A Marriage Proposal Nobody Expected
The man standing in the doorway wore a charcoal-gray suit and a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Adrian Vale.
Matteo Bellandi recognized him immediately.
Five years had passed since their last meeting, but Adrian still carried himself with the same polished arrogance, as though every room belonged to him and everyone inside it was merely waiting for instructions.
"Good evening, Matteo."
Enzo stepped forward.
"Hands where I can see them."
Adrian raised both hands.
"Really? Is that necessary? We're all civilized people."
Matteo didn't move.
"That depends on what you've put in her hand."
Livia stood trembling beside Adrian, the small black device blinking red against her palm.
Adrian glanced at it.
"Oh, that? A simple insurance policy."
Bianca felt her stomach tighten.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian smiled at her.
"Bianca Rossetti. Finally."
He studied her flour-covered apron, her tired eyes, and the dark curls escaping her messy bun.
"I've heard so much about you."
"Who are you?"
"Someone who understands the value of your work."
Matteo's voice cut through the room.
"Answer my question, Adrian."
Adrian sighed.
"It's a wireless trigger."
Enzo immediately reached for his radio.
"Everybody out."
Adrian lifted one finger.
"I wouldn't recommend that."
The room went silent.
"Before anyone panics," he continued, "the device doesn't contain explosives. It controls a remote data-erasure system connected to the Rossetti servers."
Gabriel stared at him.
"You threatened a woman with a computer command?"
Adrian shrugged.
"People are surprisingly cooperative when they don't know what they're holding."
Livia began sobbing.
"You told me it would hurt them!"
"I told you they would lose everything. You misunderstood the details."
Matteo's expression hardened.
"You used her fear to get inside the house."
"I used her desire to protect her family."
Bianca looked at her sister.
Livia couldn't meet her eyes.
For a moment, Bianca wanted to scream.
Instead, she stepped closer.
"Livia. Put it down."
Adrian's smile disappeared.
"I wouldn't."
Bianca ignored him.
"Look at me."
Livia raised her tear-filled eyes.
"Remember when we were little and you broke Mama's favorite vase?"
Livia blinked.
"What?"
"You were eight. You thought she'd send you away."
A tear slid down Livia's cheek.
"Bianca..."
"I told her I broke it."
Livia's mouth trembled.
"I remember."
"I protected you because you were my sister."
Bianca took another step.
"But I'm not going to protect your lies anymore."
Slowly, Livia placed the device on the desk.
Enzo immediately secured it.
Adrian watched without speaking.
Then he laughed.
"Well. That was touching."
Matteo stepped toward him.
"You're finished."
Adrian's expression changed.
"No, Matteo. We're only beginning."
Enzo escorted Adrian into the adjoining sitting room while Gabriel contacted the authorities and arranged for the device to be examined.
Matteo refused to let anyone destroy the USB drive.
Instead, he instructed Enzo's technical specialist to preserve its contents and create a forensic copy.
Bianca sat beside the study window, holding her grandfather's blue notebook.
Her hands had finally stopped shaking.
But she felt hollow.
Livia stood several feet away.
Neither sister spoke.
At last, Livia whispered, "I didn't know he would come here."
Bianca stared at the notebook.
"Did you know he was stealing my recipes?"
Livia swallowed.
"Yes."
"Did you know Dad forged my signature?"
A pause.
"Yes."
Bianca closed her eyes.
"Then what exactly didn't you know?"
Livia began crying again.
Bianca felt no satisfaction.
Only exhaustion.
"I thought if I did what Dad wanted, everything would be okay," Livia whispered.
"For whom?"
Livia had no answer.
Bianca stood.
"I spent eleven years making sure this family had food on the table."
She looked at her sister's gold dress.
"I never asked for your clothes. Your jewelry. Your attention."
Her voice cracked.
"I only wanted you to stop pretending I didn't exist."
Livia covered her mouth.
"I'm sorry."
Bianca shook her head.
"Maybe someday I'll believe you."
Then she walked away.
Matteo found her in the kitchen.
She was washing dishes.
He stopped in the doorway.
"Bianca."
She didn't turn.
"I know. It's ridiculous."
"What is?"
"That I'm washing dishes after everything that's happened."
Matteo approached the sink.
"Actually, I was going to ask whether you needed help."
She looked over her shoulder.
"You wash dishes?"
"Occasionally."
"With those expensive hands?"
He glanced at his tattooed fingers.
"They're ordinary hands."
"Your watch probably costs more than this kitchen."
"Then I'd better take it off."
He removed the watch and placed it on the counter.
Bianca stared.
"You're serious?"
"Completely."
She handed him a dish towel.
"Fine. Dry."
For several minutes, they worked in silence.
Bianca washed.
Matteo dried.
Outside the kitchen, security guards moved through the mansion, attorneys made calls, and a family fortune began unraveling.
Inside, two people stood beside a sink.
It was the first peaceful moment Bianca had experienced all evening.
Then Matteo spoke.
"Your grandfather once made me wash dishes for six hours."
Bianca smiled faintly.
"What did you do?"
"I complained."
"And?"
"He told me hungry men shouldn't complain about clean plates."
She laughed.
A real laugh.
Matteo looked at her.
For the first time that night, he saw what her face looked like without fear.
He found himself wanting to see it again.
"Why did you stay?" she asked.
"At the bakery?"
"Yes."
Matteo folded the towel.
"Because Alessandro treated me like I was worth something before I had anything to offer."
Bianca looked down.
"He did that for everyone."
"Not everyone appreciated it."
She considered him.
"Did you?"
"Eventually."
"What happened after those six weeks?"
Matteo's expression grew distant.
"My father found me."
"Did you go home?"
"Yes."
"Did you want to?"
"No."
Bianca studied him.
"Then why?"
"Because he threatened to ruin Alessandro's bakery if I didn't."
Her smile disappeared.
"What?"
Matteo set down the plate.
"My father believed kindness made people weak. He thought Alessandro was teaching me to disobey him."
Bianca stared.
"So you left to protect Grandpa?"
"I thought I was protecting him."
"Did it work?"
Matteo looked away.
"For a while."
Gabriel entered the kitchen carrying a folder.
"Matteo. Bianca. We need to talk."
Bianca dried her hands.
"About the trust?"
"Among other things."
Gabriel placed the folder on the counter.
"The forged declaration can be challenged. The royalty registrations can be investigated. And the proposed acquisition agreement is almost certainly fraudulent."
Bianca nodded slowly.
"That sounds good."
"It is. But there's a problem."
Matteo crossed his arms.
"What problem?"
"Vittorio has already pledged Rossetti Heritage Foods as collateral for several private loans."
Bianca felt her stomach drop.
"How much?"
Gabriel hesitated.
"Approximately eleven million dollars."
She stared.
"Eleven?"
"Some of the obligations are disputed. Others may be unenforceable. But the creditors are already preparing claims."
Bianca sat down.
"That's more than the company is worth."
"Possibly."
Matteo looked at Gabriel.
"Who holds the debt?"
Gabriel opened the folder.
"Three investment groups. One private lender. And a holding company registered overseas."
Matteo's expression hardened.
"Name."
"Vesper Holdings."
The room went silent.
Bianca looked between them.
"What is Vesper Holdings?"
Matteo didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, "A company associated with people who once worked for my father."
Bianca felt a chill.
"Adrian?"
"Possibly."
Gabriel nodded.
"If the creditors force liquidation, the bakery equipment, commercial contracts, and company assets could be sold."
Bianca stared at her grandfather's notebook.
"And my recipes?"
"Ownership is disputed. But until the dispute is resolved, someone could attempt to prevent you from using them commercially."
She felt sick.
They had stolen her work.
And now they might stop her from making it.
"How long do we have?"
Gabriel checked his papers.
"One creditor has demanded payment within seventy-two hours."
Bianca laughed bitterly.
"Of course."
Matteo studied her.
"What's funny?"
"Nothing."
She shook her head.
"I just spent my whole life keeping this business alive, and apparently I have three days to save it again."
Matteo remained silent.
Then he looked at Gabriel.
"Give us a moment."
The attorney nodded and left.
Bianca expected Matteo to offer money.
Men like him always seemed to believe money solved everything.
She had already decided to refuse.
But he surprised her.
"What do you want, Bianca?"
She frowned.
"What?"
"Not what your father wants. Not what your mother expects. Not what Livia thinks you should accept."
He pulled out the chair opposite her.
"What do you want?"
Bianca stared at him.
Nobody had asked her that question in years.
She looked toward the ovens.
"I want to bake."
Matteo nodded.
"What else?"
"I want a place that belongs to me."
"Good."
"A bakery where people get paid fairly. Where nobody has to work seventy hours a week just to survive."
He listened.
"And I want to hire people who don't look perfect in photographs."
Her voice grew stronger.
"People who are talented but get overlooked."
Matteo smiled faintly.
"That sounds like a business plan."
Bianca laughed softly.
"It sounds expensive."
"Most worthwhile things are."
She looked at him.
"Why are you being so kind to me?"
His expression became serious.
"Because someone should have been."
The words settled between them.
Bianca looked away.
She didn't trust herself to answer.
After a moment, Matteo continued.
"I can help you protect the business."
She stiffened.
"I don't want charity."
"I'm not offering charity."
"Then what?"
"A partnership."
Bianca frowned.
"What kind of partnership?"
"One where you retain control of your recipes, your company, and your decisions."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I believe in the product."
She studied him.
"Just the product?"
Matteo held her gaze.
"No."
Her breath caught.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Matteo leaned back.
"There's another option."
Bianca narrowed her eyes.
"What option?"
He hesitated.
It was the first time she had seen him genuinely uncertain.
"A marriage."
Bianca stared.
Then she laughed.
He didn't.
Her laughter faded.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
She pushed back her chair.
"Absolutely not."
Matteo nodded.
"Fair."
"Fair?"
"You said no."
Bianca stared at him.
"You can't just propose marriage to someone you met an hour ago!"
"You're right."
"Especially when her family is trying to sell her entire life!"
"Also right."
She folded her arms.
"Then why would you suggest it?"
Matteo considered his answer.
"Because my family controls a trust structure that could provide immediate financial stability while your ownership dispute is resolved. A marriage would simplify certain family governance issues."
Bianca blinked.
"That sounds romantic."
"It wasn't intended to."
"Clearly."
He almost smiled.
"But it would also make it much harder for my father's former associates to isolate you financially."
Bianca studied him.
"You're suggesting a marriage of convenience."
"Only if you wanted it."
"And what would you get?"
Matteo's expression changed.
"Someone I can trust."
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then shook her head.
"You don't know me."
"I know you kept baking while your family stole your work."
"That doesn't mean I'm trustworthy."
"No," he said. "But it tells me something about your character."
Bianca sat down slowly.
"You're insane."
"Possibly."
She looked at his expensive suit.
His tattoos.
His calm, dangerous eyes.
Then she remembered her mother telling her that a man like Matteo Bellandi would never look twice at her.
And now he was offering marriage.
Not to Livia.
To her.
The woman hidden in the kitchen.
It should have felt like victory.
Instead, it terrified her.
"I won't marry you to escape my family," she whispered.
Matteo nodded.
"Then don't."
"I won't trade one kind of control for another."
"Good."
"And I won't become some decorative wife who sits quietly while men make decisions."
His mouth curved.
"I suspect you'd be terrible at that."
Bianca almost smiled.
Then her expression grew serious.
"If I ever marry, I want someone who sees me."
Matteo's gaze softened.
"I do see you."
Her heart stumbled.
For one dangerous second, she believed him.
Gabriel returned carrying his phone.
"There's been a development."
Matteo stood.
"What?"
"The bank has temporarily suspended the disputed transfer."
Bianca exhaled.
"Thank God."
"But the emergency guardianship petition is still active."
Her relief vanished.
Gabriel continued.
"Serena's attorney is requesting an expedited hearing."
Matteo's expression darkened.
"On what grounds?"
"She claims Bianca is emotionally unstable and vulnerable to manipulation."
Bianca stared.
"Because I found out they stole from me?"
Gabriel nodded grimly.
"Essentially."
Matteo looked toward the hallway.
"Where is Serena?"
"With the police, giving a statement."
Bianca closed her eyes.
Her mother was trying to take control of her life through a court order.
Even now.
Even after everything.
Gabriel looked at her.
"Bianca, we need to prepare a response immediately."
She nodded.
"What do you need?"
"Medical records. Employment records. Financial records. Anything that demonstrates your independence and competence."
Bianca looked at the kitchen.
"I have eleven years of production records."
Gabriel smiled.
"That would be an excellent start."
Matteo turned toward her.
"And you have something else."
"What?"
"A witness."
Bianca frowned.
"Who?"
"Me."
She stared.
Matteo continued.
"I've seen your work. I've reviewed your production systems. And I've watched you handle a crisis more calmly than most executives I've met."
Bianca felt tears rise again.
"Thank you."
He nodded.
"You're welcome."
Then his phone vibrated.
He checked the screen.
His expression changed.
"Enzo."
The security chief appeared almost immediately.
"Boss?"
"Where's Adrian?"
"In the sitting room. Two guards outside."
Matteo held up his phone.
"Then explain why his phone just sent me a message."
Enzo went rigid.
"What message?"
Matteo read it aloud.
You found the baker. Now find out what your father did to her.
Bianca felt a chill.
"What does that mean?"
Matteo didn't answer.
Another message arrived.
This one contained a photograph.
Bianca leaned closer.
It showed the old Mercer Street bakery.
The windows were broken.
Smoke poured from the roof.
A fire truck stood outside.
Bianca gasped.
"Grandpa's bakery burned?"
Matteo's face went pale.
She looked at him.
"You knew?"
He didn't answer.
"Matteo."
His jaw tightened.
"Yes."
Bianca stepped backward.
"When?"
"Twenty years ago."
Her breath caught.
The same year her grandmother died.
The same year she appeared in the photograph with young Matteo.
The same year her childhood memories became fragmented.
She stared at the image.
Then another message arrived.
A video.
Matteo opened it.
The footage was grainy.
Old.
Recorded from a security camera across the street.
A young man stood outside the bakery.
He wore a dark jacket.
His face was partially hidden.
But Bianca recognized him immediately.
Matteo.
He was holding something.
A metal container.
Bianca felt the room spin.
"No."
Matteo stared at the screen.
"That's not what happened."
The video showed the young man approaching the bakery door.
Then the footage stopped.
A final message appeared.
Ask him why he was there the night Elena Rossetti died.
Bianca looked at Matteo.
Her voice was barely audible.
"Tell me that's not you."
Matteo swallowed.
"It is."
She stepped away.
"Tell me you didn't hurt my grandmother."
His face changed.
"Bianca, listen to me."
But before he could continue, the kitchen telephone rang.
Gabriel answered.
He listened.
Then slowly lowered the receiver.
His expression was grave.
"Bianca."
She turned.
"Your mother's attorney has filed an emergency motion."
"What motion?"
Gabriel looked toward Matteo.
Then back at her.
"She's asking the court to declare you incapable of making your own decisions."
Bianca stared.
"On what evidence?"
Gabriel swallowed.
"A medical report."
Bianca felt cold.
"What medical report?"
He hesitated.
"One supposedly signed by the physician who treated you after the bakery fire."
Bianca's heart began pounding.
"I don't remember a physician."
Gabriel looked at the document arriving on his phone.
Then his face drained of color.
"Bianca, there's something else."
She gripped the counter.
"What?"
"The report says you witnessed what happened to your grandmother."
Matteo went completely still.
Gabriel continued.
"And according to the doctor's notes, you identified the person responsible."
Bianca could barely breathe.
"Who?"
Gabriel opened the final page.
His eyes widened.
Then he looked at Matteo.
"There's a name here."
Bianca stepped toward him.
"Read it."
Gabriel swallowed.
He turned the phone so she could see.
At the bottom of the medical report was a handwritten statement.
Seven words.
Bianca leaned closer.
The first three read:
The man was...
And just as she reached for the phone, the kitchen door burst open.
Enzo stood in the doorway.
His face was white.
"Boss. Adrian Vale is gone."
Matteo turned sharply.
"What?"
Enzo swallowed.
"Both guards are unconscious."
Bianca stared.
Then Enzo spoke again.
"And someone left a wedding ring on the floor."
He opened his hand.
A small gold ring lay in his palm.
Inside the band were two engraved names.
Matteo.
Bianca.
May you like
And beneath them was a date.
Tomorrow.
