Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 209

Chapter 209: Monday Morning
“…You were serious?” Amelia asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You thought I was joking?” Aiden retorted. “Newsflash, I’m now desperate and wading up a creek of shit without a paddle. I never thought this place would land in my hands. I still thought I had some time to get used to it, then I got the news that my mother had already stuck her fingers into this.”

“Poor you,” Amelia said, sounding unsympathetic to his plight. “The woe of inherited wealth and perils of nepotism.”

“Ha fucking ha,” Aiden grumbled and he sank back into his chair. “Goddamn it, my plan was to throw all my work to Ronan. Why did she fire him?!” He lamented loudly. “Do you think it’s too late to chase him back?”

“She was never going to keep Ronan on. He was too close to Matteo to begin with,” Amelia said simply.

And their closeness was why Ronan wouldn’t work for anyone else in X’el who wasn’t Matteo, despite his claims of Matteo being an evil boss.

“If you’re planning to throw all your work to me, I’ll pen my resignation letter right now, compensation be damned,” Amelia added threateningly.

Aiden began to whine. “How do you expect me to do anything? I only know the bare bones of this mess! Hell, you could put that intern that humiliated Caleb Walton in my position, and you’d probably have better success.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself, and I’m not throwing poor Carlo into the fire,” Amelia scolded. “But if you want a savior, you can start practicing your spiel to beg Ronan to return. I’m sure if you look pathetic enough, he’ll reconsider his resignation,” Amelia said, pretending to think about it.

“Like hell, he’d probably video it and then everyone will think I’m actually in love with him and begging him to marry me instead.” Aiden sighed. “Then again, marrying him would be better than marrying Emmeline. Do you think he can fit into her gown? I’m not picky. He’s rich too, and marrying him would piss off my brother.”

“You might not have standards, but Ronan definitely does,” Amelia said honestly. “And Matteo might just kill you if you try to do anything to Ronan,” Amelia added thoughtfully.

She frowned the moment she heard Emmeline’s name, deliberately ignoring the mental image of Ronan in a wedding dress.

“Surely your family can’t think the engagement is still ongoing,” Amelia said. Aiden’s wedding was happening a week later, but with Horace Hawthorne in the hospital and Emmeline pregnant with a child whose father was unknown, suffice to say that circumstances weren’t ideal.

Aiden flung his hands up in the air. “Well, I didn’t receive any news of it being canceled, and frankly I’m half-afraid of what my mom is going to cook up in response. What if she digs out another Emmeline clone from the basement to become my wife?”

He shuddered theatrically, before looking at Amelia.

“Do you want to take Emmeline’s place at the altar and marry me instead?” Aiden asked, casting hopeful eyes at Amelia. “You’re unmarried, I’m unmarried, and our names match. Hurrah for alliteration. Aiden and Amelia.”

“Perish the thought,” Amelia said darkly, flicking his hair. “You’d have better luck begging Ronan to be your stand-in bride.”

“Darn.” Aiden sulked into his hands. “Never mind then. So what are your plans? Are you going to become the evil stepmother to Emmeline’s spawn? Stuff the kid in a cupboard under the stairs? You would be hard-pressed to outdo her villainy.”

“You watch too many shows,” Amelia scolded primly. “And my first course of action is to prove the parentage of the child.”

“How will you do that?” Aiden cocked his head and asked. “Is that even possible?”

“I heard from a doctor that it is. There are DNA tests for fetuses with a ninety-nine percent success rate,” Amelia said, and a strange expression crossed Aiden’s face before it smoothed back into his usual cocky look.

“And if it is indeed Emmeline and Matteo’s child, will you still stick with Matteo?” Aiden asked, his gaze intent. “Will you force yourself to become a stepmom to some child while Emmeline wedges into your marriage using the kid?”

Amelia’s mouth ran dry. She had tried very hard not to think about the future. One step at a time, she told herself, but she couldn’t deny that she was having trouble sleeping with this issue looming over her head. She and Matteo had brainstormed on ideas, but short of knocking out Emmeline to withdraw a sample of her blood, she didn’t know what else she could do.

Aiden sensed her hesitation and pounced.

“Amelia, I don’t think that’s the right course of action. It’s not fair for everyone involved. Even if you don’t want to marry me, you can pick someone else! You’re now an heiress! There are tons of men who don’t have such baggage. This is a whole ass child we’re talking about here. Unless… you want to…”

Aiden made a slashing motion at his own throat, and Amelia smacked his hand, scandalized. “Of course not! I’m not resorting to murder!”

“Pity,” Aiden said, with all sincerity. “That would honestly solve a lot of problems. No baby means no roadblock to your wedding.”

“That better not be your modus operandi for dealing with your fellow businessmen,” Amelia said threateningly. “I’m your secretary― I don’t deal with dead bodies!”

“If you change your mind, let me know,” Aiden said. “Good luck with Emmeline’s DNA test!” He waved her goodbye and she stared at him, puzzled.

“You’re not putting me to work immediately?”

“Why? I don’t want to work! Go, shoo. I want to drink myself into a stupor today,” Aiden replied, waving her to the door.

“It’s Monday morning,” Amelia said disapprovingly.

“And I’m the new CEO, so I can do what I want,” Aiden said shamelessly. “And I’m giving you a day off.”

“Nonsense,” Amelia said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll be right outside if you need me. If you want to vomit, please swallow it down. The office plant does not deserve to absorb your gastric juices.” She whirled around and left, preparing to at least do some work.

“Harsh,” Aiden said with a wistful sigh to Amelia’s retreating back.

The moment the door closed, he made a call.

***

“Emmeline has agreed to do the testing,” Matteo said, the moment she got home.