Page 5 of Ruthless Match

Smiling, I turned my attention to Mrs. DeSantis. “Teresa, would you mind giving us a moment alone? I want to speak with Aurora privately.” My voice was tight as I could barely hide the irritation and anger threatening to consume me.

Teresa hesitated for a moment as her gaze flickered between her daughter and me. Reluctantly, she nodded and excused herself from the table. As she was leaving, she kissed Aurora on the cheek and whispered something in her ear. I have no clue what it was, but I hope she told her to get it together.

As Teresa disappeared from view, my gaze turned sharply to Aurora. “What in the hell is your problem, Aurora?” My voice was demanding with a low growl, saying I would not tolerate this behavior from her or anyone. “What happened to the woman who stormed into my office with fire in her eyes and made her intentions known? You haven’t looked at me unless forced to since we sat down.”

Aurora remained silent momentarily, her eyes fixed on her hands as she contemplated what she wanted to say. I could see the rage and turmoil brewing in her eyes. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper, a far cry from the woman two weeks ago, but what she said carried the strength of her resolve.

Looking at me with no emotion, as if I were dead to her, she firmly said, “I want you to call off the wedding.” Before I could respond, she continued. “I can’t go through with this, Mr. Santoro; I can’t marry you and be a part of your cold, cruel world.”

My jaw clenched in anger at her request, my hands balling into fists at my sides. Knowing I needed to remain calm in public, I took a long sip of my drink before responding. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Aurora, you know that.”

Aurora’s eyes flashed with defiance as she met my gaze head-on. “And why not? What possible reason could there be to prevent you from calling off this sham of a marriage? If the arrangement is meant to soften your public image, I am sure plenty of qualified women would love the chance to be Mrs. Matteo Santoro, even if it is only in name.”

Her words stung. I don’t know why, but they did. I hesitated for a moment before resuming my typical solid, steely resolve. “I can’t explain the reasons to you, Aurora, nor do I need to. You wouldn’t understand; quite frankly, it isn’t your business.”

Immediately, the angry resolve I had seen in my office two weeks before was back. “How in the hell can you say it isn’t my business? You aren’t the only one involved if you didn’t notice. It takes two people to get married.”

Remaining calm, I repeated myself. “As I said, you wouldn’t understand.”

Unwilling to give in to my indifference, she leaned across the table. “Try me. Try me, Mr. Santoro. Tell me why you are insistent about continuing this ridiculous façade.”

My jaw tightened at her persistence, and my anger began to rise. In a low, menacing growl, I leaned across the table to clarify myself. “You have no idea what you are asking, Aurora. You don’t understand the implications of what you’re asking or what’s at stake.”

It was clear she had no intentions of backing down as she met my gaze with unwavering resolve. “To be honest, I don’t give a damn about your secrets, Mr. Santoro, and I don’t care about your reasons; all I care about is my future, and I will be damned if I let you ruin it.”

With that, Aurora stood from the table, her disappointment in my answer visible, and turned to leave. But before she could escape, a surge of anger surged from deep inside her. Fueled by what she considered unfair, she leaned down low and looked me in the eyes.

Bitterly, she whispered through gritted teeth, “Just so you know, Mr. Santoro, two can play this game. I don’t plan to be faithful either.”

With her parting shot taken, Aurora stormed out of the bakery, not bothering to wait for her mother’s return.

As I watched Aurora leave, I remained seated, my mind racing with thoughts of the woman, my future bride, who just walked out on me. Who the hell does she think she is? Nobody walks out on Mateo Santoro.

My thoughts spiraled as I tried to make sense of it all. How did this happen? How did she go from fiery defiance to icy indifference so quickly? I wasn’t sure, but that wasn’t what was bothering me. I was suddenly aware that, for some reason, I could not let Aurora go. Not now, not ever.

Slapping a $100 bill on the table to make up for our hasty departure, I quickly pushed my chair back, scraping it against the floor, and rose to my feet. Throughout, my eyes never left the doorway through which Aurora disappeared. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that was gnawing at my insides. It was a sense of uncertainty that I was not accustomed to, a sense of uncertainty that foreshadowed dangers I could not imagine.

As I left, my mind swirled with thoughts of Aurora. Somehow, I had to reel her in and make her understand that there were consequences to defying Matteo Santoro. Consequences I’d rather not inflict.

I had walked to the hotel without realizing it. As I reached the elaborate foyer, I saw Teresa, Aurora’s mother, standing near the front desk. Her expression was anxious as she bit her lip and scanned the throngs of guests.

Without realizing what I was doing, I walked across the hotel to her, my steps purposeful toward my future mother-in-law.

“Hello again, Teresa,” my voice was calm yet urgent. “Have you seen Aurora? She left the bakery hurriedly, and I needed to speak with her.”

Teresa’s eyes widened in surprise and confusion at seeing me in the hotel. Her chestnut brows furrowed as she realized the seriousness of my tone. “She left just a moment ago, Mr. Santoro.” Worried, she gently placed her hand on my arm. “Is everything alright between the two of you?”

I shook my head as I fought to contain my frustration. “No, but it will be soon, I’m sure. Right now, Aurora is being unreasonable and refusing to see reason. She doesn’t understand that there are consequences to the actions we take in life.”

Teresa’s eyes softened with sympathy as she seemed to comprehend my words. “Mr. Santoro, I know all too well how headstrong my daughter can be, especially when she believes she has been wronged. If I know my daughter, she is trying to do what she feels is best for her. She may come across as defiant, but in reality, she’s scared; scared of what an unknown future might hold.”

My anger subsided at Teresa’s words. Scared? I hadn’t thought of that. Could that be the reason Aurora is fighting me every step of the way? Sighing, I looked at Mrs. DeSantis. “I know she’s scared, and I can’t blame her, but she can’t let fear run her life. She has to be strong. I can’t have her throwing temper tantrums and storming off whenever we disagree.”

With unshed tears in her eyes, Teresa nodded in understanding. “I’ll talk to her, Matteo. I’ll make her understand, I promise.”

“Thank you, Teresa. Your support is greatly appreciated.” I politely kissed her cheek and made my way out of the hotel, but my thoughts never strayed from Aurora. Teresa had to make her see reason. The stakes were too high.

CHAPTER 4

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