His Queen,Their War

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

His words shook me,his gaze held mine,his appearance calling out to me! I quickly pulled away,my chest rising and falling.My eyes narrowed,first he dropped a bomb in my ear back at the VIP…now this!?

I heard him chuckle with a deep tone.

“You can't be serious Lorenzo! She is all I have” said my brother.

“I am dead serious. You took all I had from me without thinking twice and now I am simply returning the favor”. There was silence in the room then he said,

“I have told you what is to be done,just like you requested. It should be done before the week is over!”. Then I heard his approaching footsteps,my eyes widened in horror as I quickly backed away.

Panic jolted through me,my heels slipping on the polished floor.I crashed down hard,pain shooting up my spin. Then his shadow cast over me,he slowly walked up to me,he towered over me.

Now he was dressed in a black suit,he didn't wear his jacket this time and his sleeves were rolled up revealing those veiny arms.His eyes scanned my body from the tip of my toes and they rested on my eyes.

A low dark chuckle rumbled from above. He bent low,his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine.Amusement flickering like fire. “We have to stop meeting like this, Bella. Or I'll start thinking that you're falling for me.”

Before I could recover,the cool barrier of his gun traced a loose strand of my hair aside,giving him full access to my eyes.My breath hitched but not from fear.

He smirked,standing to his full height.”Try to stay on your feet,futura mogile. I won't always be here to catch you.”

And just like that,he was gone,leaving my heart pounding in his wake. Then I heard the sound of the door being shut,he was gone,leaving silence within me. I barely had time to gather my breath before Matteo emerged,his face pale and tight.

Alessia?...what are you…”

“Who was that guy?What was he doing here? Why did he point a gun at you? And what did he mean by ‘she'll suffer the consequences of your betrayal’ who is the ‘she’? And what betrayal is he talking about? I need answers. Now!”

“Alright, I'll answer all your questions,” he said.

“After helping me up from the floor” I said then he sighed and helped me up then took me to the living room.

*********

I sat down slowly, the chair cold against my legs, my palms still damp with fear. The room was heavy with silence, the kind that pressed against your ears and made breathing feel difficult. Matteo stood with his back to me, staring out the window as though the answers to everything were hidden somewhere in the dark.

“Matteo,” I said, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound steady. “You’re going to tell me what’s going on. Right now!.”

He didn’t move.

The only sound came from the faint hum of the city beyond the glass. His shoulders rose and fell with a long, slow breath before he finally spoke.

“You shouldn’t have seen that, Alessia.”

“I did see it,” I snapped, though my throat tightened. “And I heard enough to know it wasn’t some business meeting. Who were those men? Why were they here? And why did they look like they could kill you?”

He turned slightly, but not enough for me to see his face. “Because they could.”

My stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”

Matteo’s hand slid into his pocket; I noticed the faint tremor in his fingers before he steadied himself. When he finally turned halfway toward me, his expression was grim and older somehow, worn down by something I hadn’t seen before.

“Years ago,” he said quietly, “I made a mistake. I thought I could outsmart Lorenzo.”

Lorenzo? Who the f**k is Lorenzo?!

“You betrayed him?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He gave a short, humorless laugh. “Betrayal is a soft word for what I did. I stole from him. Lied. Took what wasn’t mine, thinking I was untouchable.Greed is terrible Alessia.” He looked back at the window again, jaw clenched. “But no one crosses Lorenzo without bleeding for it.”

I stared at him, my chest tight. “And now he’s here for you.”

Matteo turned then, finally facing me. His eyes were sharp, dark with something like regret and something else…fear?

“No,” he said quietly. “He’s not here for me.”

My heart skipped. “What?”

He took a step closer, the light catching the lines on his face. “He’s here for you, Alessia.”

The words hit me like a blow.

I blinked, shaking my head. “For… me? Why? I’ve never even met him,” I paused, recalling that I had met him ONCE at the airport, “okay, maybe I met him once but I barely know him!.”

Matteo’s expression hardened. “You don’t understand. This isn’t about whether you have met him or not.It’s about what I did. You’re the only thing in my life he can use to make me suffer, you're going to marry him.”

The room felt smaller suddenly, the air too thin. Me? Marry?

I wanted to speak, to scream that it didn’t make sense, because honestly it didn't but deep down, something in Matteo’s eyes told me it was already too late. How can I marry a mysterious man when I’m already betrothed to another?! And to think,I barely know him. Is that how marriage is done? Marrying a stranger? Is that what they call—love at first sight?

“I don’t want to marry him.”

The words burst out before I could stop them. My voice shook, but the truth behind it was solid. I didn’t even know who this man really was,only that his name carried danger, power, and something dark enough to make Matteo afraid. The only thing I knew about him is how handsome he is, that's the only f*****g thing I know!

Matteo turned from the window. His expression flickered with surprise first, then something gentler and sadder. He crossed the room slowly until he was standing in front of me. For a moment, he just looked at me, his eyes searching my face the way a man searches a map for a way out.

Then he crouched down until we were eye level. His movements were quiet, deliberate. When he took my hands into his, his palms were warm and steady, a contrast to the trembling inside me. He gave them a light squeeze, comforting, but heavy with meaning.

“I know, piccola mia,” he said softly. “I know you don’t want this. I never wanted it for you either.”

“Then stop it,” I pleaded, my words tumbling over each other. “Tell him no. Tell him I’m not—”

He shook his head slowly. “It’s not that simple, Alessia. You don’t say no to Lorenzo.”

“Don't forget I'm betrothed to Marco!.” Finally! I can use the i***t to fish my way out of this. I can't marry another when I’m betrothed.

“Forget about Marco for now Alessia and listen to me. Lorenzo can wipe out Marco’s generation if he wants and you don't want that do you?”

Everything around seemed to take a pause, including my brain.His tone carried finality, and it made my chest ache. I looked down at our joined hands, his was rough, mine was trembling making a cold shiver to run through me.

“What does he even want from me?” I whispered.

Matteo exhaled sharply through his nose, the sound of a man who’d been trapped for too long. “Control. Power. Maybe revenge. I don’t know if he wants you to punish me, or to possess you. But I won’t let it happen.”

His eyes lifted to mine again, and for the first time, I saw determination blazing behind the fear.

“I have a plan,” he said quietly. “We’ll outsmart him.”

A chill raced down my spine. “Outsmart Lorenzo?” I repeated, shaking my head. “Matteo, that’s insane. You said it yourself — no one crosses him.”

“I’ve done it before,” he murmured, almost to himself. “And this time, I’ll do it for the right reason.”

He released my hands and stood, pacing once across the study, then back. His voice took on a kind of fierce resolve that scared me even more than his fear had.

“I’ll change everything,” he said. “Your name, your records, your address. You’ll disappear. No one will know who you are or where you’ve gone. He’ll never find you.”

My stomach turned. “You want me to run?”

“I want you to live.” His answer came without hesitation.

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. “You’re asking me to become someone else, Matteo. To erase myself. How is that living?”

He came closer again, lowering his voice. “Alessia… it’s the only way. You are not changing totally, just your appearance and some few things. If he gets you, he’ll use you to break me. And once he’s done with that—” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t need to.

Silence filled the room, thick and heavy. I could hear my own heartbeat, wild and uneven. Excuse me? This isn't what I signed up for. First,my dreams were pushed aside for a man who didn't meet my standards physically nor did he meet it financially and now this?

For a long time, neither of us spoke. The faint hum of the city outside felt a world away, unreal. Matteo’s eyes softened as he crouched once more, taking my hands again, his grip gentle but firm.

“Think of your dreams,” he said quietly. “All those sketches. The designs. The way you talk about fabrics like they’re alive.” His voice trembled slightly. “You can still have that. Just… under a different name. A different life.”

I stared at him, tears blurring my vision. “You really think I can start over?”

He gave a faint smile. “You’re strong enough to.”

For a moment, I saw the step brother who had always protected me, not the one tangled in shadows and mistakes, but the man who’d made sure I had a home, who’d believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself, except he kind of threw my dreams in the corner too!

But the thought of becoming someone else,of losing the name my mother had given me, the girl I was… it felt like dying without a grave.

Still, I knew Matteo was right.

If I didn’t do this, there wouldn’t be a future. Not for me. Not for my dreams.

Finally, I nodded. “Alright,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I’ll do it.”

He let out a slow, relieved breath, his shoulders sagging slightly.

But as he stood and turned away to make his next move, I sat there, my fingers still tingling from his touch, my heart pounding with a quiet ache.

Inside, one question kept circling my thoughts like a ghost…

What kind of life is this… and who am I gonna change to,a nerd?