Matteo looked earnestly into her eyes. He reached behind him and Alia’s heart stopped watching him pull out his wallet.
"Now that we are engaged, my wealth is your wealth, and you have full authority to use it as you see fit," Matteo said. "I’ve already applied for a black credit card for you, so that you can spend without worry."
"There’s really no need―" Alia began, but Matteo refused to take no for an answer, pressing a slim black card into her hands. This ti, the na on it was her own.
ALIA KENTWOOD
Alia gulped.
"The world is your oyster, Alia," Matteo said. "What do you want to do?"
"Well..." Alia could only think of one thing on such short notice. "I could... buy you a al? You did get into a lot of trouble for my sake."
"Alia Kentwood, are you asking out on a date?" Matteo teased, the corner of his lips tilting upward into a rare smile. The sight of his smile caused butterflies to flutter in her chest and her stomach to coil.
He was beautiful, truly a work of art. She understood perfectly well why Emline had been so obsessed with Matteo throughout her years growing up.
"If that’s what you want to take it as, sure," Alia said. "Let’s go out!"
***
After such an eventful weekend, it seed almost ridiculous for Matteo and Alia to find themselves back at work in the office. Matteo in particular, was stunned that Alia had woken up bright and early, dressed for work with a beaming smile.
"...Do you still wish to work, even after your new title?" Matteo asked, partly amused at her efforts as he drove the both of them to the office.
Never had he t an heiress who was enthusiastic about gainful employnt. Then again, Alia was unlike any woman he had ever t.
"I’ve given you a card that allows you to quit today if you wish to do so," Matteo added. "Are you sure you don’t want to drop you at the mall?"
"Keep talking like this and I’ll think you don’t want to work for you," Alia said primly, before her eyes widened in horror. "Wait, do you actually want to stop? I an, now that we are engaged..."
Did Matteo prefer his wife to be a homaker? They never had this conversation.
"I am fine with it if you are," Matteo said.
"Then I want to continue with it. I like the work," Alia said. It gave her a sense of pride and independence that simply being handed a black credit card could not. Besides, that paycheck that Matteo had offered was too good to pass up, heiress or not.
After what happened with Caleb, Alia knew it was better to have more money than less.
"What about your boss? Do you like him too?" Matteo asked playfully.
"Stop fishing for complints and focus on your driving, Matteo," Alia said, rolling her eyes in exasperated amusent, even as her cheeks heated up at his flirty question.
They’ve gotten closer in the past few days, and Alia was slowly beginning to realize that underneath his stoic personality, was a surprisingly warm-hearted and humorous man. Matteo had seed to let his walls down with her after their engagent was made public.
That did not bode well for her heart.
They arrived at the office, and once again, Alia was t with countless stares as she made her way to her work desk, while Matteo entered his office. She wondered if any of her colleagues, who dared to fling insults at her re days ago, would approach her now. Most of them didn’t, only daring to give her stunned looks a distance away, quickly ducking away the mont they realized she was staring at them.
But of course, there were always annoying exceptions.
"Hi Alia, fancy seeing you here!" Aubrey’s saccharine voice echoed through the office as she made her way to Alia’s desk right before lunchti. "How have you been? I didn’t think you would co to the office today."
"Aubrey," Alia said with a raised eyebrow.
Simply looking at Aubrey’s face brought up a well-spring of irritation in Alia’s gut, and she leaned back against her chair to observe her, since she hardly saw anyone with skin as thick as a rhinoceros’s hide.
Was she here to apologize? Judging by the bold, unrepentant smile on Aubrey’s lips, most likely not.
Aubrey waited, expecting her to speak. Alia’s lips remained in a firm line, refusing to give her a single quarter.
Finally, Aubrey caved. "Well, I’m just here to say how very surprised I am to see you here! I thought Matteo’s fiancée would have better things to do than to remain working as his secretary. Don’t you have a wedding to plan?" Aubrey asked, her eyes wide with innocence.
"Don’t you have a job to do? I’m sure you’re a very busy woman." Alia smiled, fluttering her eyelashes up at Aubrey, parodying her saccharine sweetness. "Since when did you have the ti to visit a pathetic lapdog like ? I have no chocolates for you."
Aubrey patted the flyaway strands of her hair and let out a laugh that sounded too loud to be sincere, a simpering expression plastered on her face. However, there was an ugly flush that crawled up her neck, threatening to swallow her whole. Clearly, Alia was not the only woman who rembered her words.
"There’s no need for chocolate. I’m on a diet anyway," Aubrey said, through gritted teeth.
Alia thought Aubrey would take the hint and leave, but she was genuinely surprised that this woman continued to stand in front of her table.
"I was hoping to ask if you would want to go for lunch with and so of the other girls. I realize we hadn’t really hung out before," Aubrey began, and Alia was so boggled by her audacity that she could only laugh.
"Why? So you can take pictures of what I order and spread it through the group chats?" Alia asked casually, with her head propped on her hands, the very picture of elegance. "I would hate for my als to beco office gossip. Who knows what rumors might fly because I ate sothing sour at lunch?"
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