His hands firmly buttoned the tucked in white shirt, only leaving the two top buttons unbuttoned to reveal a bit of his chest hair. Afterward he put on his suit blazer, which was tailored exactly to his body measurement and straightened it to clean the look up. It had been a while since he wore a suit like that and honestly he had missed it. Wearing t shirt and shorts all the time had made him felt lost in control of his own life and he hated that feeling. Alessio had always looked put together since he was born, with the exception to when he vacationed to the beach where he looked better half naked.
Well, if a woman is the sexiest in a well fitted lingerie, a man is the sexiest in a well fitted suit. When he looked at himself in the mirror looking all put together, he had taken a long shower to fully cleanse his body from any dirt of the past, his hair was well combed and styled, he had grown a thicker stubble which made him look more mature (and sexier) as well. He felt like his life was finally coming back to him. He once again was in control of everything, he had regained his position in their family company, and he was going to return to the privacy of his own house and no longer needed anyone to take care of him like a helpless baby.
Alessio smiled as he put on his Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and sprayed a warming tobacco and vanilla scent on his suit. Yes, it was who he was, a grown man who had his whole life together. Gone was the helpless man from the hospital. He finally felt like himself again, strong, confident, and ready to conquer life. The only thing left was to take Valeria out on a date to get her heart back, because at that point he was damn sure his brother had made a move on her, which if worked, would be an obstacle in their relationship.
Though he would not say he was in love with her that much, he did not mind her company, and Valeria was actually a beauty whom he had known pretty much his whole life. She was a pleasant woman to be around with. She had just the right balance between being independent and doing her own thing as well as being nurturing and caring. Some women who are too independent and need no man are a huge turn off for him because they tend to underappreciated their men. It was why most of them were single. He would not want someone who was too clingy either, as he was a busy man and needed his own space. Valeria was perfect as a fitting role of a lover and partner in his life.
Though somewhere in his heart, he was feeling a tad bit of guilt. He had tried to bury that feeling deep down. As long as no one knew, it should not matter.
He walked out of his bedroom toward the living room to be greeted by his mother who was reading her favorite fashion magazine on the couch. Chiara lifted her face at her son who was looking all handsome and put together. Alessio approached his mother to give her a kiss on the cheek while she placed her palm on his jaw.
"My son, I am so happy to see you all healthy again. It's such a relief that the storm has passed. Thank God you are finally okay" he could not agree more.
"Thanks mama, you and the family has been a great help, I'm going back to my own place today, I'll have the luggage packed and I'm leaving in the evening, but before that I want to head somewhere first"
"Okay, but don't forget to contact your father and brother as well, tonight we are going to have a complete family dinner before you're back. After all it has been a while since everyone could gather together for a meal" Alessio nodded. The idea was not really the best, judging from the relation he had with his younger brother, but his mother did not know about their conflict and he was not planning to let her know. She has been through so much, it was not good to worry her about such matters.
"Yes, and mama, I just received a call from Pietro last night. Apparently he is planning to visit us next week or so, he'll be bringing his Spanish wife over, I hope you don't mind" Chiara's brow raised in mixed feeling.
"Of course I don't mind, it's just my brother Dante has been through so much because of the woman, I love Pietro like my own son, it's his wife whom I am skeptical of" She sighed as she held her son's hand with a concerned expression. She looked troubled with the mention of their visit. Alessio did not know what his mother was so worried about. He had met Pietro's wife, Elvira before and yes, she was different from the typical Italian women he was familiar with, but he did not necessarily think she was a bad woman, in fact he thought she was better than most women Pietro had hung around with in the past. Youth secrets, the elderly would never know about it, if they did, they might curse the day they were born.
Besides, if there was a true tale of romance in the family, it would be Pietro's. Of course, beside Valentino's feelings toward Valeria, which would never be met till eternity, Alessio made sure of it.
Perhaps that fear of her and the other elderly members of the family came from their inability to adapt to the unknown. In other words, they feared change. Marrying someone outside their Italian circle would be a change for the families and they were not pleased about it. But Pietro was proof that anything was possible and change is inevitable.
"That aside, I will have to leave now, I am going to meet Valeria and ask her out on a date with me, but don't worry, I will be sure to come back in the evening for our family dinner" he promised as he kissed his mother once more on the cheek.
He went to fetch his car, of course, his other car was crushed in the accident, but someone like him would never have just one car. He missed driving, and getting himself in the accident did not scare him or prevent him from driving again because he knew it was just bad luck on his part. Yes, his parents were not fond of the idea of him driving again so soon after he had just gotten himself in the accident, however once Alessio set his mind on something, it was almost impossible for anyone to really stop him, unless it came from the same bloodline.
He put on some music and drove to Valeria's residence, stopping by the flower shop to buy a bouquet of red roses to show his affection, however, when he had just arrived in the apartment building. He was stopped on the stairs by a little girl.
"She's not her. She left with another woman this morning" her words stopped him, he turned his attention to the little girl. The girl looked like nothing special, she had her hair ginger hair braided and her cheek were covered in freckles, she had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen and on her hand was a brown teddy bear hugging a red heart.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"You're looking for Signora Valenza, aren't you? She's not here, she left with another woman this morning. But that's a nice bouquet of rose. Too bad it's going to go to waste" she chuckled sarcastically.
What was her problem and how did she know he was looking for Valeria?
"Greta, come back here right now!" an elderly woman shouted at her, the little girl quickly turned her back and ran away. Disappearing on the corner of the building.
"Where is Valeria?"
***
Author's Note:
Hello everyone, I hope you are well
Have you been enjoying the frequent updates? I hope you do cause I certainly have
Anyway my college classes would start again in June. Yes, we are still studying from home, but the assignments are in again, so I would not be able to update as frequently
In the meantime if you'd like you can check out my other book "Intelligent Seduction" I am sure you would love it as much as you like this one
Thank you for your support
Love,
Valencia
YOU ARE READING
The Devoted Gentleman (EDITING)
Romance"My brother does not deserve you, Valeria. He could never love you as much as I do" He stepped in closer to her until she could feel his breath on her neck. 'Valentino, we shouldn't..." she tried to push him away. He froze where he was and placed h...
