Valentina
Leaving the house with one of the Vitale soldiers in tow wasn’t difficult. I told my mother-in-law I needed to go to the aesthetic clinic, and she offered to come along. Elinor sent me the address, and it is, in fact, just a clinic, with no other artifices. All I had to do was say I wanted a diamond and ruby peeling—expensive enough to tempt Fiamma into replicating it.
The clinic is located in the center of Palermo, its clientele extremely select, and as we enter, we are greeted by a receptionist who leads us to a spacious room where other women wait while being served small appetizers and champagne, awaiting their appointments.
“I’d like the diamond peeling, please.”
“I’m very sorry, signorina, but we don’t have any available slots.”
“What do you mean?” The receptionist spe
