My Blind Fiancée

Guido’s face remained impassive as his grandson watched him, trying to decipher his reaction.

“I need you to sit down, son. With your father’s death, several investors pulled out, and the company suffered significant losses. Ava’s father agreed to partner with us, injecting a substantial amount into the company. Teodoro was quite young, but being his cousin, Franco had given him the vice presidency of his company. Everything was going well; there were high profits. Our company recovered immediately. However, after a short while, substantial amounts started going missing from both companies. Franco ordered an investigation. Shortly after, he stormed into my office, accusing me of embezzlement and money laundering. The investigation results implicated our company.”

“But I don’t understand, how could Teodoro manage these diversions from our company?” Mateo thought carefully, but he had no idea how it could have been done.

“I also initiated an undercover investigation within the corporation, without anyone noticing. The result was that our finance director was the one diverting funds to other accounts, clearly in collaboration with someone from the other company. Franco didn’t want to believe in my innocence. The evidence pointed to me as the culprit. The finance director went to jail; a couple of days later, he was found dead in his cell, apparently a suicide. I don’t believe it; it was a very convenient death for Teodoro. A few days before the accident, Franco removed his cousin from the presidency and put his wife in charge. Of course, they cut ties with me. They died believing I was involved.”

Guido let out a deep sigh after saying that, and Mateo listened in disbelief. Teodoro Miller was truly despicable.

“Grandfather, it will be hard for Ava to believe in your innocence. I’ll talk to her. There must be evidence in some documents that prove I wasn’t involved.”

“I have no idea what evidence might be in that memory. It could be that my signature appears on various documents. The finance director had your father’s complete trust; that’s why I never suspected him. I would sign the documents he gave me without reading them thoroughly. I hope you can believe me, son. I would never get involved in dirty dealings.”

Guido was widely known in the business world as a reluctant and trustworthy man. This was the only time he had been caught up in a scandal.

Shortly after, Mateo left his grandfather’s room and headed towards Ava’s room. The girl listened attentively as he recounted what his grandfather had explained. She felt confused; she didn’t know what to think. It was her father’s word against that of a man she barely knew.

“I know it’s hard to trust the word of a man you’ve just met. Unintentionally, your parents have burdened you with a huge responsibility. It’s too much to bear. I want you to come with me on a trip. I’ll take you to a special place. Nana can stay here to safeguard the memory, so you won’t have to worry. When we return, I’ll accompany you to find the lieutenant and hand it over.”

The girl remained silent for a while, and Mateo thought she might not accept his invitation. If she didn’t, it would mean their relationship would end before even starting. After thinking it over, Ava decided to speak up.

“I have no idea if it’s right for me to agree to go with you, but I know that whatever is to come will be difficult for both of us. I want to escape for a moment, to forget all of this.”

His face lit up upon hearing her words. That meant she still had hope for a relationship with him, which was all he truly wanted, no matter how much he had tried to resist it.

“I have to leave now. Tomorrow, before the first rays of sunlight, I’ll come for you. Pack clothes for the whole weekend, dress comfortably, preferably with lace-up shoes. We’re going to a place where I escape whenever I want to forget reality. Plus, I want to show you my world. Don’t worry about Lola, my mother, or my grandfather; I’ll talk to them right away.”

He approached her and gave her a tender kiss, quickly pulling away so as not to overwhelm her with his enthusiasm. He wanted her to trust him completely. He left the room, feeling like his heart might burst from his chest at any moment.

Ava, on the other hand, needed to mentally prepare herself. During the trip, she needed to forget her problems for a while, to put her thoughts in order. But she decided to do that upon their return. She didn’t want to be apart from Mateo. She hoped that Guido wasn’t guilty.

For now, her biggest concern was Lola, Mateo’s grandfather, and his mother. She didn’t want them to think poorly of her for agreeing to travel alone with him shortly after meeting him.

Later, as she lay on her bed, she traced her lips with her fingers. Mateo had given her her first kiss, and for that simple reason, he would be someone special in her life forever. She realized she was getting carried away, feeling things she had never felt before. It scared her for a moment.

Ava couldn’t sleep well that night. Just as she thought she might finally drift off, she heard a soft knock on the door. She got up immediately; she knew it was Mateo. Even from a distance, she could sense his fragrance.

“I’m sorry to wake you up at this hour, but it’s necessary if we want to get to our destination on time. Bundle up before heading out; it’s cold outside, even though our destination is warm. I’ll be in the living room; I’ll bring your luggage down as well.”

“Thank you, I’ll be down in a moment.” She felt intrigued. Where was he taking her without giving more details?

Ava hurried to get dressed. She wore comfortable light-colored jeans, a dark fitted t-shirt, and lace-up shoes, just as Mateo had suggested. She put on a dark jacket as well. Fortunately, Loren had organized her clothes by color. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail and headed downstairs to the living room.

Mateo watched her for a moment. Ava was truly beautiful. She didn’t need makeup to look good; her natural beauty shone through. He took her arm and guided her towards the exit.

They walked through the vast garden for a few minutes. Ava didn’t understand where they were headed. Soon, she heard a strange noise, and she couldn’t tell where it was coming from. She realized it was a helicopter. As they got closer, she felt the wind caused by the rotating blades. Mateo held onto her tightly to help her board. Her curiosity was strong, but she refrained from asking questions. He fastened her seatbelt and then sat down beside her.

She fell asleep almost immediately; she was too tired. Almost two hours later, she felt the helicopter descending.

“Where are we?” she asked, curious.

“We’re in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland.” Ava let out a small surprised shout. Since her parents had died, she hadn’t left the Miller mansion.

Mateo smiled as he saw a look of astonishment cross her beautiful face. He had no idea how she would react when she found out what was coming next. The first rays of sunlight were beginning to light up the day on the horizon.

“Now we’ll board a small plane.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Don’t be too curious; it’s a surprise.”

At that moment, Ava remembered traveling frequently with her parents.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing her expression turning sad.

“Nothing, just a memory.” Mateo didn’t press her to share more; he knew he had to give her space. But he didn’t like seeing her sad.

He took her hand again to disembark from the helicopter. After landing, they walked a few meters and boarded the small plane. Mateo fastened her seatbelt once more. Ava felt nervous as the plane took off, but he squeezed her hand to reassure her. After a few minutes, Mateo stood up.

“What’s happening?” Ava grew concerned.

“Please listen to me,” her anxiety increased upon hearing those words, “I need you to stay calm.” Mateo spoke to her as he put on a strange outfit.

“I don’t understand.”

“We’re going to do wingsuiting, freefall skydiving.”

“Whaaaat! Don’t make things up; I won’t do that.” The thought terrified Ava. Mateo seemed to have gone crazy all of a sudden.

“Haha, calm down. We’ll do it in tandem.”Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“I don’t know what that is, and I don’t want to know.” Ava waved her hands in front of her repeatedly, trying to convey that she wouldn’t do it. “Right now, I’m thinking of the worst words to insult you. What a crazy idea, bringing a blind person to jump through the air. Do you think I’ll enjoy the beautiful scenery?”

“Ava, I need you to trust me. I assure you that you won’t regret it. You’ll feel sensations you’ve never experienced before.”

“You’ve gone mad.”

“I’ll be taking care of you the whole time. I’ll put a harness on you that will keep us connected. We’ll jump from 4, 300 meters high. I’ll be wearing a wingsuit; this suit allows me to glide in the air. Its design functions like wings. I’ll have goggles and a helmet, and you’ll wear goggles too. I’ve brought special headphones that we’ll use. This way, I can describe the scenery I’ll be seeing. Today, we’ll be the masters of the sky.”

Ava couldn’t help but smile at the last part. “Masters of the sky.” She liked that phrase very much.