Chapter 3

The next day, there was Isabel at the Franco mansion. The place was magnificent, resembling one of those movie houses. As soon as she entered, Isabel found Andrea in the living room, sitting in an armchair with a tablet in hand. She struck up a conversation:

“Ciao Andrea, what did you do today?”

“I went to school this morning, and now I’m waiting for my piano teacher. Do you want to watch my lesson?” the boy replied excitedly.

“Of course! It will be a pleasure.”

After Isabel prepared Andrea’s afternoon snack according to his diet, the teacher arrived. Andrea then began his studies; he was already at an intermediate level and could beautifully play several songs. His teacher was quite demanding, and with each wrong note, he made the boy start over. Isabel sat quietly, observing the lesson. She thought to herself how unusual Andrea was. After the lesson ended, Isabel called Andrea to have a snack.

The boy was shy and didn’t talk much; he enjoyed discussing movies and books. Isabel could easily imagine she was talking to a college classmate. When her work shift ended, Isabel was leaving, grabbing her motorcycle helmet and backpack as she headed down the mansion stairs. At that moment, she opened the front door and came face to face with a tall, handsome man with long black hair and blue eyes, leaning against the staircase and smoking.

The very attractive man looked Isabel up and down and then asked:

“Are you my son’s new nanny?”

“Yes, sir,” Isabel replied promptly.

“Welcome.” He looked at her with those charming, almost hypnotic blue eyes. Then he extended his hand to greet her. Isabel returned the gesture and shook his hand.

When their eyes met and their hands touched, she felt a slight shock. Still looking at each other, Isabel said:

“Thank you very much, Mr. Franco. I won’t disappoint Andrea.” The man smiled and placed the tip of his cigarette in a silver ashtray on the edge of the stairs.

“Good to know. The last nanny had no interest in him, and that made her leave. I hope your interest is genuine in my son and not in me!”

Isabel looked at him in surprise, thinking to herself, “What an arrogant man!”

“I can assure you of that, sir,” Isabel replied confidently. She then descended the stairs and took her Vespa from the mansion's garage.

On her way home, she continued to think about what Mr. Franco had said. 💭 “Arrogant man, yes he’s handsome, but he’s not the last heartthrob in Italy… ugh.” 💭 “As if I couldn't resist him… full of himself.”

Isabel arrived home, made herself a hot chocolate, and went to her room to watch a series; after all, it was vacation time, and she deserved a break. Lorenzo owned several bars and nightclubs in Rome; he was a wealthy and stylish man but quite reserved. He didn’t appear in tabloids or gossip magazines, and it was hard to find any news about his relationships. Curious about Andrea’s mother, Isabel tried to find some information. The most she could find was an obituary for Mrs. Franco, which stated that she had passed away due to a tragic train accident.

At the time, Andrea was just one year old and had been at home with his maternal grandparents. Eight years without his mother, Andrea knew her only through photos and stories from his grandparents. Isabel felt a certain affection for Andrea, thinking about how terrible it would be to live without one’s parents. Fortunately, Andrea had his father by his side.

( Lorenzo Franco )

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