Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: Turning of the Tides
Not that Emmeline didn’t deserve it. But such an act of violence would have damned Amelia’s efforts and gotten Carlo a one-way ticket to prison, and being the loving husband-to-be that he was, Matteo couldn’t sit by and watch it happen.

Now, he was glad he had shown up. The moment Emmeline registered his presence, it was as though a switch flipped inside her, and she was all genial smiles and sweetness. It was disgusting.

“Matteo, what a coincidence! I didn’t expect to see you here!” Emmeline chirped enthusiastically, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Amelia is here, so where else would I be?” Matteo retorted flatly, hoping to deflate her enthusiasm. “I’m here to celebrate the work she has put in to make the charity a success. I know better than anyone how much effort she put in, especially since no one had bothered to help her.”

Only a particularly obtuse person could have missed who he was referring to. Emmeline’s delicate cheeks flushed an ugly red. She could disparage Carlo with her words, but Matteo was another story.

Amelia decided it was time for her to rejoin the fray. With a heavy sigh, she said, “I’m sure Emmeline didn’t mean to neglect Hope for Scholars. Perhaps she simply had too many charities in her hands that this one slipped under the radar. Or she thought that her efforts might be better spent elsewhere since she was netting no results before.”

“It’s hard to net results when there’s zero effort put in, to begin with,” Matteo pointed out. “The charity was nothing more than an empty husk when Amelia took over. One has to wonder how on earth it got to that point. Only a fool would assume doing nothing would net any positive outcome.”

“Yeah, even I know that a hundred multiplied by zero is still zero,” Carlo chimed cheekily, and Amelia’s eyes bulged out. Truly, the young had the courage of lions.

Matteo, instead of being upset, merely laughed indulgently. The very sight stunned Emmeline.

Matteo was laughing? After she got insulted by this brat who couldn’t even legally purchase alcohol yet?!

Unknown to her, Matteo slowly found himself more endeared by this teenager. He shared many facial similarities with Caleb Walton, but unlike his older half-brother, Matteo felt the fatherly instinct to parade him around so that everyone could know how accomplished Carlo was.

Perhaps this was due to Amelia’s influence. She had not stopped talking about Carlo ever since his big break.

“Well, like what my cousin said, today is a day to celebrate the young scholars who will make a mark on our futures. Let’s not quibble over the details,” Amelia said with a beaming smile, echoing Emmeline’s earlier words.

“Everyone, I would like you to meet Carlo. He has done the organization proud, and I hope you will continue to give him and his peers the support they need to realize their potential.”

Carlo bowed lowly, “A pleasure to meet all of you.” He then turned to address Emmeline. “I humbly apologize if I offended you in any way. I’m just a parentless teenager, and I have much to learn.”

Emmeline couldn’t stop herself from twitching in irritation.

Amelia added cheerfully, “Carlo, don’t worry. Emmeline is benevolent. I’m sure she wouldn’t take your words to heart.”

Now, Emmeline could only peel her lips with extreme effort to form a gentle smile. “Of course. It’s not your fault that you grew up in such a broken environment that lacked parental love and care.”

“Yeah.” Carlo nodded, not even offended in the slightest. “I’m glad you agree old man Walton isn’t a good dad.”

Gasps filled the air, and Emmeline’s mouth fell open at her own mispeak. Then again, who would have thought this brat would air out his own dirty laundry!

“But now that I know that Miss Emmeline is so understanding, I have no worries!” Carlo continued, radiating gratefulness from every fiber of his being, as though he was truly a poor orphan in the dark ages who had gotten an extra helping of food in church.

Matteo and Amelia exchanged a discreet glance; she knew he was already making plans for Carlo to go into theater if being a business analyst did not bring dividends.

“Yes, it’s good that Emmeline is understanding,” Matteo added smoothly. “Now we must be off. There are more people I want to introduce you to. Amelia?”

“I’ll see you later then,” Amelia said, leaning up to press a kiss to Matteo’s lips. Matteo smiled and returned it with a peck of his own. Carlo pretended to puke, and his tiny action caused a ripple of laughter to form within the group of women.

Only Emmeline’s face was wooden. Her hands were clenched into fists, pressed against her sides with herculean effort.

Eventually, Carlo and Matteo left, leaving Amelia with Emmeline and the group of women.

“Wow… I did not expect such a blatant display of affection from Matteo Montgomery,” one woman whispered, and Emmeline whirled so quickly that her hair nearly caused a windstorm to form. However, it was as though a dam was broken, and even her displeased expression wasn’t enough to stem their comments.

“He’s really in love!”

“I can’t believe my eyes…”

“Miss Amelia is so lucky…”

After all, they could also tell where the tide was flowing. Not only was Amelia a Hawthorne heiress just like Emmeline, but she had proven that she had the capabilities to be a proper socialite, and she already held Matteo Montgomery’s icy heart in the palm of her hands.

It was a far cry compared to Emmeline, whose own fiancé had refused to accompany her to this event. It was well known, after all, that the Hawthorne heiresses were marrying the Montgomery heirs. However, Aiden Montgomery had made it very clear that his heart was anywhere but with Emmeline.

Emmeline was so enraged at the continuous mutters, she nearly bit her own tongue. Her eyes darted to the circle of women, who were once her loyal brethren who rose and fell with her every word. Now, they have turned their gazes to Amelia, accepting her into their circle.

Preposterous! Traitors, all of them!