The Devoted Gentleman (EDITING)

Chapter 40

Weeks had passed by since the whole madness and the situation was getting much calmer. There was not anything major going on in his life, Matteo had almost returned to his ordinary life before his mother's passing and all discovery he had made, but he was not exactly at peace, because there were still some wounds that needed to be mended. Matteo tried to find the contact numbers of his brothers and he managed to find them. Last night he had given both of them a call and discussed if they could meet soon somewhere. It was definitely not an easy thing because the first time he tried it one of them hung up on him and the other was upset, yelling at him about his nerve to still contact them, but Matteo was no quitter. He never liked leaving things on a bitter note with people, if he was going to leave the family alone, at least he needed to have one last talk with them. He hated the idea of never resolving the issues he had with people.

After his endless attempt of reaching them, somehow he had managed to come into a deal with the two of them. They had decided to gather in a local coffee shop and discussed everything as well as resolving the issues between them once and for all, Matteo was not sure if they would end up well or if things took a turn for the worst but whatever the outcome was, he had made the effort to try and fix things.

He had arrived earlier than the two of them because he would have a better ground to start out with if he came much earlier than both of them. It was 8 A.M and the shop had only opened fifteen minutes earlier, so it was still quiet and there were not as many people inside the place which made him able to relax better. Soft jazz music was played in the background, it seemed to be an original composition that was mixed slightly with classical music. He really enjoyed the atmosphere the place offered as he took a sip of his coffee. Checking his phone once more, he found that the two of them were about to arrive.

The only reason why Matteo had specifically wanted to meet them so early in the morning was to start everything with a neutral emotion. Had he asked to meet in the afternoon or the evening, there would already be things that happened during the day which might alter their emotions. Though some people find it better to discuss such things in the evening, for him, talking things out in the morning would be a much better options.

Soon enough the two of them arrived at nearly the same time. Both were wearing similar outfits in similar style. The only difference was Alessio covered himself in brown while Valentino settled for a matching gray look.

They took a seat across Matteo, despite the two of them not exactly liking each other either, at the end all three men in the table were Saverino, they were all Gianluca's son and they needed to settle whatever issues they had as brothers. The waiter approached them and asked the newly arrived brothers for their order. Both settled for Cappuccino since it was still quite early and they had yet to have their morning coffee yet.

"First of all, I would like to thank the two of you for coming here to meet me. I know it was not easy getting you two together and you must be busy with everything that's going on with your life. I appreciate it" he started.

"Quit beating around the bush, just tell us exactly what do you want?"

"I know you are upset with me and it is rightly so. My presence has brought distraught to your family but truly it was not my intention. I received a letter from my late mother about my father. My entire life I have never known him and I have always dreamt of one day meeting him. It was not easy for me either, I just never thought that my desire to meet my biological father could lead to such catastrophe. I hope you two would forgive me. It was not my intention to hurt your mother or both of you. I would like to apologize for everything" he knew being stubborn and heated would not lead them anywhere, so he would rather take the blame like an adult.

"Whether you like it or not, we are still brother by blood and I don't want us to fight each other. We are all adults now, we are no longer children, it's going to be much harder for the two of you to accept my existence and I would never blame you for it. I just want you to know my true intention. I am not aiming for your family's fortune or anything of the sort. I am not that low and desperate. I might have come from a humble background in Sicily and I know you may have a different perspective of us southerners but I know what it's like to build something from the ground up. I know the struggles. I would not dare to even dream suddenly coming into your lives and taking everything that rightfully belonged to you" his words were sincere and honest, the brothers were not people who would easily be persuaded but even they had to admit what he was saying was entirely correct.

"Then why did you call us out here? What's your intention?"

"I just want to clear things out between us. Your mother already hates me, clearly and I don't want you two to have the same kind of perspective toward me. Again, it is merely a humble request. Whether or not you would have any further issues with me fully depend on yourself. Just know that I have played my part"

Alessio and Valentino had no idea how they were supposed to response to that since on one side they agreed they could not forgive him just yet for even existing but both of them were not that cruel at heart either. They might have been passionate and they certainly ahd their moment of disagreement, but they also believed he was innocent. No one asked to be born in his circumstance and no one could choose where and to whom they were born to. It was merely unfair to put all prejudice on Matteo. So far he had been nothing but polite and respectful, if the two of them lost their tempers over his calm behavior, people could easily see who lacked class among the three.

"We know that. Still, we could not allow you in as part of our family. We love our mother too much we don't want her to be hurt by your presence. Also please don't ask us to meet you again, we will not accept your invitation. Don't bother with our family again. We don't care if our father still sees you. You are his son and he gets to make his own decision. We might be your half-brothers, but technically we are strangers" Valentino replied.

"Thank you. That is all the assurance I need" Matteo replied. Although Allegra had suggested him to take his place in the family, he was not going to do such things, he loved his family so much to wish them peace, even if that peace means he had to sacrifice his own place.

Their talk only lasted for less than an hour but at least by the end of it, everyone had come to a mutual agreement. Alessio was the first to leave because he found no more point in being there. Valentino was also about to leave when Matteo suddenly spoke again.

"Your fiancée, her name is Valeria, isn't it? Right now I am dating her best friend. Allegra. Perhaps we will meet again in the future by coincidence" Valentino turned her attention at the mention of her name. It was a small world, indeed. He did not react much to it but the idea did bothered him a bit. He gave Matteo a polite nod before leaving the place.

Matteo sighed in relief. He was a bit nervous about meeting them but it seemed things went a bit better than what he had expected. He stood up to pay for the coffee and left to head back home and worked on his side business which had started to thrive in the recent months.

Meanwhile in the car Valentino was bothered by the link between Allegra and Matteo, because if they do end up being together in the end then it would mean Valentino would definitely encounter him again in the future. The thought alone disturbed him. Yet there was nothing he could do about it because at last there was peace. He did not want to stir up another conflict for the sake of his own pride.

He just hoped things were calm until his marriage with Valeria was held.