Matteo Found His Daughter's Mother Bruised and Hidden in His Own Kitchen — Part 2

Previously: When Matteo walked into his high-end restaurant's kitchen, he expected to find his fiancee Victoria. Instead, he found the mother of his child, bruised, weeping, and hidden away.

The Web of Lies Unravels

The silence in the kitchen was suffocating. Victoria’s glamorous smile faltered under Matteo’s intense, furious gaze. For months, Matteo had been led to believe that Elena had abandoned their newborn daughter, Lily, to pursue a life of luxury abroad. Victoria had been there to comfort him, gradually sliding into the role of mother to Lily and fiancée to Matteo. But the truth was standing right in front of him, covered in grease and tears.

"Matteo, darling, don't listen to her," Victoria stammered, stepping forward, the silver sequins of her dress catching the cold light. "She’s unstable. She came begging for a job, and I was just trying to be charitable. I didn't want to ruin our engagement party by telling you she was back."

"Charitable?" Matteo growled, his voice dangerously low. "With a bruise on her face, Victoria? In my own restaurant's basement?"

Elena shook her head, clutching Matteo’s sleeve. "She’s lying, Matteo," she sobbed. "Three years ago, when Lily was just a baby, Victoria paid off my landlord and intercepted my mail. She threatened to use her family’s political influence to have me declared unfit and arrested on false charges. She told me if I stayed in the city, she would make sure I never saw Lily again. But she didn't just want me gone—she wanted to keep me close where she could control me. She forced me to work here under a fake name, taking my wages to pay off a 'debt' she claimed I owed her."

Matteo felt a cold sickness wash over him. The woman he was about to marry was a monster. He looked at Victoria, whose mask of innocence was rapidly slipping, replaced by a cold, calculating sneer.

"And what are you going to do, Matteo?" Victoria spat, her voice dropping all pretense of sweetness. "Call the police? It's your restaurant. Your name is on the deed. If she’s working here illegally, you’re the one who goes down."