Ch. 181..185: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 181-185

Chapter 181

Amelie almost fainted from the foul smell coming from Fernando’s mouth. In that instant, she urgently dodged to the side while quickly pondering upon how she could break free from his clutches. She began to accumulate strength in her hands.

However, before she was able to swing her fist at him, she heard an agonized scream, saw Fernando being thrown out from the side, and fell to the ground with a loud bang.

Amelie was utterly dumbstruck by this turn of events. She glanced down at her fist and wondered if it gathered strength and hit Fernando with the aura just like those superhumans in Marvel movies. Then, just as she was lost in her thoughts, she heard him yelling in pain again.

She instinctively looked up and saw a figure standing in front of Fernando, kicking him brutally. The kicks got stronger every time they landed on Fernando’s body till he cried pathetically as he pleaded for mercy.

She had to squint her eyes due to the dim lighting and scrutinize the face of the man who was kicking Fernando. And she could not help but gasp when she saw his face. The man who was kicking Fernando was none other than Leo.

Leo was ruthless, his attacks on Fernando seemed endless, and it didn’t look like he was stopping any time soon. His lips were tightly pressed together like a sharp blade, his eyes emanated immense coldness as if he was the devil, and his face was tense. Finally, Fernando got so beaten up that he no longer had any strength to fight back.

This was the first time she had seen Leo so bloodthirsty and merciless. Of course, she had known him for a long time but did not know that he could fight that well. Leo did not stop kicking Fernando until his nose and face were broken and swollen.

Leo then ordered the bodyguards, who came over after hearing the commotion, to drag Fernando away. It wasn’t until he and the bodyguards faded out of sight that Amelie regained her senses. She felt the need to thank Leo. After all, he helped her escape the situation, even though she knew martial arts and did not need Leo’s help.

“Thank—”

She was just about to thank him when Leo scoffed sarcastically and cut her off, “So, the so-called you- can-support-Bria-yourself is actually via this way?”

“What?” Her heart dropped when she heard him say that, and she looked at him, puzzled. Yet, he remained distant and emanated a cold aura around him. His words were even more piercing and heartless than before.

He then continued, “I don’t care how you want to mess with your life, but my daughter will not live in this environment. So, you should get rid of this dirty lifestyle if you really want to live with her. Otherwise, I will take her away from you!” Finally, he left the scene without a moment of hesitation.

Amelie was still in shock at Leo’s sharp words. She could not comprehend what he was on about, but somehow the puzzlement in her eyes turned into astonishment seconds later. She finally realized that he was mocking her for using her body to make money, and this realization made her enraged. And the angrier she got, the calmer she became.

She stood upright and looked directly at Leo’s back indifferently. “So, do you really think that I have no other way to support myself other than engaging in prostitution?”

Her words managed to make Leo pause for a moment. But instead of replying, he merely continued striding forward. Her heart sank, and she clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles creaked in protest as she stared at his back, which was moving further and further away.

She sneered coldly.

Leo initially planned to get some fresh air and did not expect that he would encounter such an incident. So, his mood got even worse when he returned to the room. He did not say a word as he sat on the couch, looking extremely exhausted. He thought of how Amelie fell into the arms of the man, looking all fragile, and the look on the man’s face, who wanted to devour her.

How could she be willing to be with the stinky man? He silently balled his fists as Ashton’s analysis and what he just witnessed merged together.

Ashton and Toby were also alarmed by the commotion just now and left the room to see what was going on. They just walked back to the room one after the other and saw Leo sitting on the couch, deep in his thoughts. The two looked at him with different expressions.

Ashton kicked the couch, and his face showed obvious disdain. “Leony, why are you being polite to this kind of woman? Just find some evidence against her and snatch Bria away from her. I can do it on your behalf if you don’t feel like slogging through that. I guarantee that I’ll be able to find evidence that she is engaging in prostitution within three days. And trust me, she won’t be able to deny it!”

Ashton’s view was simple. He thought that Amelie was the one who caused trouble for Leo and Elyse. And Leo’s shattered relationship could only be saved by bringing Bria back home.

On the other hand, Toby did not join Ashton’s ramble. Instead, he remained silent and leaned against the door’s frame in his half-sleeved casual suit. He seemed to know something the others did not. From his standing position, he was able to glance at what was happening inside and outside the room. However, his eyes never left the slender figure on the opposite side, and as such, he did not miss out on Amelie’s expressions.

So, when he heard Ashton slandering Amelie, he finally said, “Leony, you’d better think before you act. Otherwise, you will regret it.”

Leo opened his eyes the moment he heard these words and looked Toby straight in the eyes. “What do you know?”

Unfortunately, Toby merely stared back at him silently. He did not want to admit it, but still, he had to express his admiration for Leo for being so perceptive, even at a time like this.

Toby instinctively glanced away from the cold man before him. His thumb silently touched his other fingers as if he was pondering upon something. There were indeed some things that he had long regarded as a little secret between him and Amelie. He did not want to share it with others. Nevertheless, he felt so distressed when he saw her being humiliated like that.

After what seemed to be a decade, Toby took a deep breath and glanced down at his phone.

Leo could not help but feel disappointed upon seeing that. He was waiting for a response from Toby, but who knew that Toby would cease to respond to him and instead look at the phone?

Ashton was also puzzled at Toby’s reaction, so he commented, “It’s irritating that you don’t say things in full.” But Toby was not the slightest angry. He dismissed Ashton, walked to Leo’s side, put the phone on the table in front of Leo, and pressed Leo’s shoulder meaningfully. “Take a good look at it.”

After that, he put his hands in his pockets and left.

Ashton was totally confused by Toby’s actions. “What’s he up to?”

He leaned over and saw what was playing on the phone. “Isn’t this Foxy? What’s the big fuss with her? I am getting more and more confused now.”

Leo glanced down and saw Foxy’s paused video on the screen. It was her live broadcast room. The person in the video wore a snow-white fox mask, only revealing a pair of beautiful eyes.

He tapped the screen mechanically, and they could hear Foxy’s infectious voice as the video continued.

But Ashton was not having it. He even teased Leo when he saw Leo avidly watching the video, “Do you really think that Toby is trying to tell you something with this video? All the twists and turns! You’re making me tired!”

Yet, he saw Leo frantically picking up the phone, and his eyes were fixated on it all of a sudden. Ashton was taken aback by his sudden change of demeanor and instantly snapped his jaws shut. However, Leo seemed to be possessed, and he kept looping the video, which was only less than ten seconds until he had listened to it no less than ten times! The more he listened to it, the more his facial muscles tensed, and his expression became weirder.

 

Chapter 182

“What’s wrong?” Ashton asked.

Leo didn’t respond but just turned around and left the room.

“Sh*t!” Ashton cursed unhappily, upset that Leo ignored him.

Then, he kicked the couch, frustrated out of his mind.

…

Three days later, inside the Genesis office, Victor Willis walked into the office briskly and saw a tall man who was having a meeting in the office. He lowered his eyes and stepped to the side silently.

Leo glanced at him but didn’t react. Then, with a wave of his hand, he dismissed everyone. “That’s the end of today’s meeting. Everyone is dismissed.”

Everyone was secretly relieved and left the office instantly.

Their hurried steps immediately gave way to dead silence.

Laura brought in two cups of coffee and left as soon as she placed the cups.

Leo didn’t think to invite Victor to drink coffee as he walked over to him and asked, “How did the investigation go?”

Victor stood up and looked at him. “It’s just as you expected.”

His answer made Leo look at him in shock, his face frozen.

There was silence in the office for quite some time.

It took Leo a while before he snapped out of the shock and asked quietly, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am.” Victor was confident in his investigation. “I had gone to investigate it myself. I saw with my own eyes that Miss Dillon is actually Foxy.”

So, all those tips were her legitimate income?

Leo’s hands dropped to his sides, and his face twisted into a complicated expression.

What did he say to her?

Did he call her a stripper?

He finally understood the things she said when she left.

He was also aware of just how angry she was.

Leo’s grip on his bag tightened as he stood upright. Still, Victor noticed that something was slowly disappearing from Leo.

His eyes flickered, but he didn’t bring any attention to it.

After he gave his report, he melted into the shadows.

He seemed to have erased his existence as he faded away as if he was never there in the first place.

Leo stood there for a while before walking out of the office, his eyes downcast.

Only then did Victor leave quietly through a secret passage.

Meanwhile, at The Walsh Residence, Toby sorted through the documents with his head down. His face was as gentle and kind as ever.

“Thank you.”

He handed the documents to his secretary next to him, and he smiled lightly. He was good-natured and polite as he thanked his secretary sincerely.

The secretary took the documents with a smile and walked out.

As soon as he reached the door, someone else came in, and his smile froze. Still, he greeted the unannounced visitor, “Mr. Alston.”

The secretary quickly gave way and bowed his head. The smile on his face had disappeared entirely.

Leo’s face was indifferent, and his expression was blank. He bowed his head slightly to the secretary’s greeting, and it was barely noticeable.

As he walked by, the secretary felt a gust of cold wind and couldn’t help but shiver.

The secretary was thankful that he was serving someone like Toby, not the icy-cold man in front of him.

Even though this man looked significantly better than Toby, his indifferent aura was enough to scare a lot of people away.

If Toby was compared to the spring breeze and summer sun, then Leo was the harsh winter that was negative 30 degrees.

When Toby heard the secretary’s greeting, he looked over immediately. Toby wasn’t surprised to see Leo as a meaningful smile flashed across his face.

He looked at the secretary with gentle eyes and asked, “Can you pour me two cups of coffee?”

“Yes, sir.” Toby’s gentleness warmed his heart as he nodded. Once he poured two cups of coffee, he left the room happily.

Leo stood there with his head lowered the whole time. He wasn’t in a hurry to speak, but his face was gloomy enough to tell there was something on his mind.

Toby picked up a cup of coffee, walked over, and handed it to him. “Why did you come over? Is there an emergency?”

However, Leo didn’t take the coffee, but his eyes were fixed on Toby’s hands.

Toby didn’t feel awkward and just raised his hand higher, offering the cup of coffee.

In the end, although Leo took the cup, he didn’t give the coffee a sip. Instead, he looked at the man across from him. “When did you find out Amelie is Foxy?

Toby looked away with a smile. Then, he took a sip of his coffee and said, “I’ve known it for a while.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“There isn’t a need to. You’re divorced, right?” He looked up at Leo, his head slightly tilted.

Toby still had a smile on his face, but it seemed to be carrying a different meaning now.

Leo couldn’t help but think about Toby’s crush on Amelie. He had even expressed his liking for Amelie several times.

Suddenly, he found it hard to breathe, as if something was constricting his heart.

It was so slippery, making it impossible to grasp, and he gradually felt his head spin.

“Leo, what you should be more concerned about is not when I knew she was Foxy but when she became Foxy.” Toby’s voice was clear and pleasant, but his words were like knives stabbing into Leo’s body.

The sudden pain caught him off guard!

The veins on his forehead bulged violently in response!

“Foxy rose to fame seven years ago and suddenly disappeared three years later. But, then, she was suddenly on the Internet again not too long ago. Don’t you think the timeline is very coincidental with your marriage?” Toby asked. “Have you ever thought what Amelie had sacrificed just to marry you?”

Toby didn’t want to mention this.

He knew that if he mentioned this, it would only push Leo to Amelie again.

Yet, Toby had constantly been thinking of how she swallowed her pride and allowed herself to be bullied when she was in the Alston family these past few days. Whenever he thought of what she had gone through, his heart ached.

She had wings that could bring her straight to the sky, but she was willing to break them for a man…

He felt that if he didn’t bring this to light, no one would know what she had suffered, making his heart pang.

He felt that her sufferings were unjust.

On the other side, Leo went even more silent than before.

He had constantly lowered his head throughout their conversation, and his eyes were pitch black. No one could tell what he was thinking.

Toby’s eyes settled on him for a moment as if what he said was no big deal.

He soon regained his composure and decided to push this discussion along.

With that, he continued, “By the way, Leo, I heard that you have an interesting relationship with Elyse’s twin sister. I want to know, if you find her, will you marry her?”

Only then did Leo look up at him silently.

He noticed that Toby was staring back at him with great interest. After a moment, he parted his lips and responded with one word, “No.”

“No?” Toby seemed very surprised. “Didn’t you pamper Elyse thinking she was Ellen before?”

“It’s true, but we shouldn’t confuse kindness for affection. Moreover, we haven’t seen each other for ten years. Our lives have changed. Forcibly being together isn’t good for either of us.”

After he replied curtly, he seemed to have lost interest and turned to leave.

Behind him, Toby was staring at his back; his gentle gaze felt oddly piercing.

“Is it really because you haven’t seen each other for ten years, Leo? Or did Amelie influence you?” He murmured to himself, slowly tightening his grip on the coffee cup.

…

Amelie had just finished her live stream. So, she greeted Steven and planned to meet the new partners.

The other party already had a finished manuscript in hand and was preparing to publish it.

She was trying to convince him to release it on his own platform.

There had been a lot of discussion going on, and now the last thing to do now was to edit the manuscript to match up with their needs.

Amelie kept her head down as she made phone calls to contact the other party until she almost ran into a car that drove by.

“Sorry!” She took a few steps back, cried out apologetically, and hung up the phone immediately.

The car stopped, and the door opened.

A shiny pair of black leather shoes stepped out of the car.

A pair of slender legs followed right after, which truly displayed just how expensive those shoes could possibly be.

Amelie couldn’t help but raise her head. It was then that she saw his slender frame and his handsome but cold face.

Chapter 183

“Mr. Alston…?” Her face was filled with surprise.

Even though the argument last night was horrible, Amelie didn’t want to bring it up again. Instead, she just looked around and asked, “Are you here to talk about business? If that’s the case, then… Bye.”

She only took one step before Leo suddenly grabbed her wrist.

She looked at the man who grabbed her wrist in confusion. “What’s wrong, Mr. Alston?”

Leo didn’t speak but just dragged her into the car with all his might.

After he closed the car door with a bang, he drove away.

This confused Amelie even more as she asked a few times, “What are you doing?”

Leo did not respond. He continued driving before slamming on the brakes when they reached a secluded place.

Amelie was unprepared, and she flung forward due to the inertia.

However, someone managed to grab her before she came into close contact with the car’s board.

She looked up and met Leo’s dark eyes.

His eyes were still as cold as before. “Four years ago, a billionaire woman with an annual income of more than ten million pretended to have nothing. She came to my house to be my wife, and for what?”

His voice was piercing and cold as he asked the question.

When Amelie heard his words, she was stunned.

He didn’t even hide it. He never cared about her in the four years of their marriage. She never thought he would care or even notice her for the rest of his life.

When she saw his piercing eyes on her, she smiled sadly.

This was ironic.

It was he who had forgotten his vows. He betrayed their relationship, yet now he was the one who was questioning her.

Where did he get the right to ask that?

The more she thought about it, the less she wanted to talk about it. She finally responded coldly, “For what? Probably it was to experience life.”

There was instantly a sharp pain in her arm.

Leo had tightened his grip on her arm into a painful squeeze.

Her slender arms in his hands felt as if he could break them at any moment!

His face showed his apparent anger, and his eyes were bitterly cold!

He couldn’t help but slightly ground his teeth to vent some of his fury.

Then, as though that wasn’t enough, he hissed menacingly to convey his displeasure!

Leo thought of thousands of possibilities on the way, but he never thought she would give him such an answer!

Experience life?

What did she mean?

She didn’t marry him because she had feelings for him.

It was just a coincidence!

If she were with someone else that night, she would’ve accepted it too and gotten married to someone else!

This thought was like a curse, and it locked him in place.

His blood was boiling.

He didn’t know if it was from anger or abject despair!

“Mr. Alston, you’re hurting me,” Amelie told him blankly.

Suddenly, he shoved her away angrily. “Leave!”

There was no emotion in his tone. Instead, it made her seem like she was something that he could discard at any time.

Even though Amelie had seen all his cruelty towards her, she still felt rather hurt.

However, she quickly hid her feelings.

She wasn’t going to let her feelings show today.

There was no need to.

She tugged on her sleeve indifferently and opened the door to leave.

Leo stared at her back, and she felt his sharp gaze on her.

It was obvious with how she just walked off that she didn’t care.

He smacked the steering wheel harshly!

Amelie had walked for a while before she felt the dampness on her face.

She touched her face and realized it was her tears.

She stared at her wet fingers absent-mindedly.

Then, she finally wiped it off with a tissue.

When she was done, she threw the tissue in a bin as if nothing had happened.

Leo sat in the car silently.

No one knew what he was thinking as he sat there as still as a statue.

The knot in his chest didn’t disappear after Amelie left. Instead, it felt even tighter.

He obviously had no feelings for this woman, but why was he so infuriated when he heard her answer?

Could it be that he really fell in love with her?

No, that would be ridiculous.

She had played with him for four years. He should despise her!

He was drowning in his sorrow when his phone rang out of the blue.

He quickly pushed his feelings aside and picked up the phone in his usual, cold tone, “Hello?”

“Leo, come quick.” On the other side of the phone, Ashton’s voice was panicked, “Elyse is ill. She’s hospitalized.”

Leo immediately rushed to the hospital and quickly found Elyse’s ward.

Ashton was already inside.

He immediately stood up when he saw Leo with a gloomy look on his face.

He didn’t forget to remind Leo, “She’s sick. So, don’t say anything that will rile her up.”

With that, Ashton stepped aside.

Elyse was lying on the bed weakly. Her face was pale, and her lips were chapped. She wasn’t as beautiful as she was before.

Her eyes were half closed, and her thick eyelashes rested on her cheeks. Her lashes were so dark that they contrasted against her pale face, making her look even frailer.

As if she was aware of his presence, her eyes rolled under her eyelids before opening slowly to look at him.

“Le…o.” Her voice was weak, pitiful, and trembling. She seemed to be choking on tears.

Leo walked over to her and looked at her. “What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing serious. Ashton is just making a big fuss.” Her voice was low, but she began to pant after saying a few words.

“What do you mean it’s nothing serious? If you didn’t get to the hospital in time, you would’ve…” Ashton retorted huffily before he gradually sounded close to sobbing.

Leo didn’t say anything. Instead, he called the doctor over and asked about her condition in detail.

The doctor’s face was solemn as he explained, “The patient’s condition has always been unstable. Because of the years of depression, the brain tumor is beginning to compress her nerves. Therefore, her condition can worsen at any time.”

The word ‘brain tumor’ pierced Leo’s heart like a bullet.

His eyes were full of disbelief.

Finally, he quietly asked, “What can be done now?”

The doctor looked at Elyse gravely. “The brain tumor is in a difficult spot. The risk for surgery is very high. From the doctor’s consultation, the best treatment would be to put her under medication to control the growth of the tumor. It’s better to leave operating until the last resort. As her family, you all need to be there for the patient so she can face this more optimistically.”

“Alright, thank you.”

After the doctor left, Elyse burst into tears.

Ashton rushed over to comfort her.

This made her cry even harder. “Ashton, what should I do? I won’t even be able to care for myself in the future. What if I lost my memories? If that happens, I’d rather die!”

“No, no. It won’t happen,” Ashton hurriedly said. When he noticed that Elyse kept crying, he turned and looked at Leo, “Leo, you should comfort her.”

Leo walked closer to her and said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, the doctor said that there’s medicine to control it.”

“But taking medicine will have a lot of side effects. I’ll lose my hair and become hideous. It’s horrible, and I don’t want it!” Elyse cried, her tears streaming down her face pitifully. “How will I be able to face people that way?”

She continued to sob for a long time. Finally, when she stopped, she lay limp on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Elyse’s eyelashes were still wet with tears.

Her eyes were still swollen, and her face was clearly distraught.

Ashton slammed his fist into the wall when he saw her in such a state.

After his violent reaction, he suddenly turned around and harshly grabbed Leo’s shoulders. “Leo, since Elyse is in such a terrible condition, can’t you do something? Since you’ve decided to start dating again, why don’t you propose to her now? Your proposal will lift her mood, and she won’t feel helpless. It will be good for her condition.”

Chapter 184

Leo pulled Ashton away. “The most important thing right now is to find the best doctor for her and go about the best treatment plan. I’ll try to get in touch with one.”

Leo then turned to leave.

Behind him, Ashton gritted his teeth. “Damn it!”

He really hated Leo’s attitude.

Leo quickly contacted top experts abroad and called for a private plane to pick them up. Within ten hours, the top experts would arrive.

He frowned after making all these arrangements and suddenly missed Bria a lot.

With that in mind, he went to buy some toys and rushed to the child’s school.

Bria didn’t know what was going on between him and Amelie and was very happy to see him.

The two stayed together for two hours before Leo left and went back to the company.

At the entrance of the company, Laura greeted him anxiously. “President, you’re finally back. Something happened to Elyse.”

Leo and Laura rushed to the hospital and saw Elyse on the roof of the hospital.

She stood on the edge, trembling as if she could fall off at any second.

Her face was bleak and full of despair.

Ashton stood at the side in fear. He was trying to persuade her to come down.

Beside him was Elyse’s father, Michael. He was yelling at her, looking terrified. “Elyse! Don’t scare me. Come down quickly. I’ve already lost your sister. I can’t lose you too. As long as you come down, I’ll do anything for you.”

At this moment, she burst into tears. “Dad, I’m very sick. It’s meaningless for me to live! This is karma. My sister is punishing me. I pretended to be her, and I caught feelings for someone that I shouldn’t. On top of that, I never learned how to cherish it!”

“Why would your sister punish you? She cared about you so much. Even… even when she knew she was dying, her last words were to let you stay in this world instead of her and be happy on her behalf. She loved you so much.”

“No, no. That’s not true!” Elyse cried out and covered her ears tightly, refusing to listen.

Noticing Leo, Michael ran to grab him. “Mr. Alston, please. Please say something to her. Elyse cares about you so much. As long as you talk to her, she will surely listen.”

Melissa, who heard the news, had also run over.

When she saw the scene, she was visibly upset. “What is going on? The reporters have gathered downstairs. What would the reporters say if she jumped? They will start to make assumptions and it’ll be linked to us, saying that we forced her to her death! Leony, you have to stop her immediately!”

All Melissa cared about her entire life was her reputation. As such, how could she possibly let such a thing happen now?

When Michael heard what Melissa said, he muttered again, “Mr. Alston, Elyse is desperate and insecure. Please, for Elie’s sake. Please help her, even if it’s just a lie. Elie has done so much for you. It won’t be too much of a favor for you to marry Elyse now. Elie wanted Elyse to live on for her. Isn’t that more or less asking you to marry Elyse?”

Leo didn’t bother responding.

Among everyone’s panic, he was so calm that it was frightening.

Those eyes glared at Elyse from a distance. Without even moving his mouth, his eyes spoke thousands of words.

When Elyse met his eyes, her heart beat faster and she could hardly stand without support!

She began to think. If Leo didn’t show up to stop her, would she go through with it?

If she did so, she would be smashed to pieces!

Elyse’s legs suddenly turned to jelly.

Michael saw it and kneeled in front of Leo. “Mr. Alston, please, save my daughter. Please save her! As long as you save her, I’ll do anything for you!”

On the other hand, Ashton looked annoyed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

At this time, Laura came running towards Leo. “Those reporters found out it’s Elyse who’s going to jump. They’re already rushing upstairs! Mr. Alston, what should we do?”

Leo frowned and stared at Ashton.

The man who acted like he wasn’t afraid of anything flinched immediately.

“Okay. I agree to the engagement!”

A loud voice came from behind them.

Everyone turned and looked around.

Their eyes fell on Leo.

However, their stares didn’t last long because the voice clearly belonged to a woman.

It wasn’t until Leo turned away that everyone turned their gazes away as well.

In the end, their stares landed on Melissa.

Melissa took a deep breath and looked at Elyse. “Come down. I’ll get him to propose to you.”

Elyse seemed to be taken aback by her words and she stood there blankly.

Ashton and Michael took this chance to pull her down from the ledge.

Instantly, a group of people surrounded her.

After a while, Michael pulled Elyse to Leo. “Elyse, did you hear that? Mr. Alston said that he wants to be engaged to you. From now on, he’ll be by your side forever.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the reporters rushed in.

Cameras and phones started flashing as the crowd rushed in.

Some reporters asked, “Miss Clayton, I heard that you were about to jump off. Is that true?”

“What made you do this?”

“That hospital gown. Are you sick?”

“Is it terminal?”

“Did you do this because of your illness?”

“As your boyfriend, did Mr. Alston fulfill his responsibilities when you were sick? Are you overwhelmed by stress?”

“Everyone, this is a big misunderstanding!” Melissa stood up and shouted when she heard the reporters directing the situation toward Leo. “Elyse is indeed sick, but she isn’t trying to commit suicide. My son came up to propose to her. She was so happy she jumped up.”

She nudged Leo discreetly after speaking.

However, Leo didn’t move and said nothing.

Ashton stood up quickly and supported Melissa’s claim. “Yes, I witnessed the proposal just now. They’re both my best friends and I wish them all the best.”

“My daughter and Mr. Alston have gone through a lot of ups and downs in their relationship. Now it’s blossoming and I couldn’t be happier!” Michael announced as he held his daughter with tears in his eyes.

It was only then that Elyse came back to her senses and she nodded gently. “Thank you for your concern, everyone. I am just a little unwell, but Leo has always been by my side. I’m very happy!”

“That’s right. Leo wants to bring her into the family. They will be getting engaged first.” Melissa’s engagement proposal didn’t mean that she wanted Elyse to marry into the Alston Family. It was just to calm everything down temporarily.

Now that they saw the Clayton Family really push them toward marriage, they hurriedly came up with a white lie.

Elyse smiled shyly and cooperatively leaned into Leo’s arms.

The reporters pointed their cameras at Leo, waiting for him to speak.

Melissa winked, and Laura immediately came to her senses and rushed to stop them, “Since everyone knows what happened, you shouldn’t pester them anymore. If there’s any more news, we’ll notify you all.”

Even though no one else dug deeper for information, just the news of their engagement was more than enough for them to write about. In the end, they all left.

Ashton and Michael hurriedly helped Elyse return to her ward when the reporters left.

Leo didn’t move but looked at Melissa with a frown, “When did you get the right to decide about my marriage?”

Chapter 185

Melissa’s face stiffened.

Leo’s words made her angry and embarrassed

It was embarrassing to be questioned like that, and it ticked her off because she was his mother. It was natural for her to arrange his marriage. What he said meant that he didn’t take the engagement seriously!

But she knew that this wasn’t a time to quarrel with him.

Instead, she took a deep breath and said, “You saw the situation. Elyse was so upset. What if she really went through with it? Plus, all the reporters were here. How would you explain it to them? Either way, it will impact her and her family. I trust that you won’t want that to happen either.”

She couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Leo after speaking. When she saw that he didn’t intend to refute, she discreetly breathed a sigh of relief.

Melissa took a few steps toward him and continued, “It’s just an engagement, not marriage. If you don’t want to be with her, you’ll have chances to break off the engagement in the future. Now is not the time.”

…

Downstairs, Ashton stood in front of Elyse’s bed, pacing in circles.

He couldn’t help but reprimand her, “You know how dangerous that was, Elyse?! Don’t you dare do such dangerous things again in the future!”

Elyse listened to his words indifferently. Her face was a blank mask.

After listening for a while, she muttered, “I’m tired. Come back again tomorrow.”

Ashton stopped pacing as soon as he heard her request. Nodding, he stated, “Okay, I’ll come back tomorrow, then. Listen to me and be obedient. Stop thinking about what you have and don’t have.”

It was when Ashton left that Michael decided to approach his daughter.

He sat closely beside his daughter.

Then, he quietly said, “This Ashton guy really cares about you, so much more than Leo. If it doesn’t work out, don’t get hung up on him. You should consider Ashton.”

Elyse immediately changed her tune and rolled her eyes at her father. “Ashton is just an ordinary guy. Not only is he not the only son, but he’s also not a capable man. Being with him is like throwing myself into a pit of fire!”

Michael was so surprised by his daughter’s outburst that he choked before quickly covering it up with a cough. His fists were clenched tightly.

“But Leo doesn’t care much about you. If the reporters weren’t there, he would’ve rejected the engagement long ago.”

“Do you think I’m a fool? Didn’t I get what I wanted before I got down?” Elyse said craftily. “Do you think Melissa came here on her own? She’s the kind of woman who only cares about her reputation and shows off her wealth all day long. Do you think she has time to ask about my affairs?”

Michael immediately understood everything with her explanation. He looked proudly at Elyse. “As expected of my daughter. She’s just as smart as I was when I was young!”

However, he was immediately clouded by worry again.

“This engagement isn’t a joke. Although Leo didn’t deny it in front of the reporters, he isn’t someone who can be manipulated easily. If he doesn’t buy your act, we will die of embarrassment.”

“Didn’t you say that even if he doesn’t care about me, he would still care about Elie?” Elyse wasn’t worried at all. “As long as my sister is still on his mind, he won’t humiliate us!”

These words assured Michael. “Good. That’s good.”

He also wished for a powerful son-in-law.

That way, they would be respected.

Michael was overjoyed with her plan. Before leaving, he hurriedly told Elyse that she must take good care of her body.

When everything had quietened, Elyse took out her phone and checked the news.

As she had planned, the news of the couple getting engaged was all over the Internet.

The corners of her lips twitched into a smile and a cunning gleam appeared in her eyes.

Melissa wants to fool me with a promise of engagement, but it isn’t that simple.

Elyse then sent a short message to someone.

…

On the other end, Melissa had left the hospital and was driving off in a car.

She had initially made an appointment to play poker with her friends but after the things that happened, she simply had no energy to go.

She rubbed her temples and thought about how she could postpone the engagement indefinitely and finally peel off Elyse like an unwanted plaster.

Just as she was deep in thought, her phone rang.

It was Genevieve Yancey. She was a long-term friend whom Melissa often played poker with.

Melissa sat up hurriedly and puffed up her chest before answering the phone. “Madam Yancey, I’m so sorry. I’ve already told Madam Freeman I won’t be joining you ladies today. You can go ahead.”

Genevieve’s voice rang out from the other end of the line. “It’s alright. I understand that you’re too busy witnessing your son propose to your future daughter-in-law.” Her voice sounded condescending.

She was giggling over the phone. “Congratulations, Mrs. Alston!”

Melissa’s face tugged into a frown.

She knew reporters had already spread the news of the engagement. However, Elyse was not her choice of daughter-in-law and she didn’t want to talk about it at all.

She reluctantly answered everything Genevieve asked with only a few words.

However, Genevieve was completely oblivious to Melissa’s displeasure and continued to chat happily. “Your daughter-in-law is as arrogant as she was four years ago. Your son has already proposed to her and yet, she’s still sitting on her high horse. Why don’t they get married straight away instead of getting engaged? This marriage wouldn’t be like the one four years ago, right?”

What happened four years ago was a big humiliation to the Alston Family. Melissa’s expression darkened when she heard Genevieve mentioning it so carefreely. She was getting more and more upset by the minute.

If she didn’t value her reputation as much, she would have started cursing Genevieve out.

Melissa discreetly took a deep breath to hold back her annoyance before saying calmly, “An engagement seems good. We’ll take things one step at a time.”

“You see, the people on the Internet will always go too far, talking about this and that. A lot of assumptions will surface. As soon as the news of Mr. Alston and Miss Clayton’s engagement spread on the Internet, the citizens made up a lot of rumors. A lot of people are saying that the Alston Family didn’t want Elyse Clayton at all and that Elyse forced your hand to call the engagement. Before long, you will try and find a reason to call off the engagement. Alas, the Internet always comes up with ugly assumptions.”

By the time Melissa hung up the phone, her face was already pale as a ghost.

She quickly went on news webpages and sure enough, just like Genevieve said, every bit of the news was covered with the engagement of Leo and Elyse. To top it off, there was a long list of comments.

Most of them were as Genevieve said.

Melissa grumbled to herself, This means that my plans have been foiled!

Thus, if she were to cancel the engagement, it would prove all the rumors true. It would truly be a slap in the face.

Melissa was so angry that her hands shook and her lips trembled. She was about to crush her phone in rage.

“Damn these bast*rds!”

She forced herself to calm down after a while.

At this point, the Alstons could not announce their stance. This would only cause people to speculate even more.

Unwilling to lose to these people, Melissa sighed in annoyance. Then, she called Laura and instructed, “Make an official announcement on the engagement of Leo and Elyse, stating that they will get engaged in ten days!”

…

By the time Amelie reached home, it was already late.

When she entered, she saw Bria sitting at the dining table playing on the phone.

There was a smile on her cute face. The girl seemed like she was in a great mood.

Amelie walked over and gently patted Bria’s shoulders before softly saying, “Why are you using Grandpa’s phone? What did I say about phones?”

To protect her innocence, Amelie never allowed Bria to play with a phone.

Bria’s face flushed with embarrassment and she avoided her mother’s eyes. “Mommy, I saw a picture of dad.”

The little girl had just met Leo in the morning and even spent a few hours playing with him.

Now, when she saw a photo of her father, she was very happy.

She lifted the phone and showed it to Amelie with a bright smile.

Although Amelie was fighting for the child’s custody, she didn’t have an issue with Bria meeting Leo.

Even though there was a lot of disagreement between the two, she didn’t intend to deprive her child of her father.

Therefore, she wasn’t angry that Bria was looking at Leo’s photos.

When she saw Bria’s expectant eyes, she cooperated and looked at the phone.

It was only then that she saw the headline.

Her face immediately froze and her smile dropped.