Page 22 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

For a moment, I worried about what Matteo would do. He’d never been spiteful. Even after what I did to him five years ago, he’d never sought revenge. Still, there was a part of me that worried he might say something to sabotage my chances.

I quickly realized that would never happen. That wasn’t the type of person Matteo was. He was too honorable for that and there was a time that it was what I loved the most about him.

I still couldn’t believe he and the CEO of Phoenix Consulting were friends. But what I found even more unbelievable was the way Matteo was looking at me.

From the moment our eyes met, it was as if he didn’t recognize me. He looked right through me like we’d never met before and then he turned his focus back to his friend. I couldn’t help feeling incredibly hurt by that.

I’d experienced his anger before but it was something else entirely to experience his indifference. It hurt in a way I hadn’t expected. I tried to brush it off so I could focus on the fact that my future boss was speaking to me.

“Miss Pierson. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Nicholas Jones but you can just call me Nico,” he said as he smiled at me. He seemed like a genuinely nice person. The type of person I would love to work with. “Do you prefer Miss Pierson, or can I call you by your first name?”

“You can call me Amelia.”

Just then Matteo stood up. He buttoned his suit jacket and looked at Nico. “I should get going now and let you finish this. We’ll talk some other time.”

“All right.”

As he walked past, his scent washed over me. I turned to look at him but he was already out the door. He didn’t even look back. Again I tried not to focus on Matteo’s actions. I was in an important interview, one that would determine how my life would be going forward.

When the door shut behind him, Nico gestured to the chair Matteo had just vacated. I took it. “So, Amelia, why do you think I should hire you for this job?”

“I think you should hire me because… because I have a degree in business administration but I don’t think my degree is all I bring to your company. I believe I’m perfect for the role of strategy consultant because I’ve always had a passion for strategic thinking probably because I was raised by a relentless businessman and a calculating socialite. In addition, I’m alwayswilling to learn more, I love working in a team, and I’m super adaptable.”

I’d never done a job interview before so yesterday, I spent hours watching videos on how to answer questions. Despite all that, I still felt uncertain about how I did. And Nico’s unreadable expression made me feel even more uncertain.

He leaned back in his seat with a thoughtful expression. “Hmm. I think you would be a good addition to the team,” he finally said. Then he leaned forward and spoke in a loud whisper. “I normally don’t tell anyone this but Charlie, the HR guy, doesn’t bring all the potential hires here. Only the ones who he already thinks are good enough.”

I felt my heart soar as he spoke. Knowing that I’d managed to impress Charlie and now him made me feel so much better about myself. I couldn’t be happier but then he spoke again and my happiness shifted back to uncertainty.

“Still we’re going to need a bit of time to discuss before we get back to you.”

“Oh…” my voice trailed off as I considered the possibility of me not getting the job I was already starting to fall in love with.

“We will keep in touch.”

That was the last thing he said before I left his office. I felt disappointed but I reminded myself that it wasn’t over yet. Nico said Charlie was already impressed with me. That had to count for something. Nico himself also seemed to like me. I had to hold on to the hope that they would reach out to me soon.

I looked around the building and smiled. I told myself that soon I would be working here and I couldn’t wait for that day. Once outside, I was about to walk down the street but then I saw Matteo’s car in the driveway. After how strange he was acting earlier, I didn’t expect him to wait for me but he did.

I walked over to the car but I paused in my tracks when I saw that Matteo was with someone. And it wasn’t Eddie.

It was a woman. I’d seen her when I entered the building earlier so I knew she worked at Phoenix Consulting. I watched as the woman laughed loudly at whatever Matteo had said. She placed a hand on his arm to steady herself as she laughed. I was certain nothing could ever be that funny. She was simply looking for an excuse to touch him.

I hated how jealous I felt at that moment. Seeing them together made me so angry and I had to hold myself back from confronting them. Matteo didn’t owe me anything. He was free to flirt with whoever he wanted to. But did he have to do it in a place where he knew I would see him?

The woman straightened and flicked an imaginary tear from her eye. Her other hand remained on Matteo’s arm. Finally, she pulled away and I could hear them saying their goodbyes. The woman walked past me and into the building, her hips swaying seductively. I knew she was putting on a show for Matteo’s benefit.

“How was the interview?” Matteo asked. Then he gestured to the car. “We’ve been waiting for you. How did it go?”

“Fine.”

Matteo nodded slowly. He opened the car door for me but I walked to the other side and got in. I spent the ride home staring out the window, eagerly awaiting the moment I would get to leave the car. The jealousy I felt was eating me up inside and I hated it.

I hated the fact that Matteo still affected me so much. He’d ignored me in Nico’s office and I was so hurt by it that I became distracted. Now, I was fuming simply because he spoke to a woman. Everything he did affected so much.

When Eddie finally pulled into the parking lot, I grabbed my things and rushed out of the car. “Thanks, Eddie. Good night.”

I barely heard Eddie’s response because I was walking too fast. I raced to the elevator because I wanted to put as much distancebetween Matteo and me as possible. The elevator doors slid open and I walked inside. I was about to hit the button when I saw Matteo charging at me. I hadn’t even noticed he was following me.

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