Page 34 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

“I’m Oliver. And you are?”

“Amelia.”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Amelia. I was passing by and I felt like I just had to come in and talk to you,” he said.

I scrunched my brows at that. He looked strangely familiar but I couldn’t place his face. My eyebrows shot up when I finally remembered where I’d seen him. I hadn’t realized it earlier but he was one of the men I saw walking outside the cafe. The group of guys with suits and briefcases.

Oliver had taken off his jacket and draped it over his left arm and his briefcase sat on the floor. “So, what do you do for work, Amelia?”

“I’m a strategy consultant,” I answered. I sipped my coffee and waited for his next question.

“Nice. And even though you didn’t ask, I’ll tell you that I work in finance.” He was smiling so I knew he was teasing me.

I gave him an apologetic smile in return. “Sorry.”

“No problem.”

“Do you—”

He couldn’t finish the sentence because his phone vibrated. He glanced at it and frowned. “Unfortunately, I have to go but it was nice talking with you, Amelia.”

I didn’t exactly feel the same way, but I said, “You too.”

“Mind if I get your number?” he asked. My face must have betrayed my answer because he added, “I promise not to be a nuisance.”

“How about I get your number instead?” I had no plans of calling that number, but he didn’t need to know that.

Oliver nodded and pulled out a business card. He handed it to me. “Bye.” That was the last thing he said before he left.

I stared at the card for a second before tossing it into my bag where it would likely remain forever. Oliver seemed like a nice guy but my stupid heart was set on Matteo. Even though Matteo had already made his feelings about me abundantly clear, I still couldn’t stop myself from feeling this way about him.

He had a few moments of weakness when he kissed me but that didn’t change anything. He still hated me for what I did to him and I knew I couldn’t blame him for that. What would Matteo do if he was given the chance to move on?

Ivy would gladly give him that chance but I didn’t know if he would take it. I hated the possibility of them being together. Unfortunately, I had no right to complain about it. If he wantedto be with Ivy then I couldn’t stop him even though it would kill me to see them together.

I stared at my empty plate and empty cup. It was time to leave, time to go home and face Matteo. Half an hour later, I was riding the elevator to the penthouse. My nose twitched slightly once the doors slid open. It was the unmistakable scent of fresh food.

Agnes must be home, I thought.

Matteo had given her the rest of the month off but she probably stopped by to make dinner because she knew we couldn’t survive without her. I was full from the donut and coffee but the smell of food made me hungry again. I could never resist Agnes’ cooking.

I all but ran to the kitchen in my excitement to see the woman I’d grown to love and eat her food. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it wasn’t Agnes cooking.

It was Matteo.

Chapter 18

Matteo

Iwalked into the penthouse and immediately went in search of Amelia. It was instinct. I sought her out without thinking. I looked for her like I needed to see her to breathe.

My search came up futile. Amelia wasn’t in the house. She always came back from work before me so it was strange to see that she wasn’t home yet. Maybe she had work to do at the office or maybe she went out with some friends.

I didn’t know which one it was, so I decided not to think much of it. She’d certainly be home soon and there was no need to worry. I took a quick shower and changed into more comfortable clothes. Then I sat in the living room to watch the game.

It had been a while since I’d had a slow evening like this. I typically got home and continued working from my study. Tonight, I wanted to take the time to unwind a bit.

My gaze drifted to the elevator doors every once in a while. I kept thinking about Amelia and wondering when she would come home. It was getting late. Every time the clock ticked, my worry grew. I tried to keep a lid on it and focus on the game.

---