Standing near the rooftop has always been Matteo’s habit, especially when he sought some peace of mind to take his troubles away. Matteo had come up to the rooftop to clear his thoughts regarding Isabella after the unexpected kiss that occurred between them, yet nothing had been working. He craved for her presence, which was why he had ordered Sofia to summon Isabella at the roof-top right away.
Matteo had always wanted to be alone since Lucia departed, but now he feels like he needs someone besides him, and that’s Isabella. He desires her and must have her at any cost.
As the howling cold breeze mingling with Isabella’s tempting scent grazed Matteo’s face, he inhaled deeply to soothe his worries. Matteo brushed his hair back from his face. He hasn’t felt this peaceful in a lifetime.
Isabella sensed that he needed some time to himself to think things over, so she kept her composure behind his back and waited for him to speak before proceeding.
Matteo inhaled deeply, absorbing Isabella’s lovely scent, then exhaled, letting out a breath and mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say before speaking out gently. “I’m sorry about the kiss,” he apologized. “It was a mistake. I wasn’t myself when I kissed you,” he added, and Isabella felt her heart break apart when he said those words.
Even though Isabella knew he was wrong to kiss her, there is nothing more painful than discovering it was all a mistake. That was her first kiss, and she felt a deep connection when he kissed her. ‘Did I just have this impression because he was a good kisser?’ she tried to reason but Matteo’s words had just shattered the last piece of her heart.
Isabella cleared her throat as she couldn’t come up with anything to say. “I understand,” she said with a hint of pain in the tone of her voice, even though she couldn’t understand why he said the kiss was a mistake when it was clearly visible to their eyes that he was the one who had approached her and kissed her in his office.
Isabella’s heart was pounding with excruciating anguish, and her mind was racing with thoughts. She dropped her gaze; her throat instantly parched. How could Matteo possibly have a chance in his heart when he is obviously gay and in love with someone else? She intended to inform Matteo that Leonardo also cheated on him by watching her undress, but she paused, contemplating it for a while, and realized it may damage their relationship. She decided not to tell him about it and shoved it to the back of her mind. It would be awful of her to ruin her boss’s relationship for her selfish gain.
Matteo sighed lightly; he couldn’t even bear to turn around to see the expression in Isabella’s face at this moment because he knew she must be devastated. “Was that your first kiss?” he inquired, breaking the awkward tension between them. He knew that the first time they kissed back then at his mansion, she was intoxicated, but he still wanted to verify that he was the only man she had ever kissed.
Isabella felt a hard thud in her chest when he asked that question. “Yes,” she answered. “How do you know?” She questioned him, and Matteo turned to face her. Her body shivered in fear and anxiety as their eyes met. He was staring intently at her face. She flicked her eyes around the edges of the rooftop to avoid locking gaze with him.
“It was clear from the way your entire body vibrated, your hands trembled, and your heart pounded quickly and so loudly that I could hear”. He remarked, and her eyebrows arched. “I feared you were going to die”, he emphasized with sarcasm. “But then your face began to sweat, your lips quivered, and your eyes flashed with surprise. As if you weren’t expecting it”, he said, speaking slowly and calmly while observing the expression on her face. She was terrified, and her body was shivering in fright. He wondered why Isabella was so scared when he was just describing her.
Isabella was tense by the way his gaze were lingered at her and nervous by the soothing tone of his voice, coming out in slowly while he described her. She never expected this from him. He was right about everything.
“I’m not saying this for you to find interest in me; it’s just what I observed about you during the kiss”, Matteo said, turning away from her to glance at the other building across the street.
Isabella felt tingles run throughout her body. She was startled and stunned, wondering how he knew all that about her. He had thoroughly examined every aspect of her in less than a minute.
Matteo, on the other hand, was relieved that he was the first to steal her first kiss; at the very least, it meant that Leonardo hadn’t touched her or done anything inappropriate with her yet. Or perhaps she is still a virgin and hasn’t had her cherry popped yet. He reasoned. He’d suspected that Leonardo must have taken advantage of her when he was absent from work. It was now obvious to him why Leonardo had been acting so distant to him. Leonardo must have felt the same way he felt for Isabella.
“How did you come up with this? Are you a writer?” Isabella asked, snapping him out of his trance state.
“No”, Matteo responded curtly.
“Oh, you sound as if you’re one,” Isabella muttered.
“I used to come here every night to stare at the sky,” Matteo explained.
Isabella looked up at the clouded sky; the sun was already setting from the east, and it was a magnificent sight from where she stood. She couldn’t believe how stunning the sky looked from up here. “It’s lovely,” she mumbled.
Matteo sneered and let out a soft chuckle. He turned to face her. “Would you like to see what’s beautiful?” he asked, and Isabella responded by nodding. He extended his hand, motioning for her to advance towards him, and Isabella took a step forward. He placed his hand on her shoulder when she leaned closer to him and guided her to the parapet. “Look down,” He instructed, and Isabella immediately ducked her head down.