Chapter Nine

Who is this?

I take my gaze away from Alessandro and this blonde-haired woman kissing near the counter. We certainly don't need to witness you two smacking lips together, especially Matteo. He'll be traumatized for the rest of his life. As I approach Matteo, I notice the disgust on his face, as well as the hard glare he's casting at the blonde woman in her skimpy red dress.I mean really her boobs look like they're about to spill out at any moment.

Matteo extends his arms to me, making small grabby hands. I pick him up and place him on my hip before stepping around the counter away from them and onto the floor. His little hand clutching mine, a look still directed their way.

"Ah Matteo... aren't you a cutie." The blonde woman says this while bending down in front of Matteo, with what looks like a forced smile. Matteo takes a step back closer to me, his hand tightening around mine as her arms spread for a hug. This causes her smile to fade, and she turns to glance at me with a glare before returning her gaze to Matteo, this time with a dissatisfied expression.

"Don't be impolite, Matteo." Alessandro's furious expression rings out throughout the kitchen. I notice Matteo tense up alongside me, his grip tightening. He clearly dislikes this woman. Matteo shakes his head, moving slightly away from the woman to stand behind me, one of his arms wrapping over my thigh.

Alessandro turns his head to face me. Slowly, a scowl was directed at me. It's as though he holds me responsible for Matteo's reaction to this woman. Matteo clearly has something against her.

"And who might you be?" The woman's voice returns, her back straightening to stare over me. With her gold shoes on, she towers over me. Her nose was raised in the air, as if she was looking down on me, as if I were something under her shoe.

"U-um..."

"Ilaria, why don't you go prepare Matteo before his tutor arrives?" That came across as more of a statement than a question. I turn to face Alessandro, who is already staring at me with a blank expression. I agree and take Matteo out of the room, returning quickly to see the blonde-haired girl give me a death glare.

As we return to Matteo's room, I notice him crawling onto the bed and looking down at his lap with a gloomy expression.

"You wanna talk about it?" I ask, nudging his shoulder as I sit next to him, the mattress falling softly beneath me.

"Her names Janine. She comes around a lot to talk to dad.... I don't like her. She always distracts my dad from spending time with me. It's like he becomes a different person when she's around." He mumbles saying the blonde haired woman who I now know is Janine with disgust. I touch his back in an attempt to calm him as he picks up a small teddy bear from beside him and places it on his lap.

"I wish dad never met her." He says quietly as he tightens his grip on the tiny bear.

As I reflect on what he just said and what happened below, a comfortable silence falls over us. I stand up and turn to face him, deciding to change the conversation.

"Come on let's go brush your teeth. Your tutor will arriving soon." I say placing the small tedd by his pillows before grabbing both of his hands to gently pull him off the bed. As we move into his restroom, I hear him chuckle, which warms my heart. Standing by the sink is a tiny red Iron Man toothbrush. I pick it up and squirt some toothpaste on the brush before giving it to him. His small hands wrapping around it.

We return to his room and go for the door when he has finished brushing his teeth, but not before I hear Matteo's voice ring out.

"Ilaria?... Why do... Why do you stutter around everyone but me?" He asks, his large silver eyes fixed on me.

"I um... I get nervous when meeting... new people. I guess." I say already wanting to change the conversation. 

"But you didn't stutter when you met me." He asks his eyes squinting in confusion. Well what am I supposed to say now?

A knock at the door draws us out of the conversation, for which I am grateful. I open the door to find Maia standing there with a broad smile on her face.

"Matteo's tutor has just arrived, I'm to take him down now." She said this while smiling adoringly at Matteo. Matteo moves around me to where Maia is standing, and I nod.

"O-oh um... M-Maia? W-what am I-i supposed t-to d-do?" I ask not knowing what they expect to do while Matteo's tutor is here.

"Oh, whatever you like, sweetie; Matteo will only be gone a few hours." She stated this before hastily retreating around the corner, Matteo's little hand waving farewell to me.

Well ok then...

****

I'm currently sitting down in the sitting room reading one of my favourite books Pride and prejudice. I mean it's so beautifully written. A blanket was draped over my lap, and the fire in front of me kept me warm and comfortable as I read. The scent of burning wood from the fireplace soothed me into the leather chair. I smile when I read my favorite quote from the book. "You have bewitched me body and soul. And I -"

Before I can finish reading, a hand grabs the book from my grasp, crushing the pages between their clenched fingers. I grimace when I gaze at my ruined book. The pages crinkling and ripping in her hand.

"Do you believe you can fool me?" Janine replies from in front of me, her eyes filled with wrath. What the hell is she talking about? 

"I- I -" 

"Oh, don't act s-s-stupid." She smirked, mocking me about my stutter. Ok but really what did I do? 

"He's mine Ilaria. You got that?" She hissed, her face close to me. I lean back, stupidly nodding at her. What is she talking about? Who is she talking about? I watch as she leans back and gazes at the fireplace before tossing my book, the pages immediately catching fire. The book is making cracking and popping sounds.

As I rush over to the fireplace, my hand reaches for the book, but the intense searing on my hand causes me to wrench my arm back, keeping it against my chest. A tear falls down my cheek as I watch it scrunch into nothing. Ash falling to the bottom of the fireplace. I feel a warm hand come into touch with mine, pulling it away from my chest, while they run their fingers over the source of the pain, causing me to recoil back. I hear a sigh before being lifted off the floor by hands, corridors passing me by in a haze owing to my crying.

The next thing I know, cold water is gushing onto my hand, calming the scorching sensation caused by the fire. A slick ointment is applied to the affected area, which promptly relieves the pain. I stare at the hands that are wrapping a small bandage around my hand, which has a huge burn in the centre. The familiar tanned hand making my heart rate speed up.

"Are you that stupid?" He asks sternly, a great contrast to the gentle hands wrapping the bandage around my hand.

"It was just a book." He sighs, as if he can't believe I'd risk my hands for a book.

"My parents gave me that book." I mutter, imagining the burning pages of my book. Seeing that his hands have stopped wrapping the bandage around my hand. The silence between us taking over. As his hand returns to his duty, I gaze down at my feet, which are dangling from the bathroom counter. I notice he's finished, yet he's still holding my hand tenderly, with the only sound being the trickling of the tap behind me.

"Come with me." He says letting go of my hand, as he walks out of the bathroom door.

In a fog, I follow him and look down at my feet. On my sixteenth birthday, my parents got me that book. We were growing up in a relatively poor neighbourhood at the time, and this was the first book they handed me. My personal favorite.

We come to a halt in front of some double cream doors, the sound of a lock clicking as he opens the door. I step around him, looking up at him, while he waits for me to enter. As I gaze up at the lovely room, my breath catches in my throat. A long corridor lined with books from floor to ceiling. A light cream floor, cream walls, and vast white book shelves housing hundreds or thousands of books. His footsteps echo around the room as he walks closer to a specific bookshelf. I watch, perplexed, as he taps on many books as he travels along the shelf before pausing and picking a book out and immediately comes over to me.

"I know it's not the same but." He walks away, handing me a book. I gaze at him, puzzled, before turning to look at the book he's given me. Pride and prejudice. A broad smile spreads across my face as I look down at the book in my hands.

"T-thank you." I whisper out, noticing his eyes soften slightly. That's before his expression tightens and he scowls down at me.

"I expect you to be able to care for my son despite your... idiotic decision to burn your hand." He says sharply, then turns around and slams the library doors shut behind him. I just stand there staring at the door. Alessandro Vito Lombardi has been... courteous for the first time since I've been here.

That is, until I freeze when I realize I didn't stutter when I spoke to Alessandro.

Maybe he isn't that bad.