Chapter 3 Matteo

Everyone in the room fell into bewildered silence when they heard Mr. Shedrach's decision.

Leo was the first one to come to his senses. He nodded enthusiastically and shook Mr. Shedrach's hand. "That's a great idea. Selene and Matteo are a perfect match!"

He had been so worried that if word got out about this affair, he would lose the support of the Shedrach family, which would end his company. Leo was relieved to find out that Mr. Shedrach was not angry with him and even arranged for his eldest son to marry Selene.

Selene's heart ached dully when her father agreed to this marriage without even asking for her opinion.

"Dad, why are you doing this to me?" She pleaded with her father, he was supposed to be her support, he was supposed to stand by her side but instead he believed what others had said about her.

"Don't you ever come back to my house, you are no longer a part of our family. You are hereby disowned today, if I see you anywhere near the house then you will hate what I will do to you." Leo warned and walked out of there without looking back or giving his daughter a final glance.

"No, I don't want to get married to him" Selene said and ran out of the house crying.

She rushed to Leo's car and begged him to take her back but he wouldn't listen to her.

"Dad please listen to me, I am innocent. I never cheated on him" she pleaded with her father to listen to her but he shook his head and drove out. The car disappeared from her sight in a flash.

The void Selene felt in her heart was bigger. She just watched her life take an upside turn, from being the most talked about woman for dating the son of the richest man in Athens, she had turned into a laughing stock in just one day.

Having nowhere to go, Selene stood in the bleak street for a long time. Gradually, she learned to accept the reality of the situation and went back to Mount Villa, where she met Mr. Shedrach and Matteo.

"Why are you doing this?" Matteo, who had been silent this whole time, finally questioned his father.

"I am sick and tired of having you walk into this house anytime you like. You always do whatever you want regardless of anything!" Mr. Shedrach yelled at Matteo.

"You can't do anything about it" Matteo challenged him.

"Oh yes I can. From now hence forth, you are married to this young lady over here." Mr. Shedrach said pointing at Selene.

"No, you cannot do this." Matteo reverted.

"I have done it and that is final. Just look at yourself. You drown in alcohol and women every day, you good-for-nothing son! The company I gave you is about to collapse. Both you and Dante are my flesh and blood, but you're nothing compared to him. The company he manages ranks second in our city. If you can't run your company, give it to Dante," Mr. Shedrach snapped impatiently.

Hearing this long speech, Matteo snorted and rolled his eyes mockingly. "Second best? What's so special about that?"

Mr. Shedrach flew into a rage. "It's better than your company, which is going bankrupt!"

Matteo didn't bother to argue with his father any further. He turned around and went upstairs without saying another word.

Mr. Shedrach's chest was heaving violently with anger. He looked at Selene and growled, "Your job now is to keep your husband in line. Don't let him go down this destructive path!"

Emily, Mr. Shedrach's wife, patted him on the back to calm him down. When she saw Selene standing frozen in place, she scolded her impatiently, "What are you still doing here? Go to your room with your husband."

Frightened by the fierceness in Emily's eyes, Selene hurriedly nodded and left.

She arrived at the door to Matteo's room and found that the door was unlocked. She knocked twice on the door cautiously.

Nobody answered.

After waiting for a while, Selene gently pushed the door open.

What she saw took her breath away.

Matteo was standing with his back to the door. He had taken off his crumpled shirt, revealing his lean upper body.

He was tall and perfectly proportioned. His broad shoulders and narrow waist formed a nice V-figure. His powerful muscles were well-defined, as though God himself had chiseled them to perfection. One couldn't help but be fascinated by his god-like features.

Selene was absolutely dumbfounded.

What shocked her more were the various scars on his body. Some were obviously old, while others still looked freshly scabbed over.

How could a rich boy with a carefree life have scars all over his body?