Chapter 5 The Visit of a Wretch

Ava could sense that something was not right. The smell of medications and the sound of machines indicated it. She felt a great fear of losing her nanny.

"Your nanny is recovering. We found her in a very bad condition. The doctor said she'll need a few days to fully recover. For now, she's sleeping," Mateo explained.

Ava reached out her arms, trying to reach her nanny. Mateo guided her, and she immediately sought her nanny's face. She started talking to her while gently caressing her. Something inside her told her that things were worse than Mateo was letting on.

She hugged her nanny and began to cry. Aurora entered the room at that moment. She couldn't fathom how someone could harm such an angelic soul. They must have a heart as black as coal to cause so much harm.

Luckily, it was Sunday. Mateo didn't leave the girl's side all day. He insisted she needed to eat, but Ava only cried.

Aurora imagined the helplessness the poor girl must feel not being able to truly see her nanny's condition. She felt a strong urge to comfort her.

Ava remained by her nanny's side. They couldn't persuade her to retire to her own room to rest. Two nurses were taking care of Lola, but Ava insisted on staying.

The next day, Mateo headed to the office. He had a lot of work, and as much as he wanted to stay, the company required his presence. He couldn't neglect it. He needed to review the new contracts, so reluctantly, he made his way to the corporate headquarters.

In the afternoon, he remembered that he hadn't given the girl the bag with the contents from the safe. He headed towards where Ava was.

-Hello," he greeted, while looking at her face clouded with sadness.

-Hello.

-I forgot to give you the bag with the things I took from the safe. I brought the box you told me about, and I also took the money and jewelry that were in there, along with some documents. I thought you might need them.

-Thank you so much, really. I don't know what would've become of us without your help." Ava instinctively hugged him, and he felt a flip in his heart as he felt her sincere embrace, along with the warmth of her body.

Mateo pulled away from her, trying to do so delicately to not make her feel uncomfortable. Her closeness made him nervous, something he couldn't avoid.

Days later, Lola finally opened her eyes. Ava had only moved away from her side to freshen up, dozing with her head resting on the bed next to her nanny.

"Ava?" Lola moved her hand to search for her.

"Nana, my nanny." Ava woke up, a big smile on her face upon hearing Lola's voice.

"I thought it was a dream, my dear. I'm here with you." The nanny began to cry with deep emotion.

The girl also cried as she kissed her nanny's hand. Mateo entered at that moment, accompanied by Aurora. They were glad to see that the nanny had woken up. A week later, the nanny seemed fully recovered, although the marks from the cowardly attack by Teodoro were still visible on her face.

"Mrs. Lola, I would like to have a conversation with you."

"Of course, sir. And please, you can call me nana like everyone else does."

"Then it will be, let's go to my office, Ava, we'll be right back," they walked away immediately, and Ava was unsettled by that. What could it be that Mateo needed to discuss with his nanny?

"Please take a seat, Nana."

"What's happening?"

"Who hurt you like that?"

"Mr. Teodoro did. He's upset because he hasn't found my girl. He has everything ready for the wedding, but the bride is missing." Mateo clenched his fists, feeling furious upon hearing that.

"That man must be truly wretched to want to marry his brother's daughter."

"He truly is, the worst of all. After her parents passed away, my girl lost her sight. That man refused to allow the medical tests that the doctors requested for starting a treatment to try to restore her sight."

"I will talk to the best doctors to treat her. I won't let Teodoro Miller harm her, I promise you."

"You're a tremendous angel, I know my girl will be able to see again. She's been in darkness for too many years. A little while ago, she told me she will open the box tomorrow. Her parents were very specific that she should only open it when she comes of age. I have no idea what it contains. They asked me to be with her at that moment. Ava asked me to inquire if you could be present, she would like you to be there." Mateo liked hearing that. If she wanted him there, it meant she trusted him.

"I won't go to the office tomorrow. I'll stay to accompany both of you. The contents must be extremely important and confidential. Please thank her for her trust on my behalf. Go rest, you need to recover. A room has been prepared for you right across from Ava's."

"Until tomorrow, Mr. Licciardi. We will never finish repaying what you do for us. We owe you so much, and we've only just met."

When Lola went upstairs, Mateo's grandfather and mother had already retired to their room. Ava asked her to stay the night with her; she didn't want to be alone, as she had many mixed emotions.

The next morning, Lola went down to the kitchen, feeling much better. She asked for permission to prepare breakfast for Ava and take it to her room.

"Woman, you can have whatever you want here. There's no need to ask for permission," Aurora said with a smile.

When Ava came out of the shower, she immediately recognized the delicious scent of the pancakes with blackberries and whipped cream that were her nanny's specialty.

"Nanny, you made pancakes!" She said with a bright smile on her face as she savored the delicious aroma.

"That's right, my dear. I made your favorites and a delicious coffee, just the way you like it," Lola smiled as she saw the excitement reflected on Ava's face.

"Thank you, nanny. I want you to have breakfast here with me."

"Alright, we'll have breakfast together," Lola gladly accepted.

Breakfast passed with laughter and anecdotes from the girl's childhood. Mateo, on his way to the room, felt satisfied upon hearing them. He decided not to disturb them at that moment, turned around, and headed to his office. He took out his phone and looked through his gallery. He had taken a photo of Ava when they were on the terrace together. In the picture, she seemed distracted, perhaps lost in her thoughts. He felt embarrassed about his behavior; he was acting like a teenager. He couldn't help it-this young girl was quickly making her way into his heart. What he felt was more than just the need to protect her.

Shortly after, Loren informed him that he had a visitor. He was surprised that someone would visit him without notifying him.

"Who is it, Loren?"

"Mr. Teodoro Miller."

"What the hell does that man want in my house?" He felt extremely annoyed, and he asked Loren to let Ava and Lola know so they wouldn't come downstairs.

The girl felt terrified upon hearing that her uncle was in the house. What if he already knew she was there?

"Calm down, my dear. It must be a coincidence that he came."

"I hope so, Nana, because I'd rather die than go back to his side."

"I couldn't force you, my dear. Remember, you've come of age a few days ago."

Remembering that eased the girl's mind a little. Meanwhile, Mateo was with Teodoro. He had to make an effort to shake hands with that wretched man.

"Good morning, Mr. Licciardi. I went to your office looking for you. Your secretary informed me that I might find you here."

"After having a few drinks last night, I decided to work from home. Tell me, how can I assist you?"

"Last night, a person with a mental disorder escaped from home. She's extremely dangerous. We were keeping her under custody in her room. We believe she might be responsible for my niece's disappearance. We don't know what she might have done to that poor girl. We reported the matter to the authorities this morning. The issue of my niece's disappearance has been handled with utmost discretion. As you can understand, news like this harms our businesses. Since she left before the party and the location is very close to my property, I wanted to ask you, did you see anything unusual on the road?" He said, looking directly into Mateo's eyes.

"Not at all. I was feeling a bit dizzy, so one of my bodyguards was driving. I fell asleep until we got here," Mateo tried to remain calm as he listened to the string of lies Teodoro was telling. He couldn't understand how someone could be so foolish.

"In the garden area, strangely, the cameras weren't activated, so we can't know if she escaped that way. We relied on having security throughout the house, but it seems they couldn't do their job properly. We found the guards who were watching that area unconscious; presumably, someone had drugged them."

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Miller. I wish I could provide you with some information, but as I said, I was sound asleep. I hope you can locate that person soon and find your niece. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to let me know."

"I apologize for bothering you. The investor meeting at the company is scheduled for Monday morning. We hope to have you there. I'll be leaving for Spain today, but I'll be back by Monday."

"Then, until Monday, Mr. Miller."

Teodoro hurriedly said his goodbyes, his expression was serious. Mateo wasn't sure if he had believed him.