127
Matteo’s POV
I laid on my bed, ignoring the fact that I had to be at work in about an hour and thirty minutes, and my boss wouldn’t take it easy on me if I come in even a minute late.
Resting my legs on the wall, I picked up my phone and began dialing my big sister. While I waited for it to ring, I got up from the bed, slid my legs into my shoes and walked to the kitchen. The phone rang twice before Emilia picked up, her voice sharp and worried. “What’s going on, Matteo?”
“Hello to you too, Em,” I said, leaning against the kitchen counter. My apartment was quiet, the kind of quiet that reminded me I lived alone and worked too much these days. “Can’t I just call my big sister to check in?”
She snorted, loud enough for me to hear over the line. “Check in? You? You’re either calling because you’re bored or you need something. Which is it?”
I smiled despite myself. She knew me too well. “You wound me. I was just calling to say hello.”
“Sure, you were,” she said, dry as ever. “Alright, Matteo. Spill it. What’s on your mind?”
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to deflect. Emilia had a way of prying things out of me that I wasn’t ready to talk about, and right now, I wasn’t in the mood for one of her lectures. “You’re so suspicious. Maybe I just wanted to remind you who your favorite brother is.”
“You’re my ONLY brother,” she replied, but her tone softened slightly. “Fine. If you don’t want to tell me what’s going on, I won’t push. But you don’t usually call just to chat, so…”
“Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf,” I said, laughing. “Or maybe I missed hearing you boss me around.”
“Don’t tempt me,” she said. “Speaking of which, have you actually managed to stick to a job for more than six days this time?”
Ouch. That one stung, even if she wasn’t entirely wrong. “Yes, I have, thank you very much. It’s been close to three months and I’m doing great, actually.”
“Uh-huh. And by ‘great,’ you mean you’re coasting by on charm and sheer luck?”
I chuckled, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see me. “Nope. Hard work and determination this time. Believe it or not, I’m actually making progress.”
“Progress?” Emilia’s voice was laced with skepticism. “You mean they finally let you make copies AND answer phones now?”
“You’re hilarious,” I said, rolling my eyes. “For your information, I’m doing real work. Big projects. Important stuff.”
“Big projects, huh? Let me guess-impressing the boss with your dazzling personality and impeccable coffee-fetching skills?”
“Funny,” I said, though I couldn’t help but grin. “No, I’m actually helping with client accounts now. Real responsibilities. It’s a big step up.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line, long enough that I started to wonder if she was still there. Then Emilia sighed, and her tone shifted to something more serious. “Matteo… I’m proud of you. I know I don’t say it enough, but I am. You’ve been working hard, and it’s paying off. Just… don’t let it go to your head, alright?”
Her words caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. Emilia’s approval and compliments mattered more to me than she’d ever understand. And she was doing a good job pretending it wasn’t because of that bastard Alaric that I got this job anyways.
“Thanks, Em,” I said finally. “That means a lot.”
“Don’t let it,” she said quickly, her teasing tone returning. “I’m still your big sister, and it’s my job to keep you grounded.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, smirking. “Anything else you’d like to lecture me about while we’re at it?”
“Oh, I’m sure I could come up with a list,” she said, laughing. “But I’ll save it for next time. I’ve got things to do.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll let you get back to your busy, important life,” I said. “But don’t forget-favorite brother, remember?”
“How could I forget?” she said dryly. “Take care of yourself, Matteo. And don’t screw this up.”
“Never,” I said, grinning and then turned serious. “Alaric isn’t pressuring you, is he? He isn’t making you do anything that you wouldn’t want to?”
“What do you mean?” She asked after a long moment of silence and I decided I didn’t like her hesitation at all.
“I’m just asking. Is it bad to ask?” I raised a brow even though she couldn’t see me.
“No, Allesio. It’s not bad to ask,” she murmured with a sigh. “But he’s not making me do anything that I wouldn’t want to, okay? So don’t stress yourself about me.”
“Good,” I answered her, nodding. “And how’s the girl?” I asked, my voice softening a little bit. I knew just now much she cared about the girl, and that was the main reason she still remained at the job.
“She’s fine,” she replied and I could hear a hunt of a smile in her voice. “She’s doing good.”
“And Rosa?” I asked, raising my brow.
“I haven’t seen her today. I think she has gone out for some work stuff.” She answered. “I have to hang up. Frankie is not having a good day.”
“Alright. I love you,” I yelled into the phone.
“Jesus!” I could imagine her rolling her eyes right now. “I love you too. K bye!” And with that, she hung up.
As the call ended, I set my phone down and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. Emilia was right-I had a lot riding on this, and I couldn’t afford to mess it up.
Still, something about the way she said “don’t screw this up” stuck with me. Maybe it was the way she always believed I had potential, even when I wasn’t sure of it myself.
Or maybe it was just Emilia being Emilia-always pushing me to be better, even when I didn’t want to hear it.
Either way, I wasn’t going to let her down. Not this time.
I took a deep breath, shook off the lingering doubts, and stood up. It was time to get to work.