Chapter 2 Mateo's Family

A week had passed since Ava arrived at the Licciardi mansion. Mateo hadn't spoken to her again. He was a man too busy; at 30 years old, he had achieved great heights but sacrificed a significant portion of his freedom in return.

He traveled constantly for business, and he realized he couldn't get what had happened out of his mind when he was in front of that girl. He needed to know what was truly going on with her.

He had returned from Venice the previous night. An investor meeting had been held, and he had no choice but to attend.

The next morning, he decided it was time to talk to Ava. The doctor informed him that she was feeling better. He needed to understand why she was running away.

He couldn't comprehend how someone could attempt to harm an angel like her. Without knowing why, he felt an overwhelming need to protect her. Being around her made him experience a strange warmth.

From the moment he first saw her, her gaze had been etched into him. He was confused, trying to find a logical explanation for what he was experiencing with this girl. Perhaps it was because he saw her as defenseless. He wasn't the type of man to fall in love.

He never had been. Love wasn't for him-at least, that's what he believed until that moment. Love made men weak, dependent, and he had no intention of becoming one of them.

Ava felt frightened and nervous. It was a completely unfamiliar place. During the first few days, she needed help to locate things. Eventually, she learned the layout of the room, not without bumping into furniture corners a few times. Doing simple, everyday tasks in an unknown place was a challenge for her.

That morning, she stepped out onto the small terrace outside her room and sat in a comfortable chair. She deduced that the mansion must have a beautiful garden. She could distinguish the aroma of the flowers. Among them, she recognized the fragrance of roses and peonies, her favorite flowers. So, she could distinguish their scent above any other.

She was about to get up and go back into the room when she sensed that gentle fragrance, the same one she had felt when she woke up after the accident. She immediately realized that Mateo was approaching.

"Hello," he greeted as he observed her. She looked especially beautiful that morning, almost like an angel. "How are you feeling?"

"Hello, I'm much better, thank you," she timidly replied.

"I would like to talk to you."

"Of course, go ahead."

Ava could imagine what Mateo wanted to tell her. She felt embarrassed to ask for his help, as she had no one else to turn to.

"I need you to tell me what happened that night. It seemed like you were running away from someone. I don't want you to ever think that I don't want you here. On the contrary, I need to know in order to help you."

"It's a long story. All I can tell you is that my uncle, Teodoro Miller, wants to force me to marry him. My nanny helped me escape. I'm very worried, and I need to know how she's doing." Mateo thought for a while. He knew well the reputation that Teodoro had, as they moved in the same circles.

"I don't understand why your uncle would want to force you into something like that. If he's your family, he shouldn't do that. You can stay here as long as you'd like. From now on, you're under my protection and that of my mother and grandfather. You'll meet them tonight at dinner. They also live here and are returning from their trip."

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry for being a bother, but right now, I don't know what to do. I have nowhere to go, and the only person I trust is my nanny."

Ava didn't know why this stranger inspired so much trust in her. She told him her whole story: her parents' death, how her uncle took control of her inheritance, of which she was unaware until the night she overheard him talking to the lawyer. She also told him why she had lost her sight. She had just met him, but there was something in his voice that reassured her.

"I'm really sorry that you've gone through so much at such a young age. I'll try to find out how your nanny is doing. Next weekend, I'll be attending an event where your uncle will be present. We've been invited by several potential investors. He wants to expand his company. One of my best friends will be there, and I'll ask him to help distract them so I can slip into the mansion and look for your nanny. I'm sure she won't refuse. She loves the thrill."

"My nanny's name is Lola. Her room is the last one on the right going up the stairs." The girl's face brightened at the thought that her nanny might soon be with her.

"Do you need me to bring something from the mansion for you?"

"That would be too risky. The mansion is guarded by several bodyguards. They change shifts at two in the morning. But there is something I'd like to retrieve. My room is just before my nanny's. In the dressing room, on the bottom shelf, there's a small dark-colored safe. Inside is a pink box with diamond inlays. Its contents are very important to me."

Mateo didn't know why he couldn't stop looking at her. She was beautiful, and certain gestures she made while speaking made her look adorable. He realized that what he was feeling was very wrong. He felt quite old next to her.

Twelve years was a significant age gap, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to appear opportunistic. He tried to sort out and calm his thoughts. Ava gave him the combination for the safe. He noticed that she wore a beautiful bracelet on her wrist, with a small key hanging from it.

She explained that for every number he dialed, he had to turn back two numbers. Once to the right, the next to the left, and so on until he had entered all the numbers. When he heard the click of the lock, he had to press the button on the side twice to prevent the alarm from going off.

Mateo thought that the contents of that box must be really important for her to protect it this way. And the girl must be very desperate to trust a man who was almost a stranger to her.

Ava, on her part, felt that maybe he shouldn't take that risk for a woman he barely knew. If he did it out of pity, it would be something she couldn't bear. She didn't like being seen in that way.

"I've hired someone who will be responsible for assisting you until you settle into the house. You can confidently ask them for anything you need. I've taken the liberty of having some things brought for you, like clothes and personal items. If you need anything else, just let me know."

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. I hope to be able to repay you soon."

"It's no trouble at all. I'm happy to do it," Mateo said. If only Ava could see the way he was looking at her, or if he could see himself in the mirror-he was completely entranced just watching her. "Tell me, what do you usually do to distract yourself?"

"I like doing anything that can stimulate my imagination-reading, listening to the radio or television," she replied. Mateo's thoughts drifted to other things he liked to do to stimulate his imagination. He mentally scolded himself for thinking about that at that moment.

"Great! There's a television in your room, and I've bought some Braille books. Loren must have placed them on the bedside table already. I hope you like my choices, but if not, let me know which ones you'd like to read."

"You don't have to worry about that. I've already caused enough trouble."

"As I've said, it's no trouble at all," Mateo reassured her. In fact, he thought that nothing coming from this girl could bother him.

"Thank you," Ava said with a beautiful smile on her face. Mateo sighed as he observed her.

"Dinner will be at nine. Loren will come up to assist you with anything you need."

Mateo bid her farewell and left immediately. He enjoyed the company of this girl far too much.

Mateo's mother and grandfather arrived later. Aurora wanted to go upstairs right away to meet Ava, but Mateo stopped her before she could. He didn't want the girl to feel uncomfortable. His mother tended to be excessively affectionate.

Guido was more suspicious. He asked Mateo to explain in detail what had happened. He would make sure that the girl wasn't lying, assuming she was truly blind.

And if she was, that didn't guarantee she was a good person. He thought that maybe she could be a gold digger trying to ensnare his grandson. On the other hand, if the story she told was real, he would help his grandson protect her from whatever it might be. If she was lying, he would make sure to destroy her.