Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Scandalous Rumors II
“What in the blazes are you talking about? Is this a prank?!” Horace Hawthorne’s outraged voice came through loud and clear from the phone, echoing through the silence. No reporter dared to speak and interrupt what could possibly be the juiciest scoop in the past year.

This could be the end of the Hawthornes’ spotless image as they knew it!

“No, Mr. Hawthorne. You must already know I am not a man with a sense of humor,” Matteo said, sounding almost bored. “Your daughter-in-law is very interested to know the details of your relationship with one Amelia Kentwood.”

“Oh, Amelia? My, what’s wrong with Amelia? Is she alright?” Horace’s tone immediately became one of worry and concern, causing Annalise to gnash her teeth. Even after all these years, her father-in-law had not shown as much care for her as he did for this random girl!

All because she dared to be the spitting image of his daughter!

“She is fine,” Matteo said. “Amelia, do you want to say something?”

Matteo phrased it like a question, but Amelia knew she could not refuse, not when Horace was on the other end. She cleared her throat and spoke.

“Hi, Mr. Hawthorne. I’m sorry for interrupting your dinner.”

“Amelia!” Horace sounded delighted. “It’s lovely to hear from you. Is it true that my daughter-in-law is making trouble for you?”

“Father, I am merely concerned for your well-being,” Annalise marched right over up and said with gritted teeth.

“Well, there’s no need for your concern,” Horace said blithely. “I am very well indeed, especially now that I have Amelia for company. Seeing her is like seeing my daughter again!”

“And there you have it,” Matteo said, the faintest note of smugness coating his voice, watching the reporters’ faces fall in disappointment as they realized their scoop wasn’t as scandalous as expected.

An old man wanting to reconnect with his missing daughter via a substitute was just depressing, and not something that would generate massive amounts of web traffic.

“There’s nothing between us,” Amelia added. “I met him at the hospital while visiting my own father, and he was reminded of his missing daughter Elaine.”

“Isn’t your mother also called Elaine?” Matteo added, discreetly angling his phone so that Horace Hawthorne could catch their end of the conversation. “It’s an incredible coincidence, now that I think about it.”

“You’re right. I guess fate works in mysterious ways,” Amelia said with a shrug.

Sensing that the conversation was rapidly slipping out of her hands, Annalise realized there was only one card left to play to ensure that her father-in-law did not deem her unworthy of the family.

“Father, don’t be fooled― the Amelia that you know is the one that Matteo wants to marry! You’re meeting with a vixen!”

Unfortunately for her, her words went unheard. Matteo had simply ended the call without fanfare. If anyone asked, he would apologize for such an accident.

But he would do it again.

“Oh, would you look at that? He seems remarkably uninterested in anything you have to say,” Matteo said boredly. “We have that in common.”

Amelia had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud. She knew there would be hell to pay later when Annalise told her father the truth, but for now, the adrenaline rush that came from surviving a crisis flooded her system, leaving her as light as air.

“Let us go, Amelia,” Matteo said, gently tilting his head to whisper in her ear, his exhale causing goosebumps to form on her arms. To the reporters, it was nothing more intimate than a lover’s caress, and more camera flashes went off, as they tried to get a good picture.

This time, when they left, no one dared to stop them, leaving Annalise enraged, staring at their retreating backs helplessly while the reporters turned their frenzy towards her instead, with hungry gleams in their eyes.

“Mrs. Hawthorne, do you mean your father-in-law is unaware of Amelia Kentwood’s true identity?”

“Do you think he could be faking it?”

“Is this a sign that he disapproves of the Montgomery-Hawthorne alliance?”

“Does he have plans to adopt Miss Kentwood into the Hawthorne family?”

Annalise clenched her hands into the silk of her skirts as she whirled away.

Meanwhile, Catherine watched as the couple retreated back into Matteo’s car. She clucked her tongue in disapproval.

“This brat is getting too arrogant for my liking…” Her eyes narrowed and a smirk crossed her face. “Wait till your father hears about this.”

***

“It’s been a vexing day,” Matteo said when they were in the privacy of his car, en route to his home― no, it was their shared home now. “I’m sorry for putting you in a spot just now, but we had to make a definite statement.”

“I understand,” Amelia said as she slumped against the car seat. The adrenaline from earlier had evaporated from her system, leaving her with a lethargy that threatened to overwhelm her. She yawned behind her hands. “I was surprised that you actually called Mr. Hawthorne though. That could have ended really terribly. Aren’t you worried that she might go to her father-in-law and tell him the truth?”

“What truth? That you’re the one I choose over Emmeline?” Matteo raised an eyebrow. “So what if she does?”

“So what―” Amelia spluttered at his blasé attitude. “Matteo, I don’t know about you, but if Mr. Hawthorne wants to get rid of me, I’d be dead by sunrise!”

“He will not want to get rid of you,” Matteo said firmly. “His affection for his long-gone daughter will protect you. Besides…” Matteo’s voice trailed off.

“Besides what?” Amelia prompted when it seemed like he wasn’t continuing.

“It’s nothing. Just trust me when I say all will be well,” Matteo said. “Feel free to nap in the car while I drive.”

She felt her eyebrow twitching at his response. Her irritation was slowly rising.

It wasn’t as though Mr. Hawthorne’s affection for his long-gone daughter was some impenetrable shield that would never fade.

“What is your plan if he does try to get rid of me?” Amelia asked instead, unable to stop the snappish tone from escaping. “Will you look after my father in my stead? I hope you’ll put some flowers on my grave.”

“I will not,” Matteo said, and Amelia sucked in a breath, incensed. She readied herself to yell at him for his cavalier attitude, only for Matteo to remove all air from her lungs with his next words.

“I would be lying next to you in your grave,” Matteo said steadily. “It would be awfully hard for a corpse to find flowers, so you’ll have to simply make do with my presence for all of eternity.”

“You have a terrible sense of humor,” Amelia lamented.

“I’m not joking,” Matteo said seriously. “The only way someone can kill you is if they step over my cold dead body.”