Under the Facade

**SOME YEARS AGO...**

"She can't be part of our family, Luc." Diane Eduardo growled under her breath, glaring harshly at her son, eyes blazing with fire.

"But mom! You can't do this; I love Nadia." Luciano growled back frustratedly.

"Fine, then you have to choose between her or keeping your place as the second son of the Eduardo's." Mario said icily and walked away.

These memories kept replaying in Luciano's mind as he drank himself to stupor in the famous Klutz bar. He had finally introduced his fiancée to his mom, but she wouldn't hear of it and had openly screamed at him in front of everyone that she couldn't be part of the Eduardo's. Now she left him with two difficult choices, and he was having a hard time deciding.

Yes, he loved Nadia so much, but he couldn't renounce being the second son of Milan's second richest family. How could he drop the title of being the billionaire CEO of Carentino, his family's company that was in his care? How could he stop being the first face of the youngest CEO in every business magazine?

He had been so depressed that he had tarnished his reputation by entering a random clubhouse that he had always said was for unambitious people to drink to stupor. But at that point, he didn't seem to care.

"Sir, I think we should leave here. It's an undignified place," Ronald said finally.

He couldn't stand the fact that his boss had been sitting here and drinking like a hopeless fellow. Luciano remained mute as he took his glass of Masseto Toscana to his mouth.

"Sir..." Ronald tried to pester.

"Shut up, Ronald. Don't you see I'm trying to choose?" Luciano grunted.

*Choose?* Ronald thought.

Yes, he was allowed to choose but not in some noisy, weird, and evil-looking kind of place. It wasn't even one of the clubs the Eduardo's owned.

He was meant to stay in the comfort of his room and choose between obeying his mom or losing all his riches.

But something was telling him that that was far away from what his boss meant by choosing because there was this blithe, dirty smile on his face as his eyes focused on a place.

He traced Luciano's eyes to meet the unbelievable. He was staring at two WOMEN.

One looked older and more experienced in what she knew how to do, while the younger one looked like she was new because she kept trying to pull her skimpy dress down to cover the parts which were exposed way too much, but to no avail because everything still showed.

Ronald's brain almost twisted. That was the last thing he knew Luciano would ever think of doing. He knew Luciano was an arrogant, yet decent man who wouldn't do such.

So unmistakably, he was completely out of his mind.

"I want that one." Luciano whispered, confirming Ronald's fear.

"What! Look, you can't do that... you don't do that.. you would rather leave." Ronald sputtered.

Luciano still had that stupid smile on his face. The way he had stared at the women had attracted them to him. The older one had turned to him, giving him the sexiest smile of all, while the younger one stared at him with a sneer on her pretty face.

"Ronald, I said I want that one." He slurred.

"We should, um... leave, sir."

"Shut the hell up and arrange my meeting with the younger woman." Luciano growled, staring at his P.A with bloodshot eyes.

"Yes, sir." Ronald said immediately and scampered away.

If he knew something about his boss, it was that Luciano had a very fierce temper and was capable of doing some dreadful things.

**------**

Luciano woke up to rays of sunlight shining on his face. He wanted to sleep more, but he had to be at the company as early as he always was.

He fluttered his eyelids open to a very unfamiliar place that smelled of evil. It was nothing like his spacious, luxurious, wide room.

*Where am I?*

He was about to step down from the bed when he noticed something shocking. He was naked, like strip naked. He almost screamed.

He felt a sharp pain on his head, and like a giant jigsaw puzzle, everything fell into place. The fight with his mom, coming to the club, drinking, and... the last threw him off balance.

He had had an encounter with a woman, a total stranger, and not just an encounter. He had been with her like a total beast. Although his memory was hazy, he remembered the woman had pleaded with him to let her go. He felt his breath go slowly out of him.

He threw his blanket off him as he searched for his shorts in the scattered place.

He donned them quickly.

He turned back to the bed and stopped short. His eyes shot wide as he met the shocking thing of all. There was a bloodstain on the white bedspread. So unmistakably, she had been a virgin.

That discovery made his knees wobble and grow so weak.

With all the strength in him, he stood searching around for his phone. Finding it on the dresser, he quickly rang Ronald's line. He picked up immediately.

"Get your ass into this room."

When Ronald dashed into the room, he saw how hastily his boss was dressed.

"Where is she?" Luciano asked quickly.

Ronald swallowed hard. "She's gone."

"What?... Where?... Where did she go?" He bellowed.

"I don't know, I... I... have no idea."

Luciano frustratedly ran his hand through his hair.

**------**

"Come on.... Don't you know what you're here for?" Luciano slurred drunkenly as he tried to keep his eyes open to get a clear view of the woman he asked for.

She stared dreadfully from the far end of the room at the drunk guy she was meant to satisfy.

"Are you scared of me?" His voice jolted her.

She didn't even know she nodded, and he let out a slow, boozy laughter.

"Don't worry. I'm not like the other men you've met. I will take it easy." He drawled, trying to take steps towards her.

She knew at the way he talked he wasn't in any way in his right senses. But she didn't take any step forward. Even when she noticed his temper had increased, she didn't bulge. She just stood shivering, frightened, scared, and cursing today.

She had rushed into this idea without thinking straight because she thought she was hopeless, but now she wanted to flee.

Without thinking, she made for the door, but he didn't let her as he grabbed her by her waist to himself.

"Please leave me alone!" She pleaded, trying to break free.

"If you couldn't do this, then why the hell are you here?!!" Luciano growled, holding her tight.

She knew his hands were strong, and there was no use in her struggling; she just broke down in tears.

"Please just let me go, I'm begging you."

But Luciano was way past listening as he had already grabbed her tank top

** HE REALLY WANTED TO FIND HER, APOLOGIZE, AND IF POSSIBLE, REPAIR ANYTHING THAT HE HAD BROKEN. HE HAD BEHAVED LIKE A BEAST, AND THAT WAS SO UNLIKE HIM.**

He searched everywhere in the building until he felt none of them was her. So he jumped into his car and sped off to look for her out on the streets. Immediately, he had driven out, he didn't check the traffic because he was out of his mind, and that was why he hadn't noticed the truck that hit him so hard, causing his car to somersault times,he couldn't count, and he blacked out.

---

**LUCIANO COULDN'T HIDE THE ASTONISHMENT WHEN HE WOKE UP TO SEE HIS FACIAL FEATURES WERE UNRECOGNIZABLE TO HIM. THE DOCTOR, SEEING HOW SHOCKED HE WAS, GAVE HIM BRIEFS IMMEDIATELY.**

"You had a fatal accident, Mr. Eduardo, which caused your face surgery, and you have been in a coma for eight months. I'm so sorry for what you might have lost, but I'm so glad that you made it." The doctor gave him a hopeful smile that Luciano wished he could smack off.

---

**PRESENT DAY...**

Luciano stood by his office window panel, watching as the city bustled with activities, although they looked so small watching it from the skyscraper. Sometimes he couldn't help but let his mind wander off to some past memories. Everything had happened seven years ago, but yet it wouldn't stop haunting him, and every time he recalled it, it made him feel pain in his heart. That was the reason he had made a vow to find her or die a bachelor.

A knock came on his door. "Come in," he grunted. The door opened as his most trusted personal assistant, Ronald Piero, came in. He had called him back to work after all.

"You have to see this, sir." His voice carried a tone of shock and disbelief.

Luciano slowly turned to him. He raised a brow at his P.A. "What's that?" he asked, sauntering to him.

"There's a rumor going on about you." Luciano sat comfortably on his swiveling office chair and had his legs crossed. "What rumor?"

Ronald handed the phone quickly to him. The headline of the news hit Luciano so hard he felt he was gasping for air. He stared at the unbelievable posts about him going online and unmistakably all over the world.

With eyes wide, he looked at what was capable of damaging his high personality and image.

**NEWS FLASH: CEO OF THE FAMOUS CARENTINO COMPANY IS CONFIRMED GAY.**

He scrolled through for comments after reading the hideous news content.

"I really think he is, he hasn't ever been known to be dating or going out with a lady."

"True!!! He's always in the company of men."

"It's so bad; he's 30 yet he doesn't have a wife."

Almost all the comments suggested he truly was one. He felt a streak of sweat roll down his face.

"I promise to do something urgently about it," Ronald quickly said on seeing the heavy frown on his boss's face. He knew so well that his boss had a fierce temper so as he also knew that Luciano, being the CEO of Milan's second richest family company Carentino, the rumor could be a big blow on him and was highly possible of tarnishing his high-held personality.

"I want this trash to stop immediately," he growled through gritted teeth as his eyebrows knitted together in fury. "Yes, sir," Ronald said quickly and made his way out as fast as he could.

Luciano's phone rang again. He looked frustratedly at it. It was still his mom. No doubt she must have seen the news in the media. "Hello, Mom," he said quietly.

"Come home to the family house this minute, Luciano." He heard his mom growl under her breath and the line went dead immediately. He threw the phone on the table as he ran his hand through his hair. He knew she would not take it lightly because he had warned him against this from the beginning. Summoning him home to the family house meant just one thing. Everyone was going to be there to witness his case, and he couldn't think of being in the company of his two brothers, especially the younger one. He frowned deeply. Now he wasn't going to walk freely out to his car and enjoy inwardly the whole lot of people who stopped to stare at the impossible creature before them. He had to go through the back exit door to avoid the press waiting right outside the company for him. He had already crushed the ball pen in his hand due to rage and was even more annoyed to see his hand stained with ink. He abruptly stood up to his feet and made for the door.

---

**MRS. MARIO EDUARDO, A BLONDE PRETTY LADY IN HER LATE FORTIES, COULDN'T HIDE THE ANGER WHEN SHE HEARD THE RUMOR ABOUT ONE OF HER SONS. THE EDUARDO'S HAD ALWAYS BEEN HELD HIGH, SO SHE COULDN'T HAVE ITS IMAGE TARNISHED, NEITHER COULD SHE LET THE REPUTATION OF ONE OF HER SONS GO DOWN THE DRAIN.**

"Do you want more tea, ma'am?" one of the maids asked her in a gentle voice, jolting her memories. She exhaled softly. "No, thank you, Mara. Take the teacups away," she said almost in whispers. "Yes, ma'am," Mara said with a gentle bow, and she took the tray away.

---

Luciano slowly stepped out after the chauffeur opened the car door for him. He looked up at the exquisite, spacious, majestic palace of the family house. He took his dark-tinted glasses off to have a clearer view of the mansion. It was painted goldish-white. The lawns of beautiful well-trimmed flowers gave a very nice view. The water fountain with a twin lion in the middle made the place stink of loyalty and wealth. The convoy of cars parked told him clearly that his brothers were already there. "Let's go," he ordered his two bodyguards as he slid the glasses on his eyes again.

"You're always late, Luc," Mario said immediately he walked into the overly large living room. She was the only one that called him 'Luc'. "Had a hard time getting here," he calmly said as he gave quick glances at his two brothers sitting beside his mom.

"I understand. The press can be annoying sometimes," Antonio Eduardo, his elder brother said. Antonio was the first son of the Eduardo's and was in charge of all the estates they owned. So he was the family's estate manager and the only brother Luciano could manage. Although underground, he's the most dangerous highly wanted unknown boss of a notorious mafia group.

"Or maybe he was with his boyfriend," Liceo Eduardo, his younger brother said, his voice filled with mockery and a blithe smile on his face. Luciano immediately felt choked with anger.

Liceo Eduardo was the last son of the Eduardo's and the only celebrity of the family. He was

a pop musician and a widely known god damned playboy, and that was what Luciano hated most about him and the fact that he was the most annoying. He was in charge of all the hotels, guesthouses, and clubhouses they owned.

"Liceo, mind your language," Mario gave him a hard stare. He rolled his eyes. Luciano grumbled under his breath. He wasn't liking this at all.

"Now let's get straight to the point," Mario began. "You know why we are all here. I believe you've seen the rumor about you, Luc, haven't you?."

He frowned. "Yes, I have."

"And of course, it's your fault."

"But mom..." He tried to say, but she cut him off.

"I hate interruptions, and you know it." Her voice was hard. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"Good. So, you have to fix this and show the world they are wrong, and you have to do it fast."

"Mom! What am I supposed to do?" He growled.

Mario stared at her lovely son, Luciano. Although she had never said it out, she loved him the most and knew exactly what was right for him. "Does anyone have any idea?" She said referring to Antonio and Liceo.

"Well, I think he really doesn't have to do anything. It's not so bad being gay. It's acceptable by me," Liceo spat out without thinking, and everyone turned to give him the most disdainful stare. "I'm not gay, Liceo, and you know it!" Luciano raved. "I'm just...." Antonio cut him short. "Don't worsen the situation, Liceo; if you have nothing to say, you had better shut up." "I was just saying what I think, and last I checked, I was allowed to do so," he drawled. "I don't care what you think, Liceo," Luciano retorted, his temper rising.

Mario watched her three boys argue. No matter how much they grew up, they were always her boys. It had always been this way, Liceo was always the different one all the time, and Antonio and Luciano always teamed up against him, but he never felt intimidated.

The three of them looked so much alike when they were younger, but because of Luciano's surgery, some of his features were changed, making him the most handsome although Liceo remained the cutest. She hid the smile that almost crept into her lips.

"Shut your mouths, you boys. I have something to say." Luciano's anger boiled and bubbled over. "Be faster; I need to leave."

She paused for a while staring at him full in the face. "Luciano, you have to get yourself a wife." She said firmly. That shocked him to his bone marrow. "What?! Mom, you know I can't do that." "Cause you're still searching for years for a harlot." "Mom!!" He snapped. "I hope you know that if you finally find her, which I know you won't, she will never be a part of us." Luciano glared hardly at his mother. She was always so insensible and stubborn.

"You have to get a wife, and that's final." She added. "I'm not going to do that." He retorted. "Oh don't be so stubborn Mr. CEO. It must not be a real wife." Liceo chipped in. He frowned. "What do you mean?" "It can be an arranged marriage to prove the rumors wrong. When everything's over, you can pay her, and you guys get divorced and everything is done." Antonio explained more. Luciano stared at the trio. No doubt, they had planned it together. They had planned everything without him, and he felt annoyed.

He stared hard at them.

"How am I meant to find someone who wants that?"

"There are so many people, Luc. Just look around," Mario said, sounding frustrated.

"But..."

"No buts. Find someone before this week runs out and be fast," she added sternly.

"I can help you, if you need my help," Liceo said with mockery and cynicism.

"I don't need your help, Liceo."

"No problem, dude. I wasn't ready to share anyway," he said with a stupid smirk on his face.

Fed up with everything, Luciano stood up to leave.

"Luc?" Mario called him halfway. He stopped and looked at her above his shoulder.

"Send me sunflowers tomorrow."

Rolling his eyes, he turned and stormed out.

******

Luciano sat on his office chair, thinking hard about what to do. The rumor was capable of soiling his reputation, but how could he pick anyone at random and just live with a total stranger?

But there was no other way, was there?

Now he was going to break the vow he made some years ago that made his state of vexation go so high he thought he was losing his breath.

A slight knock came on his door, and the door opened to reveal Ronald coming in with a sour expression on his face.

"What is wrong?" Luciano asked him.

"The Buros have refused to merge with us."

Luciano frowned deeply. "What? They were ready to sign it already. Who the hell refuses me? What is their reason?" He snarled.

"The... the rumor," Ronald stammered.

"What has that got to do with the business world?" Luciano growled through gritted teeth.

Ronald wanted to talk, but he didn't let him.

"Tell them I don't care about them, and they can refuse for all I care. I was even trying to help their godforsaken company," he screeched as he banged his fist on the table angrily.

"They are a bunch of raccoons," he cursed more. "Get out and tell them that."

Ronald turned and left quickly; he couldn't contend to be the one the aggression was to be passed on.

As Luciano tried to slow his breath, which had gone unsteady because of his fierce temper, his phone rang.

He picked it up to check the caller. It was Nadia. He exhaled heavily.

Although they had cut ties off, they were still good friends who cared for each other.

"Hello, Nadia," he said, trying to make his voice sound normal.

"Luciano, I'm so sorry about the rumors about you."

"It's fine, Nadia. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't sound like it?"

Nadia heaved a sigh. She had been dead worried about him.

Yes, she still ached for him although they were separated. She still wanted to be the only one he saw, and if they had gotten married as planned years ago, then this rumor wouldn't have occurred at all.

As a top Italian wealthy musician and actress, she had dated other men but none intoxicated her the way Luciano did, and that was why she had kept in touch with him and only dated on a base level with other men because her mom wanted her to.

I'm

As a matter of fact, she was in the middle of a date with someone who she was sure was after her riches and popularity as a celebrity.

"We should have some time together, Luciano. I want to make sure you're okay."

Luciano exhaled. "Where are you?"

"In the middle of some stupid date with some gold digger."

That made Luciano chuckle. Her sense of humor was one of the things that had attracted her to him.

Her feminine carriage, the way she walked with feline grace, her outstanding beauty, and her supermodel body.

Sometimes he wondered why his mom didn't accept her. Was it because she was a pop singer?

If that is the case, then what about Liceo?

"Then let's meet tomorrow at the famous Chinese restaurant."

"Fine, 4:00 pm, don't keep me waiting," she squealed and dropped the call.

Luciano had a smile on his face as he took the phone out of his ear.

Nadia had been understanding and had just taken him as a best friend, and they had been good to each other.

... .

Mario Eduardo paced around her spacious, luxurious room.

She had had a rethink of the arranged marriage and had at once detested it. She didn't want Luciano to keep searching for the woman he had accidentally slept with because she knew that was what he was going to keep doing.

She was going to try as much as possible, as much as she could to turn the arranged one into a real one, no matter what it caused, for she couldn't have a woman from a brothel be a daughter-in-law of the Eduardo's.

"Your bath is ready, ma'am," Mara, her maid, said. Her head bowed slightly in honor.

"Thank you, Mara. You can leave."

"Yes, ma'am," she said as she went away.

As she let the warm water of the tub swallow her face, she was determined strongly to make her will get done.

******

As the rain fell heavily, Isabella Sergio sat in the comfort of the shop where she worked, packaging a bouquet of flowers for a customer.

"We hope to see you again at Blooms and Banquet, ma'am," she said as she handed the bouquet of flowers to an aged woman with a polite smile.

Isabella heaved a sigh of relief as she wiped a streak of sweat off her face.

The evening was busier than usual with a number of customers coming in from the street to buy flowers. She quickly took a quick check of their stocks and reached for the telephone to place an order, then arranged for the courier for an early morning delivery.

When she was done, she checked her time and was quite surprised that it was 9 o'clock already. She knew she had to be at the hospital immediately. She had to be on time to meet the doctor for her 7-year-old daughter's test results.

"Isa, have the shop closed, please. I've got an emergency phone call," Tatia, her boss said aloud, walking towards the door.

"I will do just that, ma'am, but I hope everything is alright," she asked with a tone of concern.

"Everything's perfect, Isa. It's just my grandma. She has forgotten the code to the house again. So she is waiting outside. One time it happened she wandered off. It took a while to find her. It's so hard taking care of old people, yuuno," she chuckled.

Isabella laughed a little. "It can't be easy."

Tatia smiled and held her gaze for a while. "I hope your daughter's condition has not worsened." She said, pity laced in her voice.

Isabella smiled sadly. "I pray."

Tatia looked tenderly at her worker. Since she employed her a year ago she had studied her so well to know she was a very quiet melancholic.

She never spoke without being spoken to, and she never spoke without thinking.

She just minded her business and attended to the customers well. Even if she had a complaint, she said nothing.

Tatia exhaled heavily and nodded.

"She would. Good

night Isa." But she didn't wait to hear a return greeting from Isabella because she was already out.

Isabella immediately arranged the place for home. When she was done, she picked up her bag and stopped to check if her cash was enough to get her daughter's usuals, and that was when she saw the ID card. As she peered at it, her mind wandered back to the owner.

A stranger who she could not see his face, because he was inside a car in the middle of a convoy of five cars, had stopped by the shop last night, demanded all the sunflowers they had, and handed her the card.

She remembered he had invited her over for lunch by two at noon, but then it was 9 o'clock at night already.

She didn't bother anyway. She never wanted to go.

When she got outside, she looked at the rain and remembered quickly that she didn't have an umbrella. A frown flashed through her face as she thought of her being all wet before she got to the hospital.

She quickly put up the 'WE ARE CLOSED' sign, and as she was locking the glass door with her keys, she felt someone tap her.

She turned immediately to the person looking startled.

It was a familiar man in a black suit with an umbrella over his head.

His jet black pupils on his expressionless face stared directly at her. Isabella took some steps backwards. He was the spokesman of the man in the car the night before.

She swallowed hard as she couldn't think of what to say.

"We're closed," she managed to say.

"That's actually not a problem," Ronald Piero said in a firm voice.

"Look, I'm..." She tried to say, but he cut her short.

"My boss would like to speak with you."

Isabella's heart skipped three times. She felt her blood boil as she was being led quietly with an umbrella over her head to the middle car of the familiar convoy of five Maseratis.

Luciano Eduardo sat inside the car as he stared at his personal assistant and the lady walk towards the car. The sight of the lady made his blood boil in anger. He had sat patiently for an hour waiting for her at the arranged restaurant, but she didn't show up. The reason behind why he had to wait like that, wasting his precious time on a very stupid thing made the muscles under his jaw clench tightly.

He picked the girl because she was the first person he saw after the meeting with his family, that he felt would want it. He was ready to go for a next, if she wasn't interested.

He watched Ronald open the car door and usher the lady in.

Isabella felt so uncomfortable sitting opposite a man she couldn't access his features because of the thick dark glasses he wore.

He stared at her with scrutiny behind his glasses. For him, she looked like she was in her early twenties. She had a pleasantly small beautiful face and a pair of big expressionless eyes which was insanely cute.

Her eyelashes fluttered like a deer in headlights although she couldn't look him in the face.

It was so rude to keep me waiting." He finally spoke, his voice so hard although he hadn't intended.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I was..." She stopped halfway realizing she had no excuse, except she hadn't wanted to go and she knew it would sound more rude if she said that.

Luciano waited for her to continue but she didn't. When he saw she was not in any way about to continue, he exhaled heavily and at last took off his glasses then finally, she looked up to see his face.

Her infatuated eyes fixed on his incomparably beautiful face, unable to look away again.

What a handsome man! She thought.

Although, his face was as cold as ice and his straight nose rested high on his clear, pale face.

But then his cat brown brooding eyes seemed to carry an aura of innate arrogance.

She finally forced herself to look away. It wasn't worth it, she told herself and released her breath silently.

"Since you don't want to meet me. I've met you, and I will just go straight ahead to tell you why," Luciano said firmly.

He stretched out his hand, and Ronald handed him a paper file which he took and proffered it to her, who took it quietly.

"What's this?" She asked, her voice coming out in whispers.

"It's a contract."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand."

Luciano's lips pouted in a frown but still, he answered.

"It's a contract to be my spouse for a year."