Vanessa followed Matteo to the garden. The sun was slowly setting, casting a golden light across the horizon.
Looking at the sky tempted her to reach for her phone and take a quick picture but she knew Matteo would give her the biggest scorn of her life.
“What is it that you want to talk about?” She asked, puffing her chest up.
“Stop asking about what Fiona did to Bianca.”
“I will only stop if you just tell me,” she responded, deadpan. “I’m your wife, Matteo. I know this is a marriage of convenience but how do you expect me to be a better mother to Bianca if I don’t know what to heal her from?”
Matteo turned to her, eyes narrowed.
She sounded like she truly cared.
Bianca was only five years old, but two years ago, Fiona had abused her nonstop. She’d gone so far as to almost kill the child before she could even say her first word.
Initially, Matteo thought Fiona was going crazy so he took her to a psychiatrist to get her brain checked. After a few weeks of therapy, he brought her home, thinking everything would go back to normal but he was completely wrong.
Instead, everything went downhill.
She cheated on him.
Years ago, Matteo loved Fiona. There had been ups and downs in their marriage, but he didn’t think they couldn’t be resolved. Until she pushed his last button, one thing he couldn’t forgive her for.
They got divorced but Fiona still wouldn’t stay in her lane no matter what.
Matteo looked away from Vanessa, feeling the hurt he felt years ago settle in his chest. But he wasn’t going to let her see them.
She was still the daughter of Mr. Voss. Trusting her was a tricky decision.
“You don’t have to know what she’s gone through to help her out. Just be there for her, love her, and care for her. I’ll handle Fiona. I’ll make sure she doesn’t come close to Bianca ever again while you make sure that Bianca is feeling alright. Don’t go asking people about this ever again, do you understand me?” He demanded without even sparing her a look.
Vanessa glared at his broad back, nearly piercing a hole through his skin.
“I don’t understand,” she responded.
Matteo turned to face her, slightly stunned.
“I don’t understand why you don’t want to tell me what happened. Is it because you don’t trust me? I understand you don’t, I don’t trust you either but the least we can do is make this marriage work and let me help Bianca in every way I can.”
It was obvious he didn’t like her or want her to be around. His threats spoke volumes but she didn’t care.
Bianca was a good girl. Although it might have only been three days since they got married, she was starting to like the girl. Being a stepmother was a whole new journey she never thought she would find herself partaking in. But her love for the girl made everything easy.
“I won’t be repeating myself,” Matteo responded, deadpan. He pinned her with a harsh glare before he walked away, leaving her in the field of flowers and beautiful sunset she didn’t want to capture anymore.
Vanessa turned to him, watched him walk away.
Instead of feeling deflated, she became even more determined to find out what was happening.
Hours later…
“Daddy!!” Bianca screamed, rushing to Matteo who’d completely returned for the day and wouldn’t be going out on short notice anymore. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
Matteo picked Bianca up from the ground and kissed her on her cheeks.
Bianca grimaced. “Your beard poked me,” she whined, laughing.
“I’m so sorry, baby. Daddy forgot to shave again.” But Matteo didn’t make things any easier. He kicked her cheeks again, pressing his face against hers while she shifted back, trying to escape from his arms, laughing.
Matteo searched her face. There was no trace of fear or sadness at all.
Relief washed over him.
Then his gaze moved to Vanessa who was bringing food to the dining table. But his eyes weren’t on the food, more on what she was putting on.
She was wearing a nightgown that completely exposed her legs. It was skimpy and clung to her body like a second skin.
A deep frown instantly settled on his face, as he wondered why she was wearing such something in his presence.
Vanessa made eye contact with him. “Please, have a seat. I made dinner tonight.”
Jace who’d been behind Matteo the entire time snickered but a glare from Matteo quickly forced him to keep his mouth shut.
He moved to Vanessa and stretched out his hand for a friendly handshake. “I’m Jace. Matteo’s best friend.”
Vanessa took his hand without thinking. “It’s nice to meet you, Jace. I’m surprised someone can put up with Matteo despite his grumpy attitude.”
A crease instantly formed on Matteo’s forehead.
Vanessa could see him boring a hole in her face through her peripheral vision but she ignored him completely.
“Please, have a seat. I cooked enough for everyone.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Jace quickly took a seat close to Vanessa and conversed with her.
The whole time, Matteo fed Bianca and himself. However, the fact that Jace was talking to Vanessa, especially with the way she was dressed didn’t sit right with him at all.
He’d known Jace all his life and he knew Jace changed girlfriends every day like he was changing perfume.
The thought of Vanessa being his next target had his skin pricking as if someone had stabbed him.
As he fed Bianca, he listened to them laugh about something that he was sure wasn’t so funny.
This shouldn’t bother him.
Vanessa may be his wife, but she was allowed to make friends. But making Jace her friend…
Another burst of laughter burst in the living room and his jaw tightened.
“That’s enough!” He snapped. “His jokes aren’t that funny for you to be laughing so hard about.”
Vanessa smiled at Matteo, before she responded. “Then close your ears.”
Matteo’s eyes narrowed. “What did you just say?”
“Since we’re laughing too loudly, you can close your ears so you won’t hear us, am I right Jace?”
Jace didn’t dare utter a word.
Matteo read this as another sign, one he needed to note for later.
Vanessa certainly wasn’t intimidated by him and for some reason, he had mixed feelings about it.
**
“Wait, you mean to tell me you actually wore a sexy night dress for dinner last night and Matteo didn’t say anything about it? He didn’t even look at you with the eyes of lust for once? Didn’t swoop you off your feet and lead you to his bedroom or—”
“He didn’t even ask you why you were wearing that around him?” Isabella completed, disbelief evident in her voice. “Is he perhaps gay?”
Vanessa rolled her eyes back. “If only. That would have made my life much easier. I would just tell my father that the man he instructed me to seduce was gay and wanted a dick instead of a pussy. My father would be stuck and wouldn’t be able to come up with anything else.”
Vanessa was in her bedroom FaceTiming her friends, Abbie and Isabella. They were aware of her father’s new mission for her because she’d informed them about it.
“Let me help you,” Isabella suddenly said. “I can tell my father everything that Mr. Voss is trying to force you to do. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind helping you out by being free from his grasp. As for the money for the hospital fees, I can help you arrange that.”
There was a sudden silence. Isabella had texted her privately about this before but she’d refused her help.
Vanessa wanted to be the one to help herself. Isabella’s family were a part of the Russian mafia. She couldn’t imagine escaping from her family just to fall into the hands of another mafia family.
She trusted her friend deeply, but her family, not quite.
Overall, she wanted to earn the money herself. It was her responsibility after all.
“You don’t have to do all of that. There’s really nothing to worry about here. I have three months to make Matteo fall in love with me.”
“And then what?” Abbie asked, flipping her brown hair to the other side as she turned on the bed. “Why exactly is he asking you to make Matteo fall in love with you? What’s his mission? You know, Vanessa, I don’t trust your father. I have a feeling he’s up to no good.”
Vanessa chuckled nervously. She didn’t tell them the main reason yet. “I have no idea. Maybe he wants me to give birth to the son that will be the next heir so his social status will rise.”
Isabella gave her a deadly look, one that read she wasn’t buying the lie, but she didn’t say anything.
Abbie was about to say something but a text rang from her side. She read it and immediately, her face sank.
“Ugh! My mum just texted me about the new training she signed me up for. That woman wants me to be a model so badly. At this point, I feel like she wants me to live the life she didn’t live when she was my age. I have to go now. I love you, girlies.”
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
Abbie gave a smooch before she hung up on the call, leaving Vanessa and Isabella behind.
“Tell me the truth,” Isabella asked, her voice firm. “Why exactly is he asking you to do all of these?”