Page 36 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

I took the stool beside her and we ate quietly. I hadn’t expected hearty conversation but I also didn’t expect us to be this silent. Amelia grew up learning table etiquette so not even her fork made a sound as she ate. The room was completely silent.

After eating Amelia volunteered to clean up. I decided to stay in the kitchen with her while she did it. She had her back turned away from me as she rinsed the plates and placed them in the dishwasher.

Finally, she said something to fill the silence but it wasn’t what I expected. “I don’t know if you’re aware of the gala Phoenix Consulting is throwing,” she began. Her voice sounded nervous but I couldn’t figure out why.

What was so nerve-racking about the gala? Nico held one every year.

“Yes, I’m aware.”

Amelia chuckled in a self-deprecating manner. “Right, of course you do. Nico is your friend. Of course, you know about the gala. You probably went to it last year.”

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“No. I was just wondering if you planned to go.”

Nico had already sent my invite, and I told Kayla to RSVP yes on my behalf. Going to Nico’s event was a no-brainer. We were friends and I was always willing to support him in any way I could. Even if it meant going to mind-numbingly boring galas and making conversation with mind-numbingly boring people. The people at the gala only ever talked about work, which I suppose was the purpose of the event.

It was a networking function disguised as a party. Still, I had no choice but to show up. It was also good for my business.

“Yes, I plan to go,” I said. “Are you going?”

“It’s compulsory for all employees, so yes.”

That was the end of our conversation. Amelia went to her room and I went to my study. I combed through a list of potential steel suppliers that had been mailed to me by the research department of my company.

I was on the fifth page of the document when my phone rang. I was surprised to see Joseph’s name on the screen. He hadn’t called me since his daughter moved into my house. He didn’t even call when his wife was here.

“Good evening,” I said as I picked up the phone.

“Matteo, forgive the late-night call. I just got back from work.”

The man worked hard for someone who had already built an empire. Most of the hair on his head was gray but he worked with the exuberance of a teenager. He could stop working now and still live incredibly well for the rest of his life, but he chose not to. He was much too attached to his work to ever leave it.

“That’s fine.”

Joseph cleared his throat before speaking. “I called to ask how my daughter is doing.”

I was tempted to remind him that he could simply call and ask Amelia that directly, but I bit my tongue on that remark. It wasn’t my place to comment on their family dynamics.

“She’s doing well,” I told him.

“My wife tells me she’s gotten a job.”

I wondered what else Nora had told him. Did she mention her many attempts to set me up with her daughter? I didn’t comment on that either.

“Yes, she has. She’s working really hard.”

“Hm.”

Joseph didn’t seem pleased to hear that. I couldn’t understand why. I suppose he hoped his daughter would struggle. He hoped she would hit stumbling block after stumbling block and finally give up and come back to where he could continue controlling her life.

Amelia was determined never to go back to that life. Gaining her independence was what mattered most to her.

“Thank you for your help, Matteo. As promised, I will repay this favor.”

I sat still long after the call ended. I couldn’t help thinking about Amelia and the complicated relationship she had with her parents. I also wondered about my life and the type of relationship I would have with my parents if they were still alive.

There were certain questions I would never get answers to. Not in this life but maybe in the next. Maybe in the next life,my parents live longer. Maybe in the next life, Amelia’s parents won’t force her to break up with me.

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