Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 134

Chapter 134: Estranged Uncle
“I don’t think we have much we need to talk about,” Amelia said, trying to keep her tone even and calm.

They may be in a rather low-profile area of town, but she wouldn’t dare to completely let her guard down. Just because the residents living here weren’t socialites didn’t mean that they didn’t know how to gossip.

“Oh, but there’s plenty,” Joshua said, smirking. He may look just like Michael, but there was something so off-putting about his smile that made Amelia’s hair stand on her arms.

She shivered, twisting her arm so that she could worm free, but Joshua was sure to hold on tight enough that she couldn’t slip out a second time.

“What do you want to talk about?” Amelia asked warily. She was starting to see why her father had insisted she stay far away from this man. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t guarantee that Joshua would stay far away from her as well.

“For starters, that’s no way you should be talking to your elders,” Joshua said, clicking his tongue. “I am still your uncle after all. You should be showing me some respect.”

Amelia pursed her lips and kept quiet, watching Joshua’s every movement. Seeing that he wasn’t going to get a reply out of her, he sighed and chuckled, shaking his head.

“Just like your old man,” he muttered under his breath. When he looked up again, he said, “I have a family of my own. You probably wouldn’t know, seeing how your father mentioned nothing about me nor the rest of his family.”

“And?”

“And my family has been met with a slight… bump in the road,” Joshua said. “I saw the news recently, Amelia. Your mother is a Hawthorne, making you Horace Hawthorne’s granddaughter. Surely you have some―” He rubbed his fingers together, “―cash on hand, don’t you?”

“Just because I am Horace Hawthorne’s granddaughter doesn’t mean I have access to the Hawthorne family wealth,” Amelia said. Her eyebrows wrinkled tightly together. “Neither do I want it.”

“You’re not kidding anyone, Amelia,” Joshua said with a bark of laughter. “Who in the world will be against having a little bit of extra money? Besides, I know all about you― your old man might not have been willing to share the news about his little family, but the tabloid magazines sure did. You have a rich ex-husband and an even richer fiancé. You’re practically rolling in dough right now!”

“If you paid attention to the gossip magazines then you would’ve known that while I was married to my ex-husband, I was the sole breadwinner of the family,” Amelia hissed. “I am used to working hard for some cash, not begging others shamelessly.”

“It’s not begging,” Joshua denied. “It’s more of a request. I know you’re also currently helping out for a children’s foundation. I have a son.”

At the mention of his family, the light in Joshua’s eyes dimmed, and so did his mania. He looked almost downcast, lowering his gaze as his grip slightly loosened.

“You may be fully grown, but your pops had you young. I didn’t. My son is only six years old.”

Then, when he raised his eyes again, that frenzy returned. He tightened his grip — even more than before — on Amelia’s hand and yanked her a little closer.

“Aren’t you curious at all about our side of the family?” Joshua asked. “It’s romantic, ain’t it? How your mother and father eloped and disappeared off into the sunset, only to have you, a perfect addition to their small little family.”

He then laughed, attracting the attention of a few passers-by and people who lived in the nearby houses. Amelia spotted various people peeping past the curtains of their home, and she lowered her head, trying to hide her face.

“Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “Let’s hear what you have to say, but not here.”

She couldn’t afford to have this conversation out here in the open where anyone could eavesdrop. There were plenty of people who had information on her already, and Amelia would prefer to keep that number stagnant forever.

Reaching for her new phone, Amelia dialed for a cab. Joshua had his eyes on her phone screen the entire time, making sure she didn’t contact her father. When he watched her put her phone back into her purse, he whistled.

“Not calling your old man?” he asked mockingly.

“Do you want me to?” Amelia fired back hotly.

He merely chuckled, shaking his head in good humor as they waited for the cab to arrive. Only then did he let go of Amelia’s hand, slipping into the backseat right after she did.

During the ride to the restaurant Amelia had picked, she quickly sent a text to Matteo letting him know where she would be. This was a restaurant that often had expensive clientele, and it wasn’t difficult for her to get a private dining room where no one else could listen in to their conversation.

When they arrived, the host let them in, and the minute the doors shut, Joshua plopped down onto one of the seats.

“Order whatever you want,” Amelia said. She was sure that even if she hadn’t offered, he would’ve anyway.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Joshua said in glee as he picked up the menu. When the waiter came in, he had listed almost every expensive item on the menu, closing the menu with a slight pop once he was done.

After all of the dishes had arrived, he leaned into the table and eagerly grabbed a fork and knife. The private dining room was quickly filled with the aroma of the dishes.

“Michael really lucked out,” Joshua said with a laugh. “We never thought anything of your mother at first. If anything, she was just like you― a strong personality beneath a fragile appearance. Who would’ve thought?”

Amelia leaned back into her seat.

“You’ve met my mother before?” she asked. Now, her interest was piqued.

“Oh yes,” Joshua said with a nod. “Michael brought Elaine home when they first started dating. That was one of the reasons why he refused to speak with us after that, after all.”

He shrugged as though the event that caused his older brother to be estranged was not a big matter.

“What happened?” Amelia pressed.

“Not much,” Joshua said. “Only that your mother was a murderer.”