maxine clearly was not letting her off the hook either, as she stood below with hawk-like eyes, watching every move.

Rico noticed the poor girl and muffled his laughter as he elbowed Ryan, who was standing beside him.

"Maxine seems to be taking this wedding preparation more seriously than the rest of us," he said, nodding toward where Maxine stood while instructing the girl yet again.

"Well, Eva appointed her as the wedding planner, so it’s her job to make it perfect," Ryan replied. "She’s taking it very seriously."

Rico was about to respond when Maxine suddenly made eye contact with him.

Just as she opened her mouth to say something, Rico quickly turned away, ignoring her completely as he walked off and dragged Ryan along with him.

Ryan tried to hold in his laughter but failed.

"Don’t laugh," Rico warned. "She’s been on edge since this morning. If she sends me on an errand and I mess it up, I’ll end up in Becca’s shoes."

Becca was the girl currently receiving Maxine’s instructions.

Ryan said nothing and instead pulled Rico closer to him, causing Rico’s heart to skip a beat.

"So you want to stay close to me all day?" Ryan asked, leaning in with a smirk.

"What are you doing?" Rico asked, a rosy hue spreading across his cheeks as he placed a hand on Ryan’s chest, trying to push him away. "There are people here."

"Do you want to go somewhere more private?" Ryan whispered.

Rico’s heart skipped another beat. He licked his lips and broke eye contact.

It had been a month since Donnero was taken care of. Despite initially refusing, Ryan had paid off all of his father’s debt.

They had been spending time together ever since and were officially together now. Still, Rico could not hold eye contact with Ryan for too long without his stomach flipping.

He gave a stiff nod, and Ryan immediately pulled him away toward a more private area.

In a hotel room close to the church, Eva stared at her reflection in the mirror as her mother adjusted the final part of her wedding dress, placing the veil over her hair.

"You look beautiful," her mother said softly.

Eva’s eyes welled with tears. She was getting remarried to Dante, the man she loved. The man she would be with forever. She had been preparing for this day for a month, yet it still felt unreal.

Out of nowhere, Rhea wrapped her arms around Eva and hugged her tightly. "You’re going to be my sister-in-law today. You’ll live with us, and then we can play together whenever we want."

Eva smiled at the girl. Over the past month, they had grown closer, and Eva treated her like the little sister she never had.

Katherine was not with her. Eva had taken her back to jail to serve her sentence, but she had promised to visit and show her pictures of the wedding.

"It’s time," Susan, Eva’s assistant, announced.

At the church, Dante paced restlessly, his fingers intertwining and separating repeatedly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Will you relax? I’m already dizzy just watching you," Mylo complained. "Smile too. It’s a wedding, not a funeral."

Dante paused before responding.

He could not relax. This was the most important day of his life. He was finally having a real wedding with Eva, the woman he would kill for without hesitation, the only woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

It was supposed to be a happy moment, yet he felt on edge.

"Did you contact the officers? Is Father still there?" Dante asked.

Mylo rolled his eyes.

"He’s still in jail. And I had to assign three extra officers because of how paranoid you are," he replied. "Here, let me show you."

Mylo pulled out his phone and showed Dante the footage.

In a small, four-cornered cell, a man sat on the floor with his back against the stained wall, muttering to himself and laughing alone.

Mr. De Rossi had shown signs of mental instability for some time, but Dante still found it hard to believe his father had deteriorated so quickly.

Seeing him still locked away made Dante release a breath he did not realize he had been holding.

"You see," Mylo said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. "I won’t let anyone ruin my dear brother’s wedding." He draped an arm around Dante’s shoulders.

Dante shot him a sideways glance but said nothing. Instead, his attention shifted to someone approaching.

"Dante," Tyler Myka greeted, extending his hand. Dante hesitated briefly before shaking it. "You look great, but you should smile. It’s your wedding, not a funeral."

"That’s what I told him," Mylo added.

Dante ignored him.

"Extend my congratulations to your father," Dante said.

Tyler nodded.

Robert Myka had officially become the president of Solvarra after the votes were counted.

"And I apologize for the other day," Dante added.

Tyler smiled with clear amusement.

"Apology accepted. Half of it was my fault anyway. I didn’t realize Eva had an overprotective ex-husband."

Mylo muffled his laughter while Dante’s jaw tightened at the last word. But it was going to change that day.

Before he could respond, Maxine appeared.

"Get ready. The wedding is starting," she said before leaving as quickly as she arrived.

Minutes later, soft music filled the church and everyone took their seats. Jacob, Katherine’s son, served as one of the flower boys, leading the other children down the aisle.

It was finally time to see her.

Six months later,

Eva stood in the kitchen preparing afternoon snacks while Jacob hovered nearby, eager to help.

"Should I bring the sugar?" he asked.

Eva turned to him. His resemblance to Katherine made her chest ache, but she smiled anyway.

"No, Jacob. Have you done your assignments?"

He nodded. "Everything’s done. Isabella is asleep too." He hesitated. "I just want to help."

For the past seven months, Eva had taken care of Jacob and Isabella after Katherine returned to jail. They were still her niece and nephew, and she loved them as her own.

Jacob believed he owed Eva, which was why he tried to help whenever he could.

Suddenly, he was lifted off the ground and placed over someone’s shoulder.

"If your Aunt Eva says she doesn’t need help, then she doesn’t need help," Dante said, tickling him while Jacob laughed and struggled. "And don’t you need a nap? You just got back from school." He set Jacob down.

"I’ll go take a nap," Jacob said, running upstairs.

"You two have gotten closer," Eva said as she mixed the dough.

"He’s a strong kid," Dante replied, walking toward her. "The therapist says there’s nothing to worry about, for now."

Eva looked up, concern etched across her face.

"What does that mean?"

"It means he’s coping well, but there’s a chance of delayed trauma response." Dante wrapped an arm around her and rested his hand over her baby bump. "But don’t worry. I’ll help him in any way I can."

Eva exhaled slowly. She trusted Dante with Jacob’s emotional well-being. Jacob was quiet, speaking only when spoken to, which worried her.

"Just focus on yourself and our baby," Dante said gently.

She nodded.

Dante’s phone rang, interrupting the moment. He stepped aside to answer.

"He’s been captured," Rico said immediately. "Miquel tried reselling the weapons he sold to Mr. De Rossi. Since your father is dead, he probably wanted extra profit."

Mr. De Rossi had died four months earlier in jail. Dante had feared his father was planning an escape, unaware that his inmates would rather see him dead than free.

"That’s good," Dante said. "Destroy all the weapons."

"You don’t have to tell me twice," Rico replied before ending the call.

Dante turned toward the glass doors, where he could see Eva moving around the kitchen.

His future was bright, he could see it. And he loved every inch of it.