My Blind Fiancée

After breakfast, Mateo insisted that he and Ava should go to the bank and then pick up the lieutenant. A few minutes later, they left for the bank. The manager was already waiting for them, and he treated Mateo with great respect and priority, knowing his powerful position.

“Mr. Licciardi, you know you don’t have to call before coming. We will attend to you immediately whenever you require it,” the manager said, feeling nervous in Mateo’s presence, as he was a very influential individual, and he didn’t want to upset him in any way.

“Thank you, Mr. Maxwell,” Mateo acknowledged the attention.

“Now, tell me, what brings you here?” The manager found it unusual to see Mateo at the bank, as most of the banking matters and withdrawals were usually handled by Max.

“What I’m about to tell you is extremely confidential. Nobody should know about it. Miss Miller’s father left her a bank code, and based on the numbering type, it belongs to this bank.”

“Give me a moment, please. I’ll check it in our system.”

The manager typed in the numbers on his computer. After a few minutes, he lowered his glasses slightly and stared at Mateo in astonishment.

“Is there something wrong, Mr. Maxwell?” Mateo found it strange how the man was staring at him.

“The account is indeed registered at this bank, under the name of Miss Ava Miller.”

“And? Is there a problem?”

“No, there isn’t. It’s just that the registered account holds an obscene amount of money.”

Ava was surprised to hear this. She couldn’t help but shed a few tears. Her father had thought of her until his last moments and made sure to secure her financially.

“Are you alright, my love?” Mateo was concerned to see Ava silently crying, but with such deep emotions.

“Yes, it’s just that knowing my father is still protecting me even after his death has moved me.”

“Now, Miss Miller, you just need to sign these documents, and all that fortune will be transferred into your hands.”

Ava couldn’t believe it. It was as if her father had foreseen what might happen with her cousin. He must have known him very well, as his greed was boundless.

Ava signed all the necessary documents. From that moment on, she would have access to her money.

“In a couple of days, I’ll send you the checkbook and the cards so you can access your money more easily. I’ll also send you a password so you can manage it through our online banking app. You’ll need to download our bank’s app and set up the password you prefer. I only request that you provide me with your address and some details for delivery.”

“That won’t be necessary, Mr. Maxwell. I will pick them up in person.” Mateo was wary of everyone at that moment. He couldn’t be sure if any of them had a connection to Teodoro. He would never give out Ava’s address. His own address was not registered with the bank either, as someone of his stature was not required to do so.

Shortly after, they left the bank and headed to the Central Criminal Police Department. Upon arrival, they asked for Lieutenant Bludosky and were directed to an office, where they were asked to wait.

After a few minutes, a tall, handsome young man with intense green eyes entered the room. Mateo immediately recognized him as the guy who had been observing Ava at the vineyard, the one who had fixed his gaze on her just as he was doing at that moment.

“Buona sera,” the young man greeted them without taking his eyes off Ava.

“Good afternoon. We are here to meet Lieutenant Bludosky,” Mateo replied, his tone serious.

“Yes, he’s the one.”

“Are you Bludosky? I was expecting someone older,” Mateo and Ava looked at him with bewilderment.

“Then you were looking for my father. He passed away last year.”

“I’m sorry; it was very inconsiderate of us,” Ava apologized, feeling embarrassed. The slight blush on her cheeks made her look adorable, and Mateo couldn’t help but notice the smile that appeared on Bludosky’s lips.

Mateo was not pleased at all to know that Ava would have to deal with this man. He looked at her as if she were the last cherry on a piece of cake, as if he were just waiting for the perfect moment to devour her. What made the situation even more intolerable was that the guy was handsome; he looked more like a male model from a women’s magazine than a police officer. He sighed with relief, knowing that she couldn’t see that. He mentally scolded himself for his selfishness and uncharitable thoughts. He needed to keep Ava away from this man, as something inside him told him to do so.

“What’s the reason you were looking for my father? I’m also a lieutenant, and maybe I can help you,” Bludosky said, still fixing his gaze on Ava.

Mateo ran his hands through his hair in frustration. What the hell was wrong with this man? He looked at him with disgust and then took Ava’s hand to speak to her.

“Love, are you sure about talking to this man? I know some excellent police officers who could help us.”

“If you’d like, I can give you some time to discuss it. I’ll be right back,” the detective said, his face showing clear displeasure at Mateo’s behavior.

“Sure, go ahead. My girlfriend and I will talk for a moment,” Mateo emphasized that Ava was his girlfriend, just in case the man hadn’t noticed.

Bludosky clearly realized that Mateo was incredibly jealous, which pleased him rather than bothering him.

“Mateo, I don’t know why you don’t trust Lieutenant Bludosky. After all, he’s the son of my father’s friend. Believe me, I can sense people’s bad vibes, and he doesn’t have them.”

“I personally have a bad feeling about him, but the decision is yours, and I’ll respect it even if I don’t like it.”

“I have no choice but to trust him. My father asked me to come here, so I’ll leave the investigation in his hands if he accepts.”

“If that’s the case, go ahead.” Mateo’s hope that he would agree to go elsewhere had vanished.

The lieutenant returned shortly after, smiling as usual. Mateo didn’t know if that was his character or if ogling Ava put him in a very good mood.

“So, what’s the news?” the lieutenant asked Ava.

“Her father was a great friend of my father’s, Franco Miller.”

“I remember him,” the lieutenant replied immediately.

“Who?” the surprised girl asked.

“Your father. He used to visit us all the time. I remember you too; we used to spend vacations together. Maybe you don’t remember because you were very young. Your parents had a beautiful property outside the city, in the countryside.”

“Vacations at my parents’ property? Ahhh, I remember now. You must be that boy who helped me when the horse got nervous and ran off. If it weren’t for you stopping it in time, I would’ve fallen.”

“That’s right. I thought you wouldn’t remember. We were kids, well, you were, because I was around 12 or so.”

“Thanks to you, I learned to ride without fear.” Ava smiled as she recalled the event.

“Haha, yes, you turned out to be a great student. You learned quickly-just a few lessons, and you were good to go. You soon surpassed me in jumps,” the lieutenant replied enthusiastically.

Mateo felt uncomfortable with their conversation. Seeing Ava smile like that with that guy didn’t please him, especially when they shared these kinds of memories.

“Your father laughed because, after that day, I talked to him and said that when we grew up, I would marry you. Your father found it amusing, thinking it was childish nonsense,” Bludosky said with an even wider smile.

“Weren’t they just that?” Mateo asked, extremely annoyed, glaring at the young man while crossing his arms, trying to contain himself.

“At that time, they weren’t for me. By the way, I always remembered your name, Ava.” Mateo felt sparks shooting from his eyes upon hearing this.

“You have a good memory. I’m sorry I don’t remember yours. I tend to forget names,” Ava said apologetically, genuinely not recalling his name.

“Tadeo. My name is Tadeo,” he replied hastily.

“Damn it! Now they’re even using first names,” Mateo muttered under his breath.

“Did you say something?” Ava asked, teasing him, even though she had indeed heard what he said. She was very close to him.

“No, my love, nothing,” Mateo replied, trying to appear calm.

“Why were you looking for my father?” the detective asked in a more serious tone.

Ava recounted the whole story to him. She didn’t know why, just like with Mateo, this guy’s voice inspired confidence in her. Unlike Mateo, Tadeo had rubbed her the wrong way ever since she saw him at the restaurant on the vineyard, and adding the fact that he had apparently been in love with Ava since they were kids only made matters worse. Now she understood the way he looked at her, and she was sure this guy was about to become a thorn in her side.

“It seems to be a very serious matter,” Tadeo said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“It doesn’t just seem serious; it is. Teodoro Miller must pay for what he did,” Mateo replied.

“Do you have the SD card?” The detective needed to see the evidence to gauge the seriousness of the matter.

“Yes, here it is,” Ava said, taking the memory card from her bag.

“I just ask that you investigate thoroughly before accusing my grandfather, Guido Licciardi. I’m sure he was framed. I don’t want him to pay for a crime he didn’t commit,” Mateo said.

“We’ll find out as the investigation progresses,” Tadeo replied. He couldn’t determine Guido’s innocence based solely on his grandson’s word.