Begin Again

Chapter 22

Oh my God, I'm going to be meeting the Knight's.

I had one whole day to let that thought sink in but it didn't. I'm going to meet Matteo's parents. What was I thinking when I agreed to it? Butterflies were fluttering in my stomach. I didn't expect them to be there when I agreed yesterday!

"Hey, it'll be fine," Matteo whispered, holding my hand.

I nodded. We were on our way to his family home. Two men were seated at the front. I assume they are his bodyguards. This car belonged to the Knight family. Matteo had driven it home last night. Well, his bodyguards drove him home. I don't even think he can drive.

Apparently, today is his brother's birthday. He had absolutely no intention to attend unless I agreed to it. My bad. Everyone in his family will be there which doesn't help with calming my nerves. I twiddled my fingers. Send help.

We were travelling all the way to Central Park South. He said that his family lives in the penthouse of a condominium called Knight Tower. It's freaking three-storey high. It makes me feel very poor. Wait, I am poor. I just have an aunt who married a rich man.

I've never been to this area of New York before. I only stayed in Greenwich Village, unless you count the time my aunt brought me here.

"We're here, Sir," bodyguard number one announced. Yes, I still don't know their names. I doubt Matteo knows their names either since he doesn't bother about them. The two bodyguards got out of the car and each opened the door on each side for us.

"Thanks," I murmured to bodyguard number two.

I looked down at my black dress that reached all the way down to my ankles. What if they hate the colour black? What if they think it's rude? After all, it's someone's birthday party and I'm wearing the colour of death... I sighed. This isn't easy.

Matteo reached out his hands and asked, "Are you ready?"

"I... I'm ready as ever," I replied even though my heart is about to burst out of my chest. I'll be seeing so many famous people up there. His parents are famous. His brother is famous. His uncle is famous. And perhaps there are more others who are also famous.

I'm just a simple little girl from some unknown town whom no one knows about.

I took his hand and we went upstairs. God bless me. God bless Matteo. God bless this dinner. Please let everything go smoothly. The lift door opened and I was shocked, to say the least. This isn't a simple family dinner that I expected. It's a social event!

What do you expect, Alexia? His brother is rich and famous. Of course, his birthday party has to be a huge event. Of course, at least fifty people are invited.

Perplexed, I looked up at Matteo. Did he know?

"I'm... shocked," he murmured. He turned to look at me and said, "I'm so sorry. I really thought it was going to be a private dinner. I thought his actual birthday party where a lot of people will be invited was going to be on another day."

"It's okay," I muttered. Now, this is definitely not helping me calm my nerves. In fact, it made me extra nervous! There are so many people here today. It has to go perfectly. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. You can do this. It's just a few more hours.

A lady walked towards us. I immediately inferred that she was Matteo's mother because they had the same brown hair. Smiling widely, she said, "Welcome home, Matteo. It's good to see that you've brought your girlfriend along."

"You lied to me. You said it was a private family dinner," he spat.

"Well, if I told you the truth, would you have come?" she asked.

He didn't reply. He knew that she was right. This is awkward. I interrupted, "Hello, Mrs Knight. Thank you for your invitation."

She turned to face me. "Oh! You must be Matteo's girlfriend. You're quite a pretty girl. It's good to see you here. I hope you don't mind if I ask but how did you meet him? How did you get into his heart? My boy is a very cold child."

I grinned awkwardly. "Well, we're neighbours and schoolmates. I also attend CAS, though I'm one year below Matteo. I'm Alexia Grey, by the way."

"Hmm, Grey. Are you related to Dr Adeline Grey, by any chance?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm her niece," I replied.

"Interesting. She's my brother-in-law's friend from college and a renowned OB-GYN! She was mine when I was pregnant with Matteo. He recommended her. I'm fairly surprised with how professional she is, given her... background," she said.

I gulped. What is that supposed to mean? "She is very good at what she does."

Grinning creepily, she replied, "If you'd excuse me, I'd like to talk to my son alone." Before either of us could reply, she dragged Matteo away. I watched as he turned back and gave me an apologetic look.

Okay, okay. So she just took him away before we even agreed! I walked to the nearest seat and sighed. I can't believe I'm saying this but I can tell why he hates his family.

I took a deep breath. Don't let anger get the better of you. Try to make some new friends! I looked around for anyone my age but there seemed to be none. I assume most people here are the Knight's business partners.

"Good evening, Alexia. It's been three months since we last met at Dr Holt's office," a familiar voice called out. I looked up and saw that it was Dr Knight, Matteo's uncle and the dean of NYU School of Medicine.

"Good evening, Dr Knight," I replied.

"I see that you managed to persuade Matteo to come to this event. He's been skipping his brother's birthday parties ever since he moved out when he went to college," he replied. "I must say I'm impressed."

I chuckled, "No, Mrs Knight lied to him. She said it was going to be a private family dinner where only family members are invited."

He frowned. "That's nasty," he muttered. "At least, he agreed to appear for even a private family dinner. I haven't seen him in ages except in NYU."

"Then, I'm glad I managed to help him," I said.

"For that, I thank you. He doesn't seem as cold as before. At least he greets me when he sees me in school. Before you came along, he avoided me," he replied. "I apologise for my sister-in-law's attitude. She's kind of... elitist."

"I can tell," I laughed.

He laughed as well. "I know that she doesn't quite like your aunt. It took a lot of persuading before she was willing to use her as her OB-GYN. She's picky. I guess that's what you get when you're born and raised in this kind of environment."

I shrugged. "I'm just worried that she will think that I'm not enough for Matteo, being a little peasant in her eyes. If she doesn't even hold my aunt with high regard, what about me? I'm just a grain of sand. I might even be just an... appendix, so insignificant."

"No, your appendix is quite significant. Without it, you may have slightly higher rates of infection. Anyway, don't let her get to you. You only have to listen to your heart. Trust me. You're perfect for Matteo," he replied, patting my shoulder.

"Thanks, Dr Knight," I said.

"Anytime," he replied and left.

Matteo returned with another guy by his side. "Hey, sorry that I've been gone for so long. My mum is very annoying. Anyway, I thought you might want to make a new friend. This is my childhood friend, Alfred Smith. He's your age. He goes to Harvard."

"Hey," Alfred said, waving.

"Hey, I'm Alexia Grey," I replied, shaking his hand.

Matteo has... friends?