18. Matteo
Chapter 18
Matteo
I walked 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.
I considered calling Amelia to check in but I decided against it. We didn’t have that sort of relationship. She was free to come home whenever she wanted and she didn’t owe me any explanation. That was what I told myself because I thought it would help take my mind off her.
It didn’t help.
I reminded myself that she was working now and she probably just got held back by work. I could easily call Nico to confirm that but he still had no idea that Amelia and I knew each other. Plus, I didn’t know if Amelia was ready for him to know.
The game was doing a poor job of keeping my mind off Amelia. I kept thinking about her. She’d been leaving dinner in the fridge for me every day since Agnes left. I made sure to thank her for it every day but today, I had a better idea.
Cooking for her would be a great way to repay her for all the times she’d left me dinner. It was a small gesture but one I knew she’d really appreciate.
I spent the next hour in the kitchen cooking. I was almost done when Amelia suddenly rushed into the kitchen. I hadn’t heard the elevator ding, so I wasn’t expecting her. And from the look on her face, she wasn’t expecting to see me either.
She stared wide-eyed at where I stood by the stove with a wooden spoon in my hand. For a long moment, we simply stood there, looking at each other. I felt fairly certain we were both thinking about the same thing. The last time I cooked for her was five years ago, exactly a week before she broke up with me. She’d come over to visit me in my small apartment and I made her lunch.
“Is the food to the princess’ liking?” I asked as I watched Amelia take a bite with a small spoon of the gumbo I prepared, right out of the pot.
She scrunched her nose. She hated it when I called her a princess even though we both knew she was one. Her father was a billionaire. She’d lived a life of comfort and luxury from the moment she was born. If that didn’t make her a princess then I didn’t know what did.
Her father wasn’t a king in the literal sense, but Joseph Pierson was a king of business. I didn’t know much about the man but I knew he was a ruthless business tycoon with an eye for lucrative deals. It baffled me how someone so ruthless could produce a daughter as sweet and kind as Amelia.
I’d like to believe her mother was the reason she didn’t end up ruthless like her father but I knew that wasn’t true. I knew Nora Pierson was hardly in her daughter’s life. She preferred social events over spending time with her daughter.
“This tastes so good,” Amelia said. She smiled at me, and I felt a warm sensation in my heart. I loved seeing her smile and I loved knowing I was the reason she was smiling. I loved her. “Where did you learn to cook like this?”
She asked that every time I cooked for her and every time I said, “My grandmother taught me.”
“Can you teach me?”
“The last time you tried to cook, you almost burned down my apartment,” I reminded her.
Amelia pouted. “That was a small mistake.”
“That almost killed us both.”
“That wasn’t my fault! The knobs are very confusing. It’s hard to keep track of which one is for which burner,” she said, sounding exasperated. I couldn’t help laughing and Amelia glared at me in response. “I’m not talking to you anymore.”
I smiled, walked around, and hugged her from behind. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed. I’ll teach you how to cook.”
“You promise?” I could hear the smile in her voice.
“Yes. Now finish your food before it gets cold. I’m also hungry but this isn’t the kind of meal I want.” I kissed her neck to show her what I was talking about. Amelia giggled and continued eating.
I never did get to teach her how to cook. A week after that day, she dumped me.
I coughed as I brought my mind back to the present. I shoved the memory away and focused on Amelia. She was looking at me like she was waiting for an explanation.
“I wanted to return the favor,” I said.
“Favor?”
“The dinners in the fridge.”
Understanding washed over her features. “Oh. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.”
Amelia nodded. She looked around the room, her gaze avoiding mine as she did. It was as if she didn’t know what to do next. “Sit down,” I said as I gestured to the kitchen stool. “It’s almost ready.”
She did as I asked and the room fell silent. I dished the food onto two plates. I set one down in front of her. “Thank you,” she said. Then the room fell silent again.
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.
I sighed and resumed combing through the list of suppliers. There was no point dwelling on mere possibilities.