Vanessa arrived home almost an hour later and found Matteo sitting on the couch with legs crossed. The temperature in the living room was choking, so immediately, she knew that he wasn’t in a good mood at all.
“Matteo,” she called. “Did you bring Bianca back from school? I got stuck with something so it completely slipped my mind. Where’s she?” She asked, her chest panting from running.
Slowly, Matteo turned his head to look at her, his expression grim.
For a second, she thought she was looking directly at the Grim Reaper because he looked like he was about to kill her right there.
His threat from two days ago rang in her ears.
“Where are you coming from?” He questioned her, his tone cold.
Vanessa cleared her throat before she responded. “I was at the Voss mansion earlier. I had to see my father. I was really checking the time but it still slipped my mind.”
“So, you left Bianca at school to go see your father,” he stated.
Vanessa took a deep breath to calm herself down. Her eyes closed and opened, but she still found Matteo glaring at her so hard she subconsciously took a step back.
“I told you, pick Bianca up early from school every day. Be there before the school closes and you couldn’t even do that? Are you that incompetent?” He spewed, eyes cold.
Vanessa’s lips twitched. She knew she was in the wrong this time, so she didn’t say a word.
“Where’s Bianca? I’ll apologize to her,” she said, walking to the girl’s room but Matteo stopped her.
“Don’t go in there. Bianca doesn’t want to see anyone. She’s upset.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Fiona picked her up when you didn’t show up and tried to take her away.”
Vanessa’s blood went cold. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
While researching Matteo, she’d seen Fiona Devereaux, the wife of his older brother, Xavier. She’d cheated on Matteo with his older brother and had a child with him.
There were rumors that Fiona abused Bianca when she was only three years old. Seeing the woman who’d caused her father and herself pain must have taken a toll on the child.
Vanessa bit her lip, feeling even more regretful for not picking up the child from school earlier.
“I’ll make it up to her. I promise.”
Matteo stared at her, his gaze running across her body but he didn’t say anything.
He stood up and got ready to leave but Vanessa stopped him.
“I haven’t been able to talk to you properly because of whatever. Now that you’re here, I have a few things I want to tell you,” she said.
Matteo turned to her with a raised eyebrow, waiting for her to continue.
“I have to audition for a movie next week. I don’t know if I’ll get in, but if I do, I won’t be a stay-at-home mother like you want me to be.”
“I don’t care what you do with your life, Vanessa.” He cut her off so abruptly that her lips clamped shut and she blinked at him.
“You can be an actress or a truck driver for all I care. As long as you don’t neglect your duties as Bianca’s mother, then we’re good.”
He didn’t waste a single second and walked off.
Vanessa heaved a sigh of relief. For a moment, she thought he was going to force her to quit the thought of fulfilling any dreams whatsoever.
Vanessa quickly rushed to her bedroom and placed Marianna on a call.
Marianna was Vanessa’s childhood friend. They’d both grown up with Noelle but Noelle had always bullied her for unspeakable reasons.
“I just needed to confirm something.”
“Do you finally want to be an actress now? Tell me!!”
Vanessa let out a sigh. “Something along those lines. But first, what movie is Noelle going to be acting in? I mean the one she’s complaining about her pay.”
Marianna pinched the bridge of her nose.
“So she told you about it? That bitch! The director reached out to her about the movie and made it clear to that sister of yours that the pay would be smaller than what she was used to. She agreed. But on the day she was supposed to sign the contract, she suddenly wanted her pay increased.”
“The demand was so sudden, and the director made it clear once again that they couldn’t go over their budget just because she was a renowned actress. He gave her the option to leave so they could find someone else, but she refused. She’s still harassing the staff at the office, demanding higher pay like money grows on trees.”
Marianna released a tired sigh.
“I know they do, but that’s not the point. Your sister is really giving everyone a headache here, so if you can, try to talk some sense into her head.”
“Not at all, I won’t be doing that. Noelle has no sense so I’ll basically be talking to an empty barrel of cells.”
Marianna snorted in a laugh.
“I want the role and you want to be a part of the movie. Since Noelle hasn’t signed the contract, I can get it, right?”
There was a sudden silence from Marianna’s end.
“You mean, you want to be an actress now? You really want to audition and take a role?”
“Yes, Marianna, that’s exactly what I just said,” Vanessa said with a smile.
“Ahh! I really have to go to church to give thanks and glory to God for changing your mind about this. I’ve tried so hard to convince you that I almost grew gray hair because of you.” Then she sighed, her body relaxing for a moment. “I’ll send you the script and a blurb of the movie. Study the lines and get back to me in two days. Meanwhile, I’ll inform the director that we have a better person than that nagging bitch.”