This man with an easy smile and a look full of lust is yours. I dedicate this book to all those who, at some point in their lives, have experienced the sweet taste of passion and the bitterness of disillusionment. May these words serve as inspiration, reminding us all that, despite adversity, we should never give up, because love is even sweeter and more peaceful when we find it on the path of life. May each page of this book be a reminder that true love is a treasure worth seeking and preserving. Synopsis Matteo Ferrara I am the kind of man who usually attracts gold diggers, and for a long time I maintained relationships based on financial agreements, paying and leaving. However, something in those piercing green eyes and Marina's sharp tongue bewitched me. Her body seemed to have been sculpted by the most talented of artists, and her smile had the power to leave me completely disarmed. However, I was surprised by an unexpected pregnancy, and I realized that Marina was just another one of those women who sought an easy life at the expense of others. I always discarded this type of woman as if she were a mere pawn in a game that I was tired of playing. Marina Bianchi I never imagined that love could find me, and worst of all, that I would be rejected while pregnant. The day I met Matteo, his eyes were full of lust and his charming words and captivating charm completely seduced me. Never in my life did I imagine that I would suffer such a profound humiliation. But what could I expect from a billionaire heir who gets involved with a simple girl, devoid of pompous surnames? Matteo introduced me to the sweet taste of passion and, cruelly, made me taste the bitter of disillusionment. I am leaving, taking with me the son he will never know. And if one day our paths cross again, he will never know of the existence of this child. I swear that one day everyone will know my name, I will despise Matteo in a way that he will never forget. Prologue Marina Bianchi I am anxiously waiting for Matteo, I called him to talk in a quieter place at the party, and with his usual cynical and malicious smile he said he would be there in a few minutes. While I wait, I find myself thinking, what the hell am I doing here, clutching a pregnancy test between my fingers, about to tell a man who has never proposed a serious relationship to me, that I am pregnant with his child. - It's the right thing to do, Marina, he needs to know, after all, you didn't make this baby alone - I say to myself, as I crawl along the wall trying to stick my back to it, so as not to run away from this whole situation. - Do you miss me? - I hear his deep voice behind me, I straighten my posture and with his usual cynical and mischievous smile he comes closer and places a hasty kiss on my lips. - Wait, Matteo. - I push him away and he looks at me confused. - What, are you going to play hard to get now? - he asks with his arms outstretched and a frown. - And are you going to play the asshole? Not that you aren't, but you could pretend to be right next to me. - Marina, did you seriously call me here to get back to the subject of your friend? I already told you what I think... "I'm pregnant with your child," I say without further ado, interrupting him. His expression changes completely, and I could swear he's about to have a heart attack. He laughs without a hint of humor, and I see his nervousness. "Mine?" he asks with disdain. "Let's settle this, Marina. I don't want to have children, and when I do, it won't be with someone like you." My eyes fill with tears and I struggle to believe his words. "What kind of man are you?" I scream, hitting his chest. He breathes heavily and looks to the sides as if hiding, he approaches me, pushing me against the wall, our faces so close that I can smell his breath, the same one that has calmed me down many times on a stormy night. "Don't give me that crap, you've always known the kind of man I am.
I am. The kind who fucks and leaves the next moment, the one who doesn't want commitment." It had been a long time since I had seen this man, maybe that was my mistake, having failed to see who he really is. - Wait for my lawyer to contact me, Marina, he will take you from Milan and we will resolve this issue, but don't worry, you will be well compensated and in the end you will see that it was the best thing - he says with his back turned. 01 Matteo Ferrara A few months before the news of the pregnancy.
It is a Saturday night and I am in Ibiza, I usually go out to clubs, making the most of my days, I have nothing left, besides, I studied accounting, Emiliano demanded, since he always needs my help to manage the hospitals. Laura, my older sister, will take over as president when the time comes. And to be honest, I am not worried about that, as long as I can live my life in peace, like now when I look at one of the girls who is dancing casually in the middle of the dance floor. The phone vibrates in my pocket, and I walk away to a quieter place to answer Enrico, my brother-in-law. - Matteo! Matteo! - He repeats my name, and his desperate voice makes my blood run cold. - What happened? - Laura, she mo... I drop the phone on the floor before he can finish speaking, and I feel a huge hole opening up beneath my feet. - Sir, is everything okay? - One of the security guards approaches. - Arrange my flight to Milan, now. I cry over my sister's cold body, lying in a coffin, covered in her favorite flowers, and her hands are under those of Enrico, the only man she has ever loved. He is devastated, just like the rest of us. My father is in shock, he doesn't say a single word, he just cries with his eyes fixed on Laura, but he allows himself to scream when the workers start to close the coffin. - From today on, you are the sole heir of Ferrara, so please, Matteo, act like it. The only link that tied me to Emiliano has just been broken, so there is nothing stopping you from sending us away from home. - My mother whispers in my ear, as my father leaves the wake in an ambulance. I return to the car and close my eyes, reflecting on how ironic things are. "Sole heir," I laugh at the words as a tear runs down my face. I remember one of the Christmases I came from New York, where I attended college. It was the worst night of my life, the night that shaped who I am today. "It was Christmas Eve, and I was on my way to Milan, to spend the holidays with my mother and sister. It had been three years since I had moved to New York to study, a time that seemed too long, but my father was insistent on keeping me away, despite all my efforts to please him. Calling Emiliano "my father" should be something common, after all, he raised me since birth. However, he makes a point of reminding me that I am a bastard, the son of a modest employee with whom my mother had a relationship during one of their many fights. - Matteo, leave your bags there and go straight to the office, your father has things to talk to you about - my mother said, without showing much affection after months without seeing me. - I missed you too, mother. - I wanted to say the same, if you didn't cause me so much trouble. Now go, your father is waiting. I walked with hesitant steps and knocked on the office door. - Come in! - The firm and authoritative voice made me apprehensive, although my father usually pretended to be paternal and give a few caresses when it suited him. - Yes, sir, you want to talk to me. Before I even approached the table, he threw several angry photos at it. - Do you remember what we agreed, Matteo? - he shouted, and I trembled inside as I approached. What were Camila's photos doing on that table? "Waitress? Is that right? You have your father's blood, poor as he is." My empty hands closed in my pants pockets. "It's nothing serious," I lied. "Of course not, I imagine it's not. Do you know how hard it is to find a good marriage for an illegitimate child?" "How could I not know, if you remind me every second." "Do you want a woman, Matteo? Find some prostitutes, pay them and everything will be fine." "She's not that kind of woman," I muttered through my teeth. "No, she's the kind of woman who gets pregnant and asks for half of your assets." "That's not going to happen." "Of course not, I've already taken care of that matter. Starting today, you'll finish college here and work at the headquarters, without returning to New York, not even for a trip." "What do you mean, 'I took care of that matter'?" "Oh, you don't know that the coffee seller was pregnant?" My blood ran cold, and I stared at him in surprise. "She was?" - Yes, I've already resolved it, but don't worry, she was very well compensated. - How did you resolve it? - Don't be naive, I resolved it the way I should have resolved it when your mother showed up pregnant with you. Tears welled up in my eyes, stinging. I turned my back to quickly wipe away a single tear that insisted on running down my face and resumed my position, facing him. - Since everything is resolved, I'm going to unpack, Emiliano. - Dad, I am your father for all intents and purposes. - Of course, I appreciate you granting me this honor. I turned my back and left the office, closing the door behind me. My mother had heard everything from outside, but there was no compassion in her gaze, only disdain. It seemed like I had committed a crime by falling in love with a woman of lower social class. I walked straight past her and went up to my room, desperately picking up the phone. Camila needed me. - Hello? - I heard his firm voice on the other end of the line. - Mila, how are you? I'm coming back, okay? - Matteo, your father has already sorted everything out, you don't have to go back. I looked for traces of sadness in his voice, but I couldn't find any. - Mila, I had nothing to do with this. I'll go back and we'll face this together. - Matteo, are you naive? Your father didn't force me to do anything. I got pregnant because I wanted to, but he showed me that without the child I would earn more, and I accepted. Now excuse me, I'm moving. Your father transferred a mansion to my name. I ended the call, unable to listen for another second. Could he have been right all along? I got up from the bed where I was lying and wiped away the tears that I had allowed to fall for the last time. Emiliano had always dreamed of having a son, and that day I decided that I would stop being treated like a bastard. He was right, he always was. I am a Ferrara, and from that moment on, I started to act like one. It hasn't been easy to make him see me as a son, but today it seems to me that he has run out of options and that definitely doesn't make me happy, because I would much rather have Laura here with me. Matteo Ferrara A few days after the wake The atmosphere in the house is mournful, my father looks at me reluctantly, my mother couldn't possibly give him another son,
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