Page 21 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

I knew from experience that it was a rabbit hole with no end. No matter how many times I wondered about what would have happened, I knew I would never know. My dream of making her my wife would never come true. That dream was dead and nothing could revive it. I reminded myself exactly why that dream never became a reality. Amelia broke up with me. She killed that dream.

My grandmother stayed in my office for a few more minutes before she left. She had a few people she wanted to see in New York and then she was off to Bali. Ever since I became independent, it’s been difficult trying to tie her down. She was determined to see the world as quickly as she could. I loved the way her face lit up when she talked about her next destination. It was obvious she was living the life of her dreams.

We said our goodbyes and she left. A glance at my schedule let me know I was running late for a meeting outside the office. Kayla probably couldn’t tell me because she didn’t want to interrupt me while I was talking with my grandmother.

I left the office, my feet hitting the tiles as I walked down the hallway. employees brushed past me, greetings gushing out as they walked. I headed straight for the elevator and hit the button for the ground floor. I sent Eddie a text to let him know I was on my way out.

The elevator doors slid open and I strolled into the parking lot as the wind whipped against my jacket. It was an unusually windy day. Eddie waited for me by the car. We got in and he drove off.

My meeting was at a company owned by one of my friends. I didn’t have a lot of friends but Nico had been incredibly helpful to me from the moment I started my business. He’d shown kindness he didn’t have to show and helped me out even when I didn’t ask him.

I was immensely grateful for all his help.

His consulting firm, Phoenix Consulting, was recognized as one of the best in the industry and he was always my go-to.

Eddie pulled into the driveway of Phoenix Consulting. “Thanks, Eddie. You can go have lunch if you want. This might take a while,” I said.

“All right, sir.”

I stepped out of the car. Inside, I said hello to the people I knew before taking the elevator to Nico’s office. I knocked and pushed open the door before I heard an invitation to enter. Nico lifted his head when his door opened.

“Five years and I still haven’t been able to teach you good manners,” he joked.

“You say that like I care about what you teach me.”

Nico laughed. “You’re late by the way.”

“Sorry about that. My grandmother stopped by,” I said as I took the seat opposite him.”

“How is she?”

“Off to Bali.”

“The ever illusive Mrs. Beatrice Hayes.” That was what he always called her. Unfortunately, my grandmother loved the nickname. “There’s no telling where she’ll go next. I wouldn’t be surprised if she—”

He was cut off by a knock on the door. Nico furrowed his brows, a clear indication that he wasn’t expecting anyone else. Regardless, he said, “Come in.”

The door opened and a man walked inside. Behind him, I saw a familiar head of silky dark hair. It was Amelia. Her gaze scanned the room, taking in the impeccable design before it finally landed on me.

I saw her eyes widen slightly but she managed to compose herself quickly. Her brief moment of surprise wouldn’t have been obvious to someone who didn’t know her well enough. But I knew her all too well.

The man who entered with Amelia spoke first. “Sorry to interrupt sir. This is Miss Pierson. She came in for the strategy consultant role and you asked that I run all potential hires by you first.”

It was at that moment I remembered the conversation I had with Amelia that morning. She had mentioned that she had two interviews today. The first one was at the company Eddie and I gave her a ride to. And the second was here, at my friend’s company.

I took a moment to think about how best to react to this. On the one hand, revealing my connection to Amelia could be beneficial to her. Nico might feel more inclined to hire her if he knew we were affiliated, even if he didn’t know the gory details of our affiliation.

He didn’t need to know what happened between us five years ago. I could just tell him Amelia was an old friend and that should be enough to secure the job.

On the other hand, I knew that Amelia was trying to be more independent. If I said anything to Nico then she wouldn’t be getting this position purely on her own merit. Achieving her independence was important to her and I wanted to give her that chance.

For that reason, I pretended not to know her.

Chapter 11

Amelia

Seeing Matteo here was the last thing I expected. From the relaxed way he sat in my future boss’s office, it was clear that they knew each other well. What were the odds of Matteo being close friends with the man I hoped would hire me?

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