Ch. 21..25: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 21-25

Chapter 21 Shattered What Little Love There Was

Too afraid to tell Amelie, Mr. Cooper merely pointed at his phone. “The news.”

He then swiftly walked away.

“The news?”

Amelie hurriedly pulled out her phone and looked at the headlines for the day.

Today’s headlines were basically all about Elyse’s computer having been infected by a virus.

The contents leaked listed quite a number of dual contracts.

However, there was soon a new headline that popped up and swiftly went viral.

When Amelie glanced at it, she immediately saw Starlight Media mentioned in the article.

She finished reading the article in a few short moments, and what she saw made her gasp.

The new headline was related to the leaked emails of Elyse.

However, the content was about the mysterious boss of Starlight Media who had secretly been married for four years. Recently, the boss had been found to have been cheating on his wife with a certain divorcee that went by the surname Dillon.

There were no pictures of Starlight Media’s owner, just an outline of a human with a question mark edited over the face.

However, the picture of her attached to the article was crystal clear.

Thus, was this article the reason Leo disqualified her as a mother and stole Bria from her?

The owner of Starlight Media was a mysterious figure. The moment the article was posted, lots of people clicked in to read it.

In fact, the article was so popular that the dual contracts found in Elyse’s email had been forgotten about.

Now that Amelie knew what was going on, she found herself speechless.

Was there anything more hilarious than being accused of cheating on herself with herself?

“Hey, why is there trash standing in front of my home?” shrieked a sharp voice.

Jodie had arrived home some time ago. Dressed in an extremely short dress, she gasped in fake surprise with her mini handbag on her arm.

Amelie put away her phone and ignored Jodie. She thereafter walked away from the Alston Residence.

To her surprise, Jodie did not get angry. Instead, she cackled. “Your dirty laundry is being aired for the world to see. Stop pretending to be some virtuous woman!”

“Don’t think I do not know why you are here. My brother brought that b*stard home and you want her back, right?”

“B*stard?” Amelie repeated as her sharp gaze bore into Jodie.

Jodie was Bria’s aunt. How could she call Bria a b*stard?

“That’s right! She is a b*stard! Anything that crawls out of your womb will always be a b*stard child!” Jodie had flinched for a moment when faced with Amelie’s sharp eyes, but soon gathered the courage to shriek.

“Don’t think I do not know your plan to get back together with my brother using that brat,” she continued. “Also, I know my brother talked to you last night about remarrying you. It is your fault something this scandalous made the news! Do you know why he believes it to be true? It is because I told him how Starlight Media’s owner set up a charity organization in that brat’s name! That 200 million is proof of your involvement with him!”

No wonder.

Amelie now thoroughly understood what had happened.

No matter how much of a fool Leo was, he would never have easily believed one email.

It was all because of Jodie’s interference.

“Oh, right. I was the one who had someone email Elyse about your scandalous affair,” Jodie stated.

“Initially, I only wanted her to show the email to Leo. I did not expect a hacker to leak it to the world.”

“Oh, what fun!”

Carla was actually the mastermind behind this entire scheme.

Nevertheless, Jodie was claiming the credit for it all just so she could infuriate Amelie.

“What a pity,” she said. “Even if you pay us 200 million, you will never get that brat back again!”

Jodie’s face shone with visible glee at Amelie’s distress.

“Oh, by the way,” she continued, “Starlight Media’s boss is married too. Say, Amelie, would his wife come looking for you? You have hung her marriage’s dirty laundry out for the world to see. How should she ‘thank’ you for the favor?”

Unbeknownst to her, Amelie was the owner of Starlight Media. All she knew was she was overwhelmed with joy as she could finally hit back at Amelie for all the suffering she had to endure.

Everything she had done was for that purpose.

“I can’t wait for the drama,” exclaimed Jodie.

In Amelie’s eyes, Jodie was like an insignificant flea.

As she could not be bothered to pop Jodie’s bubble, she calmly replied, “Wait patiently then.”

Having no intention of staying any longer, she immediately walked away.

Jodie stared at her back in astonishment.

How could Amelie issue a dare to her at such a time?

Could it be that she had a way out of this situation?

No way!

Everyone was talking about it. The wife had been utterly humiliated. There was no way she would forgive Amelie for this.

That dare was merely Amelie pretending to be confident.

At that thought, Jodie was back in a good mood, humming as she walked back to her home.

…

“Regarding the dual contracts,” Elyse declared. “We would like to state that they were offered by companies seeking to help me save on taxes, but we had never used any of their suggestions. We had

always done things with normal contracts. Everyone can look it up through the Ministry of Justice.”

That evening, Elyse finally made an official statement after a whole day of being bothered about her leaked emails.

As bright lights shone on her, her demure smile shone brightly. She was the perfect picture of innocence.

“As for the virus attack, I have already made a police report. I trust the police will have a satisfactory answer for us in time.”

As soon as Elyse finished speaking, a reporter immediately asked, “What about the email about the owner of Starlight Media cheating on his wife? How do you explain that, Miss Clayton?”

Elyse did not answer this time.

Instead, her manager stepped forward and spoke into the mic, “As everyone saw, the email was sent to Elyse by some random person. She is a very busy woman. Hence, she did not even know that email existed.”

The manager continued, “She did not ask for her emails to be leaked. She is also a victim in this case.”

“Even if I did not ask for it to happen, the leak still happened because my email was hacked. I would like to formally apologize to those involved.” On the television, Elyse respectfully bowed to the camera.

“Aargh! What a perfect picture of innocence she is!” Julia was so angry that she nearly threw something at the television. “Could a coincidence like that even happen? As soon as someone sent her an email about your scandal, her email was hacked! She swept away all of her dirty laundry under the rug while confirming your scandal,” Julia huffed. “She is such a schemer!”

She had been in the industry for years. Thus, she could see through Elyse’s ruse at once.

Beside her, Amelie was silently staring at the television as though she was deep in thought.

“I cannot bear this anymore! Let us slap her in the face with your identity as the owner of Starlight Media! Let us crush their reputation beneath our feet!” Julia continued to roar.

She had been itching to do so for a long time.

“No.”

Finally, Amelie spoke up.

“What do you mean? Do you not want Bria back?” Julia was confused.

“Of course, I do,” Amelie replied.

She did not care if she ruined someone’s reputation, but she did not want to destroy Leo’s reputation.

He was not wrong to take Bria away.

Moreover, she had once loved him.

She was unable to turn her love into hate and betray him after breaking up with him.

She wanted a kinder solution to the problem.

The two of them continued to chat when the camera suddenly panned to a few men striding into the conference hall.

Cameras flashed as everyone turned to take photos of the man leading the group.

It was Leo.

Leo and Elyse used to date each other.

While they eventually broke up and found new lovers, he was the only man Elyse was close to ever since her return from abroad.

Naturally, that made everyone curious about their relationship.

One of the reporters was unable to control himself and stood up to ask, “Mr. Alston, do you think Miss Clayton is innocent? Are you here to support her?”

Leo was honestly not there for Elyse.

It just so happened that the press conference was happening at the venue of his meeting.

For a few moments, he ignored the reporter’s question and looked at Elyse.

She looked calm on the surface, but her eyes glimmered in a plea for help.

Even though she had wronged him in the past, she was still the person who stood by his side in his darkest hours. She was still the woman who dragged him out of the pit of despair.

“Yes,” he eventually replied, pursing his lips. “Elyse Clayton is under my protection. No one is allowed to harm her!”

“Ha!” When Julia heard that declaration, her only response was a derisive huff.

“What does this manipulative, two-faced woman have that she should be worth worth protecting?”

Meanwhile…

A tear rolled down Amelie’s cheek and landed on the back of her hand.

Leo had given Elyse everything he should have given her.

Despite their divorce, the love she held for him as a young woman was still the sweetest memory in her mind.

In the end, he had mercilessly torn it all apart.

Still, this was not enough.

Chapter 22 Do You Still Love Him?

“What about Miss Clayton’s apology to Starlight Media’s owner regarding the leaked email?” asked the reporter who spoke up. “Do you think she should have done that? Will there be a formal apology in person?”

“No,” Leo swiftly answered. “It is not Elyse’s fault.”

He then slowly turned to look into the camera. “I have a word of advice for that woman; you are young and healthy. There are plenty of ways to earn a living. Being a homewrecker is the most foolish and risky path. It is best to avoid it.”

As if he knew Amelie was watching, his eyes were cold and ruthless the entire time he spoke.

He was lecturing her!

While Amelie had appeared before reporters many times, she had always subconsciously blocked her face. No one, not even four years ago, had yet to take a photo of her entire face.

Thus, none of the reporters realized Leo’s ex-wife was the woman the Starlight Media president was allegedly having an affair with. All they felt was confusion upon hearing his speech.

Why would Leo Alston give this random woman a word of advice?

Meanwhile, Julia had exploded with fury. She flung a slipper at the television, which landed on Leo’s face.

Still, it was not enough to calm her anger. She hopped up, itching to argue with Leo.

“Don’t go. There is no need.” Amelie suppressed her pain and grabbed Julia.

“What else can I do? Should I just let him slander you? Am I to let him bully you around?” Julia was beyond herself with anger. She was so furious that she might explode.

“Don’t worry,” said Amelie. “I will not let him push me around.”

Since Leo decided to trample all over her, why should she protect him?

“That’s it!” Some semblance of calm finally appeared on Julia’s face when she heard that. “We will now put out an announcement. We will let them know that you are the president of Starlight Media!”

“We have to make an announcement, but it will not be about that,” Amelia replied.

…

The press conference came to an end.

Suzie thereafter followed Elyse into the van.

“You sure are something, Elyse,” exclaimed Suzie. “You actually made Mr. Alston help you out. With his support, all of the ridiculous rumors will stop!”

Suzie was Elyse’s manager, but she did not know Elyse was behind the whole debacle about the leaked emails.

She let out a huge sigh of relief, for she had been worried sick over what happened the entire day.

“Alright.” She patted Elyse on the back of her hand. “With Mr. Alston’s protection, your career will be smooth sailing from now on.”

Elyse hummed in response. When she recalled how Leo had declared she was under his protection, her eyes shone brightly as she looked down at her lap.

What happened had been a pleasant surprise she had not thought possible.

…

The sun would not rise from the west just because of a human’s joy or sorrow.

When Amelie stepped out of the car, her eyes were red-rimmed.

There were large dark circles under her eyes.

Without Bria by her side, sleep was hard to come by.

Leila Potts still worked at the Alston Residence, and she had always been kind to Bria. Hence, she was not worried Bria would suffer any injustice in that house.

Her only concern was that Bria might miss her.

It did not matter though. Soon, Bria would be back by her side.

Today, Starlight Media was hosting the final round of interviews for its new hires.

Julia wanted Amelie there to personally oversee everything.

Since lounging around at home would only lead to her brooding, Amelie agreed to the request.

However, she did not drive. Due to how lethargic she felt, she came in a taxi.

Her taxi had yet to leave when a bright red BMW came screeching over.

Then, a finely dressed Jodie stepped out of the car.

Jodie was in a good mood today and her makeup was perfect with not a hair out of place.

Her high heels clacked against the pavement as she strutted away from the car.

Then, she swiftly entered Starlight Media’s office building.

Amelie frowned and followed after her.

When she saw Jodie walk toward the location set aside for the interviews, she smirked in realization before heading for Julia’s office.

“Jodie Alston is here for the final interviews, isn’t she?” Amelie asked before Julia could say a single word.

Julia was dressed in an outfit from some small-time brand that was not considered high-end but was well-designed. The outfit emphasized her sensuality by highlighting her thin waist and long legs.

When Julia heard that, she flipped through the list of final candidates. Jodie was truly on the list.

“The gall of this shameless woman to come interview with us! Do not worry. I will send her packing right away,” Julia declared.

“It is fine.” Amelie stopped Julia from charging out of the office. “No matter how badly she performs, hire her.”

“What do you mean by that?” Julia was confused. “Do you still love that b*stard? Are you so in love that you wish to give his sister a chance?”

Starlight Media was currently involved in a variety of niches within the industry. Their talents consisted of influencers who specialized in shopping live streams, shorts, podcasts, and more.

In the industry, it was well-known that the influencers of Starlight Media had higher net worth than celebrities. They were even more popular than actual celebrities.

In the past, everyone would do anything and everything to be a celebrity. Now, even celebrities were trying to be internet influencers.

Jodie was likely here because of that reputation.

“Of course not,” Amelie quickly answered.

While she had no wish to settle the score regarding Jodie’s past schemes, Jodie had insulted Bria just the other day. That was unforgivable.

Since Melissa did not know how to properly educate her children, Amelie would teach Jodie some manners in her place.

Amelie grabbed the contract Julia had prepared and tweaked a few of the sentences in it. “This is for her to sign later.”

…

Although Jodie was selected for the final interviews, her answers were rather boring and unimaginative.

The interviewers all shook their heads and gave her low scores.

Even so, when the list of accepted candidates was announced, Jodie heard her name being called out.

Not knowing that her performance had been extremely lackluster, she jumped for joy when she heard her name. She even thought she had done well.

Soon, she was given a contract to sign.

After signing the documents, she strode out of the room with her head held high as if she was a famous celebrity.

Just then, Amelie walked out of the interview room.

Jodie was not shocked to see Amelie exit the interview room, but she did not think Amelie was there as an interviewer either.

After all, in her eyes, Amelie was a good-for-nothing woman. In her mind, there was nothing special about Amelie other than her attractive face.

She was certain Amelie was here to seek help from the president because the president’s wife was targeting her.

Jodie did hear that the president of Starlight Media would be in the building today.

All of those factors combined with the dark circles under Amelie’s eyes made her more and more certain of her assumption.

When she saw Amelie walking over to the elevator, she knew Amelie had failed in her plea for help. She could not help but rejoice at that thought.

As no one was hanging around, she swiftly dashed into the elevator after Amelie. Then, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned against the wall in a high and mighty pose.

“Why not look around for a while longer before you leave?” she haughtily asked. “The security here is very tight. If you don’t look while you can, you might not have another chance.”

Her voice was shrill and sharp.

Besides that, her face was twisted in a contemptuous look.

Seeing that, Amelie decided to veer away from her usual tactic of ignoring Jodie. “I am heading toward the Janitorial Department right now,” she replied with a nod.

When Jodie heard that, she let out a loud bark of laughter. “As expected of someone so lowly.”

Jodie then continued, “Still, you are quite self-aware to know that you are only fit to tour the Janitorial Department of this company!”

Amelie ignored her and walked out when the elevator arrived at the floor where the Janitorial Department was located.

Jodie was not done insulting her though, so she followed suit. She loudly rattled off insult after insult in a proud voice.

“I am different,” she stated.

“I just signed the contract to be an official member of Starlight Media just now. The company will take care of every aspect of my career. Soon, I will be a top-tier influencer like Jamie and Julia White! Oh, yes. I will also be Blake Gareth’s colleague. We will be working together.”

Amelie found Jodie’s claims to be… extremely fantastical and delusional.

In fact, she even wanted to laugh.

Did Jodie think she could succeed as an influencer just because she said so?

There was nothing special about Jodie, and she was not even a good person. Even if the company was willing to splurge on her, she could never be a top-tier influencer.

However, Jodie was ignorant of Amelie’s thoughts. She assumed Amelie was merely silent because her words had hurt Amelie.

Still, the more pain Amelie suffered, the happier she was.

The happier she was, the more she wanted to hurt Amelie.

Just then, Jodie strode forward and blocked Amelie’s path forward.

Chapter 23 Want Amelie Torn to Pieces

Jodie lifted her chin up high and held it up with a hand.

She tilted her eyelids at just the right angle to shoot Amelie a look as full of disdain as her smirk.

“The difference between the two of us is like the difference between a beast and an elite human, Amelie,” she stated.

“Be it among the Alstons or in Starlight Media, I am always at the top of the pyramid. I always have the best. You can squeeze that tiny brain of yours all you want, but you can only be at the bottom of the pyramid. Like a puny ant, you do not even deserve to be trampled on by someone like me! Even so, all you can do is stay for a brief period in those places,” she continued. “You have stayed in my home for four years. In this company, I don’t think you can last more than a few hours, even if you work as a janitor. So, cherish it well.”

Frankly speaking, Amelie had done nothing to make Jodie hate her.

In fact, Amelie even let Jodie walk all over her.

However, it was human nature to develop superiority complexes.

If someone who one viewed as a nobody continued being a nobody, it would be seen as just how the world worked.

The moment the nobody displayed any sort of talent that overshadowed them, it was considered an offense.

It would be considered the worst offense ever.

Ever since the divorce, Amelie had been hanging out with so many amazing people that Jodie felt humiliated.

The humiliation happened every single day, and it hit her where it hurts most.

Not only did she feel embarrassed, her guts were all twisted together in agonizing fury.

She wanted to put Amelie in her place.

Amelie should continue being a nobody!

Moreover, she had to live an even more tragic life than before.

“What is all that noise? Come here already!”

Just then, the head of the Janitorial Department called out to them. They had been standing in the hallway for quite a while now.

“See?” Jodie haughtily said. “Look at you. They don’t even need to ask who you are before assuming you are a janitor.”

“Good luck.”

She then waved at Amelie.

She so wanted to humiliate Amelie further, but the manager she spoke to said every new hire had to report to their departments for training right away.

Hence, she had to leave.

Just when she turned to leave, Amelie suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the wrist.

“This is where you are working.”

There was a heavy emphasis on the word “you”.

Jodie scowled and nearly flew into a fit of rage. How dare Amelie try to humiliate me this way!

She was so furious that she forgot about her new job and raised her hand to slap Amelie.

“New janitor, Jodie Alston, please step forward. Staff from other departments should leave now so that we may work.” The head janitor walked over looking them up and down. “Who is Jodie?”

Jodie was at a loss for words.

She stared at the head janitor in disbelief as her arm hung in the air.

“You must be mistaken,” she exclaimed. “I am here to be a streamer!”

The head janitor held up a list of names and pointed out the words “Jodie Alston, Janitorial Department”.

“There must’ve been a mixup!” Jodie had put Amelie out of her mind by now. She quickly dashed back up to the interview room to speak to the manager to whom she had spoken.

“What is the meaning of this?” she shrieked. “You assigned me to the Janitorial Department? I will sue you!” She was so angry that she was panting hard.

“What are you going to sue us for?” Julia asked before the manager could say a word. She leisurely walked into the room.

The sight of Julia seemed to have made Jodie realize something. “You worked together with Amelie to humiliate me!”

Julia raised her lips in a disdainful smirk. How could someone so stupid have the gall to dream big?

If Amelie had not been holding back the entire time, Jodie would have died several times over by now.

“This is merely work. How can it be considered humiliation?” While Julia would never verbally admit to it, the taunting look on her face was clear for all to see; what could Jodie do anyway?

Jodie seethed upon seeing that look.

“Just you wait!” she shouted. “My brother will hear about this. You are dead!”

“Our society abides by the rule of law,” Julia shot back. “Your brother is not the law. No matter how powerful he is, he cannot kill whomever he pleases.”

She then flung the contract at Jodie. “Furthermore, you signed this contract out of your own free will. You agreed to work in the Janitorial Department, yet you are now screaming about your innocence. Who do you think the judge will favor?”

Jodie looked down at the contract. It was only then that she realized the position listed was “janitor”.

“H-How can it be?” she stammered.

“We also have audio recordings,” said Julia. “The Legal Department has clearly reminded you to carefully read through every term listed in the contract.”

“We did not hide anything. It is so simple that even a kid can understand it. Is it too hard for you, Miss Alston?”

That was not the case though. Jodie had merely skimmed through the contract without reading it.

She thought since she applied to be a streamer, she would naturally have been given the appropriate contract.

In the end…

She was just mocking Amelie, saying she was only fit to be a janitor. Now, she was the janitor and not Amelie!

The humiliation…

It was too much.

The whirlwind of emotions within her was so strong that her face twisted into an unpleasant look.

“I quit!” She threw the contract away and strode toward the exit.

“Do think it through, Miss Alston. Terminating a contract with Starlight Media means other companies might not take you on,” remarked Julia.

She then slowly sipped her cup of coffee.

“Of course, you have someone to pay for your expenses. There is no fear of starvation. If worse comes to worst, marry a man and spend the rest of your life mooching off of him.”

“Well, such a woman would likely be looked down upon,” Julia continued. “After all, that means she is good for nothing!”

The phrase “good for nothing” was extremely triggering for Jodie.

That was the phrase she frequently used when insulting Amelie.

Was she now going to be viewed in the same light as Amelie?

Amelie was a nobody!

Meanwhile, Jodie was a refined woman. How could an elite like her be compared to a nobody?

Anger and frustration warred within her. In the end, she flung the doors open and stomped out.

“Miss White, I… I do not think this is a good idea. She is Leo Alston’s sister. That means we have now offended him,” the manager uneasily said.

Julia pursed her red lips and scoffed. “As if he had not offended us before,” she replied.

Moreover, she was more afraid of not offending the man.

Of course, that b*stard would soon be taught a lesson too.

At that thought, Julia was in a better mood again.

Jodie ran out of the Starlight Media office and hopped into her car.

Memories of the humiliation she suffered made her scream and shout while hitting everything she could reach within the car.

However, no matter how much she screamed, she received no relief from the hatred burning in her.

She clenched her hands tightly around the steering wheel. “Just you wait, Amelie Dillon. How dare you embarrass me!”

She pulled out her phone and dialed Carla’s number. “Carla, get me Starlight Media’s president’s wife’s phone number. Now!”

“Why do you want her number?” asked Carla.

“Why else? Of course, it is because I want Amelie dead! I want her torn to pieces!” Unable to hold back her temper, she roared into the phone.

“If that’s the reason, then there is no use,” Carla replied.

Jodie had been waiting for the wife to deal with Amelie. Just what did Carla mean by that?

She was about to shout when Carla sent her a new article.

It was about a statement released by the president of Starlight Media.

What she read made her gasp. “H-How can this be?”

She had just been humiliated, but before she even had a chance to strike back, another wave of humiliation struck her once more.

Chapter 24 Divorced on the Same Day

At the Alston Residence, the atmosphere in the room was quite tense.

Melissa shoved her phone toward Leo. “Just what is going on with this? Did Amelie not break up a family? Was it a proper relationship this whole time?”

A deep frown marred his pale face.

Bria had been kicking up a fuss the entire time. Due to spending his whole night calming her down, he was exhausted.

However, before he could even catch his breath, Melissa came rushing over with the news.

The president of Starlight Media had waited for a whole day and night before posting a notice early in the morning to announce his status as a divorcee.

He had posted a photo of the divorce certificate, and the date was the same as his and Amelie’s divorce.

There was only one obvious reason he did that.

It was to prove that he was allowed to date anyone he liked.

And that he was free to do as he pleased!

Meanwhile, everything Leo had said the other day was considered as poking his nose in their business.

It was seen as meddling!

Then, the TV program seemed to be trying to anger him as the recording of his lecture to Amelie was played over and over again.

“No.” Leo had swiftly answered. “It is not Elyse’s fault.”

“I have a word of advice for that woman; you are young and healthy. There are plenty of ways to earn a living. Being a homewrecker is the most foolish and risky path. It is best to avoid it.”

Every one of those words was like a slap to his face.

Over and over again…

At a loss for words, he pursed his lips and remained silent.

However, his silence worried Melissa more.

“If Starlight Media’s president really wanted to clear the air, he should have spoken up the moment the news broke yesterday,” she said. “But he waited the whole night. He only posted the announcement after you said that!”

“What else could he mean by that? Isn’t it clear he is embarrassing us for Amelie’s sake?”

“How very manipulative of that woman! She asked for a divorce, and now she has done all this just to humiliate us. Just what does she want?”

“Leo, do not have mercy on her. Talk to Starlight Media’s owner right now and expose her!”

Melissa might seem like a refined and elegant lady on the outside, but she was actually an extremely petty woman who could not accept being slighted at all.

He massaged his aching head and stood up. “There is nothing wrong about them dating each other,” he stated angrily. “What am I exposing her for?”

Leo then turned and left.

He moved hurriedly at a swift pace; his irritation evident.

“Leo!” she called out unhappily, walking a few steps forward as if to chase him.

However, she did not dare drag him back to her.

After what happened a decade ago, Leo felt no love for her.

They might still live under the same roof, but any familial love there was once was now gone.

Leo angrily stomped out of the house until the steel gates slammed shut behind him. It was only then that he stopped walking.

Breathing felt hard with anger clouding his lungs.

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff.

After a few more puffs, he noticed the woman standing across the road from him.

It was Amelie.

She was wearing a plain blouse and a long white skirt today. Standing by the road, she looked so beautiful.

It had only been a few days since their divorce, yet she looked completely different now. She was no longer the cowering woman who lived with him.

Was she like this because she had the love of Starlight Media’s president?

His heart sank further.

Amelie stared back at him for a while.

She could tell at a glance that he was in a horrible mood.

Leo was not a man who wore his heart on his sleeves, but she knew him too well.

Before, she would be upset to see him in a bad mood. She would worry and feel the restless urge to comfort him even though he did not like her.

However, she no longer felt that way.

She calmly walked over to him. “Now that you have proof that I had not been immodest, can you return Bria to me?”

Her gaze was so calm that it was as though she was talking to a stranger. Her lips were even tilted upward in a faint, polite smile.

That smile spoke of the vast distance between them.

His chest ached once more. It took him a while for him to respond, “Bria is my daughter too.”

She did not speak. Her smile did not waver, but there was a hint of mockery in it now.

It was not obvious, yet it was enough to make him recall her questioning him.

It reminded him of how he used to ignore Bria.

Amelie’s silence hurt more than if she had just slapped him.

He took a deep breath. “There are still a few more things I need to investigate. We will talk about the custody of Bria after everything has been settled.”

He thereafter quickly got into his car.

Before he could slam the door shut, she hurriedly stopped him. “Investigate what?”

Leo looked back at her in silence.

Frankly speaking, she knew he was going to investigate something related to her.

Amelie wanted to tell him to just ask her instead but silently chuckled and stopped herself.

He would never believe her, even if she told him everything she knew.

She pursed her lips and helplessly let go of his arm. “You have two hours. I will take Bria back once those two hours are up!”

She was not begging him.

She was not negotiating with him either.

It was a demand! She had changed too much over a few short days.

Amelie was like a completely different person.

Leo had never seen her carry herself that way before.

Rather than responding to her, he floored the gas pedal and drove off.

…

“Sir.”

Laura stood up to greet Leo when she saw him arrive at the office.

“Elyse is facing quite harsh criticisms over the leaked emails. Do you want to meet her over lunch?” she asked.

Leo ignored her question and demanded, “Find out who the owner of Starlight Media is.”

“The president of Starlight Media?” Laura was stunned.

She soon realized the reason for the order. It was evident he was upset over how his ex-wife had gotten together with Starlight Media’s boss right after the divorce.

Leo doesn’t care about Amelie at all, right? Why is he suddenly so concerned about her affairs?

“Mr. Alston, I feel that you should focus on Elyse and spend more time on her instead.” Due to Laura’s friendship with Elyse, she was unable to hold back from speaking up.

“Miss Harris!” he barked out in warning. “If you feel that this work is not for you, you can resign straight away.”

She was rendered speechless by his response.

Her face flashed between red and white for a moment. It was her first time being so scathingly lectured by him.

In the end, she nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“There is no need to look into anything else. Just look up the record of divorces that happened on the 22nd of April,” he said in a softer voice.

After she left his office, he loosened his tie in anger.

Why did he want to know who Starlight Media’s president was?

Did he just want to know what kind of man would like Amelie so much that he would abandon his own family?

The person had gotten a divorce on the same day, so it was clear he had been waiting on her.

Why did Leo himself care so much about Amelie?

Back then, that shameless woman had schemed and forced him to marry her, yet constantly said it was for his own good.

He should have abandoned that woman and never talked to her again!

All of a sudden, he felt exhausted. He decided to pick up the phone and call home. “Miss Potts, pack Bria’s things in two hours and have Amelie take her away.”

…

“Stop crying! You are always crying!”

The first thing Jodie did when she arrived home was shout at Bria.

She was in a terrible mood after being absolutely humiliated by Amelie, yet there was no way for her to get back at Amelie.

Sitting in the living room, Melissa leisurely focused on her tea.

Chapter 25 The Child Must Stay

Jodie was cursing loudly but Melissa did not seem to hear it. From her point of view, Bria had been affected by Amelie in a negative way, and the girl should begin to accept the teachings of the Alston Family. Anyway, the balcony was equipped with soundproof glass, and it was far away from other buildings, so no matter how much Jodie cursed, she would not be heard by outsiders.

Jodie had found a punching bag and naturally spared no effort. She even stretched out her hand to poke Bria’s forehead. “Sure enough. What Amelie produced is useless!”

Bria glared at her with red eyes.

“Look, look! She’s become rotten due to Amelie’s bad teachings!” Jodie pointed again.

In the past, Bria was timid and afraid. She never dared to stare at Jodie like this.

Then, Jodie twisted Bria’s ear and pushed her against the wall. “You’d better stand here for a time-out, or I will starve you to death!”

Leila stood outside the door. Watching Bria being bullied like this, she could only shake her head and sigh. Nevertheless, she was just a servant, so what could she do? It was not until she saw that the clock struck eleven that she breathed a sigh of relief and walked over.

“Bria, it’s time to go.”

“Go? Where are you going?” Jodie just finished teaching Bria a lesson, and she finally felt a little better. Now that Leila was taking Bria away, Jodie was naturally unhappy.

“Mr. Leo called earlier and told me to send Bria to the door at this hour. Miss Dillon is waiting,” Leila hurriedly mentioned Leo.

Jodie actually did not like children at all and wished Bria could just disappear from her sight. But suddenly, a toxic plan came to her mind. Since Amelie treated her like that, she wanted to take revenge. The highest means of revenge was to inflict pain on the people Amelie cared about the most. In this case, Bria was the perfect subject.

Thinking of this, Jodie quickly ran to Melissa and tugged on the corner of her mother’s clothes. “Mom, what is going on with Leo? Bria is the flesh and blood of our Alston Family! How can Amelie take her away?”

At that moment, Melissa’s expression was not pretty. “I don’t know what’s wrong with his brain. Isn’t he afraid of gossip when an Alston descendant is sent out into the world like that?”

Although she did not like Bria, reputation was the most important thing.

“Miss Potts, Bria isn’t going anywhere! She will just stay at home!” she ordered.

“This isn’t appropriate.” Leila stopped helplessly and looked at Bria uneasily. “Miss Dillon is waiting outside. So, what if she causes trouble?”

“Tell her to come in and I’ll inform her myself.” Melissa spread her body and responded coldly.

Leila had no choice but to walk out empty-handed to find Amelie. When Amelie followed Leila in, Melissa was leisurely leaning on the couch like a queen, looking elegant. As for Jodie and Bria, both had disappeared.

“Mrs. Alston, Miss Dillon is here.” Leila saw that Melissa did not plan to get up, so she could only inform her.

Then, Melissa pointed and gestured for Leila to leave. Leila glanced at Amelie worriedly, but Amelie nodded her chin gently toward her, mouthing “I’m fine”.

Thus, Leila turned and left.

Melissa finally sat upright, but she did not give Amelie any attention. She simply held a cup and drank tea by herself.

“Where’s Bria?” Amelie asked, not in the mood to play with Melissa.

Melissa frowned out of dissatisfaction with Amelie’s rudeness. “Greeting the host is the most basic form of courtesy.”

Ha. A woman with no courtesy is teaching me courtesy?

Amelie found Melissa’s words extremely ridiculous. However, she did not intend to argue with Melissa as there was no need.

Amelie simply agreed with her. “Hello, Mrs. Alston, may I know where Bria is?”

Melissa held the teacup lid and gently moved it against the teacup. After blowing the hot tea, she opened her mouth again. “I think Bria should stay here. You are dealing with the boss of Starlight Media, and it is inconvenient to bring Bria with you. Besides, Bria is a child of the Alston Family, and the Alston Family can afford to raise her, so there is no need for outsiders like you to intervene in her upbringing.”

Is Melissa planning to take away my own child from me?

The indifference on Amelie’s face suddenly disappeared, and her brows twitched abruptly.

“Mrs. Alston, I’m not an outsider, but Bria’s biological mother. Bria was born from my pregnancy of ten months. It’s natural for me to raise her. Besides, isn’t Mr. Leo going to marry Miss Clayton? How can I let Bria stay and affect their relationship?”

Amelie responded quickly after Melissa spoke, refuting Melissa’s every word.

The corners of Melissa’s falsely indifferent brows quickly tightened, showing her displeasure with Amelie’s refute.

Amelie had been staying with the Alston Family for a long time in the past and had learned to observe Melissa, so she could see that Melissa was unhappy. However, Melissa was no longer related to her, so it did not matter whether Melissa was happy or not.

“In addition, you don’t really care about Bria when she lived here before, and I think that’s because my status isn’t reputable enough. It’s fine now though as Elyse has returned and her identity is definitely reputable. Mrs. Alston, you might as well have her give birth to a few more descendants of the Alston Family.”

Amelie’s words were true.

However, Melissa strongly felt that her stature was threatened, so she slammed the table so hard it shook a little.

“Amelie, do you really think I don’t know anything if I don’t expose you?” she started shouting.

“Your divorce with Leo is the same day as the day the boss of Starlight Media obtained a divorce! Even a fool can see that you two had plotted together! You cheated as early as while you were in marriage, and Bria will only learn bad things by being with you! It is absolutely impossible for the Alston Family to hand over our granddaughter to a woman whose private life is not in good order! You’d better give up your child’s custody, or you will go to court and be humiliated there!”

Ha!

Jamie posted the divorce certificate just to prove that Amelie was divorced, but Amelie did not expect that it would be misinterpreted by Melissa like this!

“Are you sure you’ve made a firm decision?” Amelie stopped refuting and asked with a smile.

Melissa picked up the teacup again and returned to her originally graceful appearance.

“Send her off!”

Mr. Cooper came over and looked at Amelie uneasily with sympathy in his eyes, but he could only say, “Miss Dillon, please leave.”

Amelie gently nodded at him, and then said in a low voice, “You’d better not regret it.”

She spoke lightly without the slightest anxiety and anger. Melissa could not help but look at her back with slight astonishment.

“Mom, why did she suddenly leave without her child?” Jodie, who was hiding in the dark, came out with a puzzled face. She originally wanted to take advantage of this fight to make Amelie suffer.

Melissa could not figure out what Amelie meant either. Could it be that Amelie did not even want Bria back?

Just when the two of them were wondering to themselves, there was a loud crash from inside the house and Leila ran out with a pale face.

“Oh no, Bria heard that you refused to let Miss Dillon take her away, so she got angry, and she… Alas, Mrs. Alston, Miss Alston, you’d better go and see for yourselves.”

At once, Melissa dropped her act and rushed into the room with Jodie. In the room, Bria had broken a vase and was still holding another in her hand. Those vases were blue and white porcelains from an

ancient dynasty which were auctioned at a high price! Each was worth tens of millions, and one of them was now gone just like that!

Melissa could hardly breathe properly as her body shook violently.

Pointing at Bria, she kept trembling while saying, “Y-You… You b*stard!”