Matteo stepped into the foyer of his grandfather’s mansion.
The house was centuries old and had been passed down from his great-great-grandfather to the current patriarch, a man who ruled the family with an iron fist.
Matteo took a deep breath, making a mental note not to spend more than thirty minutes in that house.
Everyone was already waiting for him at the dining table.
His mother was sitting right next to her husband, while Tristan was sitting beside someone Matteo should have predicted would be there.
Xavier.
And he certainly wasn’t sitting alone.
Fiona was right next to him, with their child on her lap.
Fiona was his ex-wife, whom he had divorced two years ago after catching her cheating on him with his older brother.
“Matteo, are you going to stand by the door all night?” His father joked, beckoning him to take a seat.
Everyone’s head quickly turned toward Matteo after the joke.
Once Matteo and Xavier made eye contact, the tension in the room immediately rose.
Xavier grinned.
He stood up and walked toward Matteo, opening his arms to welcome him with a hug.
“Matteo, it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.
How long has it been?
A year?
Two?
I don’t remember exactly how long, but it’s certainly been a while.”
He attempted to hug Matteo, but the latter took a step back and pinned him with a cold glare.
“How was the honeymoon?” Matteo asked.
Xavier was stunned for a moment, but he quickly gathered himself and responded.
“It went well.
But with Fiona, every day feels like a honeymoon.”
Fiona blushed from where she was sitting.
Xavier leaned closer to Matteo and whispered, “I told you that I would always take everything from you, just like you took everything from me.
This is only the beginning.”
He leaned back, revealing a huge smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Come, let’s sit.”
Matteo watched him walk away.
His veins felt close to popping out of his skin.
It hadn’t even been two minutes since he walked in, but his patience had already been tested.
Matteo took a seat, but the air felt so suffocating that he was tempted to leave.
“So, tell me,” the older man said, taking a bite of his food.
“I heard that your arranged woman was cheating on you with Tristan.”
Fiona snickered, a hand flying to her mouth as she tried to control herself.
“So the past does repeat itself,” she muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.
The table went still, and everyone turned to look at her with angry glares.
“What?” she asked, feigning ignorance.
Mrs.
Devereaux, her mother-in-law, pinned her with such a harsh glare that she had no choice but to focus on her food.
The woman still hadn’t forgiven her for betraying Matteo simply because she wanted to be with Xavier.
Even though Xavier was her eldest son, she still couldn’t forgive either of them for hurting her son.
Meanwhile, Tristan stiffened in his seat, completely unaware that his infidelity was going to become the topic of today’s dinner.
“Why’s everyone suddenly so quiet?” Old Devereaux asked.
“Come on, talk.
There’s so much that needs to be said.”
Yet, no one dared to say a word.
The air was getting even colder now, and Matteo wasn’t the only one who was having thoughts of leaving.
Tristan cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention.
He glanced around the table, beads of sweat coating his back from how anxious he was.
“The truth is, Noelle and I have been in love with each other for a long time now.”
“Then why didn’t you say anything when the marriage was being arranged?” His father demanded, his tone sharp.
“Did you have to embarrass your brother like that?”
“Father, I don’t understand why you’re reprimanding Tristan,” Xavier interjected, his eyebrows knitted together.
“So what if Noelle was already engaged to Matteo?
If he loves her, he can still go ahead and steal her.”
His gaze shifted to Matteo, who still hadn’t touched his food.
“Even if they were married, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with snatching the woman you love.”
“Xavier!” His mother snapped.
She pinned him with a glare that didn’t faze him at all.
“Don’t start,” she warned.
Xavier grinned, the corners of his lips stretching into an evil smirk.
“Start what, Mother?
I’m only advising my youngest brother not to hesitate when he sees someone he wants.
Even if that person is taken, you can still snatch them.
Fiona being by my side is living proof that I’m not wrong.”
“You’re right,” Matteo said coldly.
Everyone’s head turned toward him.
“You can snatch whoever wants to be snatched.
But don’t forget, if you can do it, someone else can too.”
He picked up his glass of water, contemplating taking a drink.
For a moment, he saw Xavier’s furious reflection on the glass before dropping it back onto the table.
Fiona rested her head against Xavier’s shoulder, a big smile spreading across her lips.
“You don’t have to worry about that at all, Matteo.
I love Xavier, and he loves me too.
To make matters even sweeter, we have a child together.
Our love for each other is stronger than you could ever imagine.”
Matteo clenched his fist beneath the table, anger coursing through his veins.
“That’s enough before you two start going for each other’s throats,” Old Devereaux said.
Then he turned to Matteo.
“How’s business going, boy?”
Xavier felt a prick in his chest.
He might have managed to steal Matteo’s wife, but he still hadn’t been able to change his grandfather’s mind about his position in the family.
He was still Devereaux’s oldest son.
He should be the one in charge.
“Business is going well, Grandfather.” Matteo tried to keep his voice steady so no one would hear how enraged he was.
“All the crates have been sold, and we’re still importing more.”
The old man nodded in understanding.
“This is why I made you my successor.
Keep up the good work, and I’ll make you Don in a few months.”
The table went silent.
It was so quiet that if a pin dropped, it would echo throughout the entire room.
With gritted teeth, Xavier finally questioned, “What about me, Grandfather?”