Matteo stood in front of Mitchell Mansion in Brentwood Park for ten minutes, unable to decide what to do. He hadn’t expected Emilia to live in a palace fit for a princess. It was the grandest house in the entire neighborhood, and he glanced at himself ruefully. With bruises all over his body, the bandages still intact since he had to undertake a strenuous flight, he didn’t at all look his best. In fact, he looked like a mobster, with his tattooed and disheveled appearance. What if they threw him out? After a few minutes, the gates opened, and a young girl of around sixteen emerged. She hastened towards the departmental store around the corner and Matteo followed her. He could ask her about Emilia.He followed her into the store and stood beside her while she shopped in the skincare section. Suddenly, her glance fell upon him and she did a double take. Seeing his chance, Matteo smiled at her. “Hi! I’m sorry for following you here, but I’m completely harmless.” Her eyes widened with s
Matteo caught her with his uninjured hand to stop from falling to the floor. He helped her to the sofa, a frown of worry marring his features at seeing her reaction to his presence. He hadn’t at all expected her to react in this manner to him. It was obvious she was shocked beyond words.He leaned in closer to revive her, patting her cheek in a feather soft touch. His heart ached at seeing her again. He hadn’t thought he would live to see her again after Luigi shot him. It was a miracle that he was alive. His eyes took in the dark circles beneath her eyes, the hollow cheekbones, the dull look on her face. Why did she look so devastated? Why wasn’t she happy like she was when he saw her last? He watched her hungrily, as if committing every inch to his memory to last him a lifetime. He didn’t know how she would react when she gained consciousness, but at least he could hope to revive the magic they shared. With his fingers stroking her cheek absent-mindedly, Amelia stirred and opened h
Matteo gaped at her wordlessly, his food forgotten, his face pale with shock. His worst nightmare had come true. How had he not noticed the delicate ring on her finger? His world crashed around him! At that moment, he just wanted to end his wretched life. Of course, she had moved on, fallen in love, and married the one she loved. How could he have hoped for something else? “I see! What’s his name?” It was all he could choke out without breaking down. He wanted to pick up his luggage and drag his wretched body away from her presence. “Ryder Drayton O’Connell!” Amelia couldn’t meet his hurt gaze anymore. She wanted to tell him her reason for marrying Ryder, but Matteo just nodded, picked up his plate, and walked over to the kitchen. Amelia frowned at the strained look on his face. In a minute, he walked over to his room without glancing at her. “I’ll just rest a bit if you don’t mind.” Amelia nodded, but he had already closed his door. She rinsed the rest of the dishes, but all the
Matteo slowly walked towards her, his eyes glinting with excitement. After her indirect confession, he aborted all his earlier plans of leaving her. Now he was eager to make her his for life. Amelia took a step backward, unaware of what she had confessed to Ryder in the heat of the moment. “Were you leaving, Matteo?” she asked in a whisper. Her instincts were right. He was leaving her, without a word, without a message. No wonder she had the eerie feeling of dread gripping her heart earlier. Her heart could feel it. Her back touched a wall, and she stopped, her breath hitching in anticipation. “Yes, but not anymore.” He stopped inches from her, his eyes searching hers. He could clearly see the love she felt for him. Matteo pushed a strand of hair away from the face and tucked it behind her ear. Amelia closed her eyes when his fingertips touched her skin. When she opened her eyes, he had closed the distance between them. He jammed his arms on either side of her body, trapping her bet
Amelia’s heart skipped a beat at his announcement. She could see herself being happily married to Matteo, and it gave her the zeal to unite with him totally. She cupped his cheeks and pulled her towards him. “I’ll wait for your proposal!” she whispered against his lips. He closed the distance between them and claimed her lips hungrily, all other thoughts completely disappearing from his mind. His kiss turned demanding, a groan erupting in his throat. His hand drifted over her silken skin, making a gasp of pleasure escape her mouth. He took advantage and immediately plunged his tongue deep inside her mouth. His fingers curled into her hair, tipping her head back to dominate the kiss better. Amelia’s head reeled from the savage kiss yet she kissed him back with the same ferocity as he did. A wave of smoldering desire exploded between them, soon peaking to a raging blaze of passion. His fingers glided under her top, slowly easing out her perky breasts from the flimsy undergarment. Hi
Amelia’s eyes widened, realizing what he meant. Of course, her feelings didn’t lessen a bit, but she needed to know everything about him. “You used to work before to pay off your family debt. Right? Then why now?” Matteo sighed and closed his eyes for a minute. It was now or never. He had to tell her the truth and be prepared to take the risk. He could hide from the world, but not from Amelia. “I worked as the underboss to Alphonso Di Salvo, Don of NSM, one of the most notorious mafia gangs in Europe. For five years, I paid off the debt I had taken, yet Don didn’t release me. I escaped them and went home, but they captured me. I fled to New York, but Bill Phantom contacted Don and gave me away in return for money.” Amelia gasped at what exactly happened. She knew he used to work for the mafia but she wasn’t aware that Phantom could do such a thing. Matteo told her everything that happened after she left. He explained about Sofia and her intentions, about Luigi’s threat, about the a
Amelia turned to give her dad a look of surprise. How could he threaten Matteo instead of the hateful Ryder? Didn’t he see the way he hit her? Matteo released Ryder, who smirked at him in return. It made Matteo’s blood boil, and he punched him in the face. Blood oozed from his wounds while Amelia covered her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Her dad strode towards Matteo and pushed him backward. “Get out of my apartment right now!” he gritted out. Matteo gaped at him and then at Amelia. What just happened? Didn’t he save Amelia from being physically abused by her ex-husband? “Are you supporting him, Mr. Mitchell? He just hit your daughter.” “I’m not answerable to you, Ricci. With whose permission are you staying here in my apartment?” he demanded angrily. “Mine, Dad. He’s staying with me. Why are you after Matteo? Can’t you deal with Ryder instead?” “I will deal with him later, but first I need to get this man arrested. He can’t stay here.” “Fine. I’m leaving,” said Matteo,
“Two men visited us three days ago, Matteo. They inquired after you. We informed them you didn’t return from your trip. They discussed amongst themselves in your language. We couldn’t understand anything they said. They left but returned last evening to ask about you again. One of them said you were dead. They introduced themselves as your family and wanted your apartment keys,” said Freddie. Matteo frowned at the information. “What did they look like?” He took out his mobile phone and showed them a picture of his siblings, Marcello and Marco. “No, Matteo, the men didn’t look like them. Are these your brothers? They resemble you,” said Seth. “Yes. Then how did they look?” Matteo was at his wit’s end. Did Luigi send his men to take over his business? “They were twins, Matteo, although they disguised themselves,” said Freddie. Matteo frowned at the information. The only twins he knew were the Moretti brothers, Rafael and Ross. Did they come over thinking him dead? Why would they com
A Month Later“Emilia, start packing up. We’re going to Sicily next week. Marcello just called to announce his wedding.”Amelia gaped at her husband in shock. “When is the wedding? I don’t have a dress to wear!” “Mama will arrange for a seamstress for you. The wedding is three weeks later but I have to help her out.”“Okay, Mila and I will start packing up. Have you informed Marie's school?” “I will today.” Amelia wondered why he looked so excited today. Was it because of Marcello’s wedding? “Will we celebrate our wedding anniversary there, or will we celebrate it here before we leave?” She needed to know to make the preparations. Matteo smiled, his eyes glinting with secrecy. What was he hiding from her? “We’ll celebrate it there. I’ve invited your siblings and their families. Even Brooklyn is coming over with hers.” “Oh, are you making any gala plans? I’m not prepared at all!” she protested helplessly, but he just winked and left. What did it mean? For the next few days, Ameli
After Six Months“Mmmmamaa!” said Aurelio and Mariella clapped with delight. “Mama, Leo said his first word. I taught him!” Amelia smiled at her firstborn with pride. She has been an angel in their lives, helping them in every way just like a grown-up would. “Yes, good job, Marie! I’m proud of you,” said Matteo, watching her interact with the little ones in the nursery. He had just come home after dropping his Mama and Marcello at the airport. His Mama had helped them for the last six months, although Marcello had returned two days after the twins were born. He just came over to escort their Mama back home. “Papàaaap,” said Armano, and Mariella’s little heart swelled with pride. “Yay! Even Armie has learned his first word!” Amelia fed the twins and tucked them for the night, but they didn’t at all look sleepy. “Marie, have you completed your home assignments?” Amelia asked as she went to the dining room. “Yes, Mama.” “Fine, have your dinner and sleep. Mila, please, can you hel
Amelia could feel the contractions rocking her body after every few minutes. Matteo stayed by her side all the time, stroking her hair, and holding onto her hands with concern. It relieved her a lot this time, unlike the last time when she was all alone. Matteo’s family had arrived much later, and she had missed him like a sore thumb then. “Nurse, when will you take her to the birthing room?” asked Matteo agitatedly. “There’s time. It’s still early labor! When the contractions increase in frequency and last longer, we will take her to the birthing room.”Unable to see her in pain, Matteo called his Mama.“Can you come over, Mama? I’m feeling so lost with Emilia in labor pain.”“Are you in the hospital? Where’s Mariella?” asked his Mama in a state of panic. “Yes, Amelia started her contractions and we are in the labor room. Mariella is at my friend’s house.” “Why didn’t you inform me before?” said his clueless Mama. “The delivery date was two weeks later. I thought of informing yo
The next morning, Matteo received the biggest shock of his life! Lucas’s blog post and his social media post went viral overnight. His shop became the go-to place for people with expensive cars to repair. The space in front of his shop was teeming with cars left behind by the customers. The men were struggling with work. Matteo employed extra hands to help. He became a star mechanic overnight! “Mama, look! Papà is on TV!” squealed Mariella as she browsed through the channels. Amelia emerged from the kitchen and sat down to watch the talk show. Her eyes popped out to see her husband with Lucas Donnelly! They discussed cars and the cars he designed, repaired, and remodeled at affordable prices. Tears pricked at Amelia’s eyes while her heart swelled with pride for him. He had gone through a lot and truly deserved some happiness now. “What’s your inspiration, Mr. Ricci? Apart from your love for cars,” asked the host.“This shop is a dream project of mine, but I don’t give up only becau
With so much work to do, Matteo didn’t get a moment's respite to go home. Freddie and his team worked on the Ferrari, since their fate depended on it. They had to please Lucas Donnelly. It was, after all, his favorite car! It was late when Matteo returned home to find Amelia fast asleep with Mariella. He felt worried about her since she always waited up for him. He had to talk to her and convince her to see the doctor. The next morning he sat down to breakfast, but Amelia wasn’t present at the table with them. Mariella gave him a sad look as she ate her breakfast alone. “What happened to your Mama, Marie?” “She’s sick, Papà. Last night she threw up her dinner. Even today she threw up twice already. Can you make her better? I hate it when she’s sick!” “Don’t worry. Have your breakfast. I’ll check up with your Mama.” He went into their bedroom to see his Emilia lying down. “Emilia? What happened to you? I’ll take you to the doctor right away,” he insisted. “Who will drop Marie at
Matteo went to see his lawyer to take an update on his health. Mr. Berkeley had stood by him in his time of need, and he was indebted to the man. He wasn’t in great shape and Matteo found him resting on his bed, which was odd. He was the most hardworking person on earth and in all these years, Matteo had always found him in his office, working. “Matteo! I’m so glad to see you, son!” he said, getting up to embrace him.“I’m happy to be back too, Mr. Berkeley. How are you now? Freddie told me about your health issues.” “I’m much better now. I’m sorry I let you down. We didn’t have another option before us. The mafia Don would have burned the entire shop down or killed all of us if we didn’t pay.” “I understand Mr. Berkeley. I’ll figure it out somehow.” He spent some time with the lawyer and then returned home to help Amelia. It was evening and she would be worried about him. “Matteo! What happened? Did you find out anything? Is the shop still there? Marie and I were about to go dow
The customer care representative showed him the figures in their database. Matteo realized the money was withdrawn from the Brooklyn, New York, branch of the bank. It was too hefty a sum to withdraw from an ATM. What was going on? He had given Mr. Berkeley the sole authority to handle his account. It was alright that he shared it with his wife, but why did he confiscate so much money for himself?“Thank you for your cooperation. I’m not carrying money right now. I’ll deposit it later on.” They left the bank in a state of shock. “We have to go to New York right away, Emilia. I don’t know what’s going on. Apart from you, only one person had access to my account. That was Mr. Berkeley. How could he confiscate my hard-earned money?” Amelia looked at him with concern, wondering if he believed her. “You know, I withdrew very little, Matteo. I can show you all the ATM slips.” “I wouldn’t have minded if you used the money in my absence for your and Mariella’s needs. But it was a hefty sum
The next day, Evita visited them with her son, Riccardo. Not once did she mention Rafael during the entire time she stayed in their house. Amelia felt bad for her. She was quite nice and didn’t deserve a man like Rafael who destroyed her life. “You should move on, my dear. You can’t live alone all your life,” said Matteo’s Mama. “I’m working in a multinational company now as a PA to the CEO. I’ve moved on, Aunt Bianca.” “I meant it on a personal front. Rafael didn’t marry you despite everything. I think you should marry a nice young man and settle down.” “I am marrying my boss next month, Aunt Bianca. He loves me and Riccardo. No one has ever loved me the way he does. I’m glad I met someone like him,” said Evita, and they felt relieved that she found the happiness she deserved. “What’s his name?” asked Marco with avid interest. “Leonardo Bernardi.” “Ah, Leo? He’s a gem of a guy!” said Marco with a satisfied grin. “Do you know him?” asked Evita with surprise. “Yes, he’s Viola’
“Why not? Don’t you want to start Synergist?” asked Amelia in surprise. “Not yet. I want to concentrate on my children. I have three,” said Genelia proudly. “I too have three. I’ll bring them the next time we meet,” said Brooklyn. Matteo, Marco, Marcello, and their Mama joined them soon. “You can keep Dad’s money, Amy. I will shift to South Africa near Brandon’s place soon. I’ve applied for a senior position in a prestigious hospital there,” said Ryan. “Are you both sure? I’ll divide the money and transfer your shares to you.” Viola brought the girls into the room and Amelia introduced them to her guests. “So, when are you shifting to Sicily?” asked Carlos. “In a couple of days. We still haven’t booked the flight tickets,” said Marco. “I could drop you on our way back home. I have my private jet. We’re returning to Napa Valley, California, a day later,” said Nikolas. “That would be great, Nikolas. I don’t want to stay here for so many days. We’ll go with you,” said their Mama.