Ch. 176..180: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 176-180

Chapter 176

Amelie also noticed the couple. I can’t believe how had my luck has been today. Why are the odds of running into Leo and Elyse so high? After a few days in detention, she appears to have shed some pounds. Her once-glowing face now shows signs of haggardness, and she gives off an air of pathetic desperation. Leo, who claimed a few days ago to be seeking justice, is now walking alongside her. They appear very when she wraps her arm around his and leans on him affectionately. Suddenly, she momentarily froze and felt a fleeting emotion with that thought.

Then, she walked by the couple, pretending to not notice them.

intimate

On the other hand, Leo noticed Amelie and Julia. When they exchanged glances, he could not help but look at Amelie, but her expression of indifference caused him to frown.

“Hey, aren’t you the famous Mr. Alston?” Julia, on the contrary, did not choose to turn a blind eye as Amelie did, and she stopped him.

Then, she shot a sharp gaze at him before looking down at their linked arms. “Ilah! Are you two getting married soon?” she snickered.

Nonetheless, Leo said nothing as Elyse leaned on his arm again and later rested her head on his shoulder as if declaring her possession.

Julia smiled even wider at that. “I knew you two were the perfect match. I guarantee you will live happily ever after.”

Suddenly, Elyse’s expression was distorted at the mention of ‘happily ever after’ because Julia. sounded like she was mocking them and was being sarcastic! Following that, she gave Leo a gentle

squeeze on the arm, looked at him with a pitiful expression, and at the same time, tears began to form in her eyes.

The sight of her behavior made Julia feel sick to her stomach. Since she had always had a sharp tongue, there was no way she would let go of that opportunity. Folding her arms in front of her chest, she used her fingers to prop her chin up. In a playful tone, she mocked, “I realize you have quite a kink, Mr. Alston. You seem to like women who treat you as a fool and treat your daughter like a toy. Does that prove that all men are cheap?”

Julia slowly crossed the line with her remarks, causing tears to pool in Elyse’s eyes. While her eyes welled up with tears, not a single drop trickled down her cheek. She appeared pitiful and victimized, with her head bowed, and shoulders stooped. Her act is so convincing that even a woman could be fooled by her.

Feeling disgusted by her behavior, Julia snorted.

While she was thinking of something else to say, Leo broke the silence. “Miss White, come at me if you have an opinion about me. Don’t vent your anger on others.”

He was openly defending Elyse with the words he spoke!

Seeing how protective he was of Elyse, Julia started fuming. She parted her lips and intended to counterattack. Suddenly, Amelie walked up to her and stopped her. “Enough, Julia. Let’s go.”

As expected, Julia was not reconciled, so she struggled but was eventually dragged away by

Amelie.

“How could they be so rude? We should make things clear now that we’ve bumped into each.

other!”

Later, when they arrived at the parking lot, Amelie finally let go of her friend.

Julia was so enraged that she punched the car windows, but it was still not enough to vent her

anger.

Amelie gently calmed her down. “Elyse’s release is already a done deal. We already know what happened, and if we try to uncover the truth, we will be the only ones suffering humiliation. I know you are defending me, Julia, but it’s unnecessary. From the day I divorced him, I didn’t intend to seek fairness or justice from him. The current situation is the best for everyone.”

Julia looked at Amelie and realized that she would never be like her. She would not self-destruct for the sake of the people she loved. Nevertheless, she would also never be as open-minded as her friend.

Standing before Amelie, Julia suddenly felt she wasn’t on the same notch as her friend. Still, she could help but feel sorry for Amelie.

Who on earth would make a sacrifice without expecting something in return? The more Julia thought about it, the more distressed she became. Eventually, she could only hug Amelie tightly. “I’m sorry, Elie. I’m useless and unable to help you.”

“You have always stayed by my side and managed Starlight Media well for me. That’s the biggest assistance you’ve offered me,” Amelie reassured her, gently patting her on the back.

In her heart, Julia still felt like she had not done enough. Still, she didn’t want them to be caught up in a never-ending conversation, so she could only release Amelie from the hug and grab her- arms. “Okay. Let’s not get emotional over this matter. People will think we’re actually a couple.”

Julia’s remark elicited a laugh out of Amelie as they entered the car together.

Meanwhile, in the mall, Elyse looked at Leo with teary eyes. Then, she uttered in a grateful tone, “Thank you for defending me earlier, Leony.”

Following that, she batted her lashes and purposely showed him a beautiful expression. Her eyes shone with the radiance of spring and were as clear as the ocean.

he took a step forward and distanced himself from her.

Half an hour later, at Spring Garden Memorial, the ring-shaped mountain was surrounded by pine trees, and rows of tombstones stood in the middle of the mountain in awe. The sound of crows cawing made the atmosphere distant and desolate.

In front of a tombstone stood a tall and broad figure. His hands were hanging beside his body as he held a bouquet of white lilies. The sight of the man’s straight back added a hint of loneliness to

the scene.

Elyse stood next to him and looked at the photos on the tombstone while uttering in a soft voice, “My sister and I were twins, but she was more sensible than me. She took good care of me since I was a child, and later when my mother and father divorced, I couldn’t accept the truth and ran away from home to live with my grandmother in Quinn Town. When my sister found out, she came to find me and persuaded me to go home. I refused, so she stayed with me for a long time.”

“It’s all my

fault. I was only a shoemaker, so I couldn’t provide a good life for my children and their mother.” A little further away from the two stood a bald man who scratched his head and sighed. He looked about 40

years

old.

“During the divorce, each of us took custody of one child. Elie felt bad for me, and she didn’t want her sister to suffer with me, so she volunteered to live with me while you followed your mother, El,” the man continued with furrowed brows and a low voice. “The divorce took a toll on me, so I didn’t allow her to bring up her mother. I made her tell everyone that her mother was dead. Now that I think about it, I realize I went overboard.”

Elyse glanced at the middle-aged man and wavered. “After my sister stayed with me for a while, I suffered from depression, so my mother came to take me away. She stayed at our grandma’s house for some reason, but my father moved nearer to us back then to learn shoemaking from an expert. Due to that, my mother could take care of both of us.”

The middle-aged man nodded. “I was too focused on learning the skills to pay attention to her. She had to look after herself; she also had to look after her mother and me. It must have been difficult for her. I now regret not treating her better at the time. If I had been concerned about her and discovered her illness sooner-

The middle-aged man’s eyes turned red as he spoke.

Chapter 177

Elyse walked over and took his hand. “Dad, don’t be sad.”,

“How can I not be sad?” The man lost control of his emotions and burst into tears. “Ellen was so ill, yet I knew nothing about it. I’m such an incompetent Dad. She was probably afraid of burdening me further. That was why she hid her illness, pretended to be rebellious, and ran away from home. Back then, I always heard from your grandmother that she was a rebellious child. I believed her, and I even continuously criticized and scolded Ellen. It’s true that Ellen ran away from home, but judging by her health condition… She’s absolutely..

The middle-aged man cried so hard that he couldn’t get the words out. Elyse, too, wiped away her

tears.

Meanwhile, Leo remained standing quietly with a solemn and gloomy expression.

The reason why he spared Elyse was because of her sister, Ellen Clayton.

After his sobbing fest, only then did the middle-aged man come over and hand a small box covered in dirt to Leo. “There are Elie’s diary, medical records, and farewell letter inside this box, which she buried in the backyard. Her uncle discovered it when he wanted to build a pigsty over there a few days ago….. Why don’t you have a look, Mr. Alston?”

Leo took it silently, lowered his head, and opened it.

Inside, there were a few small items lying neatly.

When Elyse saw these items, she choked with tears to the point that she lost her balance and fell into the arms of the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man caressed her back lovingly. “Elie is really a kind young lady. She still worried about El until the day she passed away. Her only hope was that El could live happily. She even said something like asking El to live on her behalf… T-These words… They anguished me like sharp blades.”

And then, he let go of Elyse and walked up to Leo. “Thank you, Mr. Alston. It was a good thing that you were with her for a period of time and gave her happiness before she left this world.”

Leo felt a lump in his throat and couldn’t answer a word as he held the yellowed diary in his hand.

Every word and sentence in the diary were a memory of his past meetings with Big Eyes. He flipped through the diary in silence when suddenly, a page shakily fell to the ground.

Leo looked down and picked it up.

His pupils constricted when he saw the content on the page, and his heart pounded even harder.

At once, a sense of unbearable pain engulfed him.

“Are you okay, Mr. Alston?” Laura, who climbed up from the mountain’s base, hurried over to help him after seeing him in such a state.

Leo waved her off, letting her know he didn’t need help. However, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t straighten his back.

When Laura saw this, she had no choice but to have someone come up and help Leo down the

mountain.

Behind them, Elyse’s father, Michael Clayton, watched as they went away. Then, he looked at Elyse with a worried look on his face. “Is this strategy reliable? What if he finds out…”

“Find out? Find out about what?” Elyse’s eyes were clear, and her gaze was calm and confident. “Everything is real, so how will he find out?”

And then, she glanced lightly at the tomb. The smile on her lips grew deeper.

In the car, the pain in Leo’s body finally dissipated slowly.

Although his forehead was beaded with sweat and looked weak, he still stubbornly stayed strong.

“What can I get for you, Mr. Alston?” Laura asked with concern.

Leo shook his head, took out his phone, and dialed a number. “Help me investigate something,” he said to the person on the other end of the phone.

She remained silent as she watched Leo on the phone. Normally, it’s me who does the errands. Mr. Alston definitely attached great importance to this matter, judging by how he directly bypassed me and sought help from a professional.

As she thought of that, her eyes flickered a few times before she practically blurted, “Mr. Alston, what will you do with Elyse if this matter truly turns out to be true?”

After she posed that question, only then did she realize she had crossed the line. Therefore, she hurriedly lowered his head and apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Nevertheless, Leo seemed to not hear anything she said and kept looking in a particular direction.

He pursed his lips tightly as he gazed far in the distance. At this moment, no one knew what was on his mind.

A young man was already standing inside Leo’s office by the time Leo arrived.

Laura recognized this young man. He’s the detective hired by Mr. Alston recently.

unreliable.

Laura didn’t dare to disturb the two of them, so she left immediately after she served them coffee.

Leo pulled his necktie and nodded to Victor, motioning him to take a seat.

“How’s the investigation?” he asked.

With that, Victor spread out some documents in front of him. “Everything the Claytons said is

true.”

“What about these then?” he asked again as he handed over the box in his hand.

Victor opened the box. Then, he checked everything meticulously. He even took out a magnifying glass.

Finally, he closed the box and nodded. “These are real as well. The years basically match the timeline.”

Leo fell into dead silence after he heard what Victor said. I won’t doubt Victor’s competency, let alone his sentiment. After all, I wouldn’t have hired him immediately if I had no absolute certainty about his competency. In that case, all these can’t possibly be fake now that even Victor himself confirms they are genuine.

During Leo’s silence and his trip down memory lane, Victor had collected Ellen’s notes and everything else. Then, he compared them one by one with the information he obtained. Everything was a match, even the handwriting.

“At the very least, this shows that Ellen indeed wrote the diary and farewell letter and that the Claytons didn’t falsify her identity,” Victor concluded.

Leo looked down for a long time before he hummed in a low voice.

As Victor couldn’t guess what Leo would do, he could do nothing but wait quietly.

“Thank you,” Leo said.

Victor knew that it was time for him to take his leave upon hearing those words. Thus, he gave Leo a polite nod, turned around, and left.”

Once Victor left, Leo allowed his body to sink into the couch. He moved his fingers and once again fell into thought as he looked at the piece of paper that fell out of the diary earlier. This piece of paper is a copy of the application form for corneal donation involving a living donor, which I’d discovered at the hospital in the first place. So, does this mean that not only is Ellen the Big Eyes from back then, but she’s also… The cornea donor? If so, then everything about the case of corneal donation involving a living

donor would make sense!

ill at that time? What kind of thought did she have in mind when she accompanied me every day without saying a word about her illness?

After a while, he dialed Victor’s number. “Try to find Ellen, regardless of the price.” According to Michael, only Ellen’s clothes were buried in the tomb, and they didn’t actually see her corpse either. Is there a chance that she might still be alive?

The next day, Elyse sat in Leo’s car with Michael beside her.

A very special smile rose from the corner of Elyse’s mouth as she gazed at Leo’s back silhouette. with a pair of crystal-clear eyes.

Michael, on the other hand, rubbed his hands with an excited look on his face.

That was because Leo had bought them a huge villa last night and allowed them to move in today.

Since Michael had never lived in a villa in his life, he felt excited just thinking about it. From now on, I, too, will be living the life of an upperclassman.

In his mind, Michael began to imagine the dejected expressions those who once looked down on him would have when they learned about it. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

Soon, they arrived at the place.

The villa was even more beautiful and huge than what they saw in the rendering. Michael’s eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as he stared at the glorious-looking villa. Finally, he couldn’t help himself as he practically ran into the building.

Elyse was a lot more restrained than Michael. She stood in front of Leo and said, “Leo, there’s absolutely no need for you to do this.”

“Big Eyes wished for me to take good care of you guys. Hence, I will fulfill her wish,” Leo responded flatly.

Elyse’s eyes flickered several times before she asked, “Ellen hoped that I could live on her behalf. Leo, what will you do?”

Leo suddenly turned his head and looked at her coldly.

His sharp gaze made Elyse realize that she was being too hasty. Therefore, she hurriedly hid her ambition and went on to say, “Sorry. I just came across some bad news, so I wasn’t myself for a

moment.”

After that, she quietly held out her phone. “It’s about Amelie.”

Elyse’s phone.

Chapter 178

Elyse kept observing the changes in Leo’s facial expression. When she saw that he was silent, she slightly furrowed her brows.

“Amelie suddenly announced that she would cut all ties with Starlight Media and the boss of Starlight Media. She probably has something up her sleeves, considering she chose to announce it at such a moment. Leo, will you choose to remarry her because of Bria?”

The content she showed Leo was precisely the joint statement announced by Amelie and Starlight Media.

The statement stated that Amelie would part ways with Starlight Media and seek opportunities at another entertainment company. At the same time, the 20 million dollar educationfund established by the boss of Starlight Media for Bria would also be automatically invalidated.

Initially, this was Melissa’s tactic to rob Amelie of Bria’s custody rights. However, the meaning behind this announcement was suddenly interpreted as Amelie taking this opportunity to hint to Leo that she was single when these words escaped Elyse’s lips.

Leo frowned. I’m really quite surprised that Amelie would make this decision. Through our interactions these days, I can sense that my feelings for Amelie are secretly changing from utter loathing to having a certain degree of affection for her. In fact, I don’t even resent the idea of getting back with her. It’s just that… Ellen’s whereabouts are unknown. Compared to Amelie, she is the person I should truly be responsible for and look after throughout my life!

When he thought of this, he firmly denied, “No, I won’t.”

Elyse smirked inwardly upon hearing Leo’s answer and took care to remain calm and collected on the outside. As long as Leo doesn’t remarry Amelie, I will have plenty of time to woo him!

Things had been far more relaxing for Amelie now that she was no longer in charge of Starlight Media’s business.

Other than doing live streaming at a fixed period of time every day, she was practically free the rest of the time.

However, given her restless nature, she eventually couldn’t bear going about her days like this and started working on new projects again after she had nothing better to do.

Just like that, a new proposal came out half a month later. For her latest project, she decided to build an advanced learning plus training platform oriented toward adults.

She sent the proposal to Julia, and the latter had her mind blown after she read it. “Holy moly! You really are a genius! There are so many study channels, but why has no one ever thought of

doing it this way? Amelie, you are about to get rich again!”

Amelie smiled, feeling wholly confident in her plans.

“The most important thing now is to find the most brilliant personnel for designing the most. outstanding courses that can explain profound theories in simple terms.”

Since advanced users were the target market for her platform, Amelie naturally needed to create fantastic courses in order to draw their attention.

This quality of Amelie’s was exactly what Julia admired the most. She knows what she wants and how to reach her goal.

When Julia heard that Amelie was seeking highly specialized personnel, she immediately asked Samuel to utilize his network resources to scout out some professors for Amelie.

Within a few days, Samuel sent Amelie an email, informing her that he had received the contact information of some of the most impressive leaders in the field of economics, cutting-edge technology, business, astronomy, and many more!

Amelie recruited a few business representatives and assigned them clients who were easily persuaded. As for her, she reserved the fussiest client to herself. And thus, her business expansion journey began.

On this day, Amelie located the most prominent figure in the field of economics known asSpectre

Manus.

Even though he was really exceptional, he was notoriously known to have a cold attitude as well.

The other party finally came to meet her after she had waited for a long time.

However, as soon as she held out her business card, the other party rudely slapped it onto the ground. “I am a very busy person. I don’t have time for this nonsense!”

Even so, Amelie wasn’t angry. Instead, she picked up the business card with a smile and said, “I know you are busy. I shall discuss the skillful means to change the world again when you are free.”

The other party seemed not to care about her gender at all, for he slapped her hand away and got out of the car with an icy demeanor.

Since Amelie had gone through plenty of hardships when she started Starlight Media, she didn’t take this setback into consideration at all. In fact, it only motivated her further.

As she stared at the car that was driving away, she merely sat back down and thought about her

next move.

A car gradually stopped before her while she was in her thoughts.

The people in the car kept looking at her through the window with a hint of indifference and complacency glimmering in their condescension-filled eyes.

This person was none other than Melissa.

She happened to notice Amelie’s every move when her car drove over.

She didn’t know what Amelie and the other party were talking about. She only knew that the other party threw away all the business cards after Amelie held out her business card repeatedly.

In fact, in Melissa’s eyes, Amelie’s current state of sitting down and thinking was a sign of her defeat. It seems that I have really come up with the right strategy. As expected, Amelie is just a nobody after she left Starlight Media!

When she thought of that, she secretly took a picture of Amelie and ordered her driver, “Go down and ask her for a business card. Also, ask her which company she works for.”

Since she had just recruited this driver, she figured there was no way that Amelie could recognize

him.

The driver took her order and stepped out of the car.

Not long after, he returned with Amelie’s business card. “Here you go, Mrs. Alston.”

Melissa took it, lowered her head, and glanced at it. “Enhance App? What is this?”

With that, the driver explained to her Amelie’s explanation.

“In conclusion, she’s doing something relating to c-books.” Melissa had always despised things like this the most, and the disdain on her face intensified when she remembered that the number of e-books available was abundant nowadays.

She took another look at the business card and noticed Amelie put herself as Sales Manager of Enhance Co. Ltd.

When she laid her eyes on the title, she snorted derisively again, not being able to hide the mockery on her face. Everyone knows that those engaging in sales often give themselves the title of ‘manager’ just to deceive others. In reality, they are nothing but low-class salespeople.

“Miss Dillon said that their company has just been established,” the driver added.

Melissa laughed out loud when she heard what the driver said. “Only a newly established

company with no standard would hire a brainless woman like her. Any company with a slightly strong background won’t ever hire someone like her.”

She saw hope through Amelie’s pathetic life.

specifically invited her friends to play poker for the entire day. Finally, she even went for a full- body spa before instructing the driver to take her home.

By the time she got home, Leo had also returned.

He was looking down, frowning as he read the stack of documents that he placed on his knees.

Laura stood by his side without saying a word.

When she saw Melissa, she immediately addressed her, “Mrs. Alston.”

After she nodded arrogantly, she handed her shopping bags to Miss Potts. Then, she sat across from Leo.

Laura knew that, based on Melissa’s actions, she had something to discuss with Leo. So, Laura quickly left after she received the documents from Leo.

Only then did Melissa put her feet together, straighten her back, and look at Leo. “Can you be more concerned regarding Bria’s custody rights? Amelie probably won’t be able to raise her any longer, so bring her back as soon as possible.”

Leo, who was initially deep in thought, frowned upon hearing those remarks and immediately raised his head to stare at Melissa.

Meanwhile, Melissa looked at her son with a prideful look written all over her face. “We had signed an agreement when she made her own statement that she would leave Starlight Media, cut all ties with the boss of Starlight Media, and only use her own money to raise Bria last time. And if she can’t do it, then we have the right to take Bria away. Today, I witnessed her humbling herself in front of clients for the sake of business and getting her business cards thrown away. So, I guess she won’t last long in her job.”

After that, she pursed her lips in a dignified manner. “Even if she can stay in such a small company, she still won’t be able to earn a lot of money. Bria will only suffer if she follows her. Considering how she thought highly of herself and regarded herself as infallible before, I’d say it’s about time someone taught her a lesson and let her have a clear look at the harsh, cold reality.”

“So, it was you who forced her to give up her job at Starlight Media!” Leo frowned as he looked at Melissa.

In contrast with the delighted look Melissa had in mind, Leo’s face was currently full of displeasure.

For a moment, Melissa was stunned yet somewhat guilty. She almost didn’t dare to look Leo in

the eyes.

Nevertheless, she immediately regained her courage. “I’m simply doing this for you and the Alstons’ sake. What’s more, it’s she who’s incompetent and cannot afford to raise Bria. Therefore,

go to her, and ask her to hand over Bria’s custody rights. As long as Bria returns to the Alston Residence, I don’t care who she is with or what she does!”

Just when she was raving about this, Leo suddenly got up and walked away.

Melissa was so angry that she nipped her fingers when she received such an abrupt dismissal just when she was talking.

Nonetheless, she could do nothing, for Leo had already opened the door and left.

Since Amelie was on the move for the entire day, she returned home a little later than usual.

Although she got off to a bad start, she wasn’t discouraged even the slightest.

That was because whenever she started a new business, it always energized her. It was as though her strength was doubled, giving her inexhaustible energy.

As she walked, she organized the tasks she needed to carry out tomorrow on her phone.

Because she was so immersed in typing out her plans for tomorrow, she didn’t notice that there was someone in front of her and accidentally bumped into that person’s arms.

The bump sent her head aching.

Amelie covered her aching area and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry.”

As she spoke, she backed away.

Alas, the person suddenly reached out and grabbed her arms instead of responding to her.

Amelie was taken aback for a moment and instinctively raised her head.

When she saw the face of the person in front of her, it momentarily took her off guard.

Chapter 179

The face that entered her vision was a clear, sculptured face. The man carried the charm and. grandeur of a prince as though he had strolled right out of a fairytale.

“Blake?” Amelie called out his name, but when she saw him looking at her with a tender look in his eyes, she pursed her lips softly.

Still, she was especially excited to see him. “What are you doing here?”

Blake had gone for training recently, and it had been a while since the last time they met..

When he heard her question, a longing look flashed past his angelic, smooth face, but he quickly concealed it with a gentle smile. “I’m here to visit you.”

As he was born with an angelic face, the smile on his face was akin to a polished pearl that made him even more dazzling.

Amelie nodded. “Bria has been missing you a lot recently, always telling me that she misses you. out of the blue.”

His smile wavered as he studied her. Is Bria the only one who misses me? He wanted to ask but was afraid to startle her. So, he merely continued to smile silently.

At this time, Brianna had already gone to bed, and Steven was about to fall asleep, too. Naturally, it wasn’t appropriate to visit her now.

He lowered his head and stared at the woman who only reached the height of his nose, and the edges of his lip turned tender as he said gently, “I heard from Julia that you’re working on a new project and didn’t take any funds from Starlight Media. So, that’s as good as starting from scratch, right?”

At the mention of her new project, her eyes shone brightly with fiery ambition. “Yes,” she said and briefly told him about her own ideas.

As he stood in front of her, her image was reflected in his eyes as a lively, happy pixie, and his heart melted secretly at such an energetic woman whom he found adorable and delightful.

In fact, he wanted to take her under his wing so she wouldn’t have to suffer from any difficulties.

When he realized that his thoughts had wandered, he discretely bit his nails into the tips of his fingers as he asked in concern. “Is it tiring?”

“No.” Her eyes were shining like stars. “It doesn’t make me tired at all to do something which I enjoy.”

He came here because he saw her reputation on the Internet and became concerned, but when

she was right before him, happy and well, he wasn’t sure if he should be happy or disappointed.

In his heart, he yearned for this woman to need him and rely on him. However, he also didn’t want her to be upset.

Blake knew that he might have to keep this affection for her locked in his heart for the rest of his

life.

He hung his head in resignation and whipped out a card after a while. “I know that you’re good at business, and I would like to make some extra money. May I join you as a shareholder?” he asked, without looking at her because he was worried that she would see through his true intentions.

Even though he knew that she was a capable woman and had it all handled, he still wanted to help her. He still wanted to silently share and reduce her burdens but was afraid that she wouldn’t accept his help. Hence, he proposed his intention of becoming a shareholder instead.

Of course, Amelie knew what he had in mind, but she didn’t say anything about it and merely smiled. “I still have the money from you. What amount of money would you like to invest? I’ll just

the money from there.”

use

“That amount is what I owed to you.” When she brought up the past again, his face fell, looking discouraged. “Back then, you spent money and time on me. Not to mention the amount, even a billion isn’t enough to pay you back.”

Unfortunately, before she could say anything to dissuade him of that notion, he had hastily stuffed the card into her hands forcefully and said, “You know that I can’t be figure-skating all my life, and I’ll be retired in a few more years. I don’t want to be without any security at that time. So, from now onward, I’ll pass you all the money I earn, and you’ll manage it for me!”

He’s betting all of his riches on me, she realized, feeling rather stressed.

Nevertheless, he had a point; figure skating was a career he could pursue as long as he was young, and nobody knew how long live commerce could sustain him.

So, his decision to save for a rainy day and make more investments when he could had been honestly the correct path to take.

“Okay, I’ll take you in as a shareholder. She decided to keep his card. “When I get home later, I’ll allocate you the shares according to the amount of money.”

Once Blake saw that she had accepted the money, he became very satisfied and nodded at agreeably everything she said. They chatted for a little longer, but he felt worried for her because she had been

busy the whole day. So, even though he wanted to stay by her side for a few more minutes, he finally decided to say goodbye and left.

As Amelie watched his slender back silhouette, she smiled softly, lowered her head, and wanted to keep the card away in her bag. Yet, before the card could slip in, she felt it vanish between her

She thought that she was getting robbed, so she raised her head in shock, and her eyes met a pair of icy eyes without warning.

Besides the chill, there was also anger, and the man furrowed his brows as his stunning face was filled with emotions.

“L-Leo Alston?” Amelie stammered his name and couldn’t stop herself from looking around. Did he have a business dinner around my house or what?

“Why didn’t you tell me that you need money?” He frowned deeply, and the look on his face. remained angry. “I’m Bria’s father!”

She thought, But I’m not in need of money.

Leo whisked out his wallet from his pocket, flipped it open, picked out a card, and handed it to

her.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Alston, but did you get the wrong idea about something?” She tapped on Blake’s çard that he was holding in his palm. “I don’t want your card. Please return my card to me.”

Leo’s scowl became deeper when he saw that she was insistent on him returning Blake’s card to her.

“What’s your relationship with him? Did you have sex already?”

His direct and rude words stabbed through her chest, and her face turned rigid and pale.

The polite smile she carried in the beginning gradually disappeared, and slowly, it turned into a stony expression.

“Mr. Alston, this is my personal life. I don’t need to report my life to you.”

For the sake of novelty, he and Elyse had played her like a fool. Although she didn’t want to question him over that matter, it didn’t mean that he could push her around without any limits.

Her cold voice was akin to a knife made out of pure ice as it pierced him right in the chest and was excruciating.

She didn’t clarify their relationship and merely blamed him for intervening in her personal life. – Clearly, she had something going on with Blake.

So, it wasn’t his mother’s coercion that she broke off all connections with Starlight Media, but she purely wanted to be with Blake?

He’s just a pretty boy, he scoffed silently. What’s so special about him that she likes? Does she have no taste

at all?

At the same time, his face turned into a myriad of colors, from pale to utterly fuming crimson the next, looking very nasty.

It became even worse when he imagined her underneath Blake in sweet lovemaking. It was as though a bowl of acid had spilled over his chest-burning hot and painful!

“I’m not interfering in your personal life. I just want to remind you that you’ve promised my mom that you’ll raise Bria with the money you earned, and I’m here to supervise you. If you can’t do that, send Bria back as soon as possible!”

His words were cold and heartless, and when he finished speaking, he tossed Blake’s card at her chest. But he didn’t leave immediately and merely watched her with dark, gloomy eyes as though waiting to see if she would really pick up Blake’s card.

Amelie found it amusing and sneered when she heard his insults to her character.

Was she so timid in the past that it left a stereotype in the minds of the Alstons that she was useless and couldn’t make a living for herself besides depending on a man?

“Don’t worry, Mr. Alston.” When she spoke again, her voice was bitterly cold and without a shard of emotion. “I won’t use anyone else’s money since I already said that I won’t. If you’re still worried, you can investigate and find out whether I’m capable of raising Bria or not.” Then, she took a deep breath and spoke in an even icier voice, “At the same time, I wish that once you’re done with the investigations, you’ll stop showing up in front of me to insult me. Even if I did cling to you without dignity in the past, that was in the past. The Alstons had trampled on my dignity for four years as punishment. We should be even now.”

After she said all that, she raised her chin indifferently and left without a backward glance. Behind her, Leo stared at her back quietly, pursing his lips as tightly as he could.

He was here to give her some money so she wouldn’t be forced into a corner, but when he saw her smiling at Blake and taking his card, a boiling fury ignited in his chest, and he started blurting all sorts of demeaning words.

Nevertheless, he snapped back to reality once his phone started ringing. Only then did he set his emotions aside and pick up the call. When he left, he called Victor’s number.

“Investigate something for me.”

 

Chapter 180

At night, Leo went to Prix Bar. His usual straight-backed posture was nowhere to be seen. He remained there and was quiet until Victor walked in.

When he raised his head slightly and Victor, his gaze slightly sharpened on Victor.

Although Victor didn’t say anything. Leo knew that he had found something in his investigation.

The price to pay for hiring Victor may be sky-high, but he had to admit that the man was very

efficient.

“How did it go?” he asked after a few seconds of silence.

Victor nodded. “Miss Dillon has a fixed income in her account. The amount every month is not fixed, but never less than one million. The money was stated as tips and had nothing to do with Starlight Media.”

“Tips?” Just a second ago, Leo was expressionless, but now he looked taken aback. “What tips?”

The confidence in Amelie piqued his curiosity, but of course, it was because he felt responsible toward Brianna that he asked Victor to investigate her income status.

“I’m not certain.” An uneasy look washed over Victor’s face. “It seems like these tips have been deliberately handled so that the source couldn’t be traced.”

While they were speaking, Toby and Ashton arrived.

Since that last time when Elyse instigated Ashton to abduct Brianna to Leo’s place, Ashton was severely punished by his father and was just released tonight.

A sneer that was clearly marked with disgust appeared on his lips when he heard Leo checking up on Amelie, and this disgust was more distinguished than it was in the past. After that, he jeered, “What kind of tips can a woman like her receive? She’s useless, and only her face and body are pleasing to the eyes. Most probably, she’s making dirty money at some explicit places.”

When Toby heard that, he furrowed his brows slightly in disgruntlement, but he didn’t say anything and turned to Leo, only to find him frowning, looking deep in his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Ashton had shifted all the blame for his punishment on Amelie, and he was full of hate for her. He took big strides over to the table, stopped opposite Leo, and sat down ungracefully. There was no hiding the displeasure on his face as he helped himself to a glass of

wine.

While he raised his glass, he stopped and put on a sneer. “As far as I know, many adult websites from abroad are recruiting the girls here with lucrative conditions. Those men are very generous, giving huge tips every time. Only these websites will deliberately hide their tracks when paying

commissions so people can’t trace back the specific channels.” Then, he purposely glanced at Leo.. “Think about it. Why would anyone be worried about getting found out if it’s money from proper channels? What’s the reason for hiding the source?”

In his opinion, Amelie would have publicized it to the world if she was capable of making money.

“Hmph, she’s just a b*tch that’s acting arrogant,” he criticized and finished the drink in a gulp.

Still, Leo was silent, but his hand tightened as he held the glass, showing his white-knuckled grip on the glass.

Toby observed him quietly; seeing the way he reacted, he quickly understood the situation and went over to take a seat next to Leo.

eyes,

He helped himself to a glass, stared at the wine within with a deep look in his and questioned. “Is that what you think as well, Leo?”

However, not a single word came out of Leo, and he merely waved at Victor for him to leave. Then, he lowered his head and finished his wine. No matter how anyone looked at it, it seemed like he was drinking out of frustration, and the look in Toby’s eyes deepened..

Meanwhile, Ashton was still sulking and huffing because he didn’t think that he was not in the wrong for the matter last time.

After he had brought Brianna back home to Leo, not only was he ungrateful to him, he even snitched to his father about it.

How frustrating!

The more all these replayed in his mind, the more he didn’t want Amelie to do well in life and for Leo to resent her, and he said even bluntly, “Leo, I bet that the money she’s making is filthy. Even if you don’t care about your own reputation, you have to consider it for Bria. She’ll learn nothing good from that woman! It’s not like the Alstons don’t have the money to raise a child, so why did you leave her unattended? It’s better to make a clean break quickly by unraveling Amelie’s true colors, get the child back, and end this for good!”

Right after he finished speaking, Leo sprang to his feet and left without a word.

When Ashton saw how Leo had utterly dismissed him, he punched the table angrily and cursed..

Meanwhile, Amelie had also walked into Prix Bar because Samuel had made an appointment with an important figure for her, and this was where they would meet.

Although she didn’t really enjoy business meetings in such settings, she could only bite the bullet in order to make her platform a success.

The other party didn’t make her wait for a long time, arriving soon afterward. However, he had

Upon seeing her, that man said politely, “I wanted to meet you alone, but I ran into a bunch of old friends at the door. Why don’t we hang out together?”

As it was difficult to make an appointment with him, Amelie didn’t want to waste this chance and gave him a nod.

Then, the man politely introduced everyone to her one by one. That was when she noticed, with slight surprise, that there was another important person she was interested in meeting among them. So, she was delighted.

In between, while she watched everyone chatting happily, she couldn’t find a point in interrupting. So, she crept up silently and took a seat next to the other important figure, spoke a little, and asked for a business card.

The man not only gave her a card happily and even asked for a toast with her. Unable to turn him down, she accepted the drink.

When the others saw that she accepted a drink from him, they followed suit and offered her a

toast.

This was a round of several drinks, and her head started to spin from the alcohol.

Afterward, she came up with an excuse and left the room, standing outside for quite a while.

In her mind, she was aware that these people weren’t in the mood to talk about work tonight, and it would only be a waste of time if she hung around any longer.

I should just wait until they’re free and ask them out alone next time, she thought, pacing back to the room to say goodbye.

Just a couple of steps later, the important figure she had just met came out of the room.

“Miss Dillon, why are you here by yourself? Come and have a drink with me,” he said, placing an arm around her shoulders.

Although she was disgusted by his touch, she couldn’t throw a temper at him and could only avoid him tactfully. “I’m sorry, Professor Fernando, I feel a little sick from all the drinks today, and I still have some issues at home. I have to leave now, but I’ll ask you out next time.”

“We’re already here. Why are you speaking about next time?” Fernando was already tipsy from the drinks and had lost the respectful image that he usually carried. He exposed his true colors after the alcohol, and his lecherous gaze was glued to her face.

Then, they slowly traveled from her face and down to her chest.

=

Naked and direct.

considered her current circumstances, she sighed inwardly. These people usually appear proper and are a group of senior experts, but inside, they’re wholly repulsive!

If she really led him to her platform, trouble could crop up any minute! So, it was better to watch. out and not use a person with such distorted moralities.

With that thought in mind, she decided to give up Fernando and the other important figure, and her expression turned indifferent. “Mr. Fernando, I’m sorry, but please step aside.”

She even stopped addressing him as a professor because it would be an insult to other genuine teachers if a person like him were called one.

Then, she sidestepped and walked past him. As Fernando was used to being respected and assumed that Amelie had other motives for him from chatting up with him earlier, he looked incredibly sullen when he saw that she was about to leave. “You don’t know what’s better for you, huh? Since you’re out to sell yourself, why are you putting up airs?”

“Sell myself?”

Amelie’s expression shifted into a forbidding one as she stared at him coldly.

He was just hinting earlier, but he escalated it to verbal insult so quickly? she thought disparagingly.

On the other hand, Fernando didn’t feel that he did anything wrong at all as he carried on with his ways, muttering nonstop, “What? Do you think the price is too low? Then, is 10,000 enough? You have a pretty face, and your body is good as well. It’s definitely going to be great when we have fun, but seeing how open-minded you are, I reckon you’re not a virgin anymore. 10,000 is already the highest price.”

After that, he fished out a wad of cash from his pocket with wobbly hands to stuff it into her chest.

Amelie snorted coldly and had already cursed him countless times in her heart. What kind of idiot

did I run into now?

Then, she bluntly shoved the cash back to him. “Mr. Fernando, please watch yourself!” she said, pushing him aside with the money.

As he staggered backward from her actions, the money also scattered over the floor due to his drunken state.

Instantly, fury ignited within him, and he lunged at Amelie, who had started to walk away.

Suddenly, she felt a heavy slamming into her without warning, causing her to smack right into

the wall.

Since she was pinned to the wall by said heavy object and had difficulties breaking free. Finally, when she twisted her head back, she saw Fernando holding her firmly with his hands, and his

your lucky stars that you caught my interest! How dare you put up airs!”

After the last word left his lips, a pungent-smelling mouth that reeked of alcohol moved toward

her.