Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 178

Chapter 178: Aiden’s Wedding Gift
Amelia’s finger pressed the lock button on her phone, extinguishing the light from her screen before tucking it into her pocket.

“I should be saying that to you,” she said. “What brings you to the office, Aiden?”

Aiden wore a brilliant smile. He leaned against the counter, ignoring both the curious and judgmental glances shot at him by the various employees of X’el who walked by. He may be the second son of the Montgomery family, but everyone working at this building knew that when it came to work, it was Matteo who called the shots.

In short, Aiden Montgomery had no business being here.

“Just wanted to check in on my new sister-in-law,” Aiden cheekily said. “So, did you dig a little deeper about Emmeline’s little antics?”

“Little?” Amelia echoed. She rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head. “You above all people should know that your fiancée is capable of more than just little antics.”

Amelia continued, “I seem to be getting the feeling that you’re trying to play a game with your not-so-subtle hinting. Is there something I should know?”

“Maybe,” Aiden said with a shrug. “Not really. More like, I am trying to offer words of wisdom from the heavens above.”

“Perfect,” Amelia said.

It was close to the end of work and as the minutes ticked by, more and more people were starting to leave the office. Amelia glanced at the receptionist, who was trying her best to remain as noticeable as possible. Regardless, she knew the staff would be able to perfectly listen in to their conversation.

So instead, Amelia decided to head to the couches placed in the lobby. They were placed a distance away from the counter and away from the path where most people would pass by as they walked in and out of the building.

“Tell me then, since you’re so eager to play messenger,” she continued as she headed straight for the couch. Aiden followed behind her without needing to be asked. “What do you know about All Saints Orphanage?”

“All Saints Orphanage?” Aiden frowned before raising an eyebrow. “That’s not the same orphanage your little charity is for, is it?”

“Never mind then,” Amelia said.

If he could ask such a thing, it meant that Aiden had not a single clue what she was talking about. If he did, then he wasn’t willing to share. So instead, Amelia changed her question.

“Then what about Emmeline?” she asked. “You seem to really like warning me about her these days. Might I know why?”

“Because I can’t stand that woman,” Aiden said. “And on the other hand, I am very fond of you.”

It was Amelia who raised an eyebrow this time in disbelief.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Aiden immediately said. “To prove it to you, I bring a gift.”

Aiden reached into his pockets and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Only when he unfolded it from the tiny square did Amelia realize it was actually a photograph.

On it was the image of Emmeline dressed in a large sunhat and a pair of shades, trying her best — and failing miserably — to stay incognito. Her outfit just caused her to stand out even more among the ordinary people around her. She was speaking with a man whose back was facing the camera.

Amelia took hold of the photograph from Aiden’s hand, squinting at the image. She did not recognize this man from the back, and even so, she was sure she had never met this person before.

“Who is she speaking to?” Amelia asked. “And why is she dressed like that?”

“Stupid, ain’t it?” Aiden chortled. “She stood out even more by trying to blend in. What awful fashion.” He even dramatically rolled his eyes before he continued. “But I suppose you won’t know this man. My brother would. That’s Lucas Dirge. He was a successful businessman.”

“‘Was’?”

“He dabbled in many different fields and had plenty of investments,” Aiden explained. “A little too many, unfortunately. When the first piece of the domino fell, the rest went with it. Now, the Dirges are close to declaring bankruptcy.”

Amelia frowned. She couldn’t remember if she had heard of these people before. However, she was sure that X’el did not have any ongoing or recently completed projects with this family.

“You might not know him,” Aiden said, “but you might recall his daughter, Lilie Dirge.”

“Lilie?” That was a name that caused Amelia to straighten in her seat. “As in…”

“The Lilie from Lesterat, yes,” Aiden confirmed. “Matteo told me about it. Or really, the entire front lobby present that day knew about it. He made quite the scene and was quite unforgettable.”

“This… That means that this image… It’s basically proof enough that Emmeline had a hand in what happened at Lesterat,” Amelia muttered. Lilie’s incident was but the tip of the iceberg. That fall hadn’t killed her, which was what egged Emmeline to try even harder.

Her eyes then went to the bottom of the image where a set of numbers were printed as well. The date stated that the image was taken only this morning.

“Efficient, right?” Aiden asked when he noticed Amelia frowning at the timestamp. “A little bird of mine chanced upon the scene and took a photo. Consider this my wedding gift to you.”

“And how does this benefit you?” Amelia asked, suddenly suspicious.

While her interactions with Aiden had been on the friendlier side ever since they first met, there was still a nagging feeling in her brain warning her to stay away. After all, Aiden’s mother hated Matteo enough to abandon him at the orphanage. Amelia was Matteo’s fiancée, taking the place of the woman Catherine had in mind to marry Matteo.

By all accounts, Amelia had ruined Catherine’s plans. As her son, Aiden would surely side with his mother too. Their relationship seemed good enough to not suggest otherwise.

“If Emmeline’s ass gets thrown into jail, I won’t have to marry her,” Aiden said with a wide grin.

He then inched forward in his seat, leaning a little too close to Amelia than she would’ve liked. She instinctively pulled back to create distance between them again, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t consider me?” he asked, batting his eyelashes. “I assure you I can be every bit a wonderful lover like my brother can be. Even better.”

Amelia’s refusal hadn’t even left her lips yet when suddenly, someone called her name. She turned, not recognizing the voice at first, and Aiden turned his gaze along with her. When Amelia’s gaze landed on the man who called out for her, her face paled.

“Amelia!” Joshua Kentwood stood at the front doors of the office lobby, his eyes locking onto her and Aiden. He then turned back to the elderly couple behind him and held out a hand to point at her. “There she is!”