Chapter 23: The coincidence

Ursula felt suffocated, so she stepped out of the house to get her head together. The only way Ursula knew how to do it was through shopping. Zia Benedetta was busy so she couldn't come with her.

Maria locked herself in her room since the confrontation with the crazy Viola and refused to come out. Everything was getting too intense for her, and she just needed to press pause for a minute. She needs time to calm down her nerves, or else are next step might cause havoc.

They drove past an ice cream shop, and she begged him to stop. It had been quite a while since she indulged herself in sweet treats. Ursula needs some sweetness to kill the bitterness of the sight of that wrench Viola Santoro.

Another thing that caught her attention when she came down was the small building that sold the most interesting-looking food she had come across in her short stay in Milan. She made her mental note to taste that roadside food after her quick stop for some Ice cream.

"Common, let's go take some ice cream," she beckoned to her driver, who insisted on staying in the car.

Ursula hated to do things alone. She had always felt alone, even as a child, so she always found pleasure in being in the midst of people. She never cared about class or any of such things. As long as she could feel and engage in the presence of someone, she was happy.

"It is inappropriate, princess Ursula," he said.

"Nonsense! Who made those stupid rules? Why is having a scoop or two of ice cream inappropriate? Aren't you human just like me?" She whined in disbelief.

"It's just ethics. I am your driver, not your friend," he said pleadingly.

The poor man took his job seriously because it was the one thing sustaining his family. He would be distressed if he was laid off for gross misconduct.

"I will lay on the floor and roll until you come with me," she threatened.

He looked at her in shock, debating if she was serious or not. But he was not a blind man. He also considered himself averagely intelligent. He had watched Ursula and knew this was something she was very well capable of doing. He had no other choice than to give in.

"Fine, I'll go with you," he said, stepping out of the car nervously. Ursula jumped for joy.

She always knew she could rely on her convincing skills. She may have scared the poor man to death, but she didn't mind being a little selfish if it meant not having to sit pathetically alone, licking ice cream. He signaled her to lead the way as he followed behind. She laughed at his insistence on sticking to rules.

To her, it was silly always having to play by rules made by men of a million years ago who were all soil now. They stepped into the shop and secured a seat by the window. Ursula wanted to watch people walking to and fro.

Franco blushed deeply when she offered him a chair to sit on. However, he prayed silently that his girlfriend wouldn't pass by. He didn't want to blow his horns, but it could be mistaken for a date. He was also all too familiar with this area.

Gossip was their number one source of living. It was a small area anyway, where every street food one could imagine was displayed. This place's end was a cut-through, which led to a small town.

That's where he grew up in. People of that town frequently visited this place since it was the cheapest market around. Everyone knew everyone. He would have a lot of explanations if someone managed to sight him and lie to his girlfriend about the details.

"You seem nervous," Ursula said, observing the uncomfortable posture of her driver.

"It's just this area. It's quite unsafe, you know," he lied.

"We're in an ice cream parlor. It's not like anyone will hurt us here, so relax and enjoy" their ice cream was brought, and Ursula took her time to savor hers.

While she requested vanilla flavor with a little bit of mint, Franco wanted all chocolate. They took their ice cream in silence, much to their disappointment with Ursula. She thought he would be able to relax once he saw she didn't care about rules, but he was adamant about setting boundaries, so she allowed it. Ursula decided to focus on the delicious flavor in her presence.

After a while, they were finally done and set to leave. Ursula dropped a generous tip for their waiter, and they stepped out. Franco, her driver, was heading to the car when she stopped him and pointed at the food stall.

"I want to try that," she begged in the cutest voice she could muster.

"Okay, princess," he said, and she jumped happily.

They got to the stand and waited for the man crouched by the fire at the side to notice them.

"I think he's the salesman," she whispered, and he nodded. She stretched to take a view of what the best man was doing.

He was preparing some sauce for the food. He looked so invested in what he was doing. Ursula sighed impatiently as the smell of the spice hit her nose. She couldn't wait to try it, and as much as Franco wanted to act aloof, she saw him drool.

A woman that looked to be in her fifties suddenly came out from the inner building.

"Sorry for keeping you both waiting," she said in her thick Italian accent. Ursula adored her already. She loved older adults so much, especially when they smiled like this gorgeous woman.

"It's okay. Even if I'm angry, the pleasant smell from whatever is cooking has washed it all away," Ursula emphasized dramatically, much to the amusement of the older woman.

"Hurry up, tesamo. We can't keep the lovely couple waiting any longer" Franco's eyes grew large, and he looked like he would faint. Ursula's first reaction was to laugh, but she stifled it after seeing his response and decided to bail him out.

"Oh, we're not a coup," she began to say when the man crouched on the floor, stood up, and turned around, stopping her speaking ability.

Their eyes met, and his eyes lit up in remembrance. He suddenly spread his face in the most infectious smile she had ever witnessed. It was so compelling that she almost smiled herself.

"Well, well, well, what are the odds?" He asked with that smile never leaving his face.

Ursula still hadn't found her voice. This stranger had a way of doing that to her. First at the boutique, and nowhere. What were the odds, she wondered. How does someone go from spending a shit ton of money on a total stranger in an expensive boutique to making roadside food? He was either very foolish or had a secret.

"You two know each other?" His mother asked as she watched her son's face light up.

She had not seen him this way in a very long time. She had begun to worry about Vincenzo, and his brooding, isolated lifestyle was rubbing on her son.

"Vividly. She's a swindler," he said, and Ursula found her tongue.

"Swindler?" She scuffed in disbelief. "Some nerve you have"

"I was expecting you to come searching for me at the boutique, so I dropped my number," he said, disregarding her outburst.

"I wouldn't have bothered if I knew you had a man. My bad," he shrugged. She shook her head, enraged at the audacity he spewed.

Deep down was a desperate need for her to correct the notion that she had a man. However, Franco was way ahead of her.

"I'm afraid there is a mix up here. I am princess Ursula's driver," he said humbly and shocked.

Matteo raised his head to meet her eyes on his, and his mouth formed an "O."

"Ursula," Her name rolled out of his mouth like sweet honey, making her heartache.

"We just want some food," she said, hoping she sounded as aloof as possible. Her mind didn't believe it, though.

It's almost like it had a mind of its own. Traitor! She watched him work on the food with his hands, drifting her thoughts.

'If he were that good with his hands on food, it would be perfect...'

"stop it!" She scolded her mind. Raising her head, she saw everyone looking at her curiously. She had hoped she didn't say it out loud—so much hope.

"Sorry, I was just in my head," she said, hoping she didn't look crazy. However, rage replaced shame when she saw Matteo's eyes twinkle. Surely he had not sensed her wanton thoughts.

"Here, taste this first," he said, handing her a fruit she had never seen before. She squeezed it into her mouth, and it exploded deliciously, its juices running down her mouth. Matteo leaned over from the food slab, and she froze when she realized what he was about to do.