Matteo Read online

  Of course, that was when I found out that she was cheating on me.

  The resulting argument when I confronted her had been epic. She had screamed about not valuing her privacy, even though it was purely by accident that Andrea had spied Martina on a date with another man. Then she had begged me not to leave her, but I was tired and angry, and not in the mood to deal with her dramatics. When she realized that I wasn’t going to change my mind, she spat that she had been cheating on me for months, needing to get one last dig at me before she left.

  I had thought it was over. Then, a few days later, the police showed up. Martina had filed a report, claiming that I had abused her and that she was trying to escape our relationship. For six months, she tied me up in police reports and court cases that were splashed all over the news, causing my company’s stock to plummet and the entire country to look at me like was a horrible person.

  But my case was tighter than hers. Eventually, she lost, and she finally admitted that it had all been a lie, fleeing under the vengeful eye of the media. Every now and then I get a message from her, mostly full of obscenities or insults, and I allow it simply because I don’t want to deal with the fallout if she finds out I blocked her number.

  Sometimes, I remembered Martina and wondered if there had been any signs before it all happened, that she would do something like that to me. We had been the perfect couple, but I was just one of many guys she was stringing along for money. For the longest time, I couldn’t even think about having another relationship with someone.

  Well, it seemed that the memory had finally started fading enough for me to take interest in someone again, even if it was just because I couldn’t get her gorgeous blue eyes out of my mind.

  Or maybe I was only interested in this woman because I knew there was very little chance of ever meeting her again. She had been a stranger from another country at the airport. She could be staying anywhere. It was likely I would never run into her again, and, since I didn’t even know her name, I couldn’t track her down. Any interest I had in her was fruitless.

  Resolved to forget about her, and to stop thinking about my own poor decisions of the past, I pulled my laptop out of my briefcase and booted it up. I had work to do.

  Chapter Three

  Despite my promise to Pietro not to overdo it, I ended up staying up until very late answering all the emails, as well as any prompt replies. I fell into bed, completely exhausted, only to be awoken late in the morning by the sound of the vacuum cleaner.

  For a moment, I was confused. The hotel I had stayed in was remarkably quiet. Then I remembered that I was back home, and I wandered out of my room with a yawn as I tugged my robe around myself. I had nowhere to be today and I fully intended on taking a well-deserved day off.

  Giulia was the one vacuuming, and she turned off the machine as soon as she saw me, looking completely horrified.

  “I’m sorry!” she said. “I thought you were already awake.”

  “It’s alright,” I assured her. “I should be getting up by now, anyway.”

  Giulia was the oldest of my staff. She was married with three teenage children. Her poor family reminded me a lot of my own when I was growing up, and I tried to do what I could for her and her family.

  As I headed downstairs, I could already smell the brewing coffee. Pietro greeted me as I entered the dining room. He was sitting down, reading the newspaper.

  “Anything interesting?” I asked, nodding at the paper.

  “Not today,” Pietro said, folding the paper neatly and standing. “What time did you go to bed last night, sir?”

  I made a face. I knew he’d ask.

  “Too late,” I admitted. “But I’m taking today off.”

  Pietro looked unconvinced, which was fair. I spent most of my time working, and I rarely took days off, even when I was at home.

  However, after spending so long answering emails last night, and the dark dreams I had had following my tired, sad thoughts yesterday, I was ready to spend the day curled up in an armchair with a good book. I had spent all month working in another country; I definitely needed a day off.

  “Would you like me to get you a coffee?” Pietro asked.

  “Please,” I said with a nod.

  I picked up Pietro’s paper when he left and absently perused it. Nothing caught my interest, but it was nice just to sit and read without having to worry about anything. By the time Pietro returned with a cup of coffee, I had flicked to the back of the newspaper and had started working on the puzzles.

  “Any plans for the day?” Pietro asked.

  “Not much,” I said, stretching and then taking a sip of the hot coffee. It slid down my throat soothingly. “I might watch some TV or read a book.”

  “Perhaps go for a walk?” Pietro suggested. “You’re looking a bit pale.”

  I laughed. “I didn’t get much chance to go outside in America, unfortunately. We spent most of our daylight hours in the boardroom.”

  I wondered if I looked as pale as Pietro said. Maybe I needed to take a look at myself in the mirror when I got the chance.

  “Very well,” Pietro said with a nod. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  “Thank you, Pietro,” I said.

  He walked away, presumably to oversee the staff, as was his job. I amused myself with the newspaper puzzles for several more minutes before giving it up and carrying my coffee to my spacious living room.

  Since I didn’t take many days off, I was at a bit of a loss. I wasn’t sure how to relax. Pietro’s suggestion of taking a walk actually sounded good, but that wouldn’t take up much of the day. I was determined to keep away from all forms of work, though; today was about getting my head on straight so I could tackle all the upcoming problems tomorrow.

  Suddenly, my phone rang from my robe pocket. Expecting it to be one of my suppliers or one of my business partners, I picked it up without looking to see who it was.

  “Pronto,” I said.

  “Matteo!” greeted a familiar voice.

  Alessandro Bianchi was a long-time friend of mine. We met a few months before my parents passed away, and he had been a large help in getting me through that time. He was friendly and the type of person who knew many people, which meant he often roped me into group gatherings I had no wish to attend. Still, Alessandro was a good friend, and I was grateful to have him in my life.

  “Alessandro,” I said with a smile. “Good to hear from you.”

  “I’m not the one who’s been away!” Alessandro laughed. “Are you back in Italy yet?”

  “I came in yesterday,” I said.

  “Great!” Alessandro said enthusiastically, and I knew what was coming moments before the words left his mouth. “That means you won’t be too tired to come to my house party tonight!”

  Before I had left for America, Alessandro had been talking about moving. His housemate was giving him problems, and he thought he had found a nice place that he could afford on his own, especially with his recent promotion to manager of the store he worked in. He hadn’t sorted it out before he left, but it seemed that he had moved after all.

  “And you can’t say no!” Alessandro continued before I could reply. “I set the date of the party for when you returned!”

  Well, that made it harder to refuse.

  “I’ve only just gotten back,” I sighed. “Couldn’t you have waited a few more days?”

  “No can do,” Alessandro said cheerfully. “Dina and Lorenzo are in town, and I have to catch them before they leave again.”

  “Who?” I asked tiredly, honestly not caring about two of Alessandro's many friends.

  “Dina Alfonsi and Lorenzo Russo,” Alessandro said. “Remember them?”

  “Not at all,” I said, deadpan. “You expected me to remember two people out of the many you’ve introduced me to?”

  Alessandro snorted down the line.

  “I’ll introduce you to them tonight,” he assured me. “Lorenzo and Dina both moved away; Lorenzo still lives
in Italy, but Dina went to America. I think she came in yesterday, too.”

  Dina… I wondered if it was possible.

  “Dina wouldn’t happen to be blonde, would she?” I asked casually.

  “Not unless she dyed it!” Alessandro said. “Why?”

  No, the woman I had seen had definitely been a natural blonde. I knew it would be too good to be true.

  “No reason, just someone I ran into at the airport,” I said, shrugging. “I knocked her drink over by accident. I bought her another one.”

  “If you’re asking about her, were you interested?” Alessandro teased.

  “She was a stranger,” I said a little too forcefully.

  “Don’t get defensive on me. You’re the one asking about her,” Alessandro pointed out. “Anyway, sorry, can’t help you; Dina had black hair last time I saw her.”

  “It’s fine, I was only curious,” I assured him.

  Curious, and slightly disappointed. Now that I was more awake, I realized I really did regret not at least asking that woman for her name.

  Oh well, too late now.

  “So, are you coming to the party?” Alessandro asked.

  “I don’t know, Alessandro,” I sighed. “I had a rough night. And the trip was exhausting.”

  “It didn’t go well?” Alessandro asked.

  “No, it went well,” I said. “They signed everything, our new distribution will start in three months, and we have some new staff members on board. It just took forever to get it all sorted out, and there were still emails waiting for me when I returned to Italy. I just need to take a break.”

  Too late, I realized I’d said one thing too many. Alessandro pounced.

  “A party would be the perfect way to take a break!” he declared. “Come have a drink or two, dance a bit, maybe meet someone. You never know, it could happen.”

  Privately, I thought there was very little chance of meeting anyone that interested me at one of Alessandro’s parties. Alessandro was a nice guy, but he attracted a very specific brand of people; those that liked to party hard. There was little doubt in my mind that his new home would be packed to the brim with writhing bodies, fridges full of alcohol, and pounding music.

  I couldn’t think of anything less appealing.

  But, Alessandro was my friend. He never abused my money, often insisting on paying for himself when we hung out, and sometimes accompanied me to museums or on history tours when I didn’t want to go alone. On top of that, he had specifically waited until I returned to throw this party, which meant that it was important to him that I be there for at least a little while.

  “Fine, I’ll go,” I agreed grudgingly.

  “And have fun?” Alessandro asked.

  “Don’t push it,” I warned.

  I never had a lot of fun at Alessandro’s parties. I knew my friend would be over the moon if I did find someone at one of his parties, but that was hard to do when I stuck to my corner and glared people away from me until I could politely leave.

  Alessandro laughed.

  “Thanks, Matteo,” he said. “I’ll invite you around another day to take a tour of the place, alright?”

  “Sounds good,” I agreed. “See you tonight, then.”

  “Bye.”

  I hung up the phone and sighed. There went any chance of having a relaxing day and evening. I wondered if I should just give up the day as lost and take tomorrow off as well.

  “Problem?”

  I looked around. Pietro had entered the room again, carrying a plate of toast. My stomach grumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

  “Just Alessandro,” I sighed. “He’s invited me to a party at his new house tonight.”

  “Are you going?” Pietro asked, handing me the plate.

  “I have to,” I said, rolling my eyes. “He waited to have it until I got back to Italy.”

  Pietro shook his head, bemused.

  “You and Alessandro are as different as night and day,” he commented. “Sometimes I wonder how the two of you ever became friends.”

  I smiled slightly. We became friends because Alessandro approached a lonely man struggling under the weight of the company he was trying to build and the promises he had made his dying father, and then held him up through everything that followed. I owed Alessandro a lot, including my eventual decision not to give up. He was like a second brother to me, as dear to me as my own brother who now lived in Australia with his family.

  “Well, it just means I get roped into things like this,” I said, standing and stretching. “I’m going to take a shower. Then I’m going to spend the day not thinking about this party until I have to go.”

  Pietro chuckled.

  “Sounds good,” he said.

  I headed upstairs and into the massive bathroom. On my way, I paused at the mirror, peering at myself. My brown hair was still ruffled from sleep, and I rubbed my green eyes, trying to make them look less bloodshot after staying up so late the night before. Pietro was right, I was looking a little paler than normal. Maybe a walk was just the thing I needed right now to keep my mind off the party tonight.

  At least Alessandro never expected me to stay for more than a handful of hours. He wanted me to make some new friends, but he never forced me to stay when he knew I was uncomfortable. It was the only reason I allowed him to continue talking me into going to these stupid parties; I knew he was inviting me to try and help me because he feared that I was lonely.

  Which, if I had to be brutally honest with myself, I was a little lonely. I didn't have many friends and the only people I saw on a regular basis were my household staff and my business partners. I rarely went out for fun, and I spent most of my time working. I could understand why Alessandro worried about me. I knew that my staff worried about me, too.

  Sometimes I worried about me.

  I looked back in the mirror, searching my own face. I looked tired, with black lines under my eyes and an exhausted sag in my cheeks. I had been so busy in America that I hadn’t eaten or slept properly, and now I was seeing the result.

  Maybe, after tonight, I’d make more of an effort to take some days off. It looked like I needed it.

  I turned away from the mirror, not wanting to look into it anymore. After my shower, I was going to go back to bed. If I turned up at the party looking like this, Alessandro would definitely make me stay so he could keep an eye on me.

  Chapter Four

  I managed to get a few more hours of sleep, too tired to care that I was sleeping during the day, and I woke up feeling far more refreshed. I left my room and was instantly cornered by Chiara, her eyes sparkling.

  “Pietro said you were going to a party!” she beamed.

  “Yeah, Alessandro invited me,” I said.

  Chiara’s eyes went wide and her cheeks reddened. She had a massive crush on Alessandro, who was completely oblivious to it. I often felt sorry for the poor girl.

  “That’s wonderful,” she said. She grinned. “Have you thought about what you’re going to wear?”

  “Wear?” I repeated, confused. “Why do I have to think about that?”

  “You’re going to a party,” Chiara said, rolling her eyes at me. “Lots of people are going to be there. You need to look nice.”

  I looked down at what I was wearing. I had thrown on a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt.

  “Don’t I look okay?” I asked.

  “You look like you’re going to a meeting,” Chiara sighed. “Come on, let’s have a look at what we have to work with.”

  She darted inside. I considered getting upset that she was entering my room without asking. On the other hand, she and the other cleaners went in my room all the time to clean, so it probably hadn’t even occurred to her to ask permission. For Chiara, the entire mansion is always open to her.

  “Don’t mess up my closet,” I warned instead as I followed her back into the room.

  “I won’t!” Chiara called, her voice muffled because she was inside my large closet
. “Where did you get some of these shirts? They’re horrendous!”

  I chuckled. She must have found my collection of vibrant Hawaiian shirts. Alessandro and I exchanged gag gifts on our birthdays, and I got one of those shirts every year, each one more lurid than the next.

  “Oh, here’s a nice pair of pants!” Chiara said, popping out of the closet.

  She was holding a pair of black jeans. I looked between them and the black trousers I was already wearing.

  “I’m already wearing black pants,” I said unnecessarily. “Why do I need to change into another black pair.”

  “Those are business trousers,” Chiara said. “These are jeans and more suitable for a party. Put them on while I find a shirt.”

  She disappeared back into the closet. I sighed and did what she asked, correctly guessing that I wasn’t going to get out of this until she was satisfied. Before long, she returned with another shirt, this one also a button-down, and a cream vest.

  “I’m wearing a button-up shirt,” I protested.

  “That one is horrible, take it off,” Chiara said impatiently.

  I looked down at my shirt. It was red with a black checker pattern all over it.

  “I think it looks fine,” I muttered.

  Chiara stepped back into the closet so I could change shirts. She appeared again just as I was shrugging on the vest and buttoning it up.

  “What’s with the vest?” I asked.

  “It looks smart,” Chiara said. She gave me an admiring once over. “That’s so much better. Take a look.”

  She swung open my closet door so I could peer into the full-length mirror. I had to admit, I did look a bit better now. I looked like I was preparing to go out for fun instead of heading to another board meeting.

  “You’re pretty good at this,” I commented. “I’m surprised you didn’t try and get a job in a clothes store, or something.”

  “Nah,” Chiara said dismissively. “Too busy. I prefer working here.”

  I smiled at her. I knew when Chiara finished school and got her degree she would be leaving us to become a nurse. I appreciated her presence right now, though.