Chapter 142

EMILY

My plan for Zara was surprisingly simple.

Aaron would pick her up the moment she landed and take her straight to Ryan.

That was it.

No detours. No mistakes. No opportunities for my grandmother to interfere once Zara was out of her reach.

Getting Vivian to agree to it had been the difficult part.

I had spent nearly an hour convincing her that Aaron was harmless, responsible, and more than capable of handling airport pickup duty.

By the time she finally agreed, I was exhausted from pretending to be cooperative.

The second Zara was safely with Aaron, I would find a way to get through to Ryan.

Assuming he answered his phone.

The man had disappeared completely over the past few days.

Every call went unanswered.

Every message sat there untouched.

Part of me understood why.

The last few weeks had been a disaster for him.

Still, it didn’t stop me from worrying.

I stared out the window as the driver turned into the restaurant parking lot and brought the car to a smooth stop near the entrance.

For a second, I remained seated.

Then I reached for the large envelope beside me.

The driver glanced at it.

“Important meeting, ma’am?”

I looked down at the envelope and smiled.

“You could say that.”

Then I stepped out before he could ask anything else.

The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, which worked perfectly for me.

The fewer people around, the better.

I pushed through the doors and immediately spotted Mateo sitting near the back.

Of course he looked comfortable.

The man was lounging in his chair with one arm stretched across the booth and a drink sitting in front of him like he didn’t have a care in the world.

That confidence almost made me laugh.

If he knew what was sitting inside the envelope in my hand, he wouldn’t be looking nearly so relaxed.

I adjusted my grip on it and headed toward him.

Mateo noticed me halfway across the room.

A smirk appeared on his face immediately.

Not a warm one.

The irritating kind.

The kind that made you want to slap someone.

I slid into the seat opposite him.

He leaned back.

“Well,” he said. “This is unexpected.”

“Is it?”

“A little.”

His eyes moved over me briefly.

“I thought you were avoiding me.”

“I was.”

“And now you’re asking me out?”

I laughed.

“I didn’t ask you out.”

“You called and told me to meet you at a restaurant.”

“That’s called a meeting.”

“It’s called a date.”

“It really isn’t.”

Mateo chuckled.

“There she is.”

I rolled my eyes.

A waiter approached the table and asked if I wanted anything.

I ordered coffee.

Mateo waited until the waiter disappeared before speaking again.

“So tell me something.”

“What?”

“I thought you lost interest in this marriage.”

“I did.”

He laughed immediately.

Not politely.

Not quietly.

A full laugh.

“Sure.”

“I did.”

“Right.”

His grin widened.

“And yet here you are.”

I folded my arms.

“You’re very pleased with yourself today.”

“I’m always pleased with myself.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Mateo laughed again.

“I knew it.”

“Knew what?”

“The family money finally got to you.”

I stared at him.

“What?”

“The Montego money.”

He spread his hands.

“You fought the marriage. You argued. You complained. Then suddenly you changed your mind.”

He shrugged.

“Seems pretty obvious.”

I couldn’t help smiling.

The confidence really was impressive.

Unfortunately for him, confidence only worked when you weren’t sitting across from someone holding enough information to destroy your entire week or life.

“You should listen carefully, Mateo.”

His eyebrow lifted.

“Oh?”

“Very carefully.”

His grin remained exactly where it was.

“I’m listening.”

I reached for my glass of water and took a sip.

Then I set it down.

“You’re going to call off this wedding.”

For a second he just stared at me.

Then he burst out laughing.

The people at the next table actually looked over.

Mateo waved apologetically at them before turning back to me.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

His grin widened.

“You know what?”

“What?”

“This might be my favorite version of you.”

I sighed.

“Why?”

“Because you’re sitting here making demands like you actually have authority.”

I laughed softly.

That only seemed to encourage him.

“Let me save you some time, Emily.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“I’m not calling off anything.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

He pointed at me.

“Based on what exactly?”

Without saying a word, I placed the envelope on the table and slid it toward him.

The movement caught his attention immediately.

His eyes dropped to it.

Then back to me.

Then back to the envelope.

“What is that?”

“Open it.”

A small frown appeared on his face.

“What is it?”

“Open it.”

“Emily.”

“Mateo.”

We stared at each other.

A beat passed.

Then another.

Finally, he sighed and reached for it.

“Fine.”

His fingers slipped beneath the flap.

“What in God’s name is in here?”

I smiled.

“Go ahead.”

Something shifted in his expression then.

Nothing dramatic.

Just enough uncertainty to tell me that some part of him was no longer comfortable.

Good.

He opened the envelope.

Pulled out the contents.

And froze.

The change was immediate.

One second he looked annoyed.

The next he looked like someone had punched him directly in the stomach.

His eyes locked onto the first photograph.

Then the second.

Then the third.

Every trace of color slowly drained from his face.

I sat quietly and watched.

He flipped through the rest.

His grip tightened.

The photographs bent slightly beneath his fingers.

Finally, he lowered them and looked up at me.

Gone was the confidence.

Gone was the amusement.

Gone was the man who thought this meeting was a joke.

“What the fuck is this?”