Chapter 1

Matchmaker /ma-ch-may-ker/

Noun. A person that tries to bring two single people together to form a romantic relationship.

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10 Years Later…

CELINE WESTWOOD POV.

Someone once asked me if I ever felt lonely. My answer was always the same.

“Of course not.”

There was no need for me to ever feel lonely when I was always surrounded by those that loved me. For example; my family and close friends.

I know that’s not what people mean when they asked me if I felt lonely. I know that they were talking about me possibly feeling lonely because I’m currently single, but I refuse to give them more time to talk to me about my love life.

I don’t need to be loved by another man to make me feel like I’m beautiful. I don’t need another man to make me feel like I’m worth a million bucks.

My net worth is more than a million dollars.

I’m not saying that I don’t believe in love, and dislike it. In fact, I am absolutely 100% all for it. It’s just that, I don’t want to be in it. Besides, I’m not the one that needs to be in love anyways. It’s the woman that hires me to help them find it, that does.

It is how I secretly make a living after all.

I used to want that feeling of being loved by another man and loving him back more than anything, but all that feeling went away once I got burned by him.

Anger begins to slowly fill me.

I shake my head and take a deep breath to calm myself. “I’m not going to let today be spent thinking about him,” I mumbled to myself. Pushing the thought of my two-timing ex-fiancé away.

I’m doing great all by myself. I am a beautiful woman living an independent life and was a highly requested matchmaker.

Being a matchmaker, was something that not many people knew I did. It was a well-kept hidden secret, that I paid a lot of money to continue being that.

A secret.

All my clients were women, and the only time someone found out about me, was through someone who was a previous client of mine, that also happened to be a friend of theirs. I have every single one of my clients sign a contract, that has a long list of rules. One of them prohibits them from telling others what I do unless I allow the individual to. Which is something I allow after doing a thorough background check on the possible client and them having pass a small test I give them. If the possible client chooses to break it, the consequences were listed in bold black letters.

BREAKING THIS CONTRACT WILL RESULT IN YOU BEING FINED $100,000,000,000,000,000,000.

That’s over a Quadrillion dollars. No human being has that amount of money! Therefore leading to no one breaking the contract.

The names of every individual that knows my occupation is written on a list and kept in the archives. Many of them tell me that I’m almost like the matchmaker from the movie Hitch. Someone who believed in love, and helped men find it, without ever really being in it.

Although it was a great movie, that character and I aren’t the same; because in real life, I help women find love, and there was also no need for me to have a job. My father owns an extremely successful billion-dollar law firm company, therefore making me the heiress of it since I’m also his only child.

My parents always offer to pay for my living expenses, which was something I constantly turned down. Once I left my parents’ house and went off to university, I decided to stop accepting all financial help from them.

I wanted to live an independent life.

I got good grades in school and went to university on a full-ride scholarship, which led to me not needing any help with money. While going to university, I also got a part-time job at Cucina Gustosa. It’s a well-known five-star Italian restaurant, and luckily for me, I got hired as a hostess. Months later, I became a busser, then a waitress months after that and slowly over time, then got promoted to a manager, and now general manager.

After graduating from university, I started working at the restaurant full time. I got along well with everyone there, and after working here for years, they are now like family to me.

The beginning of my matchmaking career didn’t start until a year later, while I was working at Cucina Gustosa.

I was a hostess at the time and played matchmaker for two VIP customers that were regulars at Cucina Gustosa; who was also single. Danny Kirk and Jennifer Holmes were both very well-known singers. I always thought that they’d be such a cute couple, and both of them were always so nice to the staff. The both of them always came in alone and sadly had yet to come to Cucina Gustosa at the same time.

One night, I messed up their reservations on purpose when I saw that they both booked a table for the same day and at the same time. So, I made sure to have only one table at the time of their reservation.

When Jennifer Holmes came in first, and luckily for me, Danny Kirk came in soon behind her. I told them that I had accidentally messed up their reservation and only had one table left. I made a sly comment, that they could share the table. It was hard to miss the blush on Jennifer’s face at the idea that I had suggested. Danny smiled, and like the kind character he had, he didn’t mind. When Jennifer agreed, I almost squealed out loud. I’m glad that I was able to hold it in.

I watched them the whole night and even stayed back after my shift ended. Their dinner started kind of awkward, due to how shy Jennifer was, but that all changed once Danny started making her laugh. At the end of the night, both of them were seen laughing, smiling, and having a great time. They were the last to leave the restaurant, and both thanked me with wide smiles, before leaving the restaurant.

Together.

For the next two years that followed, they came in here multiple times a week, and always came in together. Two years later, Danny decided to purpose to Jennifer here at the restaurant, since this was the place their romance story started. He rented out the whole place, just so that it would be the two of them. The rest of the staff and I did everything we could to make everything run smoothly.

After an hour of saying Yes, when Danny popped the question, Jennifer went to the restroom. I had just come out, and when she saw me, she thanked me continually and told me how grateful she was for my mistake.

I admitted to her that I had done it on purpose because I knew they would be great for each other. I told her that I was very happy for her, then made a joke about being a professional matchmaker.

She looked at me surprised and hugged me tightly.

The next night I get a call from her, asking me to play matchmaker for her friend and that her friend would pay me too. I was surprised but said yes since the amount of money she said, was a lot. I had friends who were celebrities and knew who would be great for her friend, soon after meeting her. It went well, and she ended up getting married to him.

Soon after that, my phone was always ringing with calls from women, asking me to play matchmaker and that they would pay me. I knew I couldn’t keep messing up reservations up on purpose to set two individuals up all the time. I didn’t know if that would work every time, so I made sure to use what I did have.

The privilege of being an heiress.

It did have its perks, so I began to use every connection I had, to make sure that the man will fall in love with my client.

I know that sounds deceitful, but as I said, I always did a background check on my clients. If they or the man have any history of cheating, actions that cause harm to another person, or sketchy personality; I will turn down the job.  

I am always careful.

This is why I can continue doing what I do.

This is a natural-born talent, I thought to myself.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” the young heiress screamed at me through the phone. Causing me to snap out of my thoughts.

I pulled the phone away from my ear, because of how loud she was shouting.

Bethany Alderson, the young heiress to a worldwide shipping company had called me to give me the good news. Today her fiancé had asked her to marry him. Months ago, Bethany had hired me to help her make this man fall in love with her. She had heard about my matchmaking skills from a previous client of mine, that just so happen to be a good friend of Bethany’s, and immediately called me once she got back home.

“Congratulations Miss. Alderson,” I replied. Genuinely happy for her.

Bethany gave a dreamy sigh, “In seven months I’ll be Mrs. Wallace.” She then began to tell me how he asked her, and how she is planning her wedding.

“Oh! Before I forget,” she stopped, remembering something.

“Yes?” I asked.

“A friend of mine is madly in love with a man that doesn’t know she exists.” Bethany began.

This was a problem many of my previous clients always had before hiring me.

“I didn’t tell her about you,” Bethany quickly added.

“I believe you,” I said in assurance.

I really did, because Bethany knew what would happen if she broke the contract.

“I’m bringing this up because I want to tell her about you, but at the same time, I don’t. The man that she is in love with is such a bad man. I can’t say he’s a cheater, because technically he’s never been in a relationship.” Bethany began to explain, feeling conflicted.

I ask the first question I always ask, “Who is your friend?”

“Iris Delavine,” answered Bethany.

I knew Iris Delavine. Not personally, but I’ve met her multiple times since we ran in the same social circle. She was a bit ditzy sometimes, and always had her head in the clouds, but was always kind nonetheless. She was the type of person who would sacrifice her coat for you if you were out freezing in the cold.

“I know her. Now, who is the man she’s in love with?” I ask, feeling bad for the woman who is blinded by love.

Bethany began to answer in a bitter tone. “I truly don’t know what she sees in that man. Yes, he’s handsome but his character is truly quite ugly. He’s more of a hit it and quit it type of man. He’s been known to be the Devils’ son.”

Bethany made a sound of disgust.

“Devils’ son?” I spoke out loud.

Dread slowly began to fill me. Like the horror of an avalanche coming a person’s way.

I only knew of one person who was widely known to be called that.

Lucian Donatello.