Vanessa sat in the center of her bed in her own bedroom under Matteo’s mansion.
Apparently, he’d already instructed Gideon to clean up one of the guests’ bedrooms for her, which she’ll be sleeping in as long as they are married.
In a way, Vanessa couldn’t help but breathe in relief because she wouldn’t be spending her nights in Matteo’s bedroom for as long as they were married.
However, she couldn’t help but wonder how Matteo was doing. It was already late at night and he still hadn’t returned from the ER.
She’d gone to ask the butler but he assured her that he was fine.
“Did I take it too far? I could have killed him,” she thought out loud.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and a tall man with a huge frame filled the doorway and waltzed inside like he owned the place.
Well, he did own the place, but his intrusion into her personal space made Vanessa’s jaw twitch in irritation.
“You intentionally triggered my allergy,” he accused, eyes red with rage.
The concern Vanessa felt a second ago fell out the window the moment he opened his mouth to speak.
“I can see you lack manners in a lot of things, Matteo,” she said, voice low with the kind of annoyance that shocked him lightly. “Do you not respect the privacy of people living in your mansion?”
Matteo’s eyes darkened instantly, her words shocking him.
He stared at her for a moment, then scoffed in disbelief.
“You need to understand something, Vanessa.” He took a step closer to her, his voice coming out raspy but steady, sending chills down her spine. “While you’re living under my roof, you won’t be given any kind of privacy.”
She wasn’t surprised he would say such a stupid thing.
His face alone made it clear that he was rude and completely out of touch when it came to basic manners.
His eyes darkened even further, reminding him that she’d triggered his strawberry allergy.
He’d almost spent his wedding night at the ER and worse, he’d almost died. How she got to find out such a thing about him, he had no idea.
Only his family knew about his allergies.
Xavier appeared in his mind. He’d strictly forbidden Xavier and Fiona from attending the wedding. He’d even gone as far as instructing the security guards to send them away if they breathed too close to the mansion’s gate. So certainly, it wasn’t Xavier.
‘Who could it be then?’ He wondered.
His head pounded with a headache, as he tried to figure it out. And he knew trying to bring out the answer from her would only be a futile effort.
“Listen—”
“No, you listen, Matteo,” she cut him off abruptly, her chest puffed up like a fish. “I don’t want to be here at all. I don’t want to have to be your wife or be a mother to Bianca but I have no choice. My grandmother’s life is on the line here. So please, don’t make this even more difficult than it already is for me.”
Matteo stared at her with a narrowed gaze, wondering if this was a performance she was putting on.
He knew about Vanessa and how she was supposed to get married to Tristan, his brother. However, after what had happened between Tristan and Noelle, he wasn’t sure if he could trust anyone from the Voss family at all.
Matteo stared at her for a few seconds, waiting for the expression to break but it didn’t. She looked genuinely tired but he wasn’t going to fall for it so easily.
“I’m glad you’re aware you’re here to be Bianca’s mother and that’s all you’re ever going to be. Don’t try to act smart with me, Vanessa.” A deep growl echoed off his chest, his teeth gritted. “If you dare to repeat what you did a few hours ago, I might have no choice but to send your corpse back to your parents.”
Vanessa’s heart flipped instantly.
The hostility in his tone was more than enough to show he would actually kill her and send her body back to her parents who might throw her away to be their dogs’ lunch.
He regarded her one last time before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, but the temperature still spiked high.
Vanessa subconsciously took a step back, but her feet caught on the bed frame, making her stumble a little.
She just realized she’d landed herself in deeper shit.
The man she’d just married a few hours ago was more than willing to end her.
Complaining to her parents was a futile effort because they only saw her as a tool to fulfil their evil goals and plans.
Her hands went to her hair, fingers curled around her locks as she yanked it hard frustratedly.
Earlier, she’d thought about telling Matteo about her parents’ plans to kill him but only on the condition that he would help her with her revenge.
But now, she couldn’t care less if they succeeded.
“I guess I’m alone now,” she realized. “I have to get this done myself.”
In the living room, Matteo chugged down a full glass of whiskey before pouring another one, completely ignoring the slight burn in his throat.
He had no idea why he was so infuriated by that woman, Vanessa.
Their wedding was the only official time they’d met and she had the nerve to send him to the hospital with a poisonous kiss.
This was more than a warning that she was an enemy. She found an opportunity to annihilate him and she’d taken it without batting an eyelash.
He chugged down the next one before slamming the glass against the table, his eyes burning in rage.
This wasn’t good news at all, and he might have to take care of Vanessa in a way he wouldn’t want to.