CHAPTER 150: CHAPTER-150. (WE NEED TO TALK).

Watching them together. Emma’s laughter, Sophie’s calm, Edward’s steady presence...it all looked like a picture of the life I could never have.

A crazy thought formed before I could stop it.

Maybe Matteo’s deal could change that. Maybe if... I could not complete the thought because it felt too unreal, yet it made total sense.

Without thinking further, I grabbed my phone and typed a message.

We need to talk. At my place.

For a moment, I hesitated. Should I really do this? But before I could have second thoughts, my thumb had already hit "send."

Minutes later, my phone buzzed.

Matteo was calling.

I took a deep breath before answering.

"Were you serious?" His voice was low, calm, but there was something sharp beneath it.

"Yes," I whispered, my eyes drifting to where Sophie and Edward were showing Emma her closet. "I’m serious. I want to discuss something."

There was a pause on his end. I could almost hear the faint sound of him exhaling smoke.

"Fine, I will message you when I am free," he said finally.

And then the line went dead.

I lowered the phone slowly, staring at the family scene in front of me...Sophie was kneeling to fix Emma’s dress, Edward teasing her gently, Emma laughing so hard her cheeks turned pink.

They looked perfect. Complete.

And I stood there, right at the edge of it all, smiling faintly while something in me quietly crumbled.

Because no matter how beautiful that moment was, deep down I knew the truth.

I wasn’t part of it.

Not really.

***

"Is this what you want?" Matteo stared at me with those piercing eyes of his, maybe measuring my words.

I nodded as I answered, "It is what I can agree on."

I stared back at him with the same intensity mixed with worry.

His eyes were cold and deliberate, scanning me as if every flicker of my expression was a move in some silent chess game only he understood.

"It will come under your conditions. That way, it remains within your control... and I will feel a little safer too." I said, finally, my voice steadier than I felt.

Matteo leaned back in the chair, tapping his fingers against the desk in an unhurried rhythm.

The sound was soft, but in that silence, it felt loud enough to echo. His gaze did not waver, just lingered on me...assessing, dissecting, perhaps even trying to figure out what I was not saying aloud.

A few seconds passed before he spoke again, "And Edward?"

His tone was quiet, but there was an edge to it. "Do you think he’ll accept this arrangement? Did you talk to him?"

I froze for a heartbeat.

My throat felt dry, but I quickly masked it.

Matteo noticed everything, even the tiniest twitch could give me away. I forced a calm expression, lowering my gaze briefly to the polished wooden desk between us.

"No. Not yet," I admitted softly.

He raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "You invited me here to discuss a deal that involves him, and his fiancée... without mentioning it to him?"

I inhaled slowly, gathering my thoughts.

"I wanted to discuss it with you first. If you did not agree, there was no point in telling him anything. I did not want to stir confusion for no reason." I explained.

For a long moment, Matteo did not respond. His jaw tightened slightly, the only visible sign that he was thinking. Then, just as abruptly, his expression relaxed again.

"I see...You wanted to make sure the foundation was stable before you brought in the walls. Fair," he said finally, almost under his breath.

A faint smirk touched his lips. It was not mocking, not kind either. Somewhere in between.

I nodded. "Exactly."

He sat up straighter, brushing invisible dust off his cuff. "Alright, let’s hear it, then. Call them in. I want to see how they react." He said, finally.

I blinked. "Now?"

"Yes, now." His tone left no room for debate.

"Okay," I murmured, pushing my chair back. The air between us felt heavier somehow, a mix of authority and tension.

Matteo had a way of making even silence sound like an order.

I stood, smoothing down my blouse, and walked toward the door. My heartbeat was louder than my footsteps.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I called out, "Linda!"

Her voice came faintly from the kitchen, "What?"

I followed the sound and found her standing near the counter, an oven glove on one hand and a spoon in the other, her silver hair tied up in a neat bun.

The smell of roasted garlic and herbs filled the air, warm and familiar.

She squinted at me. "Don’t just yell like that, girl. You will make me drop the pan. Do you want dinner or not?"

I couldn’t help a tiny laugh, "Sorry, Linda, but I needed to ask something important."

"Important? More important than making sure you do not starve tonight?" She raised an eyebrow, mock-serious.

I crossed my arms, "Barely. Have you seen Sophie and Edward anywhere?"

She glanced at me over her glasses. "Sophie’s right here, making sure I do not burn down your fancy kitchen. And Edward’s in the garden playing with the little one. The two of them are throwing leaves at each other like they have never seen autumn before."

That made me smile despite myself. "Could you call them, please? Tell them to come to the study."

Linda wiped her hands on a towel. "What’s this about?"

"You will know if you stay near the door long enough," I teased.

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, don’t tempt me. You forget I raised two sons; I can smell drama before it starts."

"Then maybe close the kitchen door. You will be safer that way." I said dryly.

She chuckled that throaty, amused laugh that somehow made everything less heavy. "You are getting sassier every day, Elena. I blame that man of yours."

"He’s not my ma..." I started, then stopped myself. "Never mind. Just call them, please."

"Fine, fine, but don’t come crying to me later if it turns into a soap opera," she muttered, waving her spoon like a sword.

Her tone made me laugh again...a sound I did not realize I had missed.

As I turned to leave, I caught her muttering something under her breath about "rich people and their dramatic timing."

It made me grin, even though my stomach was already twisting with nervousness.

The truth was, Linda had been a blessing.

When I first realized I needed staff, people I could actually trust, she was the first person who came to mind.

I still had her number from the time I had lived at Davis’s apartment. Back then, she had worked there part-time, keeping the place running smoothly when everything else in my life was chaos.

When I called her, she was shocked to hear from me.

Her voice had cracked a little when she told me that Davis had sold the apartment and laid her off, though he had given her a large settlement.

"But money doesn’t cook meals," she had said wryly, "and it surely does not keep me busy."

That’s when I offered her the job, to come work here, full-time, with her husband if she wanted.

She hesitated at first, then laughed softly, saying, "You sure you want an old lady bossing you around in a mansion?"

I told her that’s exactly why I wanted her.

And true to form, she joined the very next day, moving in with her husband, who spent his time happily tending to the garden.

She had also helped hire part-time staff for cleaning, maintenance, and groceries, saving me from countless headaches.

Now, the mansion didn’t feel empty anymore.

Linda’s sarcastic comments filled the air just enough to make it feel alive again.

I waited near the study door as her voice called out down the hallway.

"Sophie! Edward! Elena wants you both in the study!"

There was a bit of shuffling, a faint sound of Emma giggling, and then a man’s voice...Edward’s voice said something about finishing their game later.

A few minutes later, Sophie appeared first, wiping her hands on a dish towel, her brow slightly furrowed.

Edward followed soon after, his sleeves rolled up and a faint trace of grass on his jeans. They exchanged a glance before turning to me.

"What’s going on?" Sophie asked, curiosity laced with concern.

I gestured toward the door. "Come inside. There’s something important we need to discuss."

They both hesitated but eventually followed me into the study. The heavy door closed behind them with a soft click.

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately.

Matteo was sitting on the edge of the desk, his arms folded loosely, eyes sharp as ever. His presence filled the space in a way that made it impossible to ignore him...calm, controlled, but unmistakably dominant.

Sophie stiffened slightly at the sight of him, while Edward’s expression turned cautious.

I took a deep breath, my fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the hem of my sleeve.

"I know this is sudden, but there’s something we all need to talk about," I began, forcing my tone to stay even.

Neither of them said anything.

Sophie’s gaze flicked between me and Matteo, confusion slowly creeping into her eyes.

Edward’s jaw tightened ever so slightly, which was a quiet signal that he was bracing himself for whatever was coming next.

I glanced at Matteo. He was still watching me, waiting.