Chapter two

ELENA’S POV

My bad fever finally broke after three long days in bed. My body still felt weak and tired from getting soaked in the cold rain. Even so, my mind was wide awake. I pulled out my notebook, pulled out my calculator, and began to jot down numbers. I wanted to find out exactly what the Romano family spent on me in the last ten years.I pushed the calculator keys. “Let’s see,” I whispered to myself. “Four years of private high school tuition, three years of university tuition, art supplies and my camera gear.”

I added up the share of groceries, utility bills and everyday living expenses since my mother married Uncle Marco 10 years ago. I pressed the equals button and the last number stared back at me from the small screen.

Three million bucks.

A weight fell upon my chest and a sense of foreboding came over me. I hurriedly reckoned up my own assets. My small life insurance inheritance from my late dad, proceeds from selling our old family home, and my own savings from side jobs. It was two million dollars. I still came up a million dollars short.

I thought, clutching my pen in a death grip, I can't go to Florence until I pay back every single cent. I won’t let Matteo keep thinking we’re bad people who stole his family’s money.

There was a gentle knock on my door. My mother came in the room carrying a steaming mug of tea.“How are you feeling today, sweetie?” asked my mother, placing the warm cup on my desk. “Your forehead is much better than yesterday.”

“Much better, Mom.Thanks for the tea,” I said, quickly flipping my notebook over so she wouldn’t see the math. 'Can I ask you something about uncle Marco?

She sat on the edge of my bed and smiled sweetly. “Sure, hon.” 

“What do you want to know?Had he already divorced his first wife when you and he first met..."I asked quietly. "What about his first marriage, how did that end?"

"Oh, Marco was divorced two full years before he and I ever met," my mother responded, calm and clear. "His first marriage fell apart because they just grew apart. His divorce was perfectly legal and done long before we went on our first date. Why are you interested in this at this time?”

'I just wanted to be sure of the way things went,' I said, looking at my hands.

"You know I never cared about the Romano family bank account," she said, reaching over to squeeze my fingers. “I married Marco because he is a good man who loves the both of us. In our marriage, it was always about love and not money.”

“I know, Mom,” I said, "That makes me really happy to hear."

That she said what was true only made me more determined. Matteo’s whole clandestine vendetta hinged on a falsehood. He thought my mother was greedy, that she’d taken his mother’s place for money. The fact that my mother’s marriage was perfectly legal made me all the more determined to earn that missing million dollars. I'd pay off the debt. I'd go to Florence and never look back.

I was a photography major so I immediately started taking every paid photo shoot I could find. I spent the next week working from dawn till dusk. I shot loud outdoor weddings, long graduation ceremonies at colleges, dull family reunions. I felt the burning pain of standing all day in my feet, the heavy camera straps bruising my shoulders, but pushed myself through the physical toll without complaint.

By Friday evening I counted the money I had made and sat on my bed. I'd only done a fraction of what I needed. I was about to cry, overwhelmed, when my phone buzzed in my hand.

“That Elena?” a woman asked when I answered the phone.”Yes, this is Elena speaking," I said, sitting up straight.“I’m a high society event coordinator,” the woman said quickly. “We have a massive birthday gala downtown tonight and our lead photographer had a medical emergency. We need someone right now. We will pay you two hundred thousand dollars for the night, but this payment is totally contingent on the birthday girl being perfectly happy with your pictures. Do you want the job?"

"Two hundred thousand dollars?" I cried out loud, my hand shaking at my ear. “Yeah! Sure. I’ll accept the job today. Please text me the address.”

An hour later I pulled up to a grand ballroom in the city. I carried two heavy bags of gear, my main camera slung around my neck, and walked through the shining glass doors. The room was filled with flowers, expensive lights and hundreds of rich guests.

“Elena? What the hell are you doing in here?" a deep familiar voice called out.

I stopped and turned back. Matteo stood a few feet away, sharp and handsome in a tailored black tuxedo. Right next to him stood Valentina. She had a bright gold ball gown and a sparkling crystal tiara on her blonde hair. My stomach churned. It was her birthday.

Matteo’s dark eyes saw my pale face and the heavy bags in my hands. He looked rather unhappy to see me doing such an exhausting job.

"Why are you working here?" Matteo demanded, moving closer with a hard frown. “You just had a bad fever. Why do you have to work a party like this? You should be in bed at home.”

Before I could say a word, Valentina smoothly interrupted, wrapping her arms around Matteo's elbow.

“Matteo, don't be so grumpy tonight! Valentina laughed and smiled at him sweetly. I hired her! She's got a really distinctive style. I wanted the best photographer in the city for my special birthday party, and Elena needs the practice for her university classes.”

”Dozens of other professional photographers in the city, Valentina.” Matteo’s voice was taut. “She’s obviously tired. She won't have to carry this heavy gear around all night long.”

"I'm fine, Matteo, it's nothing,” I said, flattening the professional tone in my voice. “I got this job because I want the money. Valentina, tell me where you want me to start shooting."

Valentina grinned and clapped her hands together. Great! Elena, I’m going to be watching your work tonight. “I want to make sure every single picture is really perfect.”

The rest of the evening Valentina kept me on the hop. She never allowed me to stop moving for one single second.Elena! “Come here, take a picture of me with these guests from the left!” Valentina shouting over the loud music.

I hurried over and pressed the button.No, hold on! The lighting is bad from that angle. "Take it again from the right side right now!" She waved her hand at me.

I swallowed my frustration and moved quickly, not minding the sharp aches in my legs and back.“I need wide aerial photos of the whole ballroom now!” shouted Valentina, pointing up at the ceiling. "Go onto the third floor balcony and shoot from above! Quick, before the speeches begin!”

As I walked over to the lift a building security guard told me that the elevators were currently shut down for the kitchen staff.

I gritted my teeth and grabbed my heavy bags of extra lenses, flashes and tripods. I made myself go up three long flights of stairs. My chest was heaving for air and my arms were shaking from the effort when I reached the top balcony.

From that high seat I looked down on the bright stage beneath. Matteo stepped up to the microphone, holding a dark velvet box. When he spoke the whole ballroom hushed.

"Thank you everyone for coming tonight to celebrate Valentina", said Matteo in the microphone. He opened the velvet box and lifted out an exquisite, heavy necklace of diamonds.

I caught my breath. I knew it straightaway. It was the Romano family heirloom necklace, jewelry meant only for the woman of the house.

Valentina turned as Matteo came up behind her and clipped the heirloom necklace around her neck. The clasp clicked shut and Valentina turned and flung herself into his arms. The big crowd below burst out in loud cheers and clapping.

The rest of the night, Valentina arranged one intimate moment after another between the two of them. She knew I watched her from above. She gave him sweet cake, laid her head on his broad chest and whispered playfully into his ear, making sure it was all meant deliberately for me to see and then be able to capture through my camera.

I was completely numb inside. My heart no longer ached, just felt cold and dead. I steadied my hands and shot again, only thinking about the money that would buy me out of his life.

Down on the dance floor, Valentina turned back to face Matteo. She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her hands around the lapels of his tux and pressed her lips to his.

Matteo was frozen in my camera’s view. For an instant his face showed a visible shock. But then his eyes went shut. 

He didn't pull away from her. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her closer, and deepened the kiss himself, a reaction I caught in sharp and unmistakable focus through my lens.