Marry My Billionaire Second Husband - Chapter 96

Chapter 96: Discarded Second Option
The familiar name caused Amelia to nearly snap her neck at the speed she turned to look at Daniella. What a small world this was. It seemed like wherever she went, there were reminders of her ex-husband everywhere.

“The Waltons?” Amelia asked.

Daniella nodded. Then, she gestured to a door right on the first floor. “Let’s talk in my office.”

The small office consisted only of a desk, a chair, and some lights. Other than that, stacks of documents and various office supplies lined the room. There was also a small couch placed in front of the desk, the cloth fraying after years of use. Every bit of it looked just as dilapidated as the rest of the orphanage.

“Thank you,” Amelia said as she took the mug of instant coffee Daniella made. The familiar scent of the cheap, sugary sachet quickly warmed her heart as she brought it to her lips and took a sip.

“I’m sorry we don’t have anything better,” Daniella sheepishly said before making her way to her desk chair. She sat down and sighed, digging her hands through her hair.

“This is perfectly fine,” Amelia said with a shake of her head. “I’m more than used to the taste.”

Daniella smiled, tight-lipped. She wasn’t unfamiliar with Amelia’s story, but she knew better than to pry. Instead, she said, “Carlo was adopted by the Waltons last summer. He was returned to the orphanage just a few months ago.”

Amelia winced but didn’t say anything. Slowly, the gears in her head started to turn. The timeline matched up perfectly but she didn’t dare to voice out her guesses just yet.

“Mr. Walton wanted to look for a suitable heir since his son had allegedly run away from home,” Daniella said. “Or at least, that was the reason he gave when he came to get Carlo. Frankly, I thought Carlo might just be an illegitimate son of Mr. Walton’s, between you and me. I don’t know if you’ve met the man yet, but he looks just like him.”

Amelia’s throat went dry. She licked her lips, nodding. So she wasn’t the only one. This would explain why she thought Carlo looked familiar. She hadn’t seen him before, but she had fallen asleep next to a similar face for years of her life.

“I thought they might even officially adopt him. It was the longest a teen has been fostered without being returned. But a month or so ago, Carlo was returned to the orphanage by the Waltons’ butler. No explanation was given other than that Carlo was unsuitable for the family.”

Daniella looked ready to cry from frustration. She clenched her fists tightly on the desk.

“It was only recently I found out why. The true heir to W&W Industries has returned. With him back, there’s no more need for Carlo to be there.”

“I am guessing that merely added to his hatred of the wealthy?” Amelia softly asked.

Daniella nodded. “He never liked them. As you heard, when Miss Emmeline first made her rounds around the orphanage, they weren’t very polite. I suspect that might also be why they cut the funds in recent years.”

Awfully petty. It sounded just about right, from what Amelia knew of Emmeline. Worst of all, there was no one to call her out for this behavior since she was the one in charge. None of the rich cared for the poor when they were too busy caring about how to make themselves richer.

“But after he was sent back to the orphanage, it got even worse,” Daniella finished. “The wound is still raw, so I do hope you can eventually forgive him. He’s had it rough.”

Amelia nodded. “I am sure you’ve heard of my story too,” she slowly started. “I am not born into wealth. I’ve seen my fair share of struggles here in the poorer parts of town.”

“So I’ve heard,” Daniella said with a nod. “That’s why I am really thrilled to have you here, Miss Amelia. You may be a Hawthorne, but just by sitting here and listening, you’ve already shown so much more than those before you.”

Daniella stood up and bowed deeply. “Thank you.”

Amelia shot to her feet as well, placing the coffee mug down on the desk before helping Daniella up. “There’s no need for that,” she hurriedly said. “We’re both here to help the children find better lives for themselves. Whether they succeed or not will depend on their own hard work.”

Her words made Daniella nod as she smiled. Her eyes were glossy, filled with unshed tears.

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, you mentioned something about that just now?”

“Some of the teenagers should be maturing and leaving the orphanage soon, right?” Amelia asked. “I thought before they hit eighteen, we could try to look for some future routes for these kids, either scholarships through the arts, sports, or just their academic grades.”

She winced. “Are there any of them, especially those graduating high school soon, who might have hidden talents we can start with?”

Daniella offered a sympathetic smile. “These kids are talented in many ways,” she said. “But they refuse to let anyone else know. I caught Leo playing the piano once. When he found out I was listening in, he stormed off and nearly smashed the keys as a result.”

“He has a bit of a temper,” Amelia noted.

“That’s an understatement,” Daniella said, huffing.

“What about their grades?” Amelia asked.

“Carlo had amazing grades before he was fostered by the Waltons,” Daniella said.

“But?”

“But it went downhill after that,” Daniella said. “They swapped him to a prestigious school, and needless to say, the kids there were less than friendly with newcomers, especially those who weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouths.”

She continued, “But Carlo had always excelled in school, and I’ve seen his papers before― the questions were always answered flawlessly. He had received very high praises from his teachers before everything went south.”

Daniella needn’t explain further and Amelia could already imagine what sort of things they did to Carlo in that school. She recalled the night she overheard Caleb and his friends at the club― the things those teenagers said couldn’t be far. After all, the apple wouldn’t fall far from the tree. They were all birds of a feather.

“We can look into an internship to butter up his portfolio,” Amelia said, tapping her chin. She would have to ask around― perhaps Horace would have somewhere to put him in the Hawthorne family business. Otherwise, she could attempt to ask Matteo.

However, Carlo being a potential Walton still sat rather uncomfortably in her stomach. She would have to look into this a little more.

Just then, her phone buzzed again. This time, Amelia finally pulled it out of her pocket, only to be greeted by a long wall of notifications. They were all from Matteo, and there were even some from Horace. She didn’t see the earlier messages, but the latest one was enough to make her furrow her eyebrows.

Grandpa Horace: It will be good to foster some bonds with your cousin and aunt.

Then, she tapped on Matteo’s name and sucked in a cold breath of air. That clarified a few things.

Matteo: They want us to go on a joint family vacation.

Matteo: Aiden and Emmeline will be there. So will Annalise and my stepmother.