Matteo

Manhattan, New York, United States 2020 – January 4th, 2020

Matteo takes out a small silver box from the pocket by the door, then leans back into the seat. Valentina looks at his fingers, which are now holding a pre-rolled joint.

"Lucky how?" He asks, interested in entertaining the discussion.

He can't figure out whether she's joking or being deadly serious, because she didn't even flinch nor ask questions when he told her the police let him go free for clearly punishable offenses.

Valentina watches him light up the joint. "Getting to go free when you get caught doing illegal stuff." Her phone vibrates and she looks down to check her screen, losing her train of thought.

Matteo cocks his head, watching the hair fall over her eyes. "How would that account to luck though?"

He sees Isabella rolling her eyes because she knows that if Matteo is good at something, then that's carrying an argument and seeing it all the way to the end.

He takes a few drags and then looks at Valentina expectantly. "Hello?"

She looks up from her phone. "Right, sorry. What did you ask?"

"What makes me the lucky one in this whole situation? I'm curious."

"The right... circumstances."

Matteo raises his eyebrows and passes her the joint. She takes it without looking down and continues. "Knowing the right people, at the right time."

"That type of luck is made."

Valentina tilts her head and frowns. "Is it your case though?"

Isabella snorts and Matteo looks at her, annoyed. "Maybe not." He's not going to explicitly tell her about how his father probably has the police on his payroll.

"What are you even talking about?" Isabella chimes in, looking between the two of them. "You're chatting legit nonsense."

Valentina hands her the joint. "Join us then."

Matteo looks down at his phone, zoning out but smiling.

***

Utica, New York, United States 2020 – January 6th, 2020

His father calls him on video a quarter after midnight. He was just about to fall asleep, and it's not nothing if he's getting a call so late.

"Fuck. Fuck." He hisses and stands up properly in his bed.

He switches to the App on his laptop. "Yes, hello?"

His father is sitting in his office chair calling him on a private software their company had installed a few years ago for all its members. He looks tired and half of his shirt is unbuttoned.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to sleep."

He's at their apartment in Utica, which Matteo uses when he attends classes.

"Are you in the city?"

"No, I have classes tomorrow." Matteo sighs, knowing damn well his father sometimes checks up on his attendance. Usually at the beginning and end of each semester.

"I talked to the chief of police today. You're cleared of everything. It never happened."

Matteo remembers how Valentina seemed to understand that some people could actually get away even if they're caught doing illegal shit. "Why didn't we get arrested?"

His father looks down at his glass. "I know the people leading the police force. They owed me a few favours."

"Do you pay them?"

"Yes."

Matteo nods. He already knew that, instinctively. He wants to ask if it's a monthly payment, but he knows it is.

"What happened to the... stuff?"

"Don't push it. What were you thinking, having drugs in the house?"

Matteo rolls his eyes. "Us doing drugs can't be news to you."

"Not the using, the holding! You need to be more careful-"

"This never happened before, you know. Someone called the police."

His father nods. "I know. It was Vincenzo's girlfriend, Sofia."

Everyone suspected Sofia already, but the fact that his father just confirmed it makes it official.

"Do you know why she called the police?"

"Because she had a fight with Vinnie, apparently. I don't know, no one's ever done that before."

"I know. It put you in danger."

"I mean-we're fine now." Matteo frowns, not knowing whether his father's voice is just serious or has gotten darker.

"You go to classes for a while, stay out of the city."

"Yes dad." Matteo says, running a hand through his hair as he watches himself in the camera. He's getting impatient and he's tired.

"Who did you talk to about this outside the family?"

"Uh..." He wants to say no one, but the fact that he spoke to Valentina about it makes it difficult to lie. He only lied once in his life, then never again. Maybe he avoids telling the truth sometimes, but he never lies.

"Don't talk about these things with people who aren't in the family, people who you can't trust. Be smart, son."

"Yes, I will." Matteo replies. Then he checks the date. Shit, it's January 6th. "Happy birthday, by the way."

His father smiles. "Thank you. What's Marco doing?"

"Sleeping, probably."

"Okay. Take care. We'll be in touch."

"Bye."

Matteo shuts his laptop and places it on the other side of the bed as he gets under the covers. For a second, he worries about having talked to Valentina about the incident because she's friends with Raisa who loves to gossip.

He decides to blindly trust that she won't discuss anything with anyone, then tries to go to sleep.

***

Waking up at 9am on a Monday is not something Matteo likes to do, so when the alarm goes off that morning, he curses everything that has led to him to this moment. The coffee machine in the kitchen is broken so he keeps cursing as he uses the last pack of instant coffee he finds in a cupboard.

Matteo drinks it down in three gulps. It sucks. He also doesn't know where the lecture is taking place or what it's about - he just remembers seeing a notification about a class on Monday at 10.

He figures it out on the way and arrives five minutes before it's supposed to start, happy to find Isabella waving at him from the back row.

"Can you help me with my schedule? I applied to all the courses, but I can't tell when and where they're supposed to be." He asks, placing his laptop on the small fold-out table. Isabella looks at him annoyed before she opens his laptop and signs into his university account.

"See this little tab at the top that says 'schedule'? You click on it. How did you even survive university up until now?"

Matteo shrugs. "I mostly only ever went to exams or when Vinnie told me to."

"You're a disgrace." She jokes before she waves at someone else.

Valentina takes her coat off before sitting down on the other side of Isabella and greeting them both.

"I miscalculated how long it would take to stop and get coffee." She says and places her cup on the table, smiling.

"How can you be in such a good mood in the morning?" Matteo asks her, unable to look away from how her eyes seem to shine.

"It's either this or I'm in a bad mood. And nobody wants that." She smiles as she ties her hair up in a ponytail.

The professor enters the room and it suddenly gets quiet. 'International Economics' pops up on the giant screen.

He has the same law course as Vinnie and Isabella at 12pm, so finding him as soon as possible makes the most sense for Matteo, who doesn't even know where the buildings are. He kind of zones out during the break between lectures, just following Isabella's lead while the girls talk non-stop.

How can someone always find something to talk about, he thinks as he watches Valentina and Isabella a few steps ahead of him.

"Yo!"

Vinnie pats him on the back as soon as they stop in front of a smaller building. Matteo's mood picks up then, because Vinnie always has a good energy and makes things more fun.

"I was wondering whether you'd show up since I forgot to text you yesterday." He smirks and they start walking towards the entrance.

They find four seats in the middle just as Raisa spots them on her way into the lecture hall and joins them.

It fucks up Matteo's mood a little. He can always tell when someone's into him, and Raisa isn't even hiding it anymore. It's obvious she likes him and it's less exciting to know that she'll do whatever he asks of her. Matteo knows that money is a big part of it, but sometimes he just likes to have sex when he feels like it with whomever he feels like.

Time seems to stop as the lecture drags on for 90 minutes, but soon enough it's almost 2pm and someone suggests going to lunch at a restaurant nearby.

The restaurant isn't that crowded, and they get their orders soon enough, but the lunch takes longer than expected because some people decide it would be a good idea to get drinks. It's one of those times when Matteo wishes he hadn't taken the car because he feels like he's the only sober one.

Valentina orders a bottle of prosecco to share with Isabella, with the excuse of celebrating the first day of university in 2020. Raisa excitedly joins them and suggests splitting it between the three of them.

They have to head to the last lecture of the day which Matteo shares with Vinnie, so around thirty minutes before the course is supposed to start he suggests they get going. Vinnie asks for the bill and Matteo doesn't even bother asking the girls for their share, because five minutes later the guys have all split the bill between them and left the cash on the table, with an extra tip.

"I'm definitely tipsy after three glasses." Valentina laughs with Isabella while they put their coats on. As they leave, Matteo sees her drop two hundred-dollar bills into the glass already filled with money.

It's the first time since he can remember that he's seen a woman add money to the bill and pay her part. Nobody else seems to notice, but it's enough to make Matteo respect her as a person, not just as Isabella's friend.

***

Utica, New York, United States 2020 – January 9th, 2020

He calls Vinnie on Thursday afternoon after he wakes up.

"Where are you?!" Vinnie shouts into the receiver to cover up the noise on his end.

"In bed. Where else?"

"I thought you'd be on campus."

"Do I even have classes today? Fuck, I forgot to check the schedule. What are you doing?"

"Eating."

"I want to go to New York."

"Today?"

"Yes, maybe leave in an hour?"

Vinnie hesitates, which means he's got other plans.

"I think I'm going to come tomorrow."

"How?" Matteo knows for a fact that Vinnie doesn't have a car in the States.

"I'll figure it out."

"Alright."

He hangs up and then gets out of bed to go pack a bag before he embarks on the four-hour drive to New York. His schedule says he's supposed to be in a seminar right now, so he sends a voice message to Isabella as he's on the way to the car.

"Do you happen to also have Business Psychology? Because I'm on my way to New York and I'm pretty sure my dad is tracking my progress. Thaaanks."

Isabella replies five minutes later.

Isabella sends him a Russian number, and he adds her contact as he drives before texting Valentina.

The reply comes an hour later when he's way past Albany, headed south.

Matteo looks at the road ahead waiting for her to type something else.

She doesn't. Okay, so he has to get straight to the point because she obviously knows that he didn't just hit her up so they'd hook up, like most girls usually do. It seems like Isabella and Aurora (his sister) are the only girls close to his age that he can text without sex being implied.

He looks at the road ahead. Texting and driving is a lot of pressure when he drives 100km an hour. He decides to call her directly and speak through the car's speakers.

She picks up on the third ring. His ego tells him that she waited a little before answering to seem busy because she might want to impress him, but he knows she didn't.

"Hello."

"Hi. Uh, are you taking Business Psychology this year?"

"If you mean Organizational Psychology, then sure."

"Same thing."

"I was just at the seminar." She pauses. "Why?"

"I'm also supposed to be taking it, but I'm on my way to New York." There's a short pause where neither of them says anything because Matteo focuses on switching lanes, then he continues. "Anyway, could you send me your notes or something?"

"I can send them to you by email."

"Photos on WhatsApp are fine."

"I am taking them on my laptop, so I'll send them to you by email. If I take photos of the screen, they'll all be blurry."

She's right.

"Alright."

"Just text me your address and I'll send them to you."

"It's [email protected]"

"Yeah, no way I will remember that. Text me so I can just copy-paste it."

Matteo smiles at her demanding tone. "Alright. I'm driving now though."

"It's fine, I'm not going to wait around for it." She says, and Matteo can hear the smirk on her face.

"Okay."

"Well."

"Thank you."

"Okay. Byee."

"Bye." He says and the line goes dead.

He texts her his email address at the next stoplight half an hour later, and he gets the notification from [email protected] just as he gets onto the George Washington Bridge to enter Manhattan.

The apartment looks just like he left it before 2019 ended, thanks to the maid coming over every week to maintain it.

He gets comfortable on the couch and rolls himself a joint, then texts Valentina to thank her.

Matteo looks at the emoji for a second, before he opens the email she sent. It's a pdf of her notes taken in class, from which he understands right about nothing.

This would've been the part where she offers to explain the notes to him as an excuse to spend time with him, like all the girls who have helped him with schoolwork in the past.

Valentina leaves him on read. Well, not really read, because his read receipts are off, but she stops replying.

He's gotten through university until now exactly because he knew the right people who would help him out or he knew exactly which girl would do most of the work for him just as an excuse for them to say to their friends they hung out.

Sometimes he thinks it's just the money, but that can't be it – everyone he met at school and now university comes from rich families. Some of them are old money, others are new money families, but all of them have millions of dollars to their name.

Matteo knows what people (especially women) think of his family and how there's a certain allure to it because no one really knows exactly what they do, so there's a mystery that goes hand in hand with it being perceived as dangerous and illegal. Not that it isn't. In reality it's far worse, and Matteo knows he hasn't even seen a quarter of it.

It would take a strong woman to put up with everything that comes with joining a crime family. Matteo has never met one that could live up to the role - only girls who thought they could.

He was with Allison because she was the only person in the world who Matteo even considered worth the effort to pursue, but that's all over now (even though they still hook up sometimes).

He learned a long time ago that when feelings disappear, the only thing that keeps him from leaving her is the fear of change.

***

Manhattan, New York, United States 2020 – January 16th, 2020

He smiles.

She emails him the notes two minutes later anyway.

If he didn't know better, he'd think she's flirting.

***

Hamilton University, New York, United States 2020 – January 23rd, 2020

It's the first time he ever bothers going to the Organizational Psychology seminar this semester (in his defence, he's only missed two so far).

He immediately spots Valentina sitting in the corner of the last row, head buried in a book with a cover that looks like it's being read for fun, not for class.

There's an empty seat next to her and he's aware of the two girls sitting a few rows away are watching him as he walks up to where Valentina's sitting.

She doesn't look up at him until he sits down next to her. Her eyes widen and she slams the book shut, like she's reading something she shouldn't be.

His eyes fall on the title. "So, you're reading porn."

Her cheeks flush a little as she guiltily smiles and shrugs.

Then, in a split of a second, she composes herself and nods her chin at him. "Looks like you decided to show up to class after all."

"I had some free time."

His comment makes her roll her eyes, like she can see right through his nonsense. Which is exactly why he knows she's not flirting with him or trying to play hard to get; it's just the way she is. He shouldn't be enjoying it as much as he is.

"Yeah? From doing what?"

She obviously knows that he's bullshitting because he was just too lazy to come. The drive from his apartment to campus is about twenty minutes long, but he just couldn't be bothered on most days. He knows he'll pass exams somehow - he always does.

Someone sits down next to him, but his eyes are still on Valentina's face.

"Enjoying life." He replies, liking the way the look on her face changes from curiosity to distaste.

Before she can comment on it (it was obvious she had something ready on the tip of her tongue), the professor enters the room, and the voices die down.

She smells good and Matteo is surprised to find himself so aware of her close presence. He feels like he should say something to fill the silence (which never happens) but she looks immersed in whatever the professor has to say. Like she forgot Matteo was even sitting next to her (which also never happens).

"Discuss amongst yourselves. Then pick the most influential one."

He leans forward, elbows on the table as if it would help him catch up on the last thirty minutes of the seminar. Still confused, he lowers his head in Valentina's direction.

"Discuss what?"

She side-eyes him.

"Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors."

Matteo nods, barely even processing her answer. "Sounds...boring."

"Why are you even at university then? If you don't like it."

It's not accusatory, it's just curious. And he's thought about it before, so the answer comes quick. "I like the social life that comes with being a student. I don't need a degree." He pauses. "You?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. It's what I'm supposed to be doing."

"Says who?"

"My parents. They both got an education, which helped them make a better life for themselves.

"You're here because of them then."

"...no."

"You don't need a degree to be set for life." He nods his head towards the room. "Neither do most people here."

"Maybe some people just want get an education."

"Is that why you chose Business Psychology? To get educated?"

She's trying to hide it, but she's slightly surprised that he remembered.

"What do you want to do after it?"

She shrugs again.

"I'm probably going to work at my father's business. And I actually like psychology. It makes humans predictable."

His eyes fall on the way she's mindlessly playing with her bracelet. Looks like a nervous tick.

"What are we supposed to discuss then?" He changes the subject.

She happily obliges and turns to her laptop. "Intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors."

"Money. Power."

"Glory." She adds and smiles at herself like she made a joke or something.

"Respect."

"We're talking in a 'working in an office' context, but sure."

She starts typing something and Matteo leans in to read off the screen.

Competition. Fun. Recognition.

"Passion." Matteo adds.

Valentina types it in then leans towards the screen and squints a little. "Which one do you think is the most influential factor when it comes to success? I say competition."

"Power."

Her eyebrows raise, and Matteo swears she looks amusingly intrigued.

"Is everyone finished?" The professor interrupts and doesn't really wait for people to answer before he moves on. "Look at what each of you put down as the most influential factor when it comes to success in the workplace."

Matteo's eyes fly over to the words Valentina typed under the second question.

V: Competition; M: Power

"The answers each one of you wrote down says a lot about how you approach success in the workplace, and in life."

Matteo considers it for a second.

Power.

His father is the most powerful man he can think of, and Matteo has always admired him for that. The way he just controls a room, how all bodies seem to turn towards him even though no one dares to fully face him, or the way he talks and people always listen. A person people look up to and willingly follow. A person who others would kill for - just like Paulo did with that guy in the bait shop.

"Why competition?" He asks Valentina.

Her first instinct is to shrug before she finally looks like she's processing his question.

"I think it's because I have a brother."

"That's a superficial answer."

Matteo enjoys the way she pulls her head back and how her mouth parts.

He thinks that maybe coming to class every once in a while wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Matteo

Chapter 14

Manhattan, New York, United States 2020 – February 9th, 2020

The Barone siblings come over to his apartment the week before Valentine's Day weekend, together with Marco and Isabella. While Pia and Isabella are out getting dinner in the city on Saturday night, the boys choose to stay in and have a FIFA tournament.

It always reminds Matteo of the days when they were younger and living in Palermo. He would go over to the Barone house just to stay for hours and play on their PlayStation. They stopped when they moved to New York for school.

Matteo notices it because it's the first time in two years that they decided to stay in instead of going to the club.

They order pizza and smoke joints, and it's not until they hear Isabella and Pia's voice coming from the hallway that they realize a couple of hours have gone by.

"This makes me feel nostalgic." Isabella smiles and comes inside the living room with her shoes in one hand, a bottle of wine in the other. "The boys playing videogames."

The couch is in an L shape, big enough to fit all six of them, so Pia and Isabella take the shorter part of the L so the boys can sit by themselves focusing on the TV.

"Why isn't Aurora here?" Matteo asks as he's about to start another game. "She already lives in the city."

"She said she had a date this weekend."

The boys turn their heads to look at her at the same time.

"With?!" Marco incredulously asks.

Pia shrugs. "She didn't tell me."

Eddie's mouth falls open. "And you didn't ask?!"

"I did, but she wouldn't say."

"She's hiding something." Vinnie observes and turns his attention back on the game.

Matteo agrees and looks at Isabella, who doesn't seem fazed by the information. "What do you know?"

Isabella looks at him surprised. "Me? Why would I know anything?"

"Because you always know everything."

She puts her phone down and looks Matteo in the eyes. "I don't know anything, I promise."

"Fine." He knows when she's lying, and right now she isn't.

"What do you know?" She asks him then.

"Nothing, obviously."

"No, like, have you noticed her being unusual?"

"I tried to take her phone at Christmas, and she got very defensive." Marco says.

Matteo nods. "Yes, and she's got this weird smile on her face and I know she's texting someone."

"Ask her then." Pia suggests, like it should be obvious.

"Like you would ever tell us about who you're hooking up with." Vinnie interjects. He's always been protective of his twin sister, more so than Matteo is with Aurora. He thinks it might be a twin thing.

"I would! But you never ask." Pia throws her hands up in defense.

"Alright, who have you slept with?"

"Eddie!" Pia exclaims, crossing her arms and looking at Matteo for a second.

It's hard for Matteo to think of her as Vinnie's twin. Even though she's about to turn 21 in April, he thinks of her like he thinks of Aurora: a younger sibling who needs to be protected. The fact that she usually keeps to herself and sometimes acts childish just enhances this image of her in his mind.

Sure, she's tall and slim and has a pretty face, but she's Vinnie's sister. The girl who was there almost as often as Isabella, who saw him throw up all over himself when they first discovered alcohol in eighth grade, the girl who cried on his shoulder five days after her dog was run over in front of their house.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" Vinnie asks then.

Pia shakes her head, relaxing, and looks at Matteo again.

"Do you have a crush though?" Isabella asks, turning to look at her.

"What? No!" She says, eyes going back down to her phone.

Isabella grins. "You do."

Eddie screams at the TV when Matteo scores a goal, which takes the attention away from the conversation.

"What do you want to do for our birthday?" Pia asks Vinnie after they've cleared two bottles of wine and are now watching some random show on Comedy Central.

Vinnie takes a hit from the bong Eddie brought and thinks about it for a second. "Uhh, whatever you want to do I guess."

Matteo smiles. Of course Vinnie is too lazy to even think about that because his favourite part is having fun - just like Matteo. Vinnie likes leaving the organisation part to his sister, just like Matteo does with Isabella. It's been working like this ever since they had their first party without parents present.

"I want to go to Ibiza." Pia says without even having to think about it.

"Oooh yeees, I vote yes!" Isabella exclaims and turns to look at the boys with an excited look on her face. "Let's go to Ibiza."

And as per usual, the boys agree with everything the girls want, because they always make it fun. All they have to do is show up.

Isabella and Pia start writing up the invite list even though it's more than two months away. Matteo likes seeing them excited.

"Should I put Allison and Sofia on here?" Pia asks in a half-accusatory half-disgusted tone as she looks between Vinnie and Matteo.

"Why do you always put them together?" Vinnie asks.

"Because they're besties, aren't they?" Pia replies in a sweet voice that's meant to be annoying Vinnie even more.

"Maybe they can call the police on us this time too." Isabella jokes and Pia laughs. It's that mean girl laugh that Matteo hates.

"I don't care what you do about Allison, it's your party and she's not my girlfriend anymore." Matteo tells her. He'll find someone to go home with anyway (if he wants to).

"If you invite Sofia, I'm sure she won't call the police anymore. She said she's sorry." Vinnie says.

"Are you kidding me?" Isabella spits. "If she comes, then Allison comes. And how many more times do they have to fuck you over until you move on?" she asks, looking at Vinnie.

Pia agrees by nodding and pointing toward Isabella.

"My birthday is before yours, why are we even discussing it now?" Marco groans, already annoyed at how shrill Isabella's voice gets when she's angry.

"It's our birthday, not just yours." Vinnie reminds her. "If I want to invite Sofia, I'll invite her."

Isabella gets even angrier now and stands up, taking a hold of her glass. "I'm going to sleep, goodnight."

"Aw, come on Izzy!" Vinnie yells after her but she flips him off as she stumbles back into the hallway, in search of the room she shares with Pia.

Matteo watches the door closing behind her and thinks it's unusual for her to get so upset over Sofia and Allison attending. She usually just makes snarky comments, but never gets mad.

"We stopped playing or what?" Eddie nudges him.

His head snaps back to the TV. "You wish."

***

Manhattan, New York, United States 2020 – February 15th, 2020

He spends Valentine's Day in the club with his friends because they're having a special 'single's only' event that was suggested by Isabella a few days ago, and since Aurora didn't want to have her birthday there, they hosted 'Valentine's Dead'.

The group got dressed up and absolutely everyone was in the mood to party, which meant bottles being brought over by bottle service girls with sparklers in them, and several rounds of colourful shots done by everyone. The club was packed, Aleksi was there with his usual deliveries, so it was a successful night at the club.

Now that it's way past midnight and Matteo is on the way home in a taxi, he remembers that it's the 15th. Aurora just turned 18 and celebrated somewhere else in New York (she's attending the same boarding school in the city).

"Hello? Happy birthday!" He says, still pumped from the cocaine.

"Thank youuu" Aurora says on the other line, slurring her words a little.

Matteo frowns. "Where are you?"

"With a friend."

"Who?"

She sighs into the phone. "You don't know him."

"Him? Is he your secret boyfriend?"

At this, Raisa turns her head from the other side of the taxi where she was staring out the window. Matteo looks at her for a moment before returning his attention on the phone call and the buildings passing them by. The streets are still covered in snow and it's cold outside.

"Don't start, Matteo. Marco has already asked me like ten times and now I think dad is onto something. Just let me enjoy becoming an adult."

"You're not an adult." Matteo snorts. "Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I always do." She says. "Have a good night." She says it in a tone that means she knows Matteo's with a girl headed back from the club.

"I will. You too. But I want you at the club next month."

Although drinking if you're not 21 is illegal in the US, Matteo prefers to lower the age of people allowed entry in the club to 18. No police has ever showed up at the club, and although it might be his father's doing, Matteo has never complained.

"Promise." Aurora says, and he can hear her genuine smile in her voice.

He hangs up and looks at Raisa. She's on her phone, fingers shaking a little from the coke as she texts someone.

"Hey." He says and she looks up at him, smiling as he leans in to kiss her.

Raisa kisses more aggressive than Matteo would like, but she's crazy in bed because she says yes to everything. Plus, her nipples are pierced, which is something Matteo has never experienced before. He also knows that she's beginning to fall for the idea of him, which won't end well for her if she makes it into something more.

Raisa straddles him without any regard for the driver and starts kissing down the left side of his neck. He likes that she doesn't give a fuck when it comes to voyeurism, so he slips his hand under her black dress to find that she's not wearing any underwear.

He knows she's got daddy issues because her emotionally distant father died nearly a year ago – she talks a lot when she's drunk or high. Matteo just lets her, then fucks her real good until she can't breathe. He's not sure whether she likes it so much because he usually does all the work or if she also likes having someone listening to her problems.

He never asks her out on purpose, which is one of the things he's started doing so the girls he hooks up with don't make it into something more. He used to have an only-one-night-stands rule right after he broke up with Allison, which worked for a few months until it got boring and he had to concentrate on getting it up because he was fucking random girls or prostitutes.

Raisa kisses him as soon as they're inside the elevator, one hand going down between his legs to rub him over his pants.

She moans into his ear when they're out of the elevator and he unzips her dress before they even reach his apartment. One minute later she's naked, straddling him on the couch in the living room, looking over his shoulder at the view of the city behind him. He sucks on her pierced nipple, focusing on getting it up with all the cocaine and alcohol in his system. Without him even asking her, she gets on her knees in front of the couch and smiles up at him.

The reason he prefers having a few 'fuck-buddies' as he likes to call them, is because they already know each other's body so it's more pleasurable than fucking a new person every time. Trust is also an important part for him, ever since one of his one-night stands stole two of his watches and posted about it on her social media.

He had to come to terms with the fact that anyone who would google his name could see how much money his family has. Sort of. The statistics on the internet didn't even showcase a quarter of the wealth he knew his father had acquired over the years, but it $342 million showing up if you googled his net worth was still enough for girls to throw themselves at him.

He goes to sleep an hour later, after having had sex for forty minutes and taking a shower afterwards.

He wishes she'd be gone by the time he wakes up.

***

Manhattan, New York, United States 2020 – February 15th, 2020

Two weeks later, Aurora finally agrees to come out and celebrate that she was eighteen with her 'family' - as Matteo had put it.

"Shut up, you sound like dad." She had told him, which was kind of a slap in the face. But she came to RedLight anyway, wearing a white sundress and sunglasses.

They have their usual corner in the VIP area and there are more people at the table than usual, some of whom he doesn't really recognize (probably friends of friends). He spots Valentina talking to Isabella and Raisa, and for some reason he feels pulled to go over.

"Hi."

"Hello." She smiles.

He's not sure why he even came over, but they've become friends ever since he started attending the Organizational Psychology seminars (occasionally) and would choose to sit next to her (always).

He's gotten so used to seeing her in jeans and a sweater that her wearing a dress tonight makes him want to check her out.

"Anything interesting happened in class yesterday?" He asks after knocking their glasses together.

Valentina takes a sip before answering. "Depends on what you mean by interesting. If you're asking whether Birkin's zipper was down again today, then no. But if you're asking whether I took notes, then, as usual, yes, I did. I sent them to you already."

"I know, but I don't really understand them. They're not even entire sentences. And some abbreviations don't even make sense."

Valentina takes another sip from her straw. "I mean, I take my notes so I can understand them."

"Yes, but I can't understand them." Matteo says, mimicking her gesture and placing a hand on his chest.

She smiles. "Which ones?"

"All of them."

Valentina rolls her eyes. "And what exactly do you want me to do? Do you want me to solve your problem?"

He blinks at her. "No."

Raisa starts talking to him then and he loses his train of thought, leaving the conversation be for the moment so he can focus on her. It gets too much too quick though, because she's already asking what they're doing afterwards and he just wants to enjoy right now.

He's not sure why, but he turns to Valentina and asks if she wants to do a line in the office.

He likes being around her. It's different. Maybe because she doesn't care to impress him, doesn't care whether he pays attention to her, and doesn't shy away from speaking her mind.

Valentina downs her drink and grabs a bottle of water, then motions towards the door in the back. "Lead the way then."

Her heels echo in the empty hallway as Matteo tries to get the door open with shaky fingers. It's the fourth time he's doing this tonight, twice with the boys and then once with Isabella and Raisa before Valentina arrived.

She sits down on one of the chairs facing him. It's the first time they're completely alone. Just the two of them with no one else around.

He wonders whether he should say something, since he's the one who suggested they do this.

Matteo pushes the plate with the credit card and bill towards her and she takes it. He watches as she starts racking up two lines with a knowing smile on her face.

"What?" He asks, feeling too hot all of a sudden. She's too sober, and he's too coked up and aware of it.

She looks up at him, hands still working on splitting up to even lines.

"Are you nervous?"

"About what?"

She shrugs. "You look a little on edge."

She doesn't wait for him to come up with a reply, because she points to the plate. The lines are larger than usual – they look just like the ones he and Vinnie do when it's just the two of them.

"Too much?" She asks, looking up at him.

Matteo looks at her lips for a split second without even realizing it, then takes the plate from her to do the honours.

He smirks at her when he catches her eye. "Never."

***

The club closes a little while after 4am and Matteo refuses to stay behind because he's way too active and half of the people there are already on the way to his apartment. He grabs a taxi with Vinnie and their brothers, and by the time they reach their building there are people waiting in the lobby.

The elevator goes up three times taking ten people each and the door to his apartment stays open for twenty minutes until everyone arrives.

When he finally sits down on the couch, his legs feel numb. There are about forty people in his apartment, some of whom he still can't recognize.

He watches Valentina enter the living room with Isaac. He's one of the regular NYU rich kids at the club. Matteo knows that he used to be on the same football team as Vinnie a few years ago and that he can get quite violent when he's drunk, but that's about it.

"Who are those two?" He asks Vinnie at some point, when he sees the same two guys he saw at his table at the club and couldn't recognize.

"I don't know. Maybe they know Aurora?"

"Who left an hour ago?"

Vinnie looks at him in a strange way. "Are you okay? Are you getting paranoid?"

"I'm just going to ask them who they are."

"Matteo-"

But Matteo is already headed towards them, elbowing people out of his way. One of them spots him and they both bolt towards the hallway.

He yells at them to turn around, but he can barely hear himself over the music. By the time he reaches the hallway, the door is wide open, and they're gone.

"Fuck." Vinnie's probably right. He's getting paranoid because his brain is coming down from the dopamine he's consumed in the past few hours.

***

The crowd in his apartment goes down to half of what it initially was around 6am. Most of the people that left are chatting on the balcony waiting for the sun to rise.

Matteo has always hated sunrises. The idea that a whole new day is starting when the one he was living through hasn't even finished always fucks with his cocaine-riddled brain.

Isabella is alone on the couch, which is unlike her, so Matteo goes over and sits down next to her.

He throws an arm around her shoulders. "I didn't see you at all tonight."

"Yeah." She dully answers.

"Are you alright?"

Yeah." She smiles. "I'm just tired and I want to go back to the hotel, but I'm waiting on Valentina to finish whatever she's doing with Isaac."

"How does she know Isaac?" He asks, turning to look towards the balcony where Valentina and Isaac sit amongst the people sharing a joint. It's cold and cloudy and there's no part of Matteo that would enjoy being out there right now.

"She told me he was a year above her in middle school in Moscow. Funny how small the world is huh." She slurs and rambles at the same time.

Okay, so Isabella is more drunk than anything else. It's fine.

"Finally." Isabella sighs and gets up from the couch.

"Uhh." Valentina says with a guilty look on her face. "I think I want to stay a little longer."

"It's fine, I'll just call myself an Uber." Isabella waves it off and takes her phone out of her purse. "So, you decided you're interested?"

Matteo looks up at Valentina, who just shrugs in response. "Maybe? I haven't figured it out yet." She has this guilty look on her face, like she's doing something she knows she shouldn't be doing.

Isabella grabs her arm. "Okay, I'm going to be direct. You need new dick. I know you're on your self-discovery journey and whatever, but it's okay to be horny and it's okay to hook up with that hot guy you've had a crush on since middle school. If I were you, I would do it."

He's known Isabella since he was in diapers, so he knows she actually wouldn't do it. She's not a one-night stand type of girl, although she's had a couple of more-night stands with guys whose names are unknown.

Valentina crosses her arms over her chest. "Oh, would you really?"

Her tone is more accusatory rather than joking. Isabella flips her off before she announces her departure.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She yells as she hurries away, happy to be on the way to her bed.

Everyone comes back inside after sunrise, including a horny Raisa who places her hand on Matteo's arm while he's pouring himself another drink in the kitchen. She tells him to meet her in his bedroom in five minutes before simply leaving him there staring at the drink he just poured.

Valentina and Isaac are talking on one of the couches, away from the rest of the people who are trying to decide on a song to play on the speakers.

Matteo doesn't bother to say goodnight to either of them before he turns around and heads towards his bedroom, not knowing what to expect.

He finds Raisa on her stomach, scrolling through her phone. The little excitement he felt on his way here disappears. He nearly expected her to be dressed in something overtly sexy or already playing with herself (even though that has never happened).

"Hey." She basically purrs at him and turns on her back, spreading her legs to make space for him.

Matteo looks at her for a moment, wishing he were already hard and so he could make the whole process quicker. But he settles for crawling on top of her and kissing down her neck.

He already knows where to put his mouth to make her weak; the place where her neck meets her shoulder. Everything is easier when you know the person's weak spots. Maybe that's why he always went back to Allison in the first place.

***

Finding Valentina in his kitchen, wrapped in a blanket as she tries to make coffee in a pot takes him by surprise after he wakes up.

Before he can ask her what she's doing here or where she even slept, Isaac comes into the kitchen with a towel around his waist like he owns the fucking place.

That's what she's doing here.

As Isaac starts talking about some irrelevant football shit he couldn't care less about, Matteo gets a strong sense of apathy towards the guy standing in front of him.