HIS SALVATION

4

~CLAIR~

I opened the door and walked into the living room with two large shopping bags in my hands. I saw Martha coming to help me but I shook my head. "I got it, thanks", I told her with a smile and she offered me a smile too.

"If it was Alexia, she would make me carry all the bags", Martha saud lowly and I chuckled. "I'm going to drop these but I'm coming down to prepare dinner", I told her.

"No my dear, you're attending a gala with Teo", she said and I frowned. Sam was actually right. Martha followed me to my room and I dropped my bags on the bed.

"What kind of gala?", I asked her. "I think it's a gala to formally introduce you to his business partners", she said and I stiffened. "As his wife", I said and she nodded. I think the fact that the color drained off my face made me look disoriented in front of her.

"Even though he appears to hate you, he still cares about you. Teo is not a brutal man", she said softly and I wanted nothing more than to laugh. "He's an asshole", I said and she chuckled. "That, I cannot argue with", she said and we laughed a little.

"He does not give a little shit about me Martha, you don't need to cover for him", I told her as I made my way to my wardrobe. She shook her head, white strands falling from her hair. "You don't understand child", she said and I shrugged.

"He may not love you as his wife but he cares for you", she said as she helped me arrange the things I bought. "I do not see any care at all, no offence", I said and she chuckled.

"Both of you are stubborn, I like it though. When you left crying yesterday night, he became worried when you didn't come home. He told Alexia to leave while he called one of his men to trace you and keep an eye on you. He told Alexia not to push you that far again", she explained to me and I sighed.

"May I ask why you are telling me this?", I asked her politely. I really don't know why she was trying to paint a good picture of Matteo to me. I've seen him with my own eyes.

"You see dear, I see Matteo as my own son. When my husband died, Matteo's parents offered me a job as a nanny to take care of little Teo. He was just two years old and I was forty five. So I've literally seen him grow up", she said with a proud smile.

"What I'm trying to say is this, in the Rossi family, they value respect, dignity, humility and honesty. Matteo and his father hate when people lie to them and they hate lying too", she said and I raised a brow.

"With what I've seen, I would rather choose you over Alexia", she said with her Italian accent being thicker. I chuckled and she grinned. "I'm actually serious my dear", she told me.

"What time is the gala?", I asked her. "It starts by seven but Teo said he'll be here by seven thirty", she said and I nodded. I checked the time on my phone, five forty.

"Let's get started", she clapped her hand and I laughed at her excitement.

An hour passed and now, Martha was now curling my hair. "I love how soft your hair feels", she said with admiration and I smiled at her compliment. "Do all Italians have brown hair? Because you have brown hair so as Matteo and Alexia except hers is lighter", I asked with curiosity.

She chuckled and dropped the curling iron. "Most of us Italians have brown or black hair. Matteo's hair is black, like his mother's, while his father's is brown. Ninety six percent of us have black or brown while the four percent have blonde but it's rare", she explained and I nodded .

Italy sounds like a cool place to be. I heard that they make one of the best pizzas in the world. "Is it true the pizza there is one of the best?", I blurted out unexpectedly.