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 Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:09 am
It had been several days since the end of the April fourth party. There has been much gossip circulating about many of the faces who had attended. Even a few about Gigi herself. Though they usually included talk about Edon as well.
Let them talk.
They weren’t doing anything wrong. In fact, they were correcting a grave wrong that had been done to them so many years ago. When she was with the Machiavelli Gigi felt genuine happiness. Something she hasn’t felt in so very long. Normally one would think that one’s family could bring them happiness but that was far from the truth for the Della Passaglia. Perhaps if she had been able to marry Edon and the family was theirs things would be different.
But everytime she looked at her children, her grandchildren, she saw Claudio. Memories of him came flooding back. Memories of their arranged marriage, how he had treated her, when she forced him into Torpor. Perhaps that one was just a little happier than the others. She had freed herself of him but she was never truly free. And then, just as suddenly as he had been thrust into her life he was gone. Final death had come for him and she was finallt free of him. There marriage to outsiders may have looked ideal but in truth it was anything but. For a long time Gigi was to be seen but not heard. To bare his heir and children for him.
However, she may have been free of him but she was not free of his business dealings. One of which she was looking to resolve today as she waited in the main foyer of the Dells Passaglia mansion. Besides her stood a pale, dark haired woman with bright green eyes. Valentina. Claudio, long ago, had arranged for Valentina and Matteo to be married. Joining the unrelated assimilated part of their family together as a whole unit now. The girl was smart and charming but deep in her undead heart Gigi hated the deal.Ir brough back so many bad memories of when she found out about her own. And she hated that she had to uphold this deal or their family would loose out on much to be gained by the marriageZ it was iron clad and try as she might, the Della Passaglia head could find no way to get her grandson out of it.
So she had tried to push the golden haired heir to Valentina. Keeping them close together as children. Making friends out of them and he had hoped that one day feelings would blossom for Matteo but they never did. Instead, he insisted on hanging around Riccardo Puttanesca’s only son and heir. The only thing she disliked more than this arrangement was the Puttanesca. A bunch of I'll-tempered gangsters who did every kind of shady deal one could imagine. Their head was especially vial. It would do no good to have her family consorting with them. It was bad enough they had had to trade Gabrielle to them in an exchange. Another deal that Gigi had not agreed with.
She began to pace slightly. Matteo had been gone this whole time he was bound to show up eventually. Such as it were, Gigi had spent just about every day waiting here in the foyer for his return. She would jump him the second he walked through that door. She was ready for him. For the fight that she ultimately knew was going to occur
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:11 am
After the party Matteo had returned to one of the apartments with Nico. There they had spent the last several days in bed with one another. Recovering from the party with their own little party out of the prying eyes and ears of the other families. But Matteo had to admit the party was certainly interesting once people left him alone and stopped trying to talk business with him. The golden haired man was certainly glad that Nico had been there with him the whole entire time. He had been afraid that their families would pull them apart to be separated the entire night but that had not occurred. There was a small run in with Nico’s father but Matteo had tried his best to keep Nico’s mind off of it. And his grandmother had been preoccupied elsewhere leaving the pair to their own devices for the most part.
But a job had come in for Nifo so Matteo decided to use the time a part to go back to the family estate and gather some things to take back to the apartment. It was almost like their own little place together. They certainly couldn’t go here or to the Puttanesca compound. The contempt that Gigi had for Nico was reflected by Nico’s father for him. Why couldn’t they see that the two truly cared for one another? Why couldn’t they just be happy that they had each found someone important in their lives? No, they had to let family rivalries and prejudice stand in the way of understanding.
Oh well. There was just nothing to do about it now. He’d pop in, grab his stuff and pop out before his grandmother even knew he had been there. Or so he thought.
As Matteo walked through the front door he came up short as honey brown eyes stared at him, a small scowl on Gigi’s lips. Her arms folded over her chest. Matteo’s gaze slipped to the ground ale figure beside her. “V….Valentina?“ Confusion came first. Then understanding. Gigi must have had enough of his refusals and was pulling all the stops out now. Oh s**t, was she planning a gunshot wedding?
He swallowed hard, taking a step back as if to turn and run out the door.
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:12 am
“Matteo Della Passaglia. Where do you think you are going? You have kept your future bride waiting all this time. It’s time you stopped with the games and fullfill your duties and obligations as heir.” It broke her heart to see the look on her grandson’s face but there was no getting out of this. Not when there were things on the line. This had to happen weither he wanted it to or not. There were few arranged marriages that were agreed upon by both parties. Gigi knew this well.
“You’ve been traipsing around with that Puttanesca boy haven’t you? That needs to end now, Matteo. Your family needs you.” How could she make the boy understand? Their family wasn’t desperate for this to happen but it had to happen nonetheless. The contract was iron clad and Valentina’s father would not back down. “It’s done Matteo you hear me? You will stay here and marry Valentina like is expected of you or….”
Or what? What could she threaten him with? Take any access to the family money away? Lock him in his bedroom until he saw sense and agreed? Send him away so that he could not see Nico ever again? There were options but that didn’t mean she liked any of them.
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:13 am
Anger flashed in Matteo’s brown eyes at his grandmother’s words. Duty. Obligation. Being forced into something, into a role that he never even wanted. All Matteo wanted in that moment was to have fun and spend as much time with Nico as he could. He didn’t want to be heir, didn’t want the responsibility of the house. Who was to say he would ever end up running it anyhow? His father hadn’t and once Matteo had been born the responsibility of heir had been thrust into him. It was one of the reasons he planned to never have kids. He didn’t want that role placed on the shoulders of any child of his. It would break his heart knowing he did that to someone before they could even understand what that meant. What kind of life that child would have because they were heir. In all likelihood not even Matteo’s own child would take over the family if Gigi continued on as she did.
It was unfair of her to ask this of him. Knowing her own history of her own marriage to his grandfather Matteo would have assumed she could sympathize with him. Understand how he felt and find some way to break this. But she seemed as adamant and pushy about it as ever. Even inviting Valentina here to confront him. What did she hope to gain? That seeing the girl again would sway him? After Valentina had gone into her studies Matteo had barely seen her and ignored all her letters that arrived for him. She had kissed him once when they were kids but after that things felt weird and it wasn’t until years later that Matteo would understand why.
“Don’t….. don’t give me ultimatums, grandmother. You know I won’t do this you cannot ask this of me.” His fists clenched, manicured nails digging up not the soft flesh of his tan palms. “I won’t leave Nico, you couldn’t pay me enough to.” Matteo’s gaze locked with the Della Passaglia head’s own brown gaze. “Because I love him. And I want to be with him. And I won’t allow you to stand in the way of that. Now please just…move aside so I can collect some of my things and leave.”
Valentina looked extremely uncomfortable as she peeked over at Gigi. Good. Now maybe she would understand the situation. Because it was true, he did love Nico. More than anyone he had met before. It wasn’t just a physical thing either. There was a true and genuine connection there. Something that tethered their two hearts together and Matteo refused to let that go. Not for anything, not for something he never agreed to in the first place.
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:14 am
Gigi’s own anger flared as she pointed at the girl. “You are going to stay and uphold your grandfather's stupid contract, Matteo. Love has nothing to do with it.” She has grown tired of this fight, so very very tired. He was being a petulant child just like his mother. His head in the clouds, dreaming of things, a life that he just couldn’t have. <******** Claudio. What an absolute moron. It had been the straw that broke the camel’s back and when Gigi had put him in to Torpor was one of the best things to have happened to her in a long time. For the next several decades she had spent so much time unraveling his horrible business dealings and promises. Having to smooth over so much and make concessions. The man had nearly ruined this family and she was gobsmacked he had gotten away with it for so long. But this marriage between Matteo and Valentina was one of the few things she couldn’t undo. Her father was adamant about going through with everything and as much as she would have loved to tell him to shove it, the Elder couldn’t.
As Matteo tried to move past her she snatched his arm. Pressing perfectly manicured claws into the appendage as she held him in place. She might have been small but Gigi had enough strength in her pinky to bring a grown man to his knees if she really tried. “Don’t walk away. We’re not done talking.” A heavy frown settled on her lips as the muscles in her jaw set.
Why couldn’t he just see how hard this was for her and comply? What was so special about that ducking Puttanesca? The whole family was rubbish in her eyes. While they had their uses they were nothing but meat headed thugs.
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Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:15 am
When his grandmother grabbed him, anger burned white hot in his blood. It was an anger that had been building for a long time. An anger he had never genuinely experienced before. And to be honest, kind of scared the blond vampire. This was such a touchy subject for him and she just wouldn’t relent.
Matteo just wanted to get away. For her to just leave him alone and drop the whole thing. She could do that right? Gigi had the power to do it he knew she could. So why wouldn’t she?
While young, Matteo had his own strength that he rarely ever called upon because he had little use for it. But his hand came up and using the strength he could muster Matteo shoved Gigi back into Valentina. The two women tumbled to the floor in a flurry of skirts and limbs. “I said let me ******** leave.” The normally warm and cheerful voice was icy and dangerous. Another thing that Matteo was not known for having. His voice was generally light and sweet with the slightest hint of a tease to his words. But this was something dark, much darker than perhaps he even knew himself.
He gave them one last look of regard before taking off up the stairs to his room. Well, soon to be his old room.
In a flurry of anger and panic he gathered some of his clothes and personal items. He didn’t have a lot of time to get out, he was sure. And to be honest he would be surprised if Gigi wasn’t on her way to call his father. He did not need to hear from his father right now.
Once he was satisfied with what he had gathered Matteo opened the picture windows of his room and swung a leg over the edge. Fitting his foot into the trellis before he swung his whole body out and shimmied his way down to the ground. Hopping off once there was only a few feet to go. He hurried to get past the gate and back onto the street. Walking with purpose and haste. Not needing anyone to come after him.
As soon as he was far enough away, Matteo ducked into an alleyway. Pressing his back against the nearby building wall and letting his head roll back. Those brown eyes slipped closed as he tried to calm himself. Had he really just done that? Defied Gigi right to her face? Gotten physical with her? Ran away from home? He…..he had. Matteo shook. Whether from excitement or adrenaline he was unsure.
While he knew eventually she would come after him again for now he had a bit of a reprieve and that lifted an incredible weight off his shoulders. He gathered himself and hit the street once more. Heading back in the direction of the apartment he had been staying in. His steps were just a little bit lighter as a smile curled the corners of his lips. He was finally taking control of his own life. It was only up from there.
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