Chapter 145

EMILY

By the time Mateo finally decided to show up, I had already finished one cup of coffee and was halfway through another.

I glanced at my wristwatch for what had to be the tenth time before leaning back in my chair with an irritated sigh. Thirty minutes. He had kept me waiting for a whole thirty minutes, and I knew he had done it on purpose.

It was exactly the kind of childish stunt I expected from him.

I swirled the coffee in my cup before taking another sip, forcing myself to stay patient. Walking out now would only mean rescheduling this meeting, and I had no interest in wasting another day because Mateo Montego wanted to play games.

The café wasn’t particularly busy, which gave me plenty of time to study the people around me while I waited.

Unfortunately, the peace disappeared the moment the restaurant door opened.

Mateo walked in wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and a tailored navy suit that probably cost more than some people earned in months. He carried himself with the confidence of someone who had never been told no a day in his life, and judging from the expression on his face, he didn’t look remotely sorry for keeping me waiting.

His eyes found mine almost immediately.

He walked over without rushing, pulled out the chair opposite me, and sat down as though he owned the place.

Not once did he apologize.

Instead, he looked at me lazily before asking, “So… what exactly do you want from me?”

I smiled.

Not because I was happy to see him, but because it amused me how desperately he wanted to pretend he wasn’t cornered.

“Simple,” I answered calmly. “I want you to make sure this marriage never happens.”

A slow smirk spread across his face.

“You say that like I’m the problem.” He shrugged. “It’s hardly my fault your grandmother decided marrying you into my family was her retirement plan.”

“My grandmother could’ve found a hundred better ways to become richer,” I replied, my voice turning colder. “If only the Montego fortune actually came from hard work.”

The smirk disappeared.

For a brief second, something flashed across his face.

Annoyance.

Good.

I wanted him to be uncomfortable.

His fingers tapped lightly against the table before he lowered his voice.

“I don’t want those pictures getting out.”

There it was.

The real reason he had agreed to meet me. He had walked out angrily yesterday after I showed him those pictures.

“My father would kill me if they became public.”

I folded my arms.

“That’s not really my problem.”

His jaw tightened.

“You know exactly what I mean.”

“I do.”

“So stop pretending you don’t.”

I tilted my head slightly before saying, “It’s hardly my fault you find men more interesting than women.”

His expression darkened instantly.

“Watch your mouth, Emily.”

I held his gaze without blinking.

“Or what?”

For several seconds, he simply stared at me while I waited.

Nothing came.

No threat.

No clever response.

Nothing.

It was almost funny.

Mateo Montego always had something arrogant to say, yet the moment the truth was spoken aloud, he suddenly had no words.

He looked away first.

“I’ll get the files you asked for,” he muttered after a long silence.

I didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, I reached for my coffee and took another slow sip while letting him sit in the discomfort.

Only after setting the cup back down did I speak.

“Good.”

“But…” he continued, looking back at me, “I want your word that my family’s reputation won’t be dragged into this.”

I couldn’t help smiling.

“Oh, don’t worry.”

His brows drew together.

“I’ve already thought that part through.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means your family won’t be the headline as much as I wanted them to.”

His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“And how exactly do you intend to pull that off?”

“I have someone else ready to take the fall.”

The silence between us stretched for several long seconds.

Mateo searched my face as though trying to figure out whether I was bluffing.

I wasn’t.

There was no reason for the Montegos to become collateral damage in a war that belonged to my grandmother. As much as I disliked Mateo, he wasn’t the person I wanted to destroy.

The real monster wore my ex husband’s name.

The woman who had manipulated everyone around her for years. The same woman who had shown me so much love and hate at the same time.

Even now, remembering all she has done made my stomach twist.

She had destroyed my life from the very beginning without a second thought.

Not anymore.

Mateo shifted in his seat.

“You really hate this person that much?”

I looked at him without emotion.

“You have absolutely no idea. We both want the same thing,” I said, breaking the silence. “You don’t want this marriage.”

“I never did.”

“Neither do I.”

“So once I hand over those files…”

“It’s over.”

He nodded slowly.

“I’ll have them soon.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

There was nothing left to discuss.

I picked up my handbag before standing from my chair.

Mateo looked up at me.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

He watched me for another moment before shaking his head.

“You know,” he said quietly, “for someone who looked completely broken a few days ago… you’ve recovered surprisingly fast.”

I smiled again.

The difference was that this smile actually reached my eyes.

“No.”

I adjusted the strap of my bag over my shoulder.

“I’ve simply stopped waiting for people to save me.”

His expression remained unreadable.

For the first time since we’d met, neither of us had anything else to say.

“I wish you a good day, Mr. Montego.”

Without waiting for a reply, I turned and walked toward the exit.

The warm afternoon air greeted me the moment I stepped outside.

I inhaled deeply before slipping on my sunglasses and heading toward the waiting car.

Every piece was finally beginning to fall into place.

All that remained was exposing the person who had spent years believing she could control everyone’s lives without consequences.

A small smile tugged at my lips as I looked out at the busy Hong Kong streets.

A tiny part of me almost felt sorry for Cecelia, because she had no idea what was coming.