Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 165

Chapter 165: Smooth Sailing II
“Yes, Grandpa. It’ll happen a month later, on Saturday. Matteo and I are planning to have an evening banquet,” Amelia said.

For every other young couple, planning a luxurious wedding of the century would’ve taken at least half a year. However, Amelia had everything settled for a date scheduled one month later.

It was lucky that the Hawthornes were so powerful and wealthy that time constraints no longer meant anything― it was nothing a few extra zeroes couldn’t immediately solve.

Truthfully, she would’ve loved to have the spare time to slowly plan her wedding. But due to her grandfather’s declining health and his wishes to see her get married, Amelia had no choice.

Then again, short of her wedding dress and her husband, Amelia did not have much choice in most of the proceedings. To begin with, she would have preferred a small intimate lunch with friends and family, but ironically, their statuses made such a request impossible.

It would be considered a slight towards every family in high society if they weren’t invited, and Amelia wasn’t foolish enough to burn bridges over this. The guest list had gone up to the hundreds, and Matteo and her had racked their brains to cull off at least half of the guests.

Not to mention her own father had raised an eyebrow at the guestlist, frowning in distaste. He did not like the thought of Amelia’s wedding being turned into a media circus, but it was a small price to pay.

After all, Amelia wanted to hammer it home to everyone with eyes that Matteo was going to be her husband. Especially to a certain pesky cousin.

Speaking of Emmeline… Amelia discreetly looked around, but she couldn’t spot her.

“Amelia? Who are you looking for?” Horace asked curiously. “If you’re wondering where Matteo went, he’s introducing that Carlo boy to the other families. He’s very supportive of your efforts.”

There was no denying the pleased tone in his voice. After all, he had heard about the mess Caleb Walton made during his visit to Matteo’s company. To think that scoundrel had the nerve to haggle with Matteo over Amelia’s marriage as though she was no better than a piece of meat for sale!

Just for that alone, Horace had made sure they were not invited to this event.

“I know, Grandpa. Matteo has helped me a lot.” Amelia smiled fondly as she stared at his strong back and at the exposed skin of his neck. Just hours ago, she had planted kisses on it while standing on her tiptoes, and Matteo had chortled at her efforts to reach his neck.

As though he could sense her stare, he turned around and gave her a half-smile. Amelia returned his smile with a small wave. Even from a distance, her eyes were drawn to him like flowers to the sun.

Next to him was Carlo, who was also dressed in a fitted suit, his hair styled artfully with hair gel. He waved to her too, and she grinned in reply.

“But I’m actually wondering about Emmeline. Grandpa, is she getting married soon? You saw how Aiden behaved…” Her voice trailed off hesitantly, only for Horace to scoff.

“Her wedding with Aiden will proceed as planned, a week after yours,” her grandfather said simply. “If I drop dead before the wedding, I’ve altered my will to ensure that Annalise and Emmeline will only inherit if Emmeline marries Aiden. If she fails to do so, she will not get a single cent even after I’m rolling in my grave.”

“Grandpa, don’t say such inauspicious things,” Amelia scolded with displeasure. “You need to keep yourself healthy. Other than my marriage, you still need to see your future grandchildren years later!”

“Of course, of course!” Horace nodded agreeably. He squeezed her hands in comfort. “Anyway, I’m just telling you I will not change my mind on this matter. Annalise and Emmeline have pleaded and wept, threatening everything from death to disembowelment, but I have remained undeterred.”

“Did they really?” Amelia wondered, with morbid curiosity. She would have liked to see that.

“Yes, but I know their demands lack teeth. For all their complaints, they want the family fortune more than anything else. Your wedding, and Emmeline’s own, will be my gift to you. All you have to do is enjoy the rest of your married life with Matteo.”

Amelia bit her lip so that she wouldn’t start laughing, or god forbid, crying at her grandfather’s accurate assessment of his daughter-in-law and granddaughter and at his gesture of affection.

Since Jenna had all but banned Emmeline from getting a wedding dress from Solara, Amelia wondered what on earth would she wear for the wedding at such short notice. With Emmeline’s penchant for dramatics, Amelia would not be surprised if she stalked down the aisle wearing a full black gown and a black veil.

Well, that was Emmeline’s problem. All Amelia had to do was show up and watch the show.

And soon the show arrived. Amelia had almost thought Emmeline wasn’t going to show up, but here she was, hanging off Kelsie Friesant. Caleb was noticeably absent.

Maybe he didn’t want to be humiliated by his half-brother, Amelia mused. After all, it was not every day one got humbled by a teenager a decade younger. Matteo had helpfully told her where he got his data from, and it made her entire week.

“Grandfather, Cousin, how nice to see the both of you,” Emmeline said with a saccharine smile. Kelsie greeted them similarly, but one couldn’t miss the twitching of her brows. “I must say, I did not expect this turn of events. Did Matteo leave you alone?”

“He’s just over there,” Amelia pointed out, an equally sweet smile on his face. “He’s helping me introduce dear Carlo to the other guests. You remember Carlo, don’t you? I think he flung a frog at you once.”

Emmeline’s face twitched as her grandfather laughed gaily. “Ah, such a spirited young boy!”

“Grandfather, he’s a menace,” Emmeline said. “I know that boy did well for his internship, but his attitude…”

“I can’t believe he’s invited,” Kelsie added bitterly.

“Why not? This event is called Hope for Scholars, is it not?” Amelia smiled, before addressing Kelsie. “Did Caleb not tell you how Carlo managed to identify a problem in W&W’s management?”