Page 8 of The Runaway Bride and the Billionaire

Maybe all the crying and the fact that I hadn’t eaten anything but a bagel all day was messing with my hearing. “I have to spend four months with who?”

“Matteo Hayes.”

This can’t be happening.

Chapter 4

Matteo

Walking out of that park, leaving Amelia standing there just like she’d done to me five years ago should have felt good. It should have felt like closure but instead, it felt like I’d reopened an old wound that had never fully healed. I should have never gone to that wedding. I should have never accepted that meeting with Joseph.

What was I thinking?

I thought I was already over her, but I clearly wasn’t. That much was evident when I saw her walking down the aisle. I wanted to punch the idiot who was waiting for her at the altar. It pained me to see her in a wedding dress and know that she’d bought it for her wedding to another man.

I felt a mix of emotions that I didn’t know what to do with. It was the first time I had seen Amelia since the day shedumped me. As much as I hated to admit it, seeing her again did something to me. She was still so incredibly beautiful, and I hated myself for how attracted I was to her.

I hated that I had to remind myself of everything she put me through. That type of pain shouldn’t be forgotten in a hurry. She’d ripped my heart out with no remorse, and I would never forgive her for that.

I knew I couldn’t forgive her, but I was also tired of carrying around all this hate. It weighed me down and I was sick of it. I needed to forgive Amelia. I needed to put her behind me for good and distance myself from everything that related to her.

That would mean ending my partnership with Joseph. It would be quite the loss for my business, but I felt certain it was for the best. I didn’t want anything linking me to the Pierson family. If I dissolved the deal, then I could finally cut off all ties. I would also force myself to get rid of the wedding ring.

I’d been hanging onto that stupid thing for five years. It was time to let it go. Time to let Amelia go. With my mind made up, I boarded the plane that would take me back to New York.

I spent the next few days reviewing the contract I’d signed with Joseph. I needed to know if there were any penalties for dissolving it. My legal team, which comprised three of the top lawyers in the city, was also present. They poured over the contract and advised me on the best way forward.

By the following week, I’d figured out how to get out of the contract without facing any major repercussions. I told Kayla to schedule a meeting with Joseph so I could break the news to him. I’d just gotten to the office, and she was already there.

“I would love to do that, sir, but the thing is… Mr. Pierson is already here,” she said, looking nervous.

I didn’t wait for an explanation. I walked to my office door and pushed it open. Sure enough, Joseph Pierson was sitting inside.He turned to me and lifted his cup of coffee in salutation. I offered a curt smile in return.

I wasn’t thrilled about him dropping by unannounced, but this was the perfect opportunity to tell him about my decision to end our partnership. Once the partnership was dissolved, I could finally move on from Amelia.

I took a seat opposite him and placed my briefcase on the floor beside me. “Mr. Pierson, I was surprised to see you here today but also quite glad. We have a lot to talk about.”

“Please,” he said as he placed his coffee on the table. “Call me Joseph.”

“All right then. Joseph, there’s something I need to tell you. Our partnership—”

A knock on the door interrupted me. I asked the person to come in and Kayla walked in carrying a cup of coffee. “Your coffee, sir.”

“Thank you.”

Once the door shut behind her, I tried to speak but Joseph beat me to it.

“Before we talk business, I have a favor to ask and it’s a rather personal one.”

“I’m listening.”

“You saw what happened at my daughter’s wedding last week. It was a complete disaster. She left her husband at the altar and when she finally came back, she said she no longer wanted to marry him.”

I hated that a part of me was happy to hear that. I hated how much I still cared about her. I shook my head and tried to focus on what Joseph was saying.

“What does this have to do with me?” I asked.

Joseph sighed. “Amelia says she wants to move to New York. She’s never really been away from us before, so this is a big change. Even when she went to college she was still in California,and the few times she’s visited New York have been with me. I don’t want her to be alone. I need someone to keep an eye on her for me. So… I was wondering if you could house her for about four months.”

---