Page 26 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

I didn’t wait for him to leave. I was too excited and I felt a strong need to tell somebody. At that moment I realized he was the one I wanted to tell. He was the one I wanted to celebrate with. I rushed into Matteo’s arms before he could turn around.

“I got the job!” I shouted as I hugged him tightly.

To my surprise, Matteo hugged me back. I even heard him laughing joyfully. I hadn’t heard that laugh in five years. Today felt perfect. Not only did I receive a job offer from Phoenix Consulting, but I also got to hear Matteo laugh.

“Congratulations,” he said, his voice dripping with pride. Hearing it made me even happier.

Matteo held me tightly as he stroked my hair and I sunk deep into his embrace, allowing myself to absorb all the love he was showing me. For a moment, it felt like we’d both forgotten all the complicated history between us.

Our eyes connected as we pulled apart. In his, I saw desire, compassion, and… love. I did not doubt that the same could be said about me. He leaned in and I didn’t pull away when his lips touched mine. I didn’t stop him when he pulled me closer to him so that there was no space between our chests.

Instead, I kissed him back. I stood on the tips of my toes and pulled at the collar of his shirt so that I could kiss him with the same passion he was showing me. I knew I shouldn’t be doing this. The last time we kissed, Matteo didn’t speak to me for days. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him.

Having him hold me in his arms and kiss me felt like the perfect follow-up to what was turning out to be a great day. And so I abandoned all reason and I melted against him. I tilted my head back when his lips trailed down my neck and I hummed in approval when they hovered over the spot at the base of my neck.

In his arms, everything else faded away until it was just the two of us. It felt like we’d floated away from the world, to a place where nothing and no one else existed. It was just us in this magical moment where we’d let go of all the hurt and pain that was holding us down. Letting it go was what allowed us to float away from the pain. I never wanted to return to it. I wanted to stay here in this—

“Amelia!”

The sound of my mother’s shrill voice reverberated through the penthouse, forcing Matteo and me to crash back down to reality. We pulled apart and stared at each other in confusion. It was as if we both wanted to be certain that we’d heard the same thing. It was too unbelievable. Surely my mother didn’t just show up at Matteo’s penthouse. That can’t be true.

But when her voice rang through the house again, I knew I couldn’t deny the truth. My mother was here. I pulled away from Matteo and rushed past him. I practically ran to the living room where I found my mother, looking around approvingly at the room’s decor.

“Mom?”

She turned to look at me and smiled brightly. “Amelia, my dear!”

I stood still as she walked over to hug me. I’d never seen my mom be so affectionate. It was strange and discomfiting. I wondered why she was here and how Matteo would react to her presence. After all, she was one half of the duo that forced me to end our relationship. I didn’t expect him to be thrilled to see her.

I wish she’d come at a different time. Any time at all. Why did she have to come when Matteo and I seemed to be making progress? He laughed with me, congratulated me, hugged me, and kissed me. That was the most progress we’d made since I got here.

When Matteo walked into the living room, I immediately noticed that the man from earlier was gone. His features had changed. The man who hugged and kissed me just a moment ago was not the one standing in front of me now. This was the cold man who spoke to me at the park on my wedding day. The man who seemed devoid of any feelings.

I couldn’t help but feel angry at my mother for bringing this version of Matteo back. I was finally getting close to breaking the wall of ice he’d built around himself but my mother’s presence forced Matteo to fortify his walls. Now he looked colder than ever.

I felt the coldness in the way he stood far away from me and I saw the coldness in the way he looked at me. Gone was the affection I’d seen earlier. In its place was only indifference. I wasangry at my mother for ruining the moment we shared and for affecting the way Matteo looked at me.

“Nora, welcome. We weren’t expecting you,” he said. The tone of his voice was anything but welcoming.

My mother didn’t seem to notice. She beamed at him and rushed over to hug him. It was strange to see them so close. Matteo made no move to hug her back so their contact was brief. My mom stood in front of him, still smiling. “Sorry to drop by unannounced. I just missed my daughter so much.”

That sounded very unlike my mother but I didn’t point it out. She’d clearly come here on a mission, and I was curious to find out what it was. I noticed the way she clung to Matteo, and it was surprising to see her hug the man she once said wasn’t ‘worthy of breathing the same air as her’.

My mother clearly didn’t recognize who Matteo was. I wondered what she would do when she found out.

I chose not to tell her because I didn’t want to deal with her reaction. Right now, all I wanted was for her to leave. I wanted her to go because I could tell Matteo was uncomfortable. He didn’t say it but I could see it in the way his jaw tightened. It must be difficult for him to appear cordial in the face of a woman who regarded him so lowly only a few years ago.

I was impressed by Matteo’s ability to keep it together but not surprised. He’d always been a calm person. Anyone else would have revealed themselves to my mother and thrown her out of their home. I couldn’t even blame him if he decided to do that because my mother said awful things about him.

I felt a deep sense of gratitude that Matteo chose to be the bigger person. Still, I didn’t know how long he’d be able to keep his cool. I needed to make my mom leave as soon as possible.

For everyone’s sake.

Chapter 14

Matteo

Every interaction with Amelia’s parents was always an interesting one. It was fascinating to watch them speak to me with so much respect and admiration. Five years ago, I wasn’t even worthy enough to be in their presence but today, they believed I was worthy of all the respect in the world.

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