Seduced by the Italian Billionaire (8 page)

            "I'm going to call her right now. Enough of  her meddling in my life. Enough of her trying to hurt the woman I love. This all ends today. I'm going to invite her over and give her a piece of my mind. And she isn't going to like what I have to say."

Chapter9

While we waited for Elza to arrive, Benito told me a little more about his history with his mother.

            "She's always had a tendency to meddle, from my boyhood friendships and crushes to my business dealings, personal life, and romances as an adult. To the point that a not-small number of people have felt the need to point this out to me over the years. But up until now, I've just seen it as a sign of overzealous affection. I thought it was just a way for her to show she cared. But after this  --  after this crazy payoff scheme and after hearing about some of the things she said to you today --  now I'm convinced that she has some kind of darkness in her heart. It seems clear that she just wants to control me, for her own selfish reasons. And believe me, had I thought this earlier, had I known she would behave in this reprehensible way, I never in a million years would have introduced you to her. I would have never put you in a position where you might be exposed to her rudeness and abuse. I'm so sorry for how she's treated you and upset you."

            "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's not your fault."

            "I still can't help but feel terrible. Especially after the warmth she displayed to you last night, which probably made the events of today that much more confusing and upsetting." Benito paused and took a sip of water from a glass on the mahogany coffee table. "When we arrived home from our summer traveling, I went and saw my mother and told her how deeply in love with you I'd fallen. Somewhat to my surprise, she seemed supportive, and asked that I bring you over for dinner. Last night, I thought she'd given everything some thought, and had decided to give up her silly dream of me settling down with an Italian girl. I thought she'd decided to share in our happiness. I never thought her capable of being such a complete and total phony."

            He ran his hands over his face, sighing, got up, and went to stand on front of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city. Rain lashed the glass while lightning lit the darkened clouds.

            I sat curled on the couch, wrapped in a light blanket, planning what I wanted to say to Elza. I wanted to tell her that I hadn't decided to take her bribe after she'd left my apartment, and why, which was of course because I loved Benito far too much to lose him just for money, no matter the amount, and I wanted to see her face while I said it. But even more than that, I wanted to tell her who I was as a person. For some reason, it was starting to seem important to me that she know about some of the struggles I'd faced in my life and how I'd overcome them. I wanted her to understand a little about what had made me strong enough to reject her payoff. I wanted her to know what kind of a person she had rejected as a possible daughter-in-law. It was important to me, too, that she understand that nothing she had said or done earlier that day had in any way changed my feelings for Benito or affected our love for each other.

            After a short while looking into the storm, Benito turned to face me, his expression pained. "I'm sorry it turned out that you did have a reason to be nervous this morning. Maybe a woman's intuition is a force more powerful than I ever thought. But I meant what I said to you -- whatever adversity or unpleasantness you experience in life from here on out --
I'm here to help you through it, and we'll get through it together. And I promise you that on my life. From here on out, we'll face whatever life throws at us together."

            I got up from the couch, went over to where he stood, and wrapped my arms around him, burying my head in his chest. "I know. And with you by my side, I feel like I can get through anything."

            Elza finally arrived about an hour later, a rain-splattered scarf covering her hair. She chattered about the weather and the traffic while Benito led her through the foyer, down the short hall, and into the living room.

            But she stopped and froze like a statue when she saw me sitting on the couch. Her eyes narrowed.

            "You."

            "Oh, hi, Elza. Oh, I'm sorry.
Mrs. Fabriccio
."

            "Did I – ’’

            "Try to pay me off? Yeah, but it didn't work. Even after you left, the only realization I came to was that I would definitely not be accepting your bribe, and that you were crazy to ever think I would. See, I love your son, and he loves me, and there's no amount of money in the world that could ever make me give him up."

            She glared at me. "I see. You think you're above money. You think you're better than everyone else."

            I stood up from the couch, trying to control my anger, a slight tremor coursing through my hands. "I wouldn't say having the morals to refuse a bribe is exactly the same thing as thinking I'm better than everyone else. And actually, just based on the way you seemed to enjoy treating me like absolute dirt earlier today, it's
you
who thinks she's better than everyone else. Even the way you wrinkled your nose up at my tiny little living room today, you acted as if you're miles above me. But do you even know me? I don't think you do, so let me tell you a few things."

            Rain pelted the floor-to-ceiling windows behind me, the violence of the storm seemingly reflected in Elza's
glittering eyes. But refusing to break eye contact with her, I took a deep breath.

            "I was born in a public housing project in Detroit. And I do mean literally born
in
the project. My mother didn't have health insurance, and she was terrified to go to the hospital without it. She only had an eighth-grade education and couldn't afford a three dollar hospital bill, let alone a three thousand dollar one for a birth. I never knew my father. He was shot dead by a gang banger the night I was born. I fought my way through elementary school, junior high, and high school. Fought to get good grades, fought to get clean clothes to wear every day, fought to get enough to eat in order to have enough energy to do my homework. I won an academic scholarship to Monroe College in the Bronx. I worked full-time at a sandwich shop while earning my degree, so I could send money back home to my mom and baby sister in Detroit. I became a teacher. And it's not glamorous, and most days it's not very exciting. But it's who I am. And all that I just said,
that's
who I am, too. All the struggles and adversity I've faced have made me into the strong, independent woman I am today. They've made me into the type of woman who cannot be paid off. And they've made me into the woman that your son loves and wants to spend his life with." I paused, looking directly into Elza's narrowed dark eyes. "Whether you like it or not."

            She scoffed. "Well, a round of applause for you. You were born in the gutter and worked your way out to live in another gutter in the Bronx. Good for you. But I am not impressed. The only thing you've proven to me with your little speech is that you're a girl far too common for my son. Far too common, and
not
Italian. You're not even in the same league as the type of woman I'd like my son to settle down with."

            "You're right, Mother. She's miles
above
the league of any girl you'd want me to settle down with.
Miles
."

            Benito, who had been standing silently, somewhat in the shadows of the hallway, stepped out and faced Elza. "Most of the women you'd like to see me settle down with wouldn't even be fit to speak to Felicia. They wouldn't be worthy of her grace and courage."

            Elza looked at him, eyes wide and face paling, as if she'd completely forgotten he was even in the apartment. "My son -- you must understand. With the check, I was only trying to protect you."

            "From what? True love? The most beautiful woman, inside and out, I've ever met? I tried to share my happiness and joy with you, but with the disrespect and cruelty you showed Felicia today, you threw that happiness and joy right back in my face."

            "But I did it because I only want what's best for you! Don't you understand? I did it for you, for your future. I know you'd be much, much happier in the long-term with a different woman. An Italian woman."

            Benito clenched and unclenched his jaw a few times. "This fantasy you've been trying to force on me for years is starting to strike me as some sort of unhealthy obsession."

            "Well, if it is, it's only because I want you to be happy!"

            "If you truly wanted me to be happy, you would've never pulled this stunt on Felicia.
She
is my happiness. And it seems to me that any half-decent mother would be able to realize and respect that. And hey, maybe even share in our joy a little. Maybe even be happy
for
us. But no. Not you. You couldn't find it in your heart."

            "My son, just listen to me. I --"

            "No. My days of listening to you where it concerns my love life are over. I'm a grown man, and I know my own mind. You won't be meddling in my love life ever again."

            "Well -- well, just know that I will never speak to you again if you ever decide to marry her! And I swear that on our family name!"

            Benito folded his arms across his broad chest, his brown eyes glinting. "That's your decision."

            "You will be dead to me! I will never speak you name out loud ever again!"

            "Again, your choice."

            Elza, seemingly out of ammo, took a few deep breaths. "I know you will not choose her over me. I know this because
real
Italian men always choose their mother."

            "Well, you're not a real mother if you expect me to choose between the love of my life and you."

            Anger twisted Elza's features into a sneer.

            "You will regret this! You will regret the day you spoke to me like this!"

            "Get out, Mother. You're not welcome in my home anymore. And you're not invited to the upcoming wedding, either."

            I looked at Benito. "What wedding?"

            To my complete astonishment, he got down on one knee and took my hands.

            "Felicia, will you be my bride? Will you marry me?"

            I nodded, my eyes instantly filling with tears. "Yes. Yes. Oh my gosh...yes!"

           
Benito stood, picked me up, and spun me around while kissing me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Elza leave the apartment and close the door, huffing and puffing. I buried my face in Benito's shoulder, laughing, waves of joy crashing over me.

The End

Note from author:

Hi, really hope you enjoyed this story. I initially wrote the “Italian Billionaire” to be a one-off stand alone story but I would love to write a follow up to it also and see if they manage to make it to the wedding or not!

So, if you would like me to write a follow up to this then please mention this when giving your review of the story.

Write Your Review HERE!

By the way, those who give
5 star reviews
will be thanked by name in the follow up!!