The Sweetest Temptation
Chapter 301: See you again

"Yes, my sweetest, I’m right here." He replied softly, bringing her palm to his face, a silent reassurance to the realness of the moment.

"It probably happened the moment you came into my life as my personal assistant. I wasted a great deal of time, pretending that these feelings never existed, when in actuality, they kept growing. And now, I can never go back to being me without you by my side, Stella Rossi."

Matteo... loves me... The thought rang untrue in her mind, but here he was, in the flesh, proclaiming his love... and it had been present from the very first day. All those gestures, all those touches, all those reactions that he had, all proof of something that existed right from the beginning.

Tears blurred her vision, a soft whimper escaping her lips. Emotions rendered her unable to utter another word, and to her utter surprise, he filled the silence with even more words affirming her thoughts.

"My love," he whispered, brushing away the tears in her eyes with his thumbs. "I’ve hurt you so much, I don’t know what I could ever do to rid you of all the pain I’ve caused. I don’t know what I could ever do to make you see that I’ve actually loved you this long. For months I kept you in the dark, unsure of what you felt, I watched you get hurt over and over again on my behalf, even if I killed myself, I don’t know if it would be enough to—"

With sudden vigor in her being, she braced her hand behind his head and pulled his face towards hers, taking his lips and drinking in the rest of his words, seeking nourishment from the depth of his emotions.

He snaked his arms under her shoulders, pressing his body against hers and delving his tongue into her mouth, pouring endless lengths of his love into her being and revitalizing her state of being. The moment he released her, she let out a moan followed with a whimper.

"Oh, Matteo, is this real? Is this a dream? If it is—"

"Not a dream, my love. Not anymore. I’m here in the flesh, I love you, I could say it a thousand times just so you know it’s real."

"I would like that very much," she replied giddily, reaffirming her need with another kiss, which he returned with equal fervor. Not having enough of her body molded against his, he shifted his hand to her back. But the moment he did, she let out a sharp cry, registering the pain in her side once again. Startled, Matteo yanked out his arm, cupping her face and pressing feverish kisses on her face.

"Oh, love, I’m so sorry, I got carried away."

"It’s alright," she replied with a pained chuckle, sinking back into the comfort of the bed. Matteo pulled his chair forward and resumed his initial position beside her, caressing her face with one hand while the other soothed the tender skin of her hand.

"Well, this is shocking." A voice rang out from the corner of the room, startling them both. Stella turned to see two men crouched on the ground beside an arm chair, and the familiar figure of a woman sleeping peacefully on it. Her eyes widened as she recognized the petite figure of the woman.

"Is that—" she stated almost yelling, but once again, the pain in her side limited her reaction. She laid back defeatedly, but she had managed to rouse her awake.

"Mm, is Stella awake?" Beatrix muttered, half-awake.

"Beatrix!" Stella called out in a hushed voice. Beatrix shifted her gaze to where she was.

"Stella!" She cried out suddenly, leaping from her seat and rushing over to her side. Damien and Rhys pushed to their feet and followed instinctively.

"Oh, Beatrix, what are you doing here?" Stella whispered feverishly, a fresh bout of tears pouring down her cheeks. Beatrix clasped her hand in hers, placing a soft kiss in her palms and intertwining her fingers with hers.

"Don’t cry, sweetie, I’m here now. I don’t know how much you’ve endured in my absence, but I’m never leaving you again."

"Oh, Beatrix, stop it. That’s not necessary, you’ve done more than enough for me. What are you doing here?"

"You don’t expect me to lay back after hearing that you were hospitalized, do you? If you think I’m heartless, I’m afraid you’re greatly mistaken."

"Truly, Beatrix, you didn’t have to, especially not—" Stella stopped short when she observed her form and noticed the conspicuous bump. She shifted her gaze to Beatrix’s face, a look of surprise plastering her face.

"No," she whispered knowingly. Beatrix, beholding her sudden expression, burst into a laughing fit. "When?"

"Oh, just a few months ago, while you were still having fleeting dates with Mat over here." She replied playfully, flicking her index finger against his forehead.

"How did you—" Stella stated with sudden panic flushing into her being.

"Oh, don’t worry," Beatrix shrugged. "We’ll talk about it when you’ve gotten out of bed. Just know, I’m not mad, if anything, I’m so mad that you never said anything about it."

"I’m so sorry, it’s just, I wasn’t sure you’d—"

"Oh, Stella, you worry too much. I thought I told you to let me know if there was anything wrong."

"Yes, you did. I’m so sorry," she murmured apologetically.

"I said I’m not mad, don’t get me started. Right now, just focus on getting better." She replied, pressing a kiss on her forehead and gracing her with an appreciating look.

"We’ve been cast aside." Rhys exclaimed sardonically.

"Oh, yes," Beatrix exclaimed suddenly, shifting through the space between Damien and Rhys. "Apologies, boys. Stella, guess who... Damien and Rhys."

"You didn’t... Beatrix, are you telling me you brought them here... all the way... because of this?!" Stella asked, gesturing at the patch that indicated her cut.

"I told them not to, but they insisted. I couldn’t possibly resist in my state."

"You’re just as stubborn as the first day we met, Beatrix Quinn." Stella mused under her breath.

"Tell me about it," Damien added, sighing in exasperation.

"What the hell did I do?" Beatrix stated defensively. She turned a sad expression toward Stella.

"Step aside, lady. It’s so good to see you guys again, Damien, Rhys," Stella quipped dismissively, reaching forward for a handshake. "It seems even getting her pregnant didn’t do the trick."

"I’m afraid so, Stella. It’s good to see you, too," Damien replied, taking her hand in his and placing a brief kiss on her tender skin. "Although we could’ve wished for a better circumstance. You’re truly an amazon to have fought through everything."

"Oh, I couldn’t possibly—" Matteo suddenly yanked her hand out of his grasp, clasping it in his.

"That’s enough." He muttered defensively.

"Ugh! Don’t do that in front of me," Beatrix added with feigned disgust. The group burst into a flurry of laughter. Suddenly, Matteo’s phone began to ring. He pulled it out and noted the caller.

"I’m sorry, love, I have to take this," he said dejectedly. And then he turned to look at Beatrix, who gave him a knowing look and a slight nod of approval.

"I’ll be back." He added. Leaning forward and pressing a tender kiss on her forehead, he exited the room.

"Yes, Remo," he said as he made his way toward the entrance of the hospital.

"We’ve found him."