Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 32

Fiancée
With his figure blocking their hands from view, he quickly fished something out of his pocket before slipping it onto Amelia’s finger.

Matteo said nothing, and instead, marched straight for the door. The reporters and passers-by who were crowded behind quickly moved away as Matteo pushed it open, and as soon as he emerged with Amelia in tow, microphones were shoved in their faces and the flash of the cameras quickly blinded Amelia.

Matteo, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch.

“Mr. Montgomery! Can you confirm if the rumors of you sleeping with your secretary are true?”

“Mr. Montgomery, some say that you are engaged to Miss Emmeline Hawthorne. Does this make Miss Amelia Kentwood your mistress?”

“Mr. Montgomery―”

Matteo held out a hand, and the reporters collectively zipped their lips. Their camera lights were unceasingly bright, shuttering on and off as they eagerly waited with bated breaths for his reply.

“Emmeline Hawthorn is a family friend,” Matteo said. His cool eyes swept over the crowd, his height easily towering over everyone. “Amelia, on the other hand, is my fiancée.”

Instantly, the previous silence that had washed over the reporters was gone in an instant. Everyone scrambled forward, shoving their cameras and microphones into Amelia and Matteo’s faces, but the latter merely cooly pulled Amelia into his embrace.

Using his muscled physique and impressive height, he blocked her from their relentless pushing, turning around before leading them back into the cordoned-off area. Nurses and security staff had also sprung forward to push the reporters back, and soon enough, the noise was blocked off by the door swinging shut.

“The tabloids will have this news up by tonight,” Matteo calmly said once they were safe. He let go, releasing her from his hold. “Maybe even in the next two hours.”

Amelia nodded, her lips pursed into a tight line. Then, her face turned paler as she widened her eyes in shock. She had just remembered― how could she have forgotten?

“Matteo,” she said, gripping his sleeve suddenly. “What about your girlfriend? What if she gets the wrong idea?”

Amelia could still remember the ringing of the words she overheard the night before. Even with Matteo’s denial, the woman sounded awfully offended, and with due right. She was supposed to be Matteo’s partner, and yet, she was being tucked away like a dirty little secret. Now, her spot as Matteo’s fiancée had even been stolen!

“Girlfriend?” Matteo echoed, scrunching his eyebrows in confusion.

Amelia continued, “Should we update her on the news? What if she misunderstands? Maybe you can let me talk to her. We’ll just have to prove that this is a contractual relationship and you’re not actually cheating on her―”

She was cut off when Matteo pressed a hand to her lips, cutting her off from blabbing any further. Amelia reeled her head back in surprise, only to meet Matteo’s dark gaze.

“The reporters may be outside, but the walls could talk,” Matteo reminded her. There weren’t any nurses or doctors walking around at the moment, but they could never be too careful. “From now on, outside, we’re engaged and deeply in love. Don’t speak of these things outdoors.”

Slowly, Amelia nodded. A cold shiver ran down her spine. It was a good thing they were alone. If someone had overheard, everything would have turned disastrous.

Amelia felt cold beads of perspiration running down her back under her clothes. She had never told a lie or even kept a secret for too long― now, she had to keep this from the entire world.

When Matteo released her, Amelia asked, “What about my father?” She looked in the direction of the room he was in.

“No one can know,” Matteo reiterated. “Not even your father.”

“He won’t say anything,” Amelia insisted.

Matteo raised his hand. His fingers pinched the skin between his eyebrows as he said, “It’s not that I don’t trust him. If he believes we’re in love, his behavior would be much more genuine.”

Amelia’s lips quickly took the form of an ‘o’. That was a point Amelia hadn’t considered. She hated having to lie to her father of all people, but it was true.

A contractual relationship? That was something she could foresee her father making a huge fuss about. However, if Amelia could convince him that she and Matteo were in love, he would support her every step of the way.

“Alright then, I understand,” she muttered, nodding. “And… your girlfriend?”

Matteo’s eyelid twitched, and Amelia immediately averted her gaze.

Curiosity was eating away at her alive. She needed to know who that woman was, or else she wasn’t sure she could go through with this. Of all things, Amelia could never be a third party to a relationship― after what Caleb had put her through, she was unwilling to do the same to another innocent woman.

It couldn’t have been a maid working at the penthouse too. If it was, she wouldn’t have said what she did, nor would she be caught in the room with Matteo nearly fully naked.

Amelia then sucked in a cold gasp of air.

Perhaps he hadn’t been lying to her after all. Maybe the woman truly wasn’t a girlfriend, a fiancée, or a wife. She could’ve very well been just a fling or a hook-up that decided to stay a few more days, a booty call for whatever time Matteo needed it.

Amelia cast a surreptitious look in Matteo’s direction. He seemed all too proper and not at all the type of man who would do such a thing, but appearances could be deceiving.

With a sigh, Matteo took out his phone. His thumb quickly flew across the screen, and with a few quick presses, he was done. He placed the phone back into his pocket before looking at Amelia.

“You said you wanted to speak to her, yes?” Matteo confirmed. “She’s about five minutes away and will be here any minute.”

That was enough to shut Amelia up. Her lips were pursed as she and Matteo sat down. The doctors weren’t finished yet, but they had emerged to inform them that Amelia’s dad was no longer in critical condition. However, they couldn’t go in to visit for now― he needed rest.

So, there was nothing they could do other than wait.

Amelia only raised her head when she heard the clicking of heels against the linoleum floor. She saw a flash of red, and her eyes widened with surprise when she recognized the woman who was strutting towards them. She looked nothing like what Amelia had remembered, but to be fair, she had only met her once, and they were both in uniform back then.

“Cherry?”