Chapter 14 - EMMA BUILT HER OWN COMPANY
A year after the fake engagement began, Emma’s event company had grown enough to hire three additional planners.
Matteo had offered investment capital once.
Only once.
Emma said no.
He listened.
Instead, he became an irritatingly enthusiastic referral source.
“Did you tell Senator Hayes to hire me?”
“No.”
“He said you told him I was the only competent planner in Chicago.”
“That sounds like his independent judgment.”
“Matteo.”
“He asked.”
“You threatened him?”
“No.”
“Pressured?”
“No.”
“Used the voice?”
Matteo looked offended.
“I have only one voice.”
“You have a voice that makes grown men reconsider their taxes.”
“That seems useful.”
Emma eventually stopped interrogating him.
Mostly.
The business succeeded because she was good at it.
That mattered to her.
Matteo understood.
And because he understood, the money never became another invisible contract between them.
At home, they remained terrible at domestic normalcy.
Matteo owned twelve identical white shirts.
Emma hated all of them.
Emma left coffee cups everywhere.
Matteo relocated them with silent judgment.
She insisted they spend some weekends at her smaller apartment because she refused to let her entire life become absorbed by Romano property.
He complained about the mattress.
She ignored him.
Sophia complained about grandchildren.
They both ignored her.
Mostly.
One Sunday, Matteo found Emma at the kitchen table reviewing accounts.
“You’re working.”
“Yes.”
“Today is Sunday.”
“Yes.”
“You told me Sundays are protected.”
“I own the company.”
“That was not the point.”
Emma looked up.
“You’re telling me to stop working?”
“I am reminding you of your own rule.”
Annoyingly fair.
She closed the laptop.
“Happy?”
“Yes.”
“Control freak.”
“Hypocrite.”
She stared.
Then laughed.
Growth, Emma discovered, had an irritating side effect.
Sometimes Matteo was right now.
Years earlier, she would have hated that.
Now it felt strangely safe.
Because his being right no longer meant she had to surrender.
They could disagree without anyone losing freedom.
That was the real difference.
Not whether Matteo remained powerful.
He did.
Not whether Emma remained stubborn.
She absolutely did.
The difference was what happened when those two things collided.
Nobody reached for leverage.
Nobody turned affection into debt.
Nobody confused love with authority.
And when either of them forgot—
May you like
the other reminded them.
Usually loudly.
