Page 6 of Business Temptations

“I think that the best way to snub all of them is to become a wildly successful person.” He looked at her. “I’m a bastard, Bailey,” he reminded her. “My father cheated on his wife by having an affair with my mother when she was too young to know better.”

Bailey’s big, chocolate eyes stared up at him, unblinking as she tried to understand. “I know this, Matteo.”

“And then I was sent away so that the villagers wouldn’t constantly be reminded of his shame.”

Bailey’s heart ached. She understood his anger and resentment over his father’s cruel treatment of him over the years. “I know this too, although, you’ve never been explicit about why you were sent here specifically.”

He turned, looking up at the sky but Bailey doubted Matteo actually saw the bright, spring sky or the fluffy clouds. His mind was enmeshed in the past and his current pain. “I wasn’t able to go home for my mother’s funeral, Bailey.” His jaw clenched. “I didn’t even know that she was sick. She wrote to me all the time, but she never told me that she had cancer.”

“I’m so sorry!” she whispered, then wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. “I know that she died last year and you’re still not over her passing.”

His arms closed around her and Bailey wished that she had more to give him that just a hug.

“A hug is pretty nice,” he replied, reading her mind.

She pulled away and looked up at him. “So when do you leave for the University of Pennsylvania?” she asked, praying that he’d decided to attend that school instead of one further away. Matteo could literally choose any school and they would be thrilled to have him.

“I leave in two weeks,” he told her.

The relief that washed her with his confirmation that he wouldn’t be too far from her, made her dizzy.

“Will you come to my house this weekend to celebrate your graduation?” She saw the coming rejection in his eyes and continued quickly before he could say no. “It will be just you, me, and my mom. We’ll make that macaroni and cheese casserole that you love so much.”

Matteo hesitated, unable to deny the temptation of mac-n-cheese. There wasn’t anything like it in Spain. “With the crumbled potato chips on top?”

Bailey’s smile grew sunnier. “Duh!”

He laughed and flung his arm around her shoulders. “Deal.”

They walked for a bit more, then she looked at him. “What would you consider to be a success?”

He thought about it for a long moment, then answered, “I’ll know I’ve made it when I can crush my father’s businesses and leave him in the same poverty in which I was raised.”

Her friend’s tone was calm and controlled as he described his life’s goal. Bailey cringed and they kept walking. She hoped Matteo could reach that goal. She’d done a great deal of research on his father. The man was a freaking Marquess! She wasn’t entirely sure what that was, other than some type of European aristocrat. The man owned several businesses that were spread out across Europe, so he clearly had a great deal of money. She also knew that he lived in a castle that was hundreds of years old.

So, how was her best friend going to destroy his father? Bailey pondered. The thought of Matteo exacting revenge on the man who had caused him so much pain sent a thrill coursing through her veins, even if she couldn't quite wrap her mind around how that goal could be accomplished.

As she mulled over the possibilities, Bailey's heart ached with empathy for Matteo. The mere mention of his abusive treatment at school stirred a whirlwind of emotions within her—a potent blend of anger, sorrow, and indignation. She had witnessed firsthand the injustices he had endured, the blatant disregard for his well-being that seemed to permeate every corner of the institution.

Bailey's mind raced with memories of the times she had tried in vain to uncover evidence of the headmaster's biases, her frustration mounting with each dead end she’d encountered. The accusations and punishments leveled against Matteo felt like cruel and arbitrary acts of malice, leaving Bailey grappling with a sense of helplessness in the face of such blatant injustice.

And yet, despite the odds stacked against them, a flicker of determination ignited within Bailey's heart. She refused to stand idly by while her best friend suffered at the hands of those who sought to break him. Together, they would find a way to expose the truth, to bring justice to Matteo and ensure that no one else would ever endure the same torment again.

Twelve years later…

Bailey gazed out at the crowd, wondering if Matteo was among the sea of faces. It was her graduation from the University of Virginia and she desperately wanted to see him today. But she also knew that Matteo’s work promotions were coming fast and furiously. He’d gotten a job with a small pharmaceutical company three years ago and had managed to expand the business dramatically.

Was he even here in the United States? Matteo traveled constantly for his job, but she’d asked him to be here. Bailey desperately hoped that he was.

Glancing into the audience, she caught Timothy’s eye. Timothy was nervous about being here. Not because of the event, but because he knew what Bailey wanted to happen afterwards.

He was obviously nervous, but Bailey managed to paste on a smile , offering him a thumbs-up sign of confidence. Tim returned the smile and leaned back against the uncomfortable metal chairs as he sat in the audience. Tim had just been awarded his doctorate in chemical science from the University of Virginia. Bailey still struggled to think of him as “Doctor Mullins”, even though she was incredibly proud of him. For so long, he’d been her friend, the guy she’d hung out with and joked with when they weren’t in class or studying.

Tim was extremely tall, just like Matteo. But Tim was also thin while Matteo was built more like a line backer. Tim loved running and she’d teased him unmercifully about his obsession. Tim was naturally brilliant…and painfully awkward. With Bailey’s help, Tim was growing out of his natural, geeky tendency. Hopefully that side of him wouldn’t be completely gone. It was endearing, in a geeky, nerdy sort of way.

Would Matteo and Tim get along? They were the two most important men in her life. She loved them both for their brilliance, but what if they hated each other? What if one of them said something or did something or…?

What if Matteo couldn’t come today? She’d planned everything! This had to work! Even Bailey’s mother had helped prepare for today’s…uh…introduction, for lack of a better word.

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