MATTEO’s POV
I sat in my office, lost in thought, my arms crossed over my chest as I contemplated the complexities of my new life. Jane, my assistant, appeared and announced that I had a visitor, a friend who sought to speak with me.
I consented, my mind already grappling with a new distraction when I spotted Carter in the doorway.
A soft sigh escaped my lips, and I raked a hand through my hair, weariness weighing on my soul.
“What do you want?”. I asked, and he smiled at me.
“A word with you”.
“I think You’ve said enough”. I said, relaxing back on my seat.
“Look Matteo, are we really going to do this?”.
I sighed and kept my eyes on him
“We’re fighting cause of a woman? Tell me, Matteo. Is she worth it?”
“Is she worth what?”. I asked in a calm manner.
“Worth this rift between us”.
My lips, dry from the tension that coursed through my body, sought relief in the small swipe of my tongue.
As I lifted my gaze, I finally met his eyes, and there was a silent challenge between us in the stillness of that moment.
“She’s worth everything”. I said in a small voice.
The air seemed to still be in that moment until I caught the subtle shift of his chest, the subtle rise and fall that signaled his exhale.
“Then, why?”. He asked, taking a seat on of the couches.
I squinted my eyes when he asked that question.
“Why did you and Evelyn-“.
I banged my hand on the table angrily “We did nothing!”. I whispered through clenched teeth.
“She told me, you fucked her”. He said in a low voice as he glared at me.
“I didn’t do that!!”. My voice broke.
“Then what did you do?”. He asked
“She threw herself at me!”.
Carter sat back on his chair and crossed his legs.
“Just imagine how Aria would feel when she finds out. Did you even stop to think of that?”.
His words, sharp as daggers, cut through the stillness. His voice, cold and calculating, was a chilling reflection of the harshness I often projected onto the world. My hands, unable to remain still, fidgeted in response to his query. The unease within me made me twitch
“Is that you shaking Matteo?”. He asked. “She’s turned you into a pussy. I’m not particularly surprised cause you let women you love walk all over you”. Carter said, stressing the words ‘you love’
“It was the same with daya and now, Aria. Two completely different women”. I folded my fist into a ball. “Sometimes I ask myself what draws you to Aria. She is not your type of woman”.
My laugh was mocking, a bitter sound that revealed my pent-up worries. I turned to Carter, an uncaring mask plastered on my face, daring him to react to my carefree demeanor.
“And she is your type of woman?”. I said back.
“No, not at all”.
“Then?”.
“She’s amusing and…different”. He said, and something in me hauled.
“So you love her”. I said with a smirk on my face.
“No. I could never take what belongs to you. You’ll have my head for it”.
I smiled at him, a happy and proud dance playing out in my head.
“So why Evelyn? You could have gone with any other woman”.
“I had nothing to do with Evelyn!”.
“She won’t drop it, Matteo. She’s in love with you. You know that, right?”.
“No, she’s sick!”. I shouted, pointing at my temple. “And she is not in love with me!”. I said.
“Why do you say that?”. He asked
“Cause she’s in love with Ben! She loves Ben! He loves her! Why do you think he stayed back after Jones left? Evelyn doesn’t want me. She just doesn’t want me with Aria!”.
“She has the letter”
“She has the letter”. I repeated.
“And she still has it”.
“Any ideas who she’s mailed it to?”
“A lot, actually. Her brother’s in the States. Her sister married off with some rando, and they lived somewhere in Japan. Her other sister’s saving lives in Africa. One of them has it”.
“I doubt that”. I said
“Why?”.
“Cause she knows I’ll find all of this out so she won’t put her family at risk like that. I feel Evelyn has someone I know on her side. They’re together in this”. I watched Carter adjust in his seat for the first time since he got here.
“Why would she leave it in the mansion?”
“Cause no one would look there”. I said, watching Carter fidget.
“Carter?”.
“Yes boss”.
“Did you-“. My telephone rang, breaking the tension in the room. “Excuse me”. I said to him and picked it up while keeping my eyes on him. He held my gaze, but I could see the turmoil in the depths of his orbs
“Sure. Eight thirty, that works”. I said, the curt dismissal leaving no room for negotiation. My voice was matter-of-fact as I answered the call from Jane, the words rolling off my tongue as if the world around me didn’t matter.. Carter’s gaze faltered, his eyes wandering, avoiding my gaze
“Yes, Jane, make them take the offer. They have no choice”. I said and dropped the telephone back in it’s place.
“Where was I?”. I asked, and he rose from his spot.
“You were about to say something to me”. He said, and I smiled
“Yes, did you inform the owners of Salvador’s resort, I’ll be coming with my wife for our honeymoon”. I smiled at him.
“What?!”. He looked confused and at the same time pissed
“Yes Carter. I’m going on a honeymoon with my wife. Just us both. Away from all the drama”. He stood there frozen in place, his eyes fixed upon me with such venomous intensity that it filled me with a perverted sense of pleasure. I leaned back on my seat and crossed my arm on my chest.
“I’ll inform them right away”. He said.
“Good”. Turning back to the work before me”And the goods?”.
“On their way, boss”. He said with a small nod.
“You’re dismissed,” I uttered in a curt tone, shifting my focus to the documents strewn across my desk. I pretended to scrutinize the papers, feigning interest, as if his presence was no longer worth my attention. With that dismissal, he vanished from the room, leaving behind a lingering trace of tension in the air. I knew what he was, and it amazed me that Carter and Evelyn had stolen the letter.