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6% Marry My Billionaire Second Husband / Chapter 18: Crime & Punishment

บท 18: Crime & Punishment

Amelia wondered if she misheard. She squinted in Matteo's direction, but he merely pursed his lips and kept quiet. The venue lights must have been strong if it left him with a slight flush on his cheeks. 

"Excuse me? I didn't quite catch that," Amelia said hesitantly. 

Matteo cleared his throat and looked away. "Never mind then, it's nothing important."

"Alright. If you say so, Mr. Montgomery," Amelia replied agreeably enough. 

There was no way someone like him would be alright with her using his name. If Matteo didn't find Kelsie attractive, he must not be attracted to women at all! 

There was a tiny pang in her heart at the thought of such a man being unavailable for women. Matteo was kind and respectful, and he seemed to have a strong sense of justice. He would make a good husband for any woman out there.

The both of them stood in the hallway, and Amelia was beginning to feel the slightest bit awkward at the burgeoning silence. 

Just before she was about to ask if it was possible for her to change out of the dress, it was broken by the sound of the auctioneer running towards them, his sweaty forehead and panting chest visible from the other end of the hallway. 

"Mr. Montgomery! Thank goodness you're still here! We found the flute!" the auctioneer exclaimed, and Amelia jumped in surprise, while Matteo turned and frowned. 

"Where was it?" Matteo demanded. "And where's the culprit?" He peered behind the auctioneer, half-expecting him to be hauling the person responsible.

"Follow me, please, this way. We have her secured," he said hurriedly, and he led them down a few corridors, to a room with the words 'STAFF ONLY' on the door. There were two security guards flanking it and they bowed politely in their presence. 

"I trust there have been no escape attempts?" 

"None, Mr. Giovanni," one of the guards answered. "But the girl is making a lot of noise, claiming that she's innocent." 

Amelia and Matteo exchanged a curious glance. The thief was a woman? 

They entered the room and were greeted with a scene of chaos. There was one woman who lay on the floor, hysterically weeping on the tiles, her long hair loose and messy. Plastered at the other side of the room were her other co-workers, who were staring at her in disgust and pity. There were also security guards in the room, and they stood around a particular opened locker protectively.

"Mr. Giovanni!" 

The guards parted to reveal the jade flute, haphazardly thrown into the side of a messy locker as though that would have been enough to disguise its luster. A frown crossed Amelia's face; how could her mother's prized possession be treated so callously by someone who attempted to steal it? 

Matteo stormed towards the locker and plucked out the flute carefully, holding it to the light to check for flaws, his eyes deadly focused underneath the harsh lights of the locker room. 

Amelia marveled at his concentration; she was finding it tough to focus when her ears were continuously assaulted by the relentless cries from the woman on the floor. They had promptly increased in volume when she caught sight of the auctioneer. 

"Mr. Giovanni! Please! I'm innocent! You have to believe me!" The woman wailed, the very image of heartbroken grief. "I would never steal something like this!" 

A muscle twitched in Giovanni's jaw as he heard her desperate pleas. He wanted nothing more than to shut this idiot bitch up! Her screaming was disturbing Mr. Matteo's appraisal of the flute― the five-million-dollar flute she had the nerve to steal right under their very noses! 

If not for the fact there were so many pairs of eyes on him at that very moment, he would have eagerly slammed her face against her own locker. 

"Shut up!" Giovanni yelled. "I've already called the police, and they'll deal with you shortly. To think you would destroy your sister's good reputation like this, you're despicable!"

"Sister?" Amelia asked, and Giovanni elaborated. 

"This woman is Gina. I only hired her because her sister swore she was a hard worker who would give me no problems. Gracie had never given me issues in all these years of employment, so I trusted her judgment," Giovanni snarled. "Now, I have half a mind to fire her as well!" 

"No!" Gina slammed her entire body on the floor, reaching out to grab Giovannie's legs. Tears and snot streamed down her face, forming a pitiful picture. "Mr Giovanni, I've been framed… I would never… I'm just a college student, how could I dare to steal a flute? Please… please believe me!"

"Who would want to frame a college student like you?" Matteo's cold voice echoed throughout the room, putting an end to her sobs.

"I… I… Please… I don't know… but I didn't do it! I swear!"

Gina's eyes darted back to the floor. She dared not meet this man's eyes. He seemed the epitome of danger, and she had a feeling one wrong word would mean her immediate death!

"Let the police investigations decide that," Mr. Giovanni declared hotly, before turning to bow to Matteo. "Mr. Montgomery, I'm terribly sorry that you had to witness this turn of events. We will do our utmost best to make up for this lapse in security."

"See that you do," Matteo said evenly. "Because of this incident, I've found a few scratches on the flute. How do you intend to compensate me for the damages?" 

"Com― Compensate…" Giovanni paled, sensing his profits going up in smoke. But still, losing his profit margin was vastly preferable to losing his entire auction catalog and his professional reputation. "Yes. Of course, we can compensate you for the monetary value lost. Can we discuss this over―"

"No need," Matteo cut in curtly. "I'm not interested in your money."

"Then what else do you want?" Giovanni asked helplessly, dabbing his sweaty temples with his handkerchief. Short of money, he had no idea what else he could offer. 

"I want you to blacklist Caleb Walton and Kelsie Friesent from all future auction events," Matteo said, and Amelia's mouth fell open at the audacity of such a request. Was that even possible?

If Giovanni was pale before, he was positively ashen now.

"Blacklist?! Mr Montgomery, that's impossible!" Giovanni spluttered. "Think about it, they are also our clients, we can't just―"

"You can, and you will," Matteo growled out. 


บท 19: Charity

Giovanni gulped at the dark look in Matteo's eyes. There was no way he could say no and offend him. But there was also no way he could offend the Walton and Friesent families as well.

Amelia spotted his hesitation, and she decided to lend a helping hand.

"Mr. Montgomery, may I say a word?" Amelia asked cautiously.

"What is it, Amelia?" Matteo asked, turning to gaze at her. 

Giovanni couldn't miss how his eyes softened as he looked at this Amelia person. To his knowledge, Matteo Montgomery had never looked at any guest he brought with such tenderness. 

"They are unrelated to the issue at hand," Amelia said, looking at the flute as a gentle reminder. "Banning them out of nowhere would merely cause issues for the charity."

"But they are also not allowed to harass people at will," Matteo said severely. "Mr. Giovanni?"

"Yes?" Giovanni leapt up. 

"As the host of the event, you ought to keep an eye out on what is happening at your auctions," Matteo coldly said. "Caleb Walton and Kelsie Friesent have been harassing my assistant here the entire night. They have caused damages to her personal property and attempted to publicly slander her. What might you think is punishment enough?"

There.

It was unrelated to the flute, but this was another issue the charity event was responsible for. As the host, they should've ensured that none of the guests would harass another, and for what Amelia had faced the entire night, they had turned a complete blind eye despite the plentiful servers and staff present.

"Please forgive us, Mr. Montgomery, that was our oversight," Giovanni immediately said, bowing his head. "I…"

At this point, Giovanni's forehead was completely beaded with sweat. He had ignored certain reports of a ruckus between a couple of guests, but he hadn't thought that it would bring him so much trouble just for turning a blind eye to the squabbles of the elite circle.

"How about this," Matteo said, coldly glaring at Giovanni. "In the future, if there is anything the Montgomerys wish to bid for, Kelsie Friesent and Caleb Walton will be barred from offering a counter."

Giovanni stilled. It wasn't a complete ban, but he would surely still hear complaints. Yet, that was infinitely better than outright barring them from attending future events.

"Yes, Mr. Montgomery! Crystal clear!" Giovanni exclaimed in relief. 

This wasn't the best, but it was still much better than the previous sentence Matteo Montgomery handed out! It was difficult to say no outright to this man, even if it meant offending two of the wealthiest families in Solara. Without this suggestion, Mr. Giovanni would've been caught in between a rock and a hard place.

He gave Matteo a bow and then turned to Amelia and gave her one too. Now, this woman was his savior, and he would go home every night and send her a prayer of thanks.

Amelia bowed back with more awkwardness.

"Thank you, Miss Amelia," Giovanni said fervently, reaching out to grab her hands in a tight hold. "I will never forget today. If you have anything you need from me, please just ask."

"Oh, you're welcome," Amelia said in bemusement, unsure of his sudden enthusiasm with her. Beside her, Matteo cleared his throat in warning, and Giovanni quickly pulled his hands back, as though he were burnt. 

He had to be careful now! This woman was definitely his lover, or if she wasn't yet, she soon would be. The title of assistant must be a mask in fear of media backlash― Giovanni made a mental note to hide this secret well for them.

Giovanni took a more careful look at her, making sure to memorize her face. Her face looked vaguely familiar to him, as though he had seen it a few decades ago. She seemed like she would shine beautifully on camera as a late 1950s Hollywood actress. 

There was a stunning nostalgia in her features, with hauntingly soft baby-blue eyes, soft cheeks, and a plump lower lip. Paired with her blonde curls and champagne gold dress, she was an angelic movie starlet straight from the big screen.

Perhaps that was what captivated a man like Matteo, who already had the world at his fingertips and a bevy of women to choose from. Giovanni would have to stay on her good side in the future, just in case she became Matteo Montgomery's wife. 

"As for the flute," Matteo's gaze lazily turned to the girl on the floor, "make sure to investigate this case fully without slacking off." Matteo warned, "If I find out that palms were greased in this investigation, there will be hell to pay." 

"Yes, of course! I'll hound the police department every day even if it kills me!" Giovanni promised eagerly. 

"Come on Amelia, it's time to go," Matteo said, and she nodded, eager to leave this place. 

"Let me escort you―"

"No need. Keep an eye on our suspect," Matteo instructed, and Giovanni's face fell. But he followed them out of the room and gave them a polite bow. Only when he saw the last of their backs along the corridor did he turn back and glare venomously at Gina, who had cried herself to exhaustion.

"You stupid bitch! You're lucky that we're not closed down!" He raged, grabbing her collar to drag her up. 

He shook her, as though she was an errant puppy. 

"What were you thinking, stealing that flute? You might as well make off with the lion statue while you're at it! Or how about my auctioneer's license!" 

Gina choked and gasped, her face wet with silent tears. She shook her head, and Giovanni threw her back down in disgust. Of course, her coworkers and the security guards did not help her up. She should have spoken earlier, but that man was too terrifying, and all her words were stuck in her throat. 

"I… She promised…" Gina began weakly, "I didn't mean to…"

"Who promised? Who on earth had the guts to promise you something so big that you would dare steal from me?! Let me know and I'll tear them to shreds!" Giovanni gnashed his teeth. 

If one of his employees was responsible, he would rip off their limbs and send them one by one to the police station. 

"...It's Kelsie Friesent, Mr. Giovanni," Gina wept. "She promised me 10 million if I would steal it!"


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