Ch. 206..210: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 206-210

Chapter 206

All of a sudden, Bria swung her arm in Amelie’s direction and hit Amelie on her hand. Amelie was taken by surprise, and her phone slipped out of her fingers. “What happened, Bria?” Amelie turned to check on Bria first.Bria simply shrugged before scratching the back of her head. The young girl looked like she didn’t know how she had bumped into her mother either. “Let me carry her,” Amelie said as she glanced at Leo. Leo handed the child over without saying much. Then, he bent down to pick Amelie’s phone up for her. “Here you go,” he said.Amelie nodded in appreciation before she took the phone from him and chucked it into her handbag. Soon enough, the bus arrived at their destination. The teacher directed all the children into the nursing home, and the dean of the nursing home delegated some cleaning duties to all of the parents and their children.Even though Bria’s leg was injured, she insisted on being a part of the activity. Amelie hesitated for a while before she went to the toolshed and approached one of the staff members there. “Can you give us some cleaning tools?” she asked.“Sure.” The staff member handed Amelie some tools, and her eyes lit up with admiration when she saw Bria. “You’re still helping out even though you’re injured, huh? That’s so nice of you,” the staff commented. Bria simply responded with a shy smile.“How many sets of tools will you need?” the staff member asked.Amelie hesitated for a while. “You can give me two sets,” she finally said.“Three, please.” A man’s deep voice came from behind Amelie right after she finished speaking. Amelie was shocked when she turned to see Leo standing behind her. She had assumed that Leo was just there to spend time with Bria and that he wasn’t going to take part in any cleaning activities. Leo, on the other hand, didn’t seem to realize the look of surprise on Amelie’s face. He extended his long arm over her and took the tools on her behalf.“Let’s go,” Leo said as he walked toward Bria and headed off with her. Amelie was left speechless for a while. She eventually hurried after them. The three of them were sent to a flat and cooling piece of land outdoors, where there was a layer of tree leaves scattered all over the ground. “Let’s sweep all of the leaves toward the middle first,” Leo suggested after looking at their surroundings.Both Amelie and Bria nodded before they got to work. Bria was wheelchair-bound so she couldn’t move around much, but she was still earnest as she swept up all the leaves in her area. She

giggled to herself as she worked on her task. Meanwhile, Amelie stole a few glances at Leo while they worked. She was genuinely curious—she had never seen Leo clean up after himself in her whole life, and she was nearly convinced that Leo didn’t even know how to hold a broom.However, to her surprise, he was dedicated to his task. He even seemed to work the broom with ease. He had taken his suit off and rolled his sleeves up. His posture was upright, and his arms looked strong as he swept the leaves—he looked like he had walked out of an oil painting. “Mommy’s checking Daddy out. Hehe…” Bria giggled with her hand covering her mouth.Amelie blushed before she quickly lowered her head to focus on sweeping the leaves. A married couple with their twin boys were cleaning up the area beside them, and the two boys were extremely naughty. They were fooling around, and their parents had to shout at them every now and then. The twins’ parents shook their heads helplessly as they sent envious glances in Bria’s direction. They wished their children would be as focused as Bria.Right then, the twin boys ran in Bria’s direction with two shovels that they had found somewhere. They both stuck the shovels into a thick pile of leaves before they sent the leaves and a few rocks flying into the air. Amelie saw the rocks flying in Bria’s direction, and she instinctively threw herself over Bria. Amelie could hear the rocks knocking against one another as they flew up into the sky, and she could already imagine how much it was going to hurt when they landed on her back.Thud! Thud! A few consecutive sounds came from behind Amelie. She let out a soft grunt, but to her surprise, she didn’t actually feel any pain from the rocks hitting her back. All she felt was a looming figure above her. Amelie turned a little to notice the man’s long legs behind hers. When she spun around, she realized that Leo had protected her with his own body. The thuds didn’t come from the rocks striking her back, but when the rocks struck Leo!Amelie froze when she realized what just happened. This is the second time Leo has saved me today. Doesn’t he hate me? Why does he… Does he remember who I am now? Amelie parted her lips to question him when the twin boys’ parents rushed over. “Are you guys okay?” The parents wore apologetic and remorseful looks on their faces, and they kept apologizing to Amelie. Amelie dusted off some dirt on her shirt before she glanced in Leo’s direction. He had already walked off with his head hung low as if he were contemplating something. He showed no intention of responding to the twins’ parents. “We’re okay.” Amelie had no choice but to answer on Leo’s behalf.

Despite so, the parents insisted on dragging their sons over to apologize to the victims of their mischief.The children were scheduled to give a few performances to the old folks after they were done cleaning the place up. The elderlies chuckled with excitement as they shuffled over to watch the performances. Bria handed the flowers that she had prepared to the elderlies while Amelie followed along to wheel Bria around. Amelie wore a faint smile on her face as she moved through the crowd.Every now and then, Amelie would look up to glance in Leo’s direction, and she would realize that Leo was staring at them as well. For some reason, she could sense that Leo was acting in a rather odd manner. He was being especially silent. Could it be because he’s too bored?After all the activities, the dean requested that every family plant a tree up in the hills to commemorate their visit. The pathway up the hills was rather rocky, and Bria’s wheelchair couldn’t be brought up. Bria urged Leo and Amelie to go ahead without her. “Take your time! You don’t have to rush back to me.” Bria had already made friends with a few of the elderlies in the nursing home, and the elderlies were all circling around her.Amelie shook her head with a smile when she saw how naturally and effortlessly Bria had blended in with all the old people around her. Leo glanced at Bria as well. He realized how different Bria seemed in comparison to the way she acted back when she was in the Alston Family, and his gaze darkened at that thought.Amelie didn’t see any reason to stay close to Leo once Bria was out of their sight. She kept her distance, and she stood far, far away while Leo dug a hole for the plant. Leo was efficient with his movements, but he stayed in his spot after he was done with his digging. Amelie didn’t know how long he was going to stay there, so she simply walked over to him before placing the seedling into the hole.She was about to take the shovel from him to cover the hole up, but he dodged her hand before he started filling the hole himself. She eyed him speechlessly before she got to her feet to head down the hill. “Do you hate me that much?” the man’s icy voice came from behind her all of a sudden.Amelie turned around with a puzzled look on her face. She had intended to head down the hills because she didn’t want to bother him. “You shouldn’t make it so obvious in front of Bria’s classmates. Her classmates might look down on her if they find out that we’re divorced. They were just discriminating against her earlier this morning,” Leo uttered.Amelie had no idea what had happened earlier that day, so she widened her eyes in surprise. She had intended to ask him more about the

incident, but he had pressed his lips tightly together and looked away. Amelie shook her head helplessly before she made her way back to the man and took a seat at the curb. She watched as he slowly filled the hole up. He seemed to move slower than before, and the hole was barely filled even after a long while. He kept pressing the soil down to make it more compact, but this seemed like a pointless move in Amelie’s eyes.“Are you… staying in Quinn Town?” Leo asked all of a sudden.Amelie was taken aback by his sudden question, and her head shot up in surprise as she glared at him. She didn’t understand why he was asking such a question, so she didn’t know how to respond to him. After a while, Leo looked up and met her gaze. There was a mysterious look in his eyes that she couldn’t seem to understand.Earlier, Leo had noticed a faint scent on Amelie when he was protecting her and Bria from the rocks. Even though the scent wasn’t strong, it caught Leo’s attention as it was a familiar smell to him. He was reminded of how Big Eyes smelled. Even though Amelie’s scent was covered by the smell of milk, Leo’s other senses had become heightened after he lost his eyesight. He could still pick up the special scent on her.Leo couldn’t believe it at first, but he was reminded of what Bria once mentioned—that Amelie was from Quinn Town. “What is it? Is it a secret?” Leo further questioned Amelie when he saw how silent she was. Amelie let out a bitter laugh. I’m the only one who cares for him, and I’m the only one who genuinely values him. I even donated my cornea to him. Yet, he doesn’t even know where I’m from.“Yeah. I’m from Quinn Town.” Amelie nodded as she generously revealed the truth. “In fact, we’ve known each other for a while.”“We have?” Leo’s eyes widened as he stared at her. For some reason, Amelie felt a weight on her chest. She hadn’t intended to further pursue this matter, but at that moment, she desperately felt the need for an answer. She looked into Leo’s eyes. “Have you really forgotten about it? Back in the hospital in Quinn Town…”“Leony.” A crisp and clear voice interrupted their conversation.

Chapter 207

Amelie turned around to see Elyse sitting in a wheelchair with a smile on her face. Someone was pushing her up the hill. Elyse was dressed in a long, white dress that perfectly covered her leg that was in a cast. She had natural-looking makeup on her face that made her seem especially mesmerizing.Amelie snapped back to reality—as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her —when she saw Elyse. What’s wrong with me? Leo and Elyse are about to start a new family. Wouldn’t I cause more problems for Leo if I brought up the past? He might have caused me problems by forgetting about me, but what would I gain from causing him problems now?“You guys should enjoy yourselves.” Amelie excused herself and headed down the hill without any hesitation. Amelie figured that Elyse’s presence would bring her a lot of unnecessary issues, so Amelie decided not to head back with the rest of the group. She hailed a cab for herself instead.Amelie wheeled Bria over to the side of the road before she used an application on her phone to book a cab. The nursing home was in a rather secluded area, so it was hard for her to get a cab there. She requested one but didn’t get an offer for a long while. Right then, a seven-seater Cayenne pulled up in front of them.The man inside the car lowered his window to reveal his icy face. “Get in,” the familiar-looking man said to Amelie. She let out a scoff when she saw who it was. “It’s fine.” She rejected him in a polite tone. Leo knitted his brows together upon hearing her words.“There’s no need to be polite with us, Miss Dillon. Let’s head off together.” Another person stuck her head out of the car window in the back. It was Elyse, and she was wearing a huge and innocent-looking smile on her face. If Amelie hadn’t seen Elyse’s true colors, she might have thought that Elyse was genuinely a nice person.“It’s hard to get a cab here, and you might have to wait for a long while. You might be fine with waiting, but I’m not sure about Bria,” Elyse uttered. Amelie stared at Elyse silently. Bria and I wouldn’t have to be in this tough situation if you hadn’t shown up, Amelie thought to herself. There were other families who were heading down the hill after planting their trees, and things would get worse if those families passed by and saw Amelie standing around with Elyse in the car.Amelie finally nodded before lifting Bria into her arms. “Let’s take Daddy’s car home.” Leo’s driver rushed out of the car to help store the wheelchair in the boot. Amelie initially

wanted to take the driver’s seat so that she wouldn’t have to see the couple in action, but she couldn’t do so as Bria was too young to sit in front. Amelie was contemplating her next move when Leo got out of the car.“You should sit in front, Leony. I hope you don’t mind,” Elyse uttered from inside the car. She gave him an apologetic look after that. Amelie eyed both of them speechlessly. This wasn’t the first time Amelie witnessed how obedient Leo was to Elyse, but Amelie still felt disgusted every time she saw the way they interacted.Amelie tried her best to keep herself invisible throughout the car ride. Bria didn’t seem to be in a good mood either—she kept quiet throughout the whole ride, with her hands clinging onto her mother’s arms and her head buried in her mother’s chest. Bria pouted the entire time. It was obvious that Bria was hurt by Elyse’s sudden appearance.Amelie felt sorry for her daughter, so she patted Bria’s back gently to comfort her. Bria pulled one of her hands away from Amelie to press it against her own belly, creating a barrier between herself and Amelie. This was one of Bria’s signature moves—she often did this when she was feeling down or insecure. Amelie felt rather sad for Bria, so she lowered her head to press her cheek against Bria’s hair. I tried so hard to make sure that Bria wouldn’t be hurt by me and Leo’s divorce, but things still turned out like this.The car was silent throughout their one-hour drive back to Amelie’s housing area. Bria was fast asleep by the time they arrived, and Amelie tried to carry Bria out of the car without waking her up. “Please help me get the wheelchair,” Amelie whispered to the driver. However, before the driver could do so, Leo had already opened the boot to retrieve Bria’s wheelchair. Amelie watched as Leo’s bony hands picked the wheelchair up before he expanded it and placed it on the ground. Amelie gave him a pleasant smile. “Thanks, Mr. Alston. You can leave the wheelchair here. I’ll pick it up later.”Bria was fast asleep on Amelie’s shoulder, and Amelie was worried that she would wake the child up if she moved around too much. The last thing Amelie wanted was for her daughter to be hurt again by the sight of Leo leaving with another woman. Amelie turned to walk off after thanking Leo. However, right when Amelie arrived at her front door and was about to let herself in, she saw the man’s bony hand reaching forward to open the door for her.Amelie was shocked as she hadn’t expected Leo to come after her. “Thanks,” she uttered politely. Then, she stepped into her house. Amelie had been certain that Leo would leave her alone after she entered her house, but to her surprise, he followed her in. Amelie couldn’t help but

freeze for a moment. “We’re home, Mr. Alston. You shouldn’t keep your fiancée waiting. You should leave now,” Amelie uttered with Bria still resting on her shoulder.“Elyse…” Leo knitted his brows together. “Elyse is your fiancée, and I’m not interested to hear about you two. Thank you for spending time with Bria today. I appreciate it,” Amelie uttered in a curt and firm manner. She had no interest in hearing about Leo’s loving relationship with Elyse.Not interested? Amelie’s words stabbed Leo’s heart like a dagger. He was silent for a long while before he spoke. “You mentioned that you used to know me. What happened between us while we were still in Quinn Town?” he asked.Amelie hadn’t expected Leo to ask such a question. However, she was no longer in the mood to explain herself to him at that point. “We’ve been married for four years. Doesn’t that count as knowing each other? Anyway, don’t you know what happened between us in Quinn Town? What I meant was how we would bump into each other at least three times a day back in that town. You suspected that I had some ulterior motive, and I felt really misunderstood back then. I only brought it up because I hope that you’d stop assuming things about me.”Amelie pressed her lips together for a while before she spoke again. “Perhaps I once held hopes toward my relationship with you, but… I’ve lost all hope since we got a divorce. If you wish to see Bria again, you should call me and inform me beforehand, Mr. Alston. I’ll get someone to send her to you after I’ve asked for her permission.” In other words, Amelie was implying that she didn’t have plans of seeing him in the future.Upon finishing her words, Amelie waved at him before turning around and walking off. Leo no longer went after her, and Amelie shut the door behind her before she let out a sigh. Amelie knew that she couldn’t blame anyone else for Elyse’s sudden appearance—it was her fault that she didn’t see this coming. I’m never going to ask Leo to participate in another activity like this again. Amelie tucked Bria into bed and stayed around in the living room for a while before she realized that she had left Bria’s wheelchair outside.When Amelie walked out to get the wheelchair, she realized that there was a figure standing beside the wheelchair. “Leo?” Amelie called out instinctively. The man’s figure looked rather similar to Leo’s. However, Amelie then recalled that Leo was dressed in dark blue slacks. The man before her eyes was dressed in a full white outfit and had his hair tied up.The visitor was… Toby. “What are you doing here, Mr. Walsh?” Amelie changed her tone of voice as she walked up to him. “Are you here to meet my father? He’s not home.” Amelie had just finished her words

when Toby reached out and pulled her in for a hug. Amelie froze—she was speechless for a while before she pushed him away. “What’s going on, Mr. Walsh?”Amelie had always thought of Toby as a gentle and classy man—she had never seen him acting so rashly. The next second, she smelled the stench of alcohol on him. “Were you drinking earlier?”Toby took a deep breath before he spoke in a raspy voice. “I understand now. I know everything now,” he said.“What… do you know?”

 

 

Chapter 208

Toby remained quiet for quite some time. His brows were tightly knitted together, and he felt torn.After a while, he stepped back abruptly and rubbed his forehead. “Sorry about that. I had a little too much to drink.”As his hand fell back down to his side, he regained his pleasant, gentlemanly demeanor. He then nodded at Amelie and left.She stared at his retreating figure in confusion. Although she could tell that he was in a bad mood, she didn’t know why. I guess something must’ve happened, she thought to herself as she turned around and went back in.Behind her, the elevator door came to a close. The warm, gentle smile on Toby’s face slowly vanished as his features contorted in pain. His long sleeves kept his clenched fists hidden from sight. It had taken him all the self-restraint he had to not blurt out the last thing he wanted to say.He didn’t tell Amelie that he discovered her secret an hour ago. In the past, he suspected that she was Big Eyes, and now, he had been proven correct.He didn’t go to Leo with this information right away. Instead, he came to look for Amelie first, but he had no idea why he did that.For some reason, his chest was killing him. It felt as if someone had stabbed a dagger right through his heart.When he thought about everything Amelie had to suffer throughout her marriage while staying with the Alstons, the pain he felt became so excruciating that he almost gasped for air. What was it like to cling to hope in the middle of despair? How did she survive those times? It’s Amelie’s business, so why does my heart hurt so badly?Toby pressed his fist against his chest. Deep down inside, he knew why, but he dared not say it. If he did, Amelie would stay away from him. He even had to use the excuse of being drunk just to see her.Toby went back to Prix Bar. He owned the establishment, so no one stopped him along the way. Once he got back to the private room, he lay down on a couch and covered his head.“What’s up with you?” When Leo came in, he was surprised to find Toby in this state.Leo was used to being stern and indifferent. He rarely showed any emotions in his expression, but he still knew how to express concern for others.Toby’s hand moved away slightly as he turned to look at Leo.Soon, he started laughing.Leo was even more puzzled by the laughter. He walked over to the other side, bent down, and poured himself a drink.Leo was in a bit of a funk as well because of Amelie. She didn’t even want to listen to my explanation. It’s clear she doesn’t care about

me anymore.This was what he wanted all along, but now that his wish came true, his mood was sour. It felt as if his chest had been replaced by an empty cavern—a hollowed-out hole.All of a sudden, Leo’s phone rang. It was a call from Eugene.“Mr. Alston, someone took a photo of you and Miss Clayton together. Everyone’s saying that the wedding will happen soon. Shall I attend to it?”Leo frowned. He removed his phone from his ear and started tapping. True enough, he saw a photo of him and Elyse going viral on social media. In the photo, he was tending to the garden while Elyse was sitting in the wheelchair looking on with a loving expression. It had been taken at Joie Nursing Home.Many comments had been left under the original post. Most of them said the two were a match made in heaven.The further Leo scrolled, the tighter his grip became, and the darker his expression.“Why are you only reporting this to me now?” His tone became a lot harsher.Eugene shuddered at the iciness in Leo’s tone before answering, “I just received the news from Miss Harris…”After Eugene’s return, Laura had been reassigned to the communication department.“She’s only reporting it now when it happened an hour ago?” Leo’s voice became even colder. “Fire her.”Eugene was stunned into silence. All this while, he could tell that Leo was far more lenient on Laura than he was on anyone else. Laura had committed several mistakes even graver than this, but she had never been punished for them. Yet, now…Eugene glanced at the news with a thoughtful look in his eyes. He sighed to himself as he replied, “Yes, Mr. Alston.”“There’s one more thing I want you to do,” Leo instructed just as Eugene was about to end the call. Eugene listened dutifully, but his eyes progressively widened as he heard Leo’s command. “Yes, Mr. Alston,” Eugene said at last. After finishing the call, Leo was in no mood to sit around and drink anymore. He got to his feet.“Leo,” Toby called out to stop him.Toby had a perceptive look in his eyes as he asked, “Why are you treating Elyse like that?”He heard the call between Leo and Eugene.Leo simply looked right back at Toby without saying anything. He didn’t plan on answering the question.Toby chuckled. “Is it because of Amelie?” His fingers dug into the couch under him.“You’re mistaken,” Leo refuted coolly.Toby started laughing again. It was a mocking laughter that Toby had never used with Leo in the past. Leo frowned.All of a sudden, he felt a grip on his shoulder. It was Toby who grabbed him.Toby didn’t say anything. Instead, he swung his fist right at Leo.Leo was caught off- guard and took a punch to the face. A bruise blossomed on his handsome face as blood trickled out of

the corner of his lips. “Toby! Have you gone mad?” Leo snarled as he wiped the blood off.Toby didn’t answer. He swung his fist again.Leo’s guard was up this time. He dodged Toby’s fists as he raised his own, and the two began pummeling each other…Amelie woke up with a start. Her eyes were still a little droopy, but she saw Brianna sitting on the bed and staring at her with a phone held up.Brianna’s eyes were bright and clear.“What is it?” Amelie asked puzzledly as she stroked Brianna’s cheek.“Ma’s calling you.” Brianna passed the phone to Amelie.It was only then that Amelie realized the phone was ringing. She quickly answered the call. “Why are you calling me this late, Julia? Did something happen?”“I’ve got the most shocking news to tell you!” Julia screeched so loudly that Amelie’s eardrum nearly burst.“What’s going on?” Julia’s tone was so emphatic that Amelie’s heart stopped for a moment as she thought, Did something happen to the company?She grabbed her tablet to check for herself.“What happened to Leo? Why did he suddenly stop lavishing his affections on Elyse?” Julia cried out. “At 8.00PM today, Elyse did her usual b*tchy thing of posting a photo of her and Leo tending to the garden together, and the Internet went wild with praise. Everyone said the wedding bells were ringing soon enough. Quite a number of production companies tried to get her onboard for their projects when they heard about this.”“Uh huh,” Amelie hummed noncommittedly.“But doesn’t that prove his affection for her?” Amelie couldn’t help but recall what happened earlier today. She felt a slight twang in her heart. No wonder they took so long. They were busy showing off their relationship. He shouldn’t have done it during Bria’s event. He went too far.“That’s not all, of course!” Julia raced to finish sharing, “Here comes the twist. At midnight, Leo personally made an announcement saying that the so-called gardening date was just a coincidental encounter.”Amelie was taken aback. “A coincidental encounter?”“Not only that, but Leo even said that Elyse wants to focus on her career and has decided to go back to being just friends with him. He said that from now on, the two of them are just friends and he asks that everyone stops trying to put them together.”“That’s…”“Do you think Leo went crazy? Or did Elyse cheat on him?” Julia kept coming up with different possibilities.Amelie couldn’t make heads or tails of the news either. She went online and checked the article for herself. Not only did it include the photo, but it even had a statement that the reporter received from Elyse.The article included a response from Elyse’s team who confirmed that she and Leo were in a solid relationship and would

soon be announcing some good news.Leo immediately refuted what Elyse said. Wasn’t that akin to slapping her in the face?When did Leo become so cold and merciless toward Elyse?Still, this had nothing to do with Amelie and she wasn’t keen on paying any attention to it. She chatted briefly with Julia before ending the call.As soon as she finished her call with Julia, her phone started ringing again.“Hello?” she asked in puzzlement.A male voice rang out. “Miss Dillon? This is Eugene Cornelius. Could you come over to Prix Bar now?”

 

Chapter 209

“Eugene Cornelius?” Amelie had to search her mind for several moments before she remembered that he was Leo’s assistant. “Why?”Eugene hesitated for a moment before answering, “Something’s happening here, and you’re the only one who can resolve the situation.”“What is it?” Amelie’s curiosity was piqued.Eugene glanced at the two men who were still tussling with each other and had no choice but to state honestly, “Mr. Alston has gotten into a fight with someone.”“Leo Alston?” Amelie thought she had to get her ears checked. Leo’s a stoic iceberg. Why would he get into a fight with someone?“That’s right.” Eugene felt ashamed to make this call for help, but he had to push through it anyway. He doubted that the two men would stop if Amelie didn’t show up.“I’m sorry, but his matters have nothing to do with me.” After a moment of stunned silence, Amelie regained her senses and replied, “We’ve divorced. You should be calling his family.” While Eugene had been away for two years, there was no reason for him to not be aware of the divorce.“I know.” Eugene’s head was throbbing. “But you know what Mr. Alston’s like. His family…”Leo wouldn’t listen to Melissa, and Melissa didn’t have the guts to get involved either.There was no point even considering Jodie.Eugene didn’t know what he could say to convince Amelie.After a while, he said, “He’s fighting with Mr. Walsh, and it seems to have started because of you.”“Mr. Walsh? Toby Walsh?” Amelie was startled by what Eugene was telling her. She had the impression that Toby was a warm and pleasant gentleman. Would he get into a fight with someone?“That’s right,” Eugene confirmed.Amelie might not have gotten involved if it had been anyone else, but Toby was different. Previously, he saved her life, and now, he was her father’s mentee.Amelie knew a thing or two about how strict the Walshes were when it came to their family upbringing. If this news got back to Toby’s family, he would be in for a hard time.“Fine.” In the end, she agreed to go. After attending to Brianna, Amelie rushed over to Prix Bar.Eugene looked as if his savior had arrived. “You’re here at last, Miss Dillon.”Amelie eyed him and asked, “Where are they?” Before Eugene could answer, there was a loud bang as if something had crashed. Everyone jumped in shock while Eugene gave Amelie a sheepish glance.Quite a number of bodyguards lined the corridor. This was to avoid letting anyone else find out that the two men were fighting.Amelie was a little nervous as

she opened the door.The private room was completely thrashed and almost unrecognizable. The furniture was wrecked with most things missing a leg or two, but the two men were still going at each other. Now and then, the sound of someone’s fist pounding against the other’s body was heard. Even from the sound alone, one could tell just how painful the blow was.Amelie looked at them. She saw the silhouette in black pouncing with agility. His attacks were quick and menacing.Although the silhouette in white was a little less skillful, he was just as persistent.Amelie never knew the two were that good at fighting, especially Leo. Her memory of him consisted of him being very proper and courteous despite his stern appearance. Even when he detested her, he never laid a finger on her. She never knew he could fight this well.Thump! Another muffled sound of a fist making contact. Toby, the one in white, was punched so hard that he slammed into the wall.Amelie couldn’t stand idly by any longer. “Stop!” she cried out.The two men froze and turned toward her. Leo’s brows furrowed at once when he saw her. His eyes flitted straight over to Eugene.Eugene was startled as he shrank back feeling a little helpless.Toby smiled. Then, as if he was trying to prove something, he smashed his fist into Leo’s face right in front of Amelie. Leo’s expression hardened as he repaid in kind. Amelie was speechless.While she was still in shock, Leo backed Toby all the way into the corner. Toby was at s clear disadvantage and was rapidly becoming Leo’s punching bag.Amelie thought about leaving them be, but when she saw what was happening, she couldn’t ignore it. She rushed over and got between the two men. “Stop fighting!”Leo’s fist had been flying straight toward Toby, but when he saw Amelie dashing in front of Toby, he quickly redirected his fist which ended up smashing into the wall behind her with a loud bang.It had been a heavy punch, and in the process of avoiding Amelie, he couldn’t retract his strength in time, so his fist smashed into the wall.Meanwhile, Amelie’s heart was pounding in fear as she growled, “Two respectable and accomplished men fighting like that! Have you no shame?”Leo said nothing as he glared at Toby.However, Toby flashed Leo a smug, taunting smile.Then, he pulled Amelie into his arms. “Are you okay?”Amelie nodded. “I’m fine. What about you?”“I’m alright.” He nodded back at her.His handsome face was swollen and bruised all over. “How can you say you’re alright when you look like this?” Amelie eyed him in exasperation. “I’ll take you to the hospital.”She started pulling him toward the door. Toby didn’t object and allowed her to steer him out.Behind them, Leo stood there with his brows

all knotted together. The temperature around him seemed to drop a few degrees.Upon seeing that Amelie was only concerned with Toby, Eugene came over and stood in her way. “Miss Dillon, Mr. Alston’s… injured too.”“You can take him to the hospital then.” She noticed Leo’s injuries too, but who was she to be concerned about him?Amelie sidestepped Eugene and carried on walking, but as soon as she got to the door, she felt a grip on her shoulder.Amelie turned around and saw a wounded hand clasping onto her tightly. The owner of the wounded hand stood there in silence with a stormy expression on his bruised face. It was a terrifying expression.Amelie was startled by Leo and couldn’t help but look at him. There was something else in his dark eyes, apart from his usual indifference. It looked as if he felt… aggrieved.Amelie felt her heart constricting ever so slightly. She blinked to try and get a better look, but a figure came over and blocked her sight.Toby stared at Leo with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Everyone’s talking about the drama between you and Elyse now, Leo. What are they going to think if Elie’s seen with you?”Toby’s smile faded away as his expression grew stern. “Everyone will think that Elie’s the third party who caused your breakup. How will she be able to deal with that kind of reputation? Do you want her to bear the brunt of everyone’s criticisms and insults?”Leo’s grip weakened as he took in Toby’s words, and in the end, he let go. Toby took this chance to grab Amelie’s hand and walk out with her.Meanwhile, Eugene felt bad for Leo when he took this all in from behind.Leo’s fist had changed trajectory because of Amelie. He didn’t want to hurt her and would rather be the one who got injured instead.Eugene walked over and glanced down at Leo’s bloodied fist. “I’ll take you to the hospital, Mr. Alston.”Leo walked off without responding. Blood trickled through his fingers and dripped down to the floor, but he didn’t seem to feel the pain. He went out and climbed into the car.After taking his seat, he closed his eyes. His mind kept replaying the scene of Amelie fearlessly shielding Toby with her own body.He knew that Toby was a far better fighter than he seemed to be earlier. His disadvantaged position and defeated stance had all been an act. Yet, she didn’t notice that at all… What does it mean? Leo didn’t want to dwell on this thought, but it felt as if someone had punched him right in the chest as it was throbbing with pain.

Chapter 210

Chapter 210Amelie and Toby went to the hospital.Under the cold, harsh light of the hospital, Amelie stood quietly and watched as the doctor tended to Toby’s wounds.She saw Toby’s jaw twitching in pain multiple times. Even so, he didn’t make a sound.A little while later, they both walked out of the hospital. Amelie turned to look at Toby, who was covered in bandages all over. “Why did you get into a fight?”Toby averted his eyes and smiled a little embarrassedly. “It’s no big deal. It was just a personal disagreement.”The more he tried to make light of it, the more Amelie became suspicious. She knew Toby as someone with a gentle personality who wouldn’t get into fights with anyone. Furthermore, Leo was his friend and business partner. There’s no reason why they’d get into a fight out of the blue.However, as Toby wasn’t inclined to explain any further, Amelie didn’t continue pressing him. At the end of the day, their relationship wasn’t deep enough for either one to pry into the other’s private matters.“Why don’t I drop you off?” Amelie asked as she walked over to the car. Toby agreed, but he jumped into the driver’s seat. “I’ll drive.”After all the commotion tonight, Amelie wasn’t in the mood to stand on ceremony with him, so she only hesitated briefly before getting into the front passenger seat. A yawn escaped Amelie, and she began to feel a little drowsy.All of a sudden, Toby leaned over.Amelie’s gaze cleared a little. She saw him looming in front of her as his arms rested beside her.Their breaths clashed.She nervously shrank back into her seat and was about to speak when she heard a click.“You forgot to wear your seatbelt,” she heard his gentle voice saying.“Oh,” Amelie said a little belatedly.Toby didn’t move away at once but looked down at her. “What did you think I was going to do?”“Nothing.” Amelie brushed her fingers through her hair as she thought to herself, There’s something unusual about Toby today. Usually, he would maintain proper decorum and a polite distance between them, but he kept encroaching into her personal space today.Amelie was just about to push Toby away when he retreated on his own accord and started driving.Meanwhile, across from where the car was parked, two men walked over.The coat of the man in front flapped against the wind and exposed his long legs.Leo came to an abrupt halt. Eugene, who was right behind him, nearly crashed into him and had to rear himself back a little to prevent doing so.Eugene noticed that Leo was staring at the parking lot, so he looked over curiously, but all he saw was an empty parking spot. Eugene

scratched his head. What’s he looking at? There’s nothing there.Leo’s mouth tightened, and he clenched his fists. It had only been for a brief moment, but he had seen the position Toby and Amelie had been in. Amelie didn’t push Toby away, even though he was so near her. Does she really like him that much?Eugene didn’t know what Leo had seen so he had no idea what Leo was thinking about. However, he could sense the cold air emanating off of Leo and saw the way Leo’s expression hardened. Thus, he dared not say anything and simply stood behind Leo in silence.Amelie napped for a while. When she woke up, she was surprised to find that the car had stopped outside her residence.It took an hour to drive from Clouson City to Halport. Moreover, she said she was going to drop Toby off at his place.“You were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t bring myself to disturb you,” Toby said warmly.Amelie looked up and saw Toby looking at her with a soft gaze in his eyes. He had a smile on his face that made his features look even more gentle.They were already at Amelie’s doorstep, so there was no point for her to comment on it. “Oh,” she acknowledged. “How are you going to head home?”Toby shrugged non-committedly.“Why don’t you drive my car back?” He did drive me home. I can’t possibly ask him to get a cab.Toby looked like a mess. It was as if he had been robbed earlier, so few drivers would be willing to stop for him.Since Toby didn’t object, Amelie handed him the keys and got out of the car.“Elie.” She had only taken a few steps when she heard Toby’s voice. “I like you. Will you give me a chance to date you?”It was such a shock to Amelie that she turned to him with a frozen expression.He had gotten out of the car and was leaning against the car with a soft, affectionate look in his eyes as he stared at her.It wasn’t as if Amelie hadn’t picked up on the fact that Toby harbored feelings for her. However, she didn’t expect him to say it aloud. The two of us? Together? That’s impossible! “You don’t need to give me an answer now,” Toby cut in when he noticed that Amelie was about to respond. He then walked over to her and gazed at her lovely face. “I’m serious about this. I hope you will give it some serious thought too.” Then, he clasped her on the shoulder briefly before walking back to the car.Amelie stood in front of the car for quite some time. In the end, she turned and left without didn’t say anything.Even after she walked off, Toby didn’t drive off. He sat inside the car, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.He took in the air that smelled of her. The more he breathed in, the more he wanted to hold her close and protect her for the rest of their lives.As his fingers moved

gently across the steering wheel, it looked as if he was comforting the woman he loved.Toby wanted to heal all the wounds Amelie had gotten from Leo. I’ll do it as her man.——Leo returned to Alston Residence.Melissa was sitting on the leather couch in her nightgown and watching television. She jumped to her feet when she saw him. “Leo! You’re back at last.”The joyous smile on her face made it clear she was in a good mood. She had been waiting for Leo.“Quite a few socialites reached out to the family and passed their information to us. Come and take a look.” Melissa held out a folder filled to the brim with paper.It was evident that the socialites had gone to great lengths to prepare these things.No one was happier about the end of Leo and Elyse’s relationship than Melissa.She thought that Leo’s method of cutting the ties would affect the Alstons’ reputation, but she ended up with an unexpected windfall instead.“I’ve looked through the information. These socialites are all highly educated—they graduated from Ivy League schools, you know. They carry themselves with poise and conduct themselves with courtesy and sophistication, and every one of them can make an excellent wife for you.”Every single one of these socialites was far better than Elyse and Amelie. That was what Melissa was most pleased about. Because of this, she even skipped her beauty sleep to stay up and wait for Leo.Naturally, her pride had been stoked as this proved how much of a catch her son was. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been these many socialites who came knocking on their door within a few hours after Leo’s announcement.Leo glanced at the folder, but he didn’t take it. He rubbed his temples and said, “I’m not thinking about getting married again right now.”“Even if you’re not thinking about marriage, it doesn’t matter. You can start looking for someone suitable and date her first.” Melissa wasn’t deterred. She flipped the folder open and picked out a socialite. “This is the one I like. Her family’s from Seafare. They’re a prestigious family with great connections in both the public and private sectors. You’ve been thinking about expanding into Seafare, right? She’s the ideal candidate.”Melissa’s words only made Leo’s frown deepen. His tone became a little colder as he commented, “You’re not asking me to choose a wife. You’re asking me to choose a business partner.”“Whom you marry will be your business partner too, of course. That’s the case for everyone,” Melissa replied matter-of-factly. “If you don’t go after her, then someone else will because she’s the cream of the crop. The strong should form alliances with the strong. That’s what your father and your grandfather did too.”“That’s them. I’m

me,” Leo declared before heading upstairs.Melissa was dumbfounded and could only watch as her son walked off in a huff. She sighed in frustration. He finally divorced Amelie and ended his relationship with Elyse. I thought he’d finally marry a woman that’s his equal—someone who can help the company and bolster the family reputation. In the end… No! This won’t do! I must think of something!Just then, Miss Potts came over and said, “I think I saw a wound on Mr. Leo’s face, Mrs. Alston.” She had tried her best to hold herself back, but she couldn’t resist mentioning it anyway. She knew that all Melissa could think of was how to boost Leo’s standing in society to bolster her own reputation, but she cared little, if at all, about Leo himself.Melissa felt clueless when she heard that Leo was wounded. She had been too caught up in her attempt to persuade Leo and in too much of a rush to get him to check the socialites’ profiles that she didn’t notice if he was injured.Is he injured? Melissa’s reaction to this wasn’t to check on Leo but to open the folder and make a call.After listening to the conversation Melissa was having, Miss Potts had no choice but to shake her head and leave feeling rather helpless.