All Chapters of He Faked Ruin, He Lost Me Forever: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Matteo sat with Bianca and Nico in an upscale Italian restaurant.The restaurant belonged to the Vitale family. Their private room by the window was closed to all other guests for the night, and two bodyguards stood outside the door.The sound of cello and piano drifted up from downstairs as delicate dishes were brought to the table one after another.“Wow! Matteo is so generous!”Nico leaned close to him, expecting the usual affection.“Mm.”Matteo only nodded and looked out the window.Nico glanced helplessly at Bianca. She gave a small cough, drawing Matteo back to the present.“Matteo, what’s wrong? You’ve been distracted all evening.”Dressed in white, Bianca looked at him with concern.“It’s nothing.” Matteo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Leah is making a fuss again. This time she’s run away from home.”Bianca frowned. A trace of resentment flashed through her eyes before she replaced it with a sweet smile.“Don’t worry. Her father worked for the Vitale family his whole life. S

Night scenery slipped past the car windows. Before long, the car turned into the Bellandi residence.The guards at the gate recognized the Vitale car and opened the iron gates at once. Bianca’s father had already given orders that Matteo never needed to be announced when he came here.“Matteo, come in.”Bianca took his coat naturally while Nico bounced up the stairs behind them.“Grandma and Grandpa aren’t home today, so you can keep Mom company properly!”Bianca blushed at once.“Don’t talk nonsense.”Nico stuck out his tongue at her, ran back to his room, and shut the door.“That child. He’s too sharp for his own good.”She gave Matteo a shy smile and leaned against him.“I’m going to take a shower first. Wait for me.”Bianca winked at him and headed for the bathroom.Matteo watched her retreating figure and murmured to himself, “Bianca… is the woman in front of me real?”If she was real, then who was the woman in the restaurant pinching Nico’s arm and scolding him with disgust on he

She was determined to find a job as quickly as possible and save money to send Finn to a better elementary school.Following the stream of office workers, Leah arrived outside the Hale Hotel Group building. Looking up against the light, she couldn’t help admiring it.“So this is Hale. Impressive.”The Hale family ran hotels and real estate and had its own foundation in St. Louis. Her father had once told her they didn’t rely on the Vitales to make a living.At least here, she wouldn’t have to worry that her salary and her life could be taken away by a single word from Matteo.An understated Bentley pulled up nearby.A man of striking presence stepped out. He wore a custom silver suit, and his glasses gave his handsome, chiseled features a refined air.The professional women nearby whispered among themselves.“We actually ran into Mr. Hale! What luck!”“Half the reason I joined Hale was Adrian.”“How can someone be that handsome and that rich? It isn’t fair.”The man at the center of th

“You really had Nico crash into them? That took nerve.”“Mom didn’t tell me to crash into them! I wanted to do it myself!”Nico’s cheerful voice broke in.Bianca laughed lazily.“He did a good job. He finally drove Leah away.”“Mom bought me lots of toys as a reward!” Nico said eagerly. “If that poor mother and her kid dare come back, I’ll ram them again!”“Bianca, that was a brilliant move.”“That was nothing. I originally wanted someone to get rid of them both.” Bianca gave a cold laugh. “Too bad they didn’t die.”Matteo’s hand froze on the doorknob.“Still, because of this, I realized Matteo really does only have me in his heart.”Her tone was smug.“Back then, my ex-husband made money overseas, so I found an excuse to dump Matteo. Who knew he’d die later and leave more debt than money?”“Good thing Matteo is still useful. As long as he marries me, my father can keep the port business, and I won’t have to put up with my family’s faces anymore.”“You’re lucky.”“Of course I am. He lo

A clear voice rang out.All four turned and saw Adrian standing by the door with two gift boxes in hand and a huge bouquet of roses in his arms.“Professor Harper, Mr. Daniel, I came to see you.”He stood there as comfortably as if he knew the house by heart.“Why was the door open? I rang the bell, and no one heard.”*We were busy talking about you,* Leah thought.“Come in,” her mother said with a wave and a smile. “You’re just in time to have dinner with us.”Adrian set the gifts down, walked over to Finn, and crouched in front of him.“You must be Finn. I didn’t have time to buy you a present. How about I take you shopping tomorrow?”Finn stared at him with big eyes.“Are you Adrian?”“I am.”Adrian smiled and ruffled his hair.“Are you courting my mom?”Her parents’ eyes went wide as they looked back and forth between Leah and Adrian.“How did you know?”“The way you look at Mom is different.”Finn answered with complete clarity, leaving Leah sitting there with a burning face.***