Ch. 101..105: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 101-105
Chapter 101 Separate Amelie From Her Child
Leo pried open Elyse’s fingers one by one and pushed her hand away.
“You are not Big Eyes!” he growled.
Elyse stared at him with disbelief. “Leo…”
Did he find out that I replaced Amelie? Is this the end of me?
Elyse plopped to the ground and shuddered, unable to support herself anymore.
The warmth in Leo’s eyes had completely dissipated, leaving only a gloomy shade covering his eyes.
Looking at her pitiful face, he suppressed the distaste he had for her and spat, “Big Eyes wasn’t as evil as you are. You are no longer worthy of this name! You are no longer whom you used to be!”
With that, he strode away.
“Elyse!”
Before long, Ashton came running into the ward.
Seeing Elyse throwing herself on the ground, he was extremely shocked as he hurried over to help her up.
“Did Leo push you? Since when he became so ruthless?!” Ashton was currently fuming with anger, and his chest was burning as he declared, “I’ll go find him!”
“Don’t—”
Elyse tugged at the hem of his shirt and muttered while shaking her head weakly.
However, she managed to heave a sigh of relief, and a hint of color quickly returned to her cheeks.
Leo still wasn’t aware of the secret, so she was safe.
She still had a place in his heart.
The more she knew why Leo pampered and indulged her before, the more confident she was in the importance of the identity ‘Big Eyes.’
It was definitely a privilege token!
She didn’t bother hating the identity that she impersonated. Instead, she was glad that she discovered it a long time ago and had been using it to avoid getting into trouble again and again.
“Help me get up,” she ordered.
Ashton quickly helped her up and put her on the bed.
Elyse leaned against the back of the bed and closed her eyes.
When Ashton’s gaze fell on her delicate little face, he felt distressed. “Why did Leo treat you like that?”
Elyse didn’t want to talk about what happened as it would be better if fewer people knew about the secret about ‘Big Eyes.’
“It’s nothing. Just a misunderstanding between us.” She deliberately played it off.
Ashton didn’t give up on badgering her, “What kind of misunderstanding made him treat you this way? He wasn’t like this before!”
Previously, Leo had always treated Elyse like a precious baby.
“Amelie must have done something! She wants to get Leo back! In that case, we must ensure that that child’s identity will not be exposed. It is best to keep Leo in the dark for the rest of his life! Yes, I shall do that right away.”
After saying that, he strode out of the ward.
“Wait!” Elyse called out to him.
Her eyes sparkled, and a sharp light flickered in her eyes.
“No. Don’t hide it,” she uttered.
Under her eyelashes, her dark orbs turned cold as she spoke. “We don’t have to hide it. In fact, we will tell Leo that the child is his!”
Ashton looked at Elyse in disbelief and worry quickly spread across his face. “Elyse, I know you must be overwhelmed, but even so, you have to think for yourself. Once Leo knows about it—”
“Once he knows, he will want that child back!” Elyse answered him very quickly without any trace of concern on her face.
Ashton was the only one who was restless.
“That child cannot return to the Alston Family!”
“She has to!” Elyse insisted stubbornly.
There was no longer a hint of sadness in her eyes. All that was present was resentment. She clutched the hem of her shirt and grunted, “I want Amelie Dillon to pay the price!”
Since the recording in Leo’s phone was a private conversation between her and Amelie, she assumed that it was Amelie who recorded it and sent it to him.
The reason Amelie deliberately hid Bria’s identity as Leo’s child was that she was afraid he would snatch the child since there was no hope for her to get back together with him.
Amelie being separated from her child was what Elyse wanted!
“Just do as I say. There’s a reason I made my decision,” she ordered coldly.
Ashton was still concerned. “If Leo takes that child back, Amelie will be involved with him for the rest of his life. Have you ever thought about it? It won’t be fair or good for you!”
“So what?”
As long as she could torment Amelie, she cared about nothing else!
Seeing how determined she was, Ashton was at a loss for words. With a sigh, he left.
Elyse sat on the bed for a while.
She knew Ashton might not do as she said.
He was slow and was unable to read her mind.
Anyway, she could do it herself.
After resting for a while, she dialed a number. “Do me a favor.”
…
When Leo returned to Alston Residence, Jodie was stomping her feet in front of Melissa.
Melissa’s elegant, dignified, and noble face was also stained with obvious emotions.
Leo rubbed his brows, unable to resist the weariness in his eyes.
Since he had nothing to say to Melissa, he walked up the stairs silently.
“Leony, you’re finally back!” Jodie skipped over and stopped in front of him with her arms outstretched. She then exclaimed anxiously, “Oh my gosh! Did you know how embarrassed I was today?”
“Don’t start making a fuss.” Leo deadpanned.
“I’m not making a fuss!” Jodie was highly dissatisfied. “It’s all because of you! Bria obviously is our family’s descendant, but why did you let her follow Amelie? Do you know what everyone is saying about us? They are calling us stingy for letting someone else raise the kid, and they call you a kept man!”
As a daughter of a wealthy family, Jodie was unable to accept the criticism and humiliation.
Melissa also walked over slowly and added, “I told you that we should’ve raised Bria by ourselves. If you had listened to me, you wouldn’t have become a laughingstock! What doesn’t our family have? Don’t talk about raising one, even if you have ten children, we can afford to raise them all.”
Her tone was filled with dissatisfaction toward her son.
“Exactly!” Jodie agreed with her mother. “What happens now? Everyone thinks Amelie is seeing Starlight Media’s boss now, and she is now in the limelight.”
At the mention of Starlight Media’s boss, Leo couldn’t help knitting his brows.
He didn’t forget those photos.
In the photos, the man and Bria looked exactly alike!
As for the DNA test, it was no doubt Bria was his daughter.
Of course, he didn’t mention this to Jodie and Melissa, so they naturally didn’t know about it.
He didn’t want to mention the matter of cheating in marriage, so he just said indifferently, “Let them say whatever they want to say.”
“No way,” Melissa objected. “We are a dignified family. How could we allow people to see us in that way?”
“Exactly. How am I supposed to meet people from now on?” Jodie and Melissa were adamant about their stance.
“Back when you were divorced, you didn’t make arrangements for Bria’s guardianship. It’s reasonable for you to want her back now. Here’s a document. Bring this to Amelie and demand for her daughter. She wouldn’t be able to reject you!” Melissa took out a piece of paper and handed it to Leo.
Leo lowered his head, saw the word ‘DNA test’ written on the piece of paper, and looked at Melissa in puzzlement.
Melissa understood his reaction and explained, “This is a DNA test Jodie purposely ran for you. It’s a fact that Bria belongs to our family, and Amelie won’t be able to change it! If she wants to file a lawsuit, we will fight her! Let’s see who the final winner will be!”
After her son divorced Amelie, Melissa had always felt discomfort.
She then raised her elegant and thin brows, looking dominant.
Leo’s expression suddenly changed as he quickly snatched the document.
He read the whole paper as quickly as he could, and he found that in the last line, it was proven that Bria was his child!
“A-Are you sure about this?” He recalled Amelie doing the DNA test right in front of him!
“Of course.” Jodie confidently said, “I especially sent someone to collect the specimens in Bria’s school and also from your toothbrush!”
It turned out that Amelie had deceived him!
Leo clenched his fists tightly, crumpling the paper in his hand.
Chapter 102 Did You Fall for Me?
“I know you don’t like Amelie. She’s an ungrateful woman, so she isn’t qualified to get married into our family, but regardless of that, we must take the child back!” Melissa announced firmly.
Jodie nodded in agreement. “You must bring me back my pride, Leo!”
Without responding, Leo turned around and left the room.
Watching his anxious back, Melissa and Jodie sighed in relief.
Honestly, the two of them didn’t fancy Bria at all. They merely treated her as the daughter of a b*tch like Amelie. However, she was a part of their family, after all. Hence, she should stay with them.
“By the way, Mom, I heard some strange rumors recently saying that Amelie is very powerful. Someone has seen her in some racetrack.” Since Jodie was always out all day, she learned about rumors this way. She shared with Melissa what she heard today.
“I even heard some saying that Leo’s recent contract with a big boss from Skaynia has something to do with her. Do you think it’s credible?”
At the mention of that, Melissa snickered in disdain. “Amelie stayed with us for four years previously. Don’t you know what kind of person she is?”
Jodie brushed her hair as she recalled her memories. She was initially agitated and uncomfortable after hearing those rumors, but she felt relieved when she remembered how transient Amelie was back when she stayed in Alston Residence.
“That’s true. If Amelie was really powerful, she would have flaunted it in front of us long ago. Perhaps the rumors are just a trick she set up to deceive us and force us to look up to her!”
“With her ability, I reckon she can only rely on that beauty called Julia White for a short time. Once she leaves Julia, she will be nothing!” Melissa scrunched her brows in distaste, obviously despising the idea of engaging in a topic about Amelie. Turning around, she went back to the couch and drank her collagen drink.
When Jodie heard the mention of Julia, she instantly recalled the offer Julia made to her about taking her in as an anchor in Starlight Media.
What a great opportunity!
She wondered if Julia was being sincere or if she was just trying to piss Elyse off!
Since Jodie was a major in mass communication, she was well aware of the status of an anchor.
Many entrepreneurs looked up to a capable anchor, let alone their status.
These days, many celebrities would change their careers to be anchors.
If she could become someone like Julia White and be recognized and even looked up to wherever she went, wasn’t it better than being a star?
Most importantly, Blake Gareth belonged to Starlight Media!
This was also one of the most important reasons why she wanted to join the company.
…
At 6.00PM, Amelie arrived home to have dinner with Bria.
While chatting with Amelie, Bria was learning eating utensil etiquette. Her movements were a little clumsy.
Dinner time was usually their bonding time when Bria would tell her what happened in school.
Since returning from Quinn Town, she had been telling her classmates about Steven’s shoemaking skills every day. The students admired Steven so much that they wanted to play with her.
Bria became a little star in their class, and even the teachers praised her as a lively and cheerful child.
Before her mother’s divorce, Bria never dared to speak loudly in front of others due to long-term oppression, and she always acted timidly.
Watching the changes her daughter was experiencing now made Amelie happy.
“Mommy.” After telling Amelie about some interesting incidents in school, Bria called out to her mother as if recalling something. “It’s so strange that people have been coming to school and asking the teacher to pluck my hair. Just today, they plucked my hair twice!”
Hearing that, Amelie stopped eating and looked at Bria’s hair. “Did your teacher tell you why they wanted your hair?”
Bria shook her head. “No.”
Although she didn’t know the reason Amelie’s eyebrows suddenly sank, she somehow had a bad feeling.
“Are the people who wanted your hair people you know?”
Bria shook her head once again. “They were in a room. My teacher went to give them my hair after plucking them. I couldn’t see their faces, but I thought one of them sounded like… Aunt Jodie.”
Jodie Alston?
Amelie realized things weren’t as simple.
However, she didn’t want to scare Bria, so she finished dinner without showing any hint of exaggeration.
Bria took the initiative to clear the plates. She fished out her phone and intended to run an investigation.
On the other hand, Leo was leaning against the backseat of the car with his eyes lowered. His dark orbs were as calm as the dead sea, and there was no hint of warmth in them.
He was still clutching that piece of paper, but it was now heavily crumpled.
The scrunched paper itself resembled his heart and his ego.
Leo found the whole situation funny.
He couldn’t believe he was tricked by Amelie!
After laughing at himself, he felt depressed all of a sudden as if being suddenly thrown into an abyss with no end.
The fact that Amelie was willing to bear the infamy of cheating in marriage to draw the line with him showed how determined she was to stay away from him!
It should’ve been good news, but he felt as if the air in his lungs was sucked out of his chest. He felt suffocated!
Was she that eager to be with the boss of Starlight Media?
“We’re here, Mr. Alston,” the driver reminded him in a low voice.
Leo retrieved his senses and pushed the door open to get out.
The moment his feet landed on the ground, he noticed a figure of a woman and a child running outside.
Leo strode to them and stopped them before they could board the car.
Amelie’s body went rigid as she turned her head abruptly.
Her heart skipped a beat when she made out that it was Leo.
She found out that Bria’s hair was collected for a DNA test.
That would mean Bria’s identity had been exposed.
Amelie knew that someone would come looking for them soon, so she planned to bring Bria away for two days.
Sure enough, Leo came in time to stop them from escaping.
Leo stared at her with gloomy eyes, taking in the anxiety evident in her eyes and her tightly pursed lips.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Amelie’s gaze flickered as she also took in his sinister look as well as the piece of paper he was holding in his hand.
She gasped and shoved Bria behind her instinctively.
Leo glanced at Bria, who was hunching and peeking her little head out to look at him timidly.
The emotions in her eyes only consisted of wariness and alienation toward him.
Those emotions broke Leo’s heart. At the same time, he felt his temples throbbing with anger.
He then spoke, “Bria is my child. Who gave you the right to hide her identity at will?”
Amelie now realized that there was no point in escaping anymore now that he had discovered the truth.
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed the anxiety in her heart.
When she faced him once again, there was only coldness in her orbs.
Her emotionless gaze mercilessly pierced through Leo. He could no longer find the tenderness there once was in her eyes.
He felt as if being sliced by a sharp knife everywhere her eyes landed on him.
The pain was unbearable!
“So what if she’s your child?” Amelie’s crisp voice sounded in his ears.
She put on a half-smile, but it was obvious that she was distancing herself from him.
“My child should grow up in my Alston Family! Amelie Dillon, Bria must come home with me!” Leo made a decisive decision.
This decision was not made on how the Alston Family had been the target of mockery.
What hurt him most was that she displayed affection with another man in public by using her child.
“My child isn’t a tool for you to show off your current relationship!” he reminded her coldly.
“Since when did you see me using Bria as a tool, Mr. Alston? Are you upset to watch me and Bria being happy with another man? Are you jealous? Did you fall for me?” Amelie tilted her head and questioned him deliberately.
Chapter 103 Your Family’s Pride is Worthless
“Hah!” Leo unceremoniously sneered, “Do you think that’s possible?”
“You better not!” she countered right away.
Her eyes were finally clear again as if what he said had relieved her of a heavy burden.
Leo was speechless.
With an indifferent gaze, Amelie looked at him and changed the subject. “Did you say you wanted to take her back home? Are you trying to ruin her life?”
“Don’t be dramatic!” he rebutted coldly. “The Alston family is where she belongs. We will provide her with the best living conditions and education. Letting her come back with me is only for the best!”
“Yes, your family can provide these for her, but when you can’t even meet her basic needs, what’s the point?”
Amelie pulled Bria out a little, but Bria hugged her thigh tightly, not daring to take another step forward.
“Do you see that?” Amelie uttered softly. Looking at the intimidated look on her daughter’s face, she couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. “She’s afraid of you!”
“She’ll get used to it.” Leo didn’t put her words to heart. “The reason she’s afraid of me is that we don’t spend enough time together.”
“She stayed with you for three years,” Amelie reminded him. Though she couldn’t see how frightened Bria was, she held her in her arms.
Bria hugged Amelie’s neck tightly and snuggled her head into her mother’s embrace, not even daring to breathe too loudly!
Leo watched how Bria reacted and frowned.
He parted his lips, wanting to criticize Amelie for spoiling and overprotecting the child.
But before he could say that, Amelie beat him to it. “She has just been in her new school for three days, and all the children in class like her. Even the teacher complimented her for being the most lively and optimistic child in class. Have you never thought about why she’s afraid of you and scared of returning to Alston Residence?”
While gently caressing Bria’s back, Amelie looked into Leo’s eyes.
“Your family’s indifference toward her has deeply affected her. If she goes back, she will instinctively feel a sense of fear in her heart. Moreover, your mother and your sister hate her so much. Don’t you think you are forcing her to a dead end by putting her in such an environment? You never fulfilled your responsibilities as a father, so why inflict more pain on her now? Just because she is an Alston and people will humiliate you guys for not letting her grow up in Alston Residence? Leo, your family’s dignity isn’t worth a cent to me! If you want to take her away and destroy her life, I will fight you even if it means losing everything!”
Her voice was strong and determined, and there was ardent killing intent in her orbs.
After the divorce, Leo met her quite often, but he never saw her present hostility.
This was the first time he witnessed how strong a mother could be for their child.
“I’m not going back with you, Daddy. If you bully Mommy and take me away from her, I will go live and tell everyone that you bully her!” Bria spoke all of a sudden.
Though she was afraid of the man before her, she was determined to protect her mother.
She straightened her back and glared at Leo with bulging eyes.
In his daughter’s eyes, Leo discovered that she was glaring at a powerful enemy instead of her father.
He felt a knife stabbing his chest and almost lost his composure.
Bria wrapped her arms around Amelie’s shoulders while Amelie carried her in his arm. The two had formed a powerful alliance.
Leo, on the other hand, as a father, was an outsider.
Once again, he felt his chest empty as if all the air had been sucked out.
Amelie then patted Bria on the back and said, “Wait for me in the car, sweetie.”
Bria looked at her with concern, then at Leo, as she was still worried that her father would bully her mother.
Amelie nodded to her in reassurance. “Don’t worry. I’m only going to talk to Daddy for a while. I’ll be fine.”
Only then did Bria slip out of her mother’s embrace and enter the car by herself.
Amelie took a few steps away from the car, and Leo instinctively followed after her.
The two stood under the tree. Leo’s gaze never moved away from her.
Amelie’s thin body stood amidst the night like a blooming tough rose.
Even though it was dark, her face seemed to be glowing, and her aura was remarkable.
She was no longer the lowly and humble woman she was back when she stayed in Alston Residence.
She felt like a completely different person.
Leo had to doubt if Alston Residence was a place capable of destroying a person.
Otherwise, how could one person undergo such a huge change?
Amelie was one case, and even Bria experienced the same change.
“Leo,” she called out to him in a subdued but crisp voice.
Leo was taken aback by how eerily similar her voice was to Elyse’s!
His eyes widened inexplicably, and a strange thought emerged in his mind.
However, that idea quickly moved on after Amelie said something.
“I didn’t hate you when you abandoned me in the snow back then, but you knew I was pregnant and still did it, so you were abandoning the child too. Later when I suffered from blood poisoning during labor, you didn’t answer my call for help, so I regarded that as the second time you abandoned the child. Ever since the beginning, I was the only one who wanted her. Since you didn’t want her to be born, why don’t you act as if she wasn’t even born, to begin with? I will take her far away and never show up in front of you and your family. In that case, it won’t affect your marriage with Elyse, and as time passes, people will forget about Bria and me.”
When Elyse made her leave, she was reluctant to, but now that she thought about it, nothing else mattered as long as her child could grow up peacefully. Leaving would be a fair choice.
With that, she turned around and entered the car before driving away.
Behind her, Leo stood like a statue on the spot.
His hands had lost their strength, allowing the paper to slip from his palms and fall to the ground.
Amelie’s tone was extremely calm. It didn’t carry any hint of complaints, but he felt like she was throwing punches hitting his chest one after another.
He was so beaten up that he didn’t even dare to face her!
…
In the quiet night, Leo pushed open the door to Prix Bar and entered the lounge before taking a seat.
When Toby saw him, a look of surprise appeared in his eyes. “Didn’t you say you were tired and wanted to go back to rest? Why did you come out again?”
The two were discussing a project today. After that, he asked if Leo wanted to have a drink together, which Leo rejected.
Without uttering a word, Leo leaned against the chair and placed his hands on his knee as he exuded a depressing aura.
Toby didn’t badger him and instead poured him a glass of wine.
Using his slender fingers, he pushed the glass of red wine to his friend.
Leo held the glass stem and brought the wine close to his lips but didn’t take a sip.
“Why didn’t you tell me the truth about the blood poisoning incident?” he questioned suddenly.
Toby was startled.
The next moment, he raised the glass and chuckled lowly. “Amelie told me not to.”
“She—”
Leo’s hand paused mid-air with the glass of wine.
“How could she? Shouldn’t she have let me know after suffering such a huge grievance?” Though he was directing the question at Toby, he sounded as if he was muttering to himself.
His thoughts paused at the scene when Amelie claimed that he had abandoned Bria. She didn’t question him on impulse but made a calm description instead. She sounded as if she were telling a story about someone else’s tragic past.
The more he thought about it, the more appalled he felt.
Toby’s eyes darkened but he didn’t speak. Instead, he drank the wine quietly by himself.
On the other hand, Leo came to a realization.
Amelie didn’t care anymore.
It didn’t mean that she didn’t resent Elyse, but it was that she no longer needed him to fight for her.
To her, he meant nothing!
All of a sudden, Leo felt as if his strength vanished. Even holding a glass of wine was a struggle for him.
Placing the glass on the table, he looked at the wine and felt something being sucked out of his body.
Amelie’s feelings, trust, anticipation… and all her other emotions for him were all sucked away with nothing left!
Leo was drunk for the first time.
Toby shook his head helplessly when he saw his friend drunk as a skunk frowning tightly and looking to be in pain.
Just as he was about to help Leo up, he heard a low cry coming from the corner of Leo’s lips.
After figuring out his words clearly, Toby blinked with interest. He then picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Hey, Leo is drunk.”
Chapter 104 Don’t Expect to Escape Easily
“Leo, Leo! Wake up, wake up!”
When Leo opened his eyes in a daze, he felt a hand pat his face.
He reached out to hold that hand instinctively.
A severe headache had been kicking in as a result of intoxication, and he couldn’t see clearly whose hand it was.
As he was squeezing that hand, his thoughts stayed elsewhere.
His effort in getting up failed as he plopped to the ground due to a lack of strength.
The owner of the hand fell into Leo’s embrace after being pulled down by his weight.
Elyse bumped her head. It hurt. She tried to get up.
Halfway through her struggle, she noticed Leo looking at her with a meaningful gaze. Subconsciously, her cheeks colored.
“Leo.” Her voice turned softer with a touch of charm. It was so delicate that it could easily integrate with water.
Elyse originally came to pick Leo up after answering Toby’s call, but now that she saw Leo looking at her like this and didn’t respond when she called him, she suddenly came up with a bold idea.
In fact, they had never crossed the boundary. They had never had sex. She wondered if their relationship would improve if she moved past this stage.
He might even treat her like he used to before, like a precious treasure in his palm.
At that thought, Elyse grinned from ear to ear and started leaning into his lips and blowing some air.
She waited for him to take initiative.
As expected, Leo embraced her with both arms and raised the corners of his lips slightly. “Amelie.”
What?!
As if being splashed with a bucket of cold water, Elyse felt her emotions plunge to an all-time low from her high. Widening her eyes in shock, she shuddered.
What did Leo just call her?
Amelie?
She propped herself up and looked at him with a complex expression.
Sparkles of tears started rolling in her eyes.
On the contrary, Leo’s lowered lashes couldn’t hide the affection that coated his eyes as well as the desire he presented on his face.
His eyes were on her, but he called out another woman’s name.
“Leo, look at me. Who am I?” Her voice trembled as she thought she must have heard it wrongly.
“Amelie Dillon.”
Leo uttered that name again, but this time with his eyes closed.
His arms that were previously holding her flopped to the ground.
Elyse felt as if being dragged to the coldest part of the earth when he called her Amelie. Her fingers felt so cold they turned numb, and her heart even colder long ago. Any slight movement could cause a sharp tearing pain!
Humiliation crept up her mind as she clenched her teeth.
When she turned around, Toby was standing at the corner of the room, looking at her with a meaningful gaze.
Despite his calm gaze, she could tell he was looking at her with contempt.
Elyse suddenly understood the situation and stared at him fiercely. “You did it on purpose!”
“If you hadn’t sent someone to inform Jodie and Mrs. Alston that Amelie’s child belonged to the Alston Family and allowed them to force Leo to snatch the child, Leo wouldn’t have met Amelie, probably wouldn’t have gotten drunk, and wouldn’t be calling her name now,” Toby mumbled. His seemingly casual gaze held a full bucket of wisdom.
Elyse’s body shook violently, and her face turned green!
She glanced at Leo, but she didn’t have the guts to admit it after all.
Leo was drunk, not dead. If he heard what Toby just said, she would be done for.
Curling his lips upward, Toby didn’t say another word and left the room.
Although he didn’t show much emotion, Elyse read it as she was looked down upon.
Feeling uneasy, she chased after him. “Who told you that I was the one who told Jodie and Mrs. Alston about that? Was it Amelie? Is everything she says credible now? Do you trust her so much? What on
earth did she promise you? Don’t forget I was the one who knew you first! How could you stand on her side?!”
She quickly reached out to yank the hem of Toby’s clothes before squeezing it!
Toby’s presented a blank expression as he explained, “I trust her not because she did me favors, but because her character had always been trustworthy. Don’t expect to escape easily, Elyse. Everything comes to light… sooner or later. There is only one way not to let people know about your crimes, and that is to never commit them!”
The word ‘character’ was like a pair of hands that came out of the sky and snatched the roof covering her, catching her off guard and revealing her devastated inner self!
Elyse clenched her lips and managed to stay still, but she was so ashamed that she couldn’t bear it.
Toby was implying that she had no morals.
“How could you accuse me like that?” With clenched teeth, she seethed, “How good is your character? Don’t forget you’re a flirt!”
“But I never hurt anyone intentionally.”
With those words, he ruined the pride she barely managed to snatch.
Toby snickered.
Though his words were harsh, they were the kindest advice to her.
Whether or not she would listen depended on herself entirely.
After saying that, Toby left for good.
Behind him, Elyse curled her fingers in anger, and her eyes swell so badly that she couldn’t control the tears from falling.
She used to be the most open and aboveboard existence in her family. Even when she behaved willfully in front of Leo, she could do it openly.
Ever since Amelie showed up, everything changed!
As if being pushed down into a pit multiple times, she had been suffering messy falls.
It’s all Amelie Dillon’s fault! It’s all her fault!
Elyse silently clenched her fists until her knuckles turn pale. Her nails dug deep into her palms.
After a long time, she took out her phone to make a call. “Didn’t I tell you to be more secretive? How did Toby find out that I was the one who told Jodie and her mother about it? Did you do it on purpose?”
“I have been keeping my mouth shut,” the person on the other end uttered in a languid tone. “But judging from Toby’s broad connections, it should be easy for him to find out everything he wants, so I reckon that it is the same case for you if he just searched along the clues.”
“Damn it!” Elyse tightened her fists. Even in front of Ashton, she never allowed herself to curse out loud.
Her originally beautiful face was distorted into a demonic appearance.
Elyse couldn’t figure out how a worthless person like Amelie could attract the attention of so many people. Even Toby often helped her out!
…
Amelie brought Bria to Julia’s house and told her about her plan to leave the city.
“Why should you be the one leaving? You aren’t at fault! That b*stard and that b*tch should be the ones leaving!” Julia immediately exploded after hearing her friend’s plans. She talked so quickly as if she was a machine gun.
Amelie shook her head indifferently. “Doesn’t matter anymore. Come to think of it, leaving this place is quite a good idea.”
She glanced at Bria, who was working on her puzzle with her head lowered. “I don’t want Bria to come in between me and the Alstons. I don’t want to see her being pushed and pulled around. I am willing to do anything in exchange for her peaceful life.”
“But—” Hearing that, Julia couldn’t help feeling teary-eyed. “It’s unfair for you to be tolerating them every time.”
“Not really.” She turned around abruptly with a smile on her face. “Do you know why I gave her the name Bria? Because I want her to grow up strong and happy as she had suffered too much to even be born.”
Julia couldn’t bring herself to say anything, so she could only sigh.
Usually, pregnant mothers would receive blessings for delivering their newborn, but Bria was a special case. Her birth was a bumpy journey, and she had nearly experienced death twice in her childhood.
“Alright. Where do you plan to go? I’ll move with you,” Julia proposed.
Amelie didn’t decline Julia’s offer. She leaned over to hug Julia as a gesture of gratitude.
Though Julia didn’t utter a word, she felt heartbroken for her friend. She felt bad for Amelie’s adamant sacrifice and selfless love as well as for Bria’s life.
After making the decision, Amelie quickly drafted her plans.
She would first bring Bria to her father’s house, and once he completely handed over the technology to Toby, she would bring her father along to another city.
Steven was elated to hear that his daughter would be coming home.
The next day, Amelie asked Julia to bring Bria to Starlight Media, while she came out alone to shop for groceries in preparation to go home.
The moment she arrived at the mart, however, someone rushed up to her and pushed her harshly!
Chapter 105 Chase Her Away
Amelie staggered and fell to the ground by a push. When she raised her head, she saw an angry expression on a youthful face.
It was Jodie!
“What are you doing, Miss Alston?!” Amelie questioned her while rubbing her arm that had been gripped.
Jodie’s delicate face was now distorted. “Amelie Dillon, did you really think I’ve agreed to your remarriage after I told you that you could remarry my brother? To tell you the truth, I did it just to provoke Elyse. Quit dreaming!”
Amelie was already aware of that, so she naturally wouldn’t dream about it. She parted her lips and smiled coldly, “Did you forget I rejected your offer, Miss Alston?”
“Then, explain why are you holding on to the child who belongs to our family?” Jodie cast her a look that seemed to say, I don’t believe you. “There is simply nothing going on between you and the boss of Starlight Media. We know you do not want to let go of the child because you’re trying to get my brother to remarry you for the sake of the child!”
“If you had told me honestly that you liked my brother, I would’ve thought highly of you, but now, you’re trying to act noble but secretly plotting something. How disgusting!”
Watching her huffing in anger, Amelie couldn’t help pinching her brows.
Leo had let it go already, so why was Jodie still holding on to this matter?
“There’s one million here. A woman like you will never be able to earn this amount in your entire life! Take the money and give me the child!” Jodie threw a check on her chest.
Amelie lowered her head and glanced at the check. It was really one million written on it. Did she just boast about a mere one million? How ridiculous.
She pursed her lips and waved the ticket between two fingers without showing any hint of sarcasm. “What if I say no?”
“You’re a stubborn one, huh?!”
Jodie waved her hand and ordered, “Lock her up!”
Immediately, four tall and burly men stepped forward.
The men inched closer and closer toward Amelie.
They were obviously trying to force her to hand Bria to them!
Amelie’s expression twisted a little. She stretched her wrists and was about to fight back.
Before she could move, however, a loud bang was heard.
One of the four men was instantly knocked down.
The man moved so fast that Jodie didn’t even notice how he launched the attack.
She stared at the intruder angrily and was about to scold him when she noticed who the man was. At the same time, Amelie also realized who it was.
It was that signature bright and handsome face.
“Toby?” Jodie called out to him.
The rest of the three men were about to attack Toby but halted when she called his name.
Toby rubbed his wrists and glanced at Amelie to make sure she wasn’t hurt before turning back to Jodie. “Have you never considered the possibility of being captured by paparazzi bullying someone in broad daylight? Aren’t you afraid of humiliating the Alston Family?”
“I—” Jodie suddenly flushed.
She looked around anxiously as she had been too infuriated earlier that she forgot about her pride.
“Who told that b*tch to be so stubborn and insist on going against me?!” she growled in displeasure.
Toby grabbed the check from Amelie’s hands and pulled Jodie’s hand over so that he could place the check into her palm. “No matter for what reason, attacking someone physically is wrong. I’m sure your brother wouldn’t want to see you behaving like this.”
At the mention of Leo, Jodie looked intimidated.
To be frank, she was quite afraid of her brother, but the fact that Amelie provoked her made her feel extremely uneasy. “Anyway, I will never give her the chance to entangle with my brother!”
“Miss Alston, if my statement wasn’t clear before, let me express my stance solemnly once again to you. I am not interested in your brother.” Amelie’s gaze was intimidating as she added, “Should I sign an IOU?”
Without waiting for Jodie’s response, she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen to scribble on it.
After a while, she stuffed the paper into Jodie’s hands. “Open your eyes wide and look at this! It’s got my signature on it. If I violate the conditions on it, you may make it public in the upper-class society.”
Jodie felt a little surprised, but she still took the paper and smirked in contentment.
Nevertheless, she was not ready to let Amelie go just yet. “Bria belongs to our family. No matter what, she must return to our house!”
“Jodie, Bria’s custody should be decided between Elie and your brother. What if your brother gets upset because you took the liberty to decide for him? Do you want to make him send you abroad?” Toby couldn’t help but interrupted.
“No!” In response, she shook her head at Toby. My life is great. Leaving the country means I’ll have to suffer! Who would want that?
Without debating further, she left with the IOU.
Only then did Amelie turn to look at Toby and say, “Thanks, Mr. Walsh.”
Toby looked at her affectionately and smiled. “I know you could’ve easily chased her away if you wanted to. I was just being nosy.”
“No. You helped me out big time,” she replied sincerely.
“If you say so, why don’t you treat me to a meal?”
Amelie was startled for a moment before looking at him. She didn’t expect him to come up with such a request.
“Sure.” Anyhow, she still agreed to it.
With that, the two left for the restaurant.
“I heard that you’re planning to leave,” Toby asked gently as they walked.
In fact, he purposely came to see her because Steven mentioned that she was going to leave.
Amelie was taken aback by his question, but she knew how close he was with her father, so she nodded without any hint of surprise.
“Are you… not planning to come back anymore?”
“Nope. I’ll live in another city.”
“Live… in another city?” Toby repeated in a somewhat melancholic way. She’s not gonna tell me where exactly if she moves to another city. Does that mean I wouldn’t be able to see her anymore?
Before they knew it, the two arrived at the restaurant.
Perhaps due to that, Toby seemed a little quiet. He didn’t speak much when they sat at the table.
Since Amelie was also a quiet person, the two simply ordered some dishes.
After their orders were taken, lo and behold, two figures came in from the entrance.
One man and one woman. One short and one tall.
The man’s height was towering, his expression was cold, and his features resembled a painting.
As for the woman, she was a head-turner with an alluring face and a sylphlike figure.
They were Leo and Elyse.
Amelie sighed quietly. She couldn’t believe she would bump into these two!
Turning her head away, she pretended to not notice them.
On the other hand, Toby had his eyes lowered all this while, so he failed to notice them.
Conversely, Leo’s gaze was like a torch that shone on them.
His gaze patrolled back and forth between them. It was as if he wanted to see if something fishy was going on between them.
His feet also propelled him toward Amelie and Toby.
“Leo.” Elyse clutched his arm in a hurry and urged him, “Mr. Hampton is waiting for us.”
Leo halted in his footsteps upon hearing that as she hurriedly led him in the opposite direction.
Only after they were a distance away from Amelie did Elyse sigh in relief.
At the same time, she couldn’t help glancing at Leo. His dark orbs were currently dark, and his expression looked as if the calm before the storm. Elyse felt her heart race nervously!
In fact, Leo knew Amelie had noticed him. He also caught how she avoided looking at him.
She avoided him as if he was a tsunami or a monster!
Was he that intimidating?
The more she thought about that, the more uncomfortable he felt. Suddenly, he recalled how she told him she was going to leave the city.
Initially, he thought she left because of Bria, but now, he came to a sudden realization that the main purpose of her departure was to completely sever ties with him.
Due to that, he felt depressed.
Under the sleeves of his shirt, he clenched his fists.
Walking beside him, Elyse took in all his subtle expressions and she too clenched her fists.
However, she quickly showed him a smile and turned to lean her head on him. “Toby and Miss Dillon seemed rather close earlier. They must be in an unusual relationship.”
Her words were like a match that dropped into a bucket of gasoline. Following the crackling sound, the discomfort lying at the bottom of Leo’s heart exploded!
Leo halted in his steps abruptly.