Food and drinks were being served in the back garden. Matteo entered the sitting area. Several of the guests were outside having their drinks, seduced by the romance of the scenery.
Karamihan sa mga bisita ay darating bukas, ngunit sa unang gabi, mga malalapit na miyembro lamang ng pamilya. Ang kanyang ama at ina, pati na rin mga uncles at aunties, pinsan, pamangking, at si Paolo at ang babae.
Matteo was still thinking the course of action following the revealing of this gold-digger in their midst. He strolled up to where his mother was quietly contemplating the venue she had masterfully set.
Mrs. Guidicelli turned to her eldest son and smiled.
"Darating ang pinsan mong si Gerald at Maja bukas. Kasama ang kanilang anak." Mrs. Guidicelli turned to him and gave him a long, serious look. His mother is the only human being on the face of the earth who could look at him like that and get away with it.
Everybody in the clan knows that Maja and Matteo had a relationship. They separated after two years of being a couple due to some undisclosed circumstances.
"It could have been you," she pointed out. "You are not a young boy any longer. Kailangan ng pamilyang ito ng tagapagmana, Matteo."
"And they will be produced," Matteo whispered, "all in good time."
"Darating si Jessy Mendiola," Mrs. Guidicelli ventured. "Bagay kayong dalawa. Best friend ko ang mommy niya noong college. We still keep in touch up to now."
"Mendiola.....yes the name rings a bell. Jessy, pretty name, and I have to admit that three months of celibacy is beginning to get to me." He grinned as his mother blushed furiously at his outrageously personal observation.
"There is no rush for me to get married, is there? With Paolo having won the race to secure a bride....."
"Now, Matteo....."
"I am merely making an observation, dearest Mama....."
"In a tone of voice which I am not sure I like. I have met the young woman and she seems perfectly friendly, if a little dazed at the surroundings."
I'll just bet, Matteo thought to himself. The dazedness, he reckoned, would last just about as long as it took her to add up the millions looming just over the horizon.
"Nasaan na ba sila?" He asked casually.
"Mayamaya ay bababa na rin 'yon," Mrs. Guidicelli said. "At Matteo.....be good."
"Mama, I am always good." He looked at her and smiled as she shook her head and sighed. "Mahal ni Paolo ang babaeng ito. Nakikita ko 'yon. Do not spoil anything....."
"I'll bear that in mind," Matteo said noncommittally.
Before he could be boxed into a corner, making promises he had no intention of keeping, he moved away, tugging his mother with him so that they could mingle with the guests.
~*~*~*~
Matteo watched the glass doors opened. Some guests glanced over with interest in their direction of Paolo and Sarah.
Sa sandaling nakita ni Sarah ang tanawin sa labas ng bahay, mabilis na napahawak siya sa braso ni Paolo. Matteo watched as she looked up at Paolo and said something and his brother smiled down at her, clearly urging her not to feel intimidated.
A charming charade, he thought.
Her outfit was certainly designed to impress the guests with her innocence. The pink dress had a scooped neckline, very short sleeves and a hemline that stopped below the knees, with low-heeled white shoes.
There she stood, hesitant and nervous and looking innocent, he would have bet his Rolex watch she wasn't. Her hair was tied back in a neat braid, leaving her smooth, vulnerable neck exposed.
He gritted his teeth together impatiently and headed towards them, altering his expression as he approached and going through the genuine motions of greeting his brother before turning to her.
"Kuya, my fiancee, Sarah," Paolo said, grinning, "Although I expect you have probably heard. News travels through this family at the speed of sound." His head turning to Sarah.
Ngumiti si Sarah at sinubukan ng mabuti na huwag pansinin ang presensya ng isang tao na nakatayo sa tabi ng Paolo. Maraming naikukwento si Paolo tungkol sa kanyang Kuya, na malinaw na sobra niyang hinahangaan. In her head, she had made up an image of someone not unlike Paolo.
She could not have been further from the truth.
There was nothing gentle about this man, although he was chatting easily enough with them. Even in the looks department he had somehow managed to take the fair good looks that Paolo possessed and push them to outer limits.
Ang kanyang itim na buhok ay mas mahaba kaysa sa kanyang kapatid, may konting pagkulot sa batok ng kanyang leeg, at ang kanyang mga mata ay tulad ng isang bakal. Even his features were somehow harder and more ruthlessly defined.
It all added up to a package that was intimidating, that sent little cold shivers of fear racing up and down her spine, bagaman siya ay walang ideya kung bakit nakakaramdam siya ng takot sa taong ito.
Nakikipag-usap si Matteo sa kanya ngayon, tinatanong sa kanyan ang lagay ng panahon sa Manila, a perfectly harmless question, but when Sarah looked at him, she had the uncomfortable impression that something dark and threatening was stirring just below the surface.
She also found that her eyes were drawn to his face, which was convincing and scary at the same time.
She edged closer to Paolo and knew that Matteo had noticed that small shift in her position, although his face remained impassively polite, his head tilted to one side with every impression of hanging on to what she was going to say.
The man oozes power and menace. She heard herself stammering out some nonsense about rainy season, followed by another monotonous remark about the lovely weather here.
In the middle of her tortured reply, nagpaalam si Paolo na pupuntahan ang kanilang ina at ikuha ang mga ito ng inumin, leaving her in sudden, unexplained panic.
Matteo shifted his stance, it was to block her off from the guests behind him. In a minute, he knew that his mother would descend upon them and he intended to let no part of his time be wasted. "Nanginginig ka."
"Ah, ako.....ninenerbiyos lang ng kaunti, palagay ko" tumingin si Sarah sa palibot. "Ang lahat ng mga taong nandito....."
"Surely you are not nervous of mixing with our family. They are a perfectly ordinary people." He didn't smile when he said this.
He just kept looking at her in the way that made her wonder what was going through his head. "Although I can understand that undertaking Paolo on his own might be a little different to dealing with.....the rest of us."
"What do you mean by undertaking?" Sarah asked.
"Why don't you come and meet the rest of the clan?"
Matteo placed a hand on her arm to usher her in the direction of the assorted guests. He felt her natural impulse to pull away.
Not the sign of someone madly in love with his brother and with nothing to hide, he thought grimly.
With ease, he directed her to his mother, taking time out to observe her reactions, and then he continued to watch her throughout the rest of the evening.
Paolo was as attentive as expected. Away from Matteo, Sarah seemed to relax.
But then no one else was questioning her presence on the party and in Paolo's life. She must keep her secret at all times.
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There's the second part of chapter 1. Hope you like it. If not, please tell me so or gently let me know.
Thank you so much for the past votes and comments.
Love, love, love <3