章 139: For Her Own Good

"That's why you wanted me to stay away from him," Amelia muttered under her breath in realization after her father had finished speaking. Her gaze fell to her hands as she fiddled with the seams of her clothing.

"You're now engaged to a rich man," Michael Kentwood said, looking pointedly at Matteo. "That is a widely known fact. To top it off, the Hawthornes have declared you a proper heiress of their family. That makes you an even bigger target than we were." 

A bigger hand covered hers, gently massaging her fingers. Amelia looked up to meet Matteo's eyes, softly watching her.

"They didn't realize your mother was a Hawthorne back then, and even so, they were more than willing to sap us drier than we could provide," Michael continued. "Your identity is all over the news― I should've known that Joshua would reach his grubby little hands over."

"He's awfully persistent," Matteo said. "We could get a restraining order."