Chapter 147: Speak Ill of the Dead
"Out of the question." The words flew out of Matteo’s mouth before anyone could react. "This dress is not meant for Emmeline."
"Ridiculous!" Annalise retorted. "How will you know if a dress is meant for my daughter if she’s not allowed to try it? Anything she can pull off, my daughter can do it better," Annalise added smugly, shooting Amelia a disparaging glance from the corner of her eyes. "Now hand over that dress, Jenna. We’ve already wasted enough time."
"But this―" Jenna’s eyes darted to Amelia and Matteo before she steeled herself to refuse them.
Emmeline Hawthorne had already destroyed her lounge; Jenna would rather die than have her lay her grubby little hands on this wedding gown.
"This gown is saved for Amelia. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to pick another dress to try on."
"More importantly, who is this ’we’ you’re talking about? Amelia and I were not the ones late for our appointment," Matteo scoffed dismissively, shooting Annalise a disdainful glare. "Your skin is thicker than a rhinoceros’s hide if you believe you can disrespect the designer’s wishes after trashing her boutique. It is no small wonder your own husband has taken to avoiding you all these years. If I married someone like you, I’d swap teams too."
Annalise’s face purpled. Her marriage with Benjamin Hawthorne was lukewarm at best, since everything had been arranged by Horace Hawthorne. No matter how much she tried to open his heart, he never reciprocated. There were even rumors that he preferred men. This was a secret kept from the rest of society.
Of course, Matteo was no ordinary person, and he was privy to everyone’s dirty secrets. He normally couldn’t care less, but this mother-daughter pair was pushing him to the edge. All he wanted was to see Amelia in a beautiful wedding dress, but his simple dream was continuously thwarted by these witches who couldn’t identify common sense even if it hit them on the head.
"And you, Emmeline. You’re behaving like a child. Since I’m not a pedophile, I find myself utterly turned off by your behavior. If you persist, I’ll send both you and Aiden to the kindergarten nearby so you’ll finally learn some manners. Either that or the dog training school. I’m not picky."