"I didn't― I'm―"
Amelia bit down her lip to stop herself from cackling at the mortified expression on Kelsie's face; then she had to remind herself to not cross his boundaries, in case she ended up like Kelsie. She would have to call him Mr. Montgomery at all times.
"Come on, don't be so stuck up, Matteo. It was just a slip of her tongue," Caleb complained, his face redder than a baboon's ass. Amelia guessed not only was bravado coursing through Caleb, but copious amounts of alcohol were too.
That man probably drank a lot during the auction earlier, if he was delusional enough to expect her to strip for the comfort of his lover.
True enough, Caleb was staring at Matteo with barely concealed dislike. How could he hold his head up high in society if he let his beloved get scolded by another?
"A beautiful woman calling your name is a blessing, I tell you. Why are you being so pedantic about it?"
Matteo barely blinked as he stared blankly back at them. "I see no beautiful women in front of me."
This time, there was no stopping the snort that escaped from Amelia's lips, while Kelsie blanched, so shocked by his words that she stomped on Caleb's foot, causing him to let out a howl of pain.
Amelia had hoped that Kelsie would accidentally knee him in the crotch, but alas, that was not to be. The couple clung to each other, shooting Amelia dirty looks as though she was the one responsible for Matteo's words.
Amelia could only shrug. It wasn't her who said those words. It was Kelsie's attitude that was fouler than garbage, not her face. She gave Matteo a discreet glance from the corner of her eyes; he didn't seem like he was trying to be funny, or insulting her on purpose.
He seemed honestly befuddled at the thought of Kelsie being considered attractive! His face was a stony wall, as though he was a scientist observing a particularly nasty strain of bacteria.
"Well, never mind then, we must be going now," Kelsie blabbered, for once losing her composure in the face of Matteo's apathetic disdain. "Come on, Caleb."
Caleb seemed like he wanted to continue arguing, but Kelsie gave his arm a sharp tug, and the both of them stumbled away. Amelia had never been so glad to see the back of Caleb's retreating back.
"Are you alright?" Matteo asked Amelia, eyeing her from top to toe. "Did they scare you? I should have made them apologize before they left." There was a furrow between his brows, and a soft warmth bloomed in her heart.
Once again, Matteo had protected her from being bullied, even though she was nothing more than his employee.
Amelia shook her head. "It'll take more than that for them to scare me. Thank you for handling it though, Mr. Montgomery. I would not like being forced to strip in public."
His eyes darkened. "That was a preposterous request, to begin with. Caleb Walton had no right to demand it of you, even if you had ripped the dress in retaliation for them splashing wine on you."
"Ah," Amelia said shamefully, staring at the ground. "You found out?"
"I guessed as much from their words. Why did you not tell me?" Matteo asked, sounding strangely hurt. "I could have demanded an apology from them."
"And what good would it have done?" Amelia pointed out. "In the end, it's their words against mine. No one would bother listening to me, Matteo. But thank you, for trying anyway. It means a lot to me."
Amelia smiled at Matteo sincerely, and he nearly fell to his knees. She had finally called him by his first name! His name had rolled off her tongue so smoothly, as though she had been born to say it over and over again.
Matteo had to suck in a deep breath to calm himself down. Amelia's gentle smile was like the first rays of sunshine in the middle of winter, banishing the cold darkness lingering in his heart.
He wanted to make her smile again and again.
Matteo was like a blind man who finally got the chance to see the world for the first time. Her entire face was bathed in a radiant glow, and it suddenly made him feel unworthy of her presence.
Meanwhile, Amelia caught the grimace that crossed Matteo's face.
Oh no― she accidentally called his name! How could she be so foolish, to be overly familiar with her new boss after he had done so much to help her! Her smile vanished and she gingerly stepped further away, internally cursing herself.
Matteo didn't even want his first name to be spoken by Kelsie. And if someone as stunning as Kelsie could not hope to inspire anything more than a passing glance and cutting remarks, there was no way anyone as unremarkable as Amelia herself could ever catch his eye.
Then, Amelia reminded herself that she was Matteo― no, Mr. Montgomery's employee. She was not here to date him, or fall in love with him, or marry him, or whatever fairytail ending a writer could spew out. This was reality, and she had to keep her feet firmly on the ground.
"My apologies for calling you by your name," Amelia said hurriedly, bowing quickly. "I won't do it again."
His expression darkened even further, and Amelia wanted to all but bury her head six feet underground. She couldn't handle the way he was heatedly staring at her, as though already imagining the three thousand and one ways he could murder her for daring to utter such things.
As Amelia was debating whether to apologize once more, or straight up take off her heels and make a run for it, Matteo spoke once more. He said those words in such a soft voice that Amelia thought she had mistaken him.
"But I want you to do it again," he muttered, his voice as soft as the flutter of a butterfly's wing.
Amelia blinked. "Eh?"