Chapter 14
Matteo asked me to take Mia upstairs. I did. I helped her brush her teeth and put on pajamas, even though it was only seven thirty. She asked if the party was over. I told her it was still going on outside but we would stay in our room.
"We're not in trouble?" she asked.
"No," I said. "We didn't do anything wrong."
She fell asleep on the bed with her light on, still holding the pink backpack's zipper pull. I sat in the chair by the window and listened to the house.
Around eight, the caterer knocked softly and said the guests were leaving. I heard car doors and thank yous on the driveway. Then quiet again.
Matteo knocked on my door just after nine. He was still in his suit, pocket square still in place, but his tie was gone. He asked if we could talk in the kitchen so we wouldn't wake Mia.
Bianca was already there, sitting at the island with a glass of water. Her makeup was still done, but her hair was a little loose. The chipped pitcher was on the counter between them, empty now, a small chip visible on its rim.
"I asked Bianca to stay until we sorted this," Matteo said to me. "I want you to hear what I decide, so it's not behind closed doors."
I sat down across from them. My hands were folded in my lap.
Matteo looked at Bianca. "I can't marry someone who uses a position over someone who depends on this house for work and housing. What you did with Elena on her knees, what you did with Mia and the pitcher, and what you said tonight in front of people — that's a pattern, not a bad day."
Bianca's hands tightened around her glass. "Matteo, we've been together two years. You're going to end it over a staffing issue?"
"It's not staffing," he said. "It's how you treated a child to make a point to her mother. And how you lied about it when the camera showed otherwise. I asked you last week to give them space and you put Mia's school things in the wrong and left a juice box to leak in her bag. Then tonight you made sure she had to walk past you with that pitcher."
"I didn't plan the spill," she said.
"I know," Matteo said. "But you planned the setup. And you smiled when she was scared."
There was a pause. The refrigerator hummed.
Bianca looked at me once, quickly, then away. "So what happens now? You want me to leave tonight?"
"I want you to leave tomorrow morning," Matteo said. "I'll have someone help move your things to your apartment in the city. The engagement is over. I'll handle telling the foundation board about the gala so it doesn't become gossip for Elena."
I felt my breath catch. I hadn't expected him to say it so plainly in front of me.
He turned to me. "Elena, your job doesn't end with the engagement. That's separate. I told you about the garage apartment. It has its own entrance, its own lock, and a lease in your name. Not tied to whether you work here. You can sign it or not. If you sign, you keep your hourly work in the house — kitchen, laundry, Mia's room — same pay, set hours, no on-call hallway work. If you don't want to work here after this, I'll give you a reference and a month's pay to find something else. Mia stays in her school either way. I'll cover the enrollment through the semester."
Bianca let out a short breath that wasn't quite a laugh. "You're giving her a lease."
"Yes," Matteo said. "So no one can use housing to pressure her again. Including me."
I nodded. My eyes were stinging but I kept my voice steady. "Can I see the apartment first?"
"Tomorrow morning, before Bianca leaves," he said. "During daylight, with Mia. No rush to decide tonight."
Bianca stood. She didn't look at me again. "I'll pack in the morning," she said to Matteo. "I'd like to not do this in front of the staff."
May you like
"Of course," he said.
She left the kitchen, her dress catching the light one last time. Matteo and I sat for a minute with the chipped pitcher between us. He didn't ask me to clean the marble yet. He just said, "Get some rest. We'll do the floors in the morning."
