Chapter 5 I Don't Like Tulips

It was the weekend. Matteo and Abigail headed home together only after lunch with Arthur.

On the way back, Abigail was busy dealing with work. Matteo sat quietly beside her, staring out the window, lost in thought.

When the car pulled up in front of the house, Abigail didn't get out.

"There's a situation at the office I need to handle. Go in and get some rest," she said. Then she told the driver to pull away.

Matteo stood there watching until the car disappeared from view before he finally looked away. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and turned to go inside.

Laura greeted him politely, then went back to her duties.

Matteo sat down on the couch, suddenly at loose ends. Most of his work was already taken care of. After grinding nonstop for so long, he really didn't want to spend his weekend buried in more tasks.

But now, what was he supposed to do with himself?

His gaze slowly drifted around the room. Eventually, it landed on the backyard outside the window. The maids were tending to the bright blossoms in full bloom.

Sunlight spilled over everything, making the whole scene look full of life. He raised a brow, suddenly getting an idea. He got up and headed out.

Matteo had no idea how far he walked. He more or less just strolled until he ended up in front of a small flower shop.

Natasha happened to be driving by at that exact moment. She caught sight of a very familiar figure through the window.

She hit the brakes, the corner of her mouth lifting as she thought, "So he knows he screwed up and came to buy flowers to make it up to me. Since he's at least trying, I'll throw him a bone."

With that, she got out of the car.

Inside, a shop assistant was carefully explaining the meanings behind the different bouquets. Matteo listened attentively, nodding thoughtfully as his gaze moved over each arrangement. He seemed satisfied with all of them.

In the end, he pointed at the tulips beside him. "Wrap these up for me. I—"

"Matteo, I don't like tulips. Did you forget?" Natasha suddenly cut in, interrupting him before he could finish.

He turned around, his eyes landing on her. He was dazed for a brief second before he looked away without responding to her. Instead, he told the shop assistant, "Please wrap them up for me."

She nodded and quietly started wrapping the bouquet.

Natasha's expression darkened a little. Something seemed to click for her, and she drew in a slow breath, forcing her voice to stay even. "You can't go back to your rental anymore, and you don't even have enough money to get by right now.

"I'm just gonna treat this as you throwing a tantrum. I won't hold it against you, but you need to know that you've crossed the line this time. Apologize to me, and I'll take you home."

In her mind, she'd already given him plenty of room to save himself from certain humiliation. As long as he took the way out she'd offered, they could pretend none of this had ever happened.

But Matteo acted like he hadn't heard a word. He took the bouquet from the shop assistant, paid, and turned to leave.

"Did you even hear what I just said? How long are you planning to drag this out?" Natasha grabbed his wrist, stopping him from walking away.

They ended up facing off again. Matteo glanced at her hand. Without meaning to, the image of her straddling Cameron's lap flashed through his mind.

His brows drew together. He pulled away, putting a bit more space between them.

"I'm not gonna apologize—I don't think I did anything wrong. Whatever we had is over, Natasha. I've thought this through. Let's just stop seeing each other from now on. We're done, alright?"

Natasha's expression hardened. She stood there, staring him down as her presence grew oppressive. She was genuinely angry this time.

"Do you even hear yourself?" she shot back, her voice edged with a quiet threat.

Matteo didn't answer. He simply started to walk away again.

"Matt—" The sound of a phone ringing abruptly cut off her shout.

She pressed her lips together in annoyance, but her expression noticeably softened when she saw the name on the screen.

"Cameron, what's wrong?" she asked after answering the call. Her voice turned much gentler.

Matteo's steps faltered for a split second. A hint of something barely visible flickered in his eyes before he forced it down. He'd loved her for years, after all. Even if he'd already decided to let go, facing the brutal truth still hurt.

Cameron's voice came through on the other end of the line, sounding a little weak. "Tasha, I'm not feeling too great. I just arrived at Central Hospital. Can you come keep me company?"

"Of course. Wait for me. I'm heading over right now," Natasha agreed without hesitation. She hung up and turned to leave.

Right before she walked off, she remembered something and glanced back at Matteo. "I'll give you some time to really think about this. We can still go back to how things were between us."

With that parting line, she walked away without another look back.

Matteo lowered his gaze to the tulips in his arms and smiled bitterly.

By the time he got home, the sky had already gone dark. He had no idea when Abigail had gotten back, but she was already sitting on the couch. When she heard footsteps, she turned and immediately noticed the flowers in his arms.

"You went out to buy flowers?" she asked.

He smiled and nodded. He carefully unwrapped the bouquet and placed the tulips into a vase. She watched him quietly.

"I didn't know what kind of flowers you like," Matteo admitted with a small smile, looking up at Abigail as if checking in. "These tulips caught my eye. I thought they'd look nice in the living room."

"They do," she answered, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

Then she set a folder down in front of him. "The model you submitted last time was impressive. The company's got a new collaboration lined up, and there's a reception tomorrow night. You're coming with me. The overseas partner's really interested in talking to you."

Matteo's gaze sharpened a bit as he looked at the documents in front of him. He knew this was a real shot. His probation wasn't over yet, but if he could help lock down this deal, staying on as a permanent employee would be practically guaranteed.

"Got it. I'll be there," he said.

At the same time, across town, Natasha had just finished having dinner with Cameron when she got a call from her assistant.

"Yeah, you make the arrangements for the reception. I'll be there tomorrow," she said. After a pause, she added, "I'll be going with Cameron."

…

Matteo had never been to a high-society reception before. Earlier that day, he'd skimmed through a bunch of articles on basic etiquette and had done a deeper dive on the foreign partner Abigail mentioned. If he wanted a better chance at securing the deal, he had to know who he was dealing with.

As the event time drew closer, he changed into a custom suit and took a cab to the venue. On his way there, Abigail called to say something had come up at work and she'd be running late.

Honestly, he felt a little nervous. But since he was already at the reception, backing out wasn't an option.

After getting out of the car, Matteo straightened his cuffs and headed into the private club. The reception was crowded. Everyone was wrapped up in their own conversation, barely paying him any attention.

Matteo silently scanned the room, searching for the foreign partner, Peter Brown.

Across the room, Cameron, who was standing beside Natasha, spotted Matteo almost instantly. His brows lifted slightly as his gaze locked on the latter. He hadn't expected to run into him here.

Matteo finally located Peter and started walking in that direction. He didn't notice another figure moving toward him from the side.

Suddenly, someone crashed into him out of nowhere and splashed wine all over his suit.

"Are you okay?" the person asked.