Chapter 3
“Every relationship in my life involves business, payment, loyalty acquired through fear, or people who want access to what I possess.”
His hold on her hand strengthened.
“You are the only part of my life that is not business. I want you near because your presence makes me less alone.”
Ayla’s tears began to fall.
Matteo rose, came around the table, and knelt beside her. He wiped her face with his thumbs.
“Do not cry unless they are tears of happiness.”
“I do not understand what I feel. I am frightened and fascinated. Your world may be more than I can endure.”
“Everything you feel is reasonable.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I will not force or rush you. We will learn each other slowly and discover whether this can work.”
Ayla nodded.
“All right. We will try.”
The remainder of lunch became easier. They discussed favorite food, films, and places they hoped to visit. Matteo told stories about Kyle’s mistakes, and Ayla laughed with genuine ease.
Outside the restaurant, Mabel ran toward them.
Her eyes were swollen from crying, and her makeup was disordered.
“Ayla, please. I need to speak to you.”
Matteo moved immediately between them.
“No.”
“Mr. Cipriani, I did not know. I would never have done it if I knew she was your wife.”
His expression became cold.
“You treated her with deliberate cruelty because you believed she possessed no power. That reveals exactly who you are.”
Mabel began crying openly.
“I am sorry, Ayla. We were friends.”
Ayla stepped around Matteo and touched his arm to prevent escalation.
“We were never friends.”
Her voice remained controlled.
“You pretended when friendship benefited you. When you had an opportunity to destroy me publicly, you accepted it without hesitation.”
She took a breath.
“I forgive you because resentment would allow you continued power over my life. I will never forget what you did, and I will never trust you again.”
She held Mabel’s gaze.
“Do not approach me again.”
Mabel left sobbing.
Matteo watched Ayla with unmistakable pride.
“You were strong without becoming needlessly cruel.”
“I learned from pain. I do not want to repeat what other people did.”
“Thank you for allowing me to defend you.”
He kissed her forehead.
“Kyle will take you home. Tomorrow, you will have dinner at my penthouse. I want you to see my actual life and the person I am when society is not watching.”
Ayla’s pulse quickened.
“Your home?”
“Completely private and safe. Dinner, conversation, and no expectations.”
He smiled.
“I cook.”
The image of a mafia don preparing food was absurd enough to make her laugh.
“All right. Dinner tomorrow.”
He kissed her hand.
“Until tomorrow, amore.”
“I am still not your wife.”
“Not yet.”
The following evening arrived with contradictory speed.
Kitty helped Ayla prepare for dinner at Matteo’s penthouse, choosing a dark-red dress she believed would disrupt whatever control he possessed.
Ayla attempted to apply lipstick 3 times because her hands would not remain steady.
“You look beautiful,” Kitty repeated. “He will lose his mind.”
She had spent the previous 24 hours investigating Matteo. Apart from the known illegal activity, she found no evidence of human trafficking, violence against uninvolved people, or conduct suggesting he was specifically dangerous to Ayla.
“What if this is happening too quickly?” Ayla asked. “What if I enter something I cannot control?”
“Then you leave.”
Kitty’s answer was practical.
“But you spent years inside a workplace where people diminished you. Now someone appears who truly sees you.”
She held Ayla’s shoulders.
“Give the possibility a real chance.”
At 7:00, the intercom sounded.
Kyle had come instead of Matteo.
“The boss is finishing dinner and does not want to burn anything.”
The image made Ayla laugh.
Kyle waited beside the limousine with his familiar, easy expression.
“He is cooking?”
“He is also experiencing a degree of nervousness I have never witnessed.”
Kyle drove away from the building.
“He cleaned the penthouse personally, spent 2 hours selecting wine, and tested 3 carbonara recipes.”
He looked at her in the mirror.
“In 15 years, I have never seen him behave this way.”
“Has he brought other women home?”
“For business, people enter. For a private dinner, no.”
Kyle turned toward a luxury tower.
“You are the 1st. That is significant.”
A private elevator carried Ayla directly to the penthouse.
The doors opened onto an immense but comfortable interior with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking New York. Italian furniture and art filled the rooms without making them feel like a display.
Kyle held the elevator.
“Welcome to the castle. He is in the kitchen denying his nervous breakdown.”
Ayla followed the smell of food.
Matteo stood at the stove in dark trousers and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair was slightly disordered.
“I heard that,” he called toward Kyle. “I am not having a breakdown.”
“Of course not, boss.”
Kyle withdrew toward the elevator.
“I will remain downstairs and allow you privacy.”
Matteo turned.
When he saw Ayla, uncertainty crossed his face for less than a second before being replaced by focused appreciation.
He came toward her.
“You are stunning.”
He took her hand and slowly turned her, examining the dress.
“This color is interfering with my self-control.”
“You are actually cooking.”
“Kyle speaks too much.”
He smiled.
“My Italian nonna taught me the family recipes. I cook when I want to impress someone important.”
The table was arranged with candles, expensive wine, and a modest arrangement of flowers.
Ayla watched him complete the meal with efficient concentration.
When he placed the carbonara before her, the smell alone made her stomach react.
“Eat before it becomes cold.”
The 1st bite produced an involuntary sound of pleasure.
“This is extraordinary. You truly made it?”
His pride was almost childlike.
“It is a family recipe.”
“You have talents nobody would expect.”
His smile became suggestive.
“I have several others I intend to show you.”
“Behave.”
“Impossible while you wear that dress and make sounds like that over my food.”
The conversation moved easily.
Matteo possessed a dry intelligence and sense of humor that differed sharply from his public severity.
“Do you have siblings?” Ayla asked.
“A younger sister, Giulia. She lives in Italy with a husband who treats her well and their 2 children.”
His expression softened.
“I kept her away from this world. I spoil the children whenever possible.”
“You protected her.”
“I always have.”
His gaze moved to Ayla.
“Anyone I love remains under my protection.”
The casual use of the word love caused Ayla’s heartbeat to alter.
He asked about her family.
“My parents died 5 years ago in a car accident.”
Pain moved through her expression.
“It was quick. They did not suffer.”
She placed her hand over his.
“Kitty is the family I chose. She supports me in everything.”
“She loves you.”
Matteo intertwined their fingers.
“I want to meet her properly. I want her to judge my intentions herself.”
“You truly want to meet Kitty?”
“She is the most important person in your life. Everything important to you becomes important to me.”
Tears stung Ayla’s eyes.
“I want to know the people you love. I do not intend to isolate you inside my world.”
“You say things that make me feel—”
She stopped.
“Feel what?”
“Seen. Valued. Important.”
The admission came quietly.
“As though I matter to someone.”
Matteo rose and knelt beside her chair.
He held her face between his hands.
“You matter more than you understand.”
His thumb moved across her cheek.
“I will spend as long as necessary proving it every day.”
He leaned closer, his breath touching her mouth.
“May I kiss you? Without an audience or performance. Only us.”
“Yes.”
The word was almost inaudible.
The kiss began with care, giving her room to withdraw. When she opened her mouth beneath his, his restraint diminished.
One hand held the back of her neck while the other drew her nearer at the waist. Ayla responded without caution, her fingers moving into his hair.
The low sound in his throat made her body tighten.
When they separated for breath, he rested his forehead against hers.
“You make me lose myself in a way I never have.”
Near the elevator, Kyle smiled to himself.
“The boss finally surrendered.”
The next morning, Matteo sent Ayla a message.
He wanted breakfast with her and Kitty at 10:00.
It was not presented as a question.
Kitty reacted with a sharp cry of excitement before remembering that she intended to assess him carefully.
At a café in central Manhattan, Kitty studied Matteo with the focused intensity she used while evaluating patients.
He arrived on time, wearing dark trousers and a gray shirt, and greeted her with sincere respect.
After several minutes of conversation about the weather and coffee, Kitty addressed the actual subject.
“You are the man who called my best friend your wife before hundreds of people without warning.”
“Yes.”
Matteo did not retreat.
“I would repeat the decision. She was being humiliated, and I do not tolerate cruelty.”
“What are your intentions?”
Kitty crossed her arms.
“If this is a game, money and influence will not protect you from me.”
Matteo’s expression became completely serious.
“It is not a game. I want her genuinely and permanently, if she accepts me.”
His gaze moved toward Ayla.
“I know the speed seems unreasonable. My world does not function through ordinary hesitation. When I know what I feel, I act.”
Kitty turned toward Ayla.
“And you?”
Ayla answered honestly.
“I am frightened because it happened too quickly. I am fascinated because he is unlike anyone I have met, and I am confused by the danger of his world.”
She clasped her hands in her lap.
“But I am also happier than I have been in years. He makes me feel protected, recognized, and valued.”
Kitty’s eyes became wet.
She looked at Matteo again.
“Approved temporarily.”
Her expression remained protective.
“If you hurt her, I work with nurses who understand exactly where pain can be produced.”
“Understood.”
Matteo smiled with genuine respect.
“I will never intentionally hurt her.”
Kitty nodded.
“Now that the interrogation is complete, I have another question.”
She attempted casualness and failed.
“Is Kyle single?”
Ayla nearly choked on her coffee.
“Kitty.”
“What? He is attractive, amusing, and appears pleasant.”
Matteo laughed.
“Yes, he is single. Shall I arrange a meeting?”
Kitty brightened.
“Perhaps.”
Matteo was already sending a message.
“Completed. He will probably call within an hour.”
Kitty stared at him.
“You solve things with frightening speed.”
“I do when the matter concerns someone important.”
May you like
He looked directly at Ayla.
“My future wife.”
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