My Blind Fiancée

Tadeo powered on the computer and inserted the SD card. He immediately opened the folder containing the documents, and they began to review them one by one. Ava was eager to find out what they contained.

“Wow, these documents prove that your uncle was involved in some very shady dealings. He was diverting money from the company accounts to a personal one in Switzerland. The documents involving the Licciardi Corporation show significant fund diversions to the same Swiss account, all signed by Guido Licciardi. We’ll have to investigate the extent of his involvement. This is indeed a very serious matter, embezzlement and money laundering,” Tadeo explained.

Mateo felt that the detective was already assuming his grandfather’s guilt, which irritated him greatly.

“I will take care of investigating on my own. My grandfather insists he had nothing to do with it and was deceived into signing those documents. I’ll do my best to prove it. Plus, Ava’s father mentioned Teodoro as the cause of his death in that letter. That man needs to pay for everything he’s done,” Mateo explained.

He noticed that as he spoke, Tadeo continued to gaze at Ava. Mateo wondered what that guy was thinking. He had to make things clear, but now wasn’t the time. He would look for an opportunity to put him in his place later. His priority was to prove his grandfather’s innocence and keep Ava safe.

Ava remained lost in thought, listening to their conversation, unaware of the man’s lingering looks. If she could see, she would have probably blushed.

“I’ll do my best to get to the bottom of this matter. I’ll do it for your father, for the friendship he had with mine. I’ll request a special favor from my superior to have the investigation assigned to me,” Tadeo assured them.

“I really appreciate it, Lieutenant. I’ll leave you my phone number to stay in touch,” Ava said, knowing that in that moment, trustworthy people were few and far between.

Mateo remained silent throughout the exchange, and it was evident that he didn’t like the idea of that man having Ava’s phone number.

Ava and the detective said their cordial goodbyes, while Mateo only acknowledged them with a slight nod of his head.

Shortly after, the couple left the place and got into the car. On the way back to the mansion, Ava noticed that Mateo was unusually quiet.

“Are you upset about something?” she asked, already suspecting the reason.

“That guy doesn’t inspire confidence in me, and he looks at you like he wants to devour you,” Mateo admitted.

“Is the great Mateo Licciardi jealous?” Ava asked in a teasing tone.

“Absolutely not,” he replied, trying to sound confident.

“Are you sure? Because he asked me to go out to dinner with him.”

“That idiot! Who does he think he is? I’m going back right now to set things straight,” Mateo said, clenching his fists and turning red with anger.

“Haha, it’s not true. I just wanted to prove that you’re jealous,” Ava laughed.

“You little trickster, you’ll pay for this,” Mateo said with a smile, feeling like a child.

He approached her and kissed her passionately. It was easy to get carried away by their feelings, but they knew they had to restrain themselves in front of others until they could openly declare their love. Being apart was incredibly difficult for them, and they knew it would all change once they could shout their love to the world. Mateo was determined to protect their relationship from anyone who might try to interfere.

When they arrived at the mansion, they said their goodbyes in the car. Mateo held her hand to help her get out. Ava hurried up to her room, not wanting her nanny to suspect anything. Mateo, on the other hand, went to talk to Guido. They needed to move quickly to prove that he had signed those documents under false pretenses. Mateo planned to expose Teodoro’s dirty dealings and protect his family from getting entangled in them. Guido couldn’t believe how easily he had been deceived, and he thought that everything related to the Miller Corporation was a thing of the past, something that had now returned to set things straight.

Ava was trying to process the avalanche of events that had occurred. Her life had taken an unexpected turn, and she was in love with the man who had been her family’s neighbor for as long as she could remember. She didn’t know what he looked like in real life, but from the tone of his voice, he seemed like the sexiest man in the world.

He was the man who had made her a woman, introducing her to sensations she had never known before. Before him, she had considered such experiences forbidden. She smiled as she remembered how she used to quickly flip past the pages with steamy scenes when reading, fearing that she would be damned for reading them.

She had been analyzing what happened at the club and realized that the sensations awakened in her by the experience with Morgana were not unpleasant. Perhaps trying them with Mateo would be interesting. She was startled when she heard the door open; it was her nanny. For a moment, she felt exposed.

“Darling, are you coming down for dinner, or should I bring it up?” Lola noticed that Ava’s face was flushed, and she sensed something was amiss. “Are you okay?”

Lola approached to touch her forehead, and upon feeling her elevated temperature, she thought Ava was sick, becoming alarmed instantly.

“I’ll have to call a doctor; I think you’re sick.”

“Don’t worry, Nana, it’s just that I’m feeling a bit warm.”

“Warm? But, my dear, it’s cold outside. Let me open the windows to let some fresh air in.”

“I’ll go down for dinner. I need to talk to Mateo and find out what his grandfather told him. I’ll just take a quick bath.”

“Alright, my dear, I’ll go downstairs to start preparing something.”

Ava quickly took a bath and, upon exiting, she put on a light dress, a pastel pink one, short with thin straps. It was cold outside, but the temperature inside the house was pleasant. After drying her hair, she left it down. When she stepped out of the room, she encountered Guido.

“I want to talk to you, child. You’ve turned my grandson against me. It’s the first time he’s ever doubted me. He told me he loves you and wants to formalize his relationship with you. I’ll tell you what I think about that. What will you do when my grandson wants children? Clearly, you won’t be able to take care of them properly. Mateo will be unhappy when he realizes the great responsibility he’s taken on with you. You’re a very beautiful young lady, I won’t deny that, but I’m sure that as soon as he gets over the excitement of the moment, you’ll become a heavy burden for him to carry.”

Ava started to cry silently, unable to help herself. Guido’s words were very cruel and hurt her deeply.

“He assures me that it doesn’t matter to him. He hasn’t realized that he’ll have to take care of you forever. He’s confused, he thinks it’s love he’s feeling. I believe that what he feels for you is actually pity or maybe you’re just a whim. But I know you’re not the right person to be his wife. My grandson needs a strong woman by his side who will support him in all his endeavors. I urge you, if you truly love him, don’t tie him down to you.”

Ava turned around without answering and went back into the room. The poor girl was crying inconsolably. She was sure that Mateo loved her; she could feel it. It wasn’t just a whim, as Guido had said. She sat on the edge of the bed, thinking of a way to distance herself. She knew that they would both suffer, but in the long run, Mateo would thank her. When she thought about it with a clear head, Guido was right. Next to her, he couldn’t have a good life, and sooner or later, he would get tired of it.

Lola, seeing that Ava hadn’t come down, became worried and went upstairs to check on her. Mateo had already gone down and was in the dining room with his grandparents. Upon entering the room, Lola found Ava lying down, still crying.

“My dear, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“Nanny, I’m so unhappy,” she said between sobs.

“Don’t say that. Remember that problems can be solved sooner or later, so whatever is bothering you will pass.”

“I want to leave here, Nana, I just don’t want Mateo to find out.”

“He has helped you a lot. He won’t let you go,” Lola replied, puzzled. She didn’t know what was going on, and she didn’t dare to ask. She had seen Ava happy not long ago.

“I know he has helped me, and I also know that he won’t let me go if he finds out. That’s why I’ll look for the right moment for us to leave. It’s better this way.” Lola could see infinite sadness in Ava’s face.

“You know I support you in whatever you decide. Just do things when you’re sure, so you don’t regret it later when it’s too late to turn back.”

“I don’t have the energy to go downstairs. Please tell him that I’m not feeling well,” Ava said, gathering her strength. All she really wanted was to be by Mateo’s side.