Abby’s POV
We were halfway back to the city, the comfortable silence of the Maybach wrapping around us, when my phone buzzed.
Lia.
I answered, pressing the phone to my ear.
“The Anderson family is scrambling for PR to clean up the trending mess,” she got straight to the point, her voice crisp.
I let out a half-laugh, cold and mocking.
“Let them. If they manage to find a PR team in New York that can go toe-to-toe with yours, I’ll admit defeat.”
The trending topic?
Yeah, that was all me, orchestrated by Lia.
The media company under the Wolfe family had a solid reputation for fair reporting.
Everyone knew they never ran a story without solid proof.
But once they did?
It was nailed to the wall—unshakable.
“Guess what?” Lia chuckled, “I know the firm the Andersons hired.
I’ve already knocked the buzz down to the fifth spot just to mess with them.”
“Nice.” A slow, predatory smile spread across my face.
“In an hour, crank it back up with a fresh angle. I’ll send you a new video later.”
Lia caught my drift immediately.
We were staging a trap—letting the Andersons relax, thinking they’d handled it, before blindsiding them with a new hit.
Classic bait-and-switch.
That meant Nicholas would have to cough up even more money trying to sweep it under the rug again.
I sneered, “You two just coordinate. I’ve got plenty of dirt on Nicholas. We’ve got time to have some fun.”
I hung up and glanced at Matteo.
He was looking at me, an unreadable, amused glint in his eyes.
“You’re having a good day today, wife…” he observed.
I smiled softly at him.
“Well…”
Before I could speak, my phone blared again.
It was Lia.
I frowned, wondering what she’d forgotten, and hit the speaker button by mistake while trying to answer.
“I totally forgot to ask! I have a new collection of men for you! Do you want to select a blind date so you can finally forget Nicholas?”
I froze.
Matteo heard every word.
His smile didn’t just vanish; it was replaced by a sudden, cold stillness.
Before I could even think, his hand shot out and snatched the phone from my grasp.
He slammed on the brakes, pulling the car to a screeching halt on the side of the road.
He didn’t check who it was.
He just brought the phone to his mouth, his voice a low, possessive growl that vibrated through the entire car.
“She’s married now. She’s off-limits.”
There was a beat of pure, stunned silence from the phone.
“…Huh?” Lia’s voice finally squeaked.
My heart was hammering.
I snatched the phone back from him.
“Lia—”
“Abby?!” she shrieked, her confusion total.
“What the hell was that?
Who was that?”
“Oh,” I sighed, my face flushing.
I glanced at Matteo, who was now just watching me, his expression stony.
“Lia, I… I wasn’t planning on telling you this so soon. We really need to talk. In person.”
I could hear muffled voices in the background—work news.
Lia let out an exasperated sigh.
“Alright, alright! You definitely have a lot to explain to me, bitch.”
Her tone was joking, and I let out a relieved laugh.
“Right, I will. Bye,” I said, hanging up the phone.
The second the call ended, I turned and gave Matteo a warning glare.
He just stared back, completely unrepentant, one dark eyebrow raised. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
The car was still idling on the shoulder of the road.
“What?” he asked, his voice a low, possessive thunder.
“You’re married to me now. You can’t just go on dates with other men.”
I scoffed, though my heart was still doing a stupid little flutter from his possessiveness.
I leaned in, trying to tease him, to break that serious expression.
“Oh? Is this how Matteo Romano protects what’s his?”
I waited for a smirk, a chuckle, anything.
I got nothing.
His expression remained hard and serious.
Gosh, it’s difficult to joke with an older guy, I thought, slumping back in my seat.
He takes everything so seriously.
He put the car back in gear and pulled onto the road, his jaw set.
A small, secret smile touched my lips as I turned to look out the window.
But actually…
it’s kind of cute.
He’s handsome, intense, and possessive.
My 25-year-old self had to admit it.
I definitely don’t hate that.
I turned back to the window, letting him stew for a second before I spoke.
“Well,” I said, my voice light, “I didn’t agree to meet anyone, Matteo.”
“You’d better not,” he replied instantly, his voice flat and hard.
“You’re married to me. The only man you’re ‘entertaining’ is me.” He paused, his gaze fixed on the road.
“Unless you’re already planning to find someone to replace me—”
I scoffed, sitting up straight.
“Come on, don’t be so serious!
We just got married last night, and you’re already thinking about divorce?”
“I didn’t finish,” he cut in, then glanced at me, his dark eyes dead serious.
“Even if you ask for a divorce in the future… I won’t agree to it.”
My playful mood vanished.
“Huh?”