Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 144

Chapter 144: A Black Gown
“Then I’m honored that the first gown she’ll ever wear will be from me,” Jenna said delightedly.

She clasped her hands, but before she could continue, there was the sound of someone slamming against the front door. A staff member hurriedly dashed over to open it, only to reveal Aiden’s disheveled form.

“I made it! On time too!” Aiden crowed excitedly, his face a ruddy red. His hair was a windswept mess. He caught sight of Amelia and stumbled towards her, only for Matteo to hold him back with a warning growl.

“Aiden, did you drink and drive?” Amelia demanded, her nose wrinkling at the stench of whiskey floating off him. It seemed that Matteo’s prediction of his sobriety was accurate.

“Of course not!” Aiden said, scandalized. “I took a taxi here. I even shared my drink with the taxi driver!”

Before Amelia could even parse the meaning of that sentence, Jenna cleared her throat politely.

“I guess this must be Aiden Montgomery. Dearie, kindly take a seat. We’ll get you some tea and cookies to sober you up,” Jenna said politely, and Amelia had to give her props for her professionalism. She barely batted an eye at one of her grooms entering drunk. Was this a common occurrence for her clientele?

Even Aiden was surprised at her unflappability as he followed her suggestions, plopping himself down with his legs spread, next to his future mother-in-law. Annalise discreetly scooted further away, her eyes flashing at the disrespect.

This was the man Horace wanted her sweet Emmeline to marry?!

Horace Hawthorne was also less than impressed by Aiden’s appearance, but at least Aiden had made an appearance. He glanced at his watch. It was already time, and Emmeline was still not present yet.

“Hey, my fiancée isn’t here yet,” Aiden mused loudly, his voice hopeful. “Does this mean the wedding is canceled?”

Horace sighed. “This means that Emmeline will be disinherited,” his hand hovered over his phone. “I’ll get the family lawyers to draw up a new document―”

“No!” Annalise wailed, slamming her knees onto the floor with a heavy thud, frantically pleading for more time. “You can’t, Father! She’s just running a little late― you know how she is! Emmeline belongs in your family!”

“She knew what was at stake,” Horace Hawthorne said regretfully. “If she cannot commit to this engagement then―”

“I’m sorry for my lateness, Grandpa.” A new voice cut in, and it was Emmeline, who strolled in through the open door left behind by Aiden’s entrance. She was dressed in a form-fitting black dress that hugged every curve, the very inch of a lady on a warpath.

Amelia couldn’t help but notice there was a slight pouch at her belly― perhaps the recent news had struck her so hard that Emmeline was eating more than usual.

“I was wondering where my wayward fiancé went, but it seemed like he had managed to crawl his way here just fine,” Emmeline said sweetly, but she shot Aiden a vicious glare. Her jaw was clenched so tightly, that Amelia found herself worrying about the health of her molars.

“Hey, don’t blame me!” Aiden protested. “You didn’t want to come here either!”

Annalise quickly got up and cleared her throat. “As long as you’re here now. Do you have a dress in mind?”

“Since Amelia is my cousin, I might as well let her have the first pick,” Emmeline said with a generosity Amelia knew was fake. “We all know Caleb Montgomery never bothered to give her a proper wedding. Something in white would look nice with her coloring, don’t you think so, Grandpa?”

Horace nodded in approval, taking his fingers off his phone. Finally, his granddaughter was seeing sense.

However, his daughter-in-law continued to spout nonsense. Perhaps it was Annalise’s fault that Emmeline grew up to be such a spoiled child.

Annalise scoffed loudly. “White? How can she be worthy of such a color?! Only pure women can wear white, and we all know Amelia is nowhere close to purity. She already had a husband, for goodness sake!”

“This is the 21st century, and white gowns do not hold such meaning anymore,” Jenna interjected quickly before a fistfight could break out in her boutique. Matteo Montgomery seemed ready to commit violence and stain her white gowns red, while Amelia didn’t even bat an eyelash at the insult.

Meanwhile, Aiden Montgomery was cackling so loudly that her staff were giving him a wide berth.

“This is pretty rich, coming from you, Emmeline! Does that mean that you’ll be wearing black to our wedding, since you―”

Emmeline snarled and slapped Aiden before he could say anything more. The sound of her blow ricocheted around the room, stunning everyone. Aiden shook himself to wakefulness; it was as though she slapped the inebriation out of him. He rose to his feet, upset.

“Emmeline Hawthorne, how dare you slap me!”

“Aiden, sit back down!” Amelia exclaimed. If Aiden decided to hit Emmeline, he’d be looking at a lawsuit― especially with Horace Hawthorne sitting two seats away from him.

At the combined warning glares from Matteo and Amelia, Aiden sunk back into his seat, glaring mulishly at Emmeline as he nursed his swollen cheek.

Meanwhile, Horace Hawthorne shook his head in disappointment. Aiden’s behavior was deplorable, but Emmeline should not have laid hands on Aiden to begin with. He sighed, but it was too late to reconsider this engagement. This was for Emmeline’s own good.

Thankfully, his other granddaughter seemed to be in a happy, blissful relationship.

Jenna coughed and spoke loudly, thankful that there was no bloodshed in her boutique.

“Well, I agree that Amelia here would look lovely in white. Dearie, if you don’t want a white gown, just let me know. I have several colored gowns that would still suit you marvelously!”

“Thank you,” Amelia said, feeling touched and just a tad sorry for Jenna. To be saddled with their family drama… it simply wasn’t her lucky day. “I’ll try on anything you want me to since you are the expert here.”

Jenna laughed, pleased at her client’s easygoing attitude.

“Come here then,” Jenna waved her into another room. “I’ll let you and your fiancé take a look at our gowns first. If you see anything that catches your eye, let me know!”