Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 139

Chapter 139: For Her Own Good
“That’s why you wanted me to stay away from him,” Amelia muttered under her breath in realization after her father had finished speaking. Her gaze fell to her hands as she fiddled with the seams of her clothing.

“You’re now engaged to a rich man,” Michael Kentwood said, looking pointedly at Matteo. “That is a widely known fact. To top it off, the Hawthornes have declared you a proper heiress of their family. That makes you an even bigger target than we were.”

A bigger hand covered hers, gently massaging her fingers. Amelia looked up to meet Matteo’s eyes, softly watching her.

“They didn’t realize your mother was a Hawthorne back then, and even so, they were more than willing to sap us drier than we could provide,” Michael continued. “Your identity is all over the news― I should’ve known that Joshua would reach his grubby little hands over.”

“He’s awfully persistent,” Matteo said. “We could get a restraining order.”

“He did nothing to us that would warrant one,” Michael said with a sigh. “According to the law, he has his right to go anywhere Amelia chooses to go.”

Matteo scoffed. Then, he exchanged a look with Amelia. She thought she caught a hint of amusement in his eyes, and that was further proved when she read his lips.

‘I am the law,’ he mouthed, and Amelia cracked a smile.

That he was. Who was to say no if the Montgomerys or the Hawthornes spoke up? The local police force surely wouldn’t, especially if some extra cash was stuffed into their wallets.

However, to Michael Kentwood, Matteo straightened his expression. He said, “You can rest assured, Mr. Kentwood, I will ensure Joshua Kentwood doesn’t go anywhere near Amelia.”

“Good,” Michael stated. “As for me,” he sighed, “I should be fine as long as I don’t step out. These old bones could not afford to go anywhere far either way, and little Dimitri keeps me company well enough.”

“‘Little’?” Amelia echoed with an amused grin. Neither Dimitri nor Ronan were home yet, but if they heard the way Michael had referred to Dimitri, it would’ve been wonderful to behold the colors that would cross their faces.

Michael waved the nickname off, though his lips betrayed him with a slight curve. He thought fondly of the Sullivan brothers, that much was obvious, and Amelia was glad that her father was well cared for here if he didn’t wish to stay with her under Matteo’s roof.

“Now that you know the truth, do well to stay away from that troublemaker,” Michael warned. “If he comes anywhere near you, call me immediately. This time, I will make sure he is stuck six feet underground if he tries anything funny!”

***

A crash echoed through the living room. Glass covered the marble floor, its shattered shards catching and reflecting the light of the chandelier that hung overhead.

“Emmeline!” Annalise cried out, standing up from the couch in shock. She tried to reach for her daughter but was rudely shrugged away.

Emmeline’s eyes were red and bloodshot. She stared at her grandfather in shock, her blood boiling in her veins.

“Grandpa, you cannot do this!” she shrieked, shaking her head as her curls slowly turned into a matted mess. There was no sight of the pristine, perfect little dolly image she had always portrayed. Instead, Emmeline looked like a patient who had just escaped from the mental hospital.

Horace Hawthorne stared coldly in Emmeline’s direction. He sat in his armchair, his walking stick in his hands. His gaze didn’t even fall on the shattered glass, ignoring it completely.

“It’s for your own good, Emmeline,” Horace calmly stated. “You are too obsessed with Matteo Montgomery. He is getting married to your cousin. You need to learn to let him go.”

“Not this way!” Emmeline cried out. “Matteo was supposed to be my fiancé in the first place― mine! Not Amelia’s!”

She fell to her knees, not caring about the way the glass pierced through the skin of her knees. Annalise sucked in a cold gasp of air and immediately came forward, her arms wrapped around her beloved daughter’s shoulders as she tried to help Emmeline up to her feet. Blood had started to flow from the pricks, causing scarlet stains against the white marble.

“If anyone has to marry Aiden, it should be Amelia, not me!” she said, her voice hoarse from all the screaming and yelling.

“Dad, you just came back home after the health scare,” Annalise said, looking up at Horace from the floor where she was with her daughter. With both of them on their knees, it looked as though they were begging him for mercy― which wasn’t too far away from the truth. “Perhaps you should reconsider―”

“No,” Horace firmly said. “There’s no need to reconsider. My mind has been made.” His gaze didn’t even shift to look at Annalise, remaining fixed on Emmeline the entire time. “Emmeline will marry Aiden Montgomery. This is for her own good.”

“How can it be for my own good?” Emmeline asked in between gasps as she sobbed. “Aiden Montgomery is a menace! He has tens if not hundreds of women out there warming his bed. If I married him, my husband’s infidelity will be broadcasted for the world to mock me!”

“And if you marry Matteo?” Horace asked, angrily stomping his walking stick against the ground with a loud thud. Emmeline and Annalise jolted a little due to the sound. “You think that he would just sit still and agree to it? He didn’t agree to it before, and he wouldn’t agree to it now! There is nothing that will change his mind.”

Then, his gaze softened.

“Emmeline, my dear, I only want what’s best for you. Marrying Aiden Montgomery will keep you safe.”

“You don’t care about me or my safety, Grandpa,” Emmeline sobbed. Hatred flared in her eyes as she bared her teeth, tears streaming down her cheeks as she glared heatedly at her grandfather. “Ever since Amelia Kentwood came to the Hawthorne household, all you ever cared about was her. It’s always ‘Amelia this’ or ‘Amelia that’.”

Slowly, Emmeline got up to her feet. Blood trickled from the wounds on her knees down to her shin, some of it seeping through to her skirt.

“I will not marry Aiden,” she said, clenching her hands tightly into fists by her side. Annalise rose with her, holding out her hands to support Emmeline as she stood up, their backs rod-straight and filled with defiance.

“You have no choice,” Horace replied. “I have already made the arrangements with the Montgomerys. You will marry Aiden Montgomery. Otherwise, I will simply have one less granddaughter. You needn’t be a Hawthorne in that case.”