Ch. 226..230: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 226-230

Chapter 226

“Let’s talk outside.” Leo suddenly interrupted her. Then, he turned back around and set Bria on the ground before patting her tiny head. “I need to head outside to talk about something. I’ll come back and play with you later.” Her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at him, but she still nodded.While standing back up, he looked at Amelie and informed her, “I’ll be back soon.”That surprised Amelie. Is he informing me of his whereabouts? Is there a need to do so? Perhaps this is the courtesy between the guest and the host?After hearing that Leo was willing to talk outside, Elyse took the initiative to maneuver her wheelchair out the door. Following that, he strode outside.Amelie considerately closed the door to prevent hearing about their conversation. When she turned around, she saw Bria still standing in her spot.The smile on the kid’s face was long gone, and she was currently looking at Amelie with her large eyes, tightly pouting her lips. “Will Daddy leave with that woman?” she asked.Internally, she hoped that her daddy would stay because what child would not want that?Amelie walked over and squatted down before embracing her. “Your daddy has his life and work, so he can’t always stay by your side, but he’s already trying his best to make time to be with you. So, you have to understand his situation. Alright?”Although divorced, Amelie never wanted to become enemies with Leo, especially before their children. Therefore, she always tried to be as fair to him as possible.“I understand.” Bria was still unhappy, but she no longer felt conflicted.“How about we play with your building blocks?” Amelie held Bria’s hand.…Outside, Leo stood in the corridor that was coincidentally adjacent to the door to Amelie’s home. When he saw her closing the door, he could not help but frown.In the meantime, Elyse stopped her wheelchair before him and watched his every expression. Her eyes were slightly red as she pleaded, “Leony, I’m being bullied by everyone. My manager ignores me and turns a blind eye when the newbies steal my jobs. They’ve already taken away several acting roles from me. Even those sponsors are humiliating me! Please, help me.”At that, he finally withdrew his gaze from Amelie’s door and looked at Elyse with a calm and emotionless countenance. “Did you ask me to come here just for this?”“I don’t have any other choice. That’s why…” She bit her lips as tears fell from her eyes. Both of her hands clenched into fists, which made her look pitiful.Though she

was unwilling to complain to Leo, she could not do anything without his help. If she could, she would instead accomplish something before coming to him so she could show him how excellent she was. After considering her situation, she could only plead with him for help.“For Ellen’s sake, please help me.”Leo did not reply to her immediately, but his emotionless visage became gloomier and more distant. As the pressure around them dropped, which caused the air to dissipate, Elyse felt like she was struggling to breathe.“Since this has nothing to do with Ellen, you can leave.” Once he finished speaking, he walked away without any mercy.“Leony!” At the sight of a merciless man, she could not hold back her gushing tears. “You can’t leave me alone. You’ve said that although you can’t return my feelings, you will repay Ellen’s kindness!”It felt embarrassing to use her sister to ask Leo for help, but Elyse could not care less about that. She was willing to do anything just to stand up again and crush those b*stards that hurt her!“You can do nothing and live a peaceful life with the money I gave you.” His voice sounded cold, and the meaning was clear—he would only make sure she would not starve.Elyse did not know how to respond. What’s the use of only avoiding starvation? Without actual power and status, I can’t avenge all those grievances and humiliations I suffered!However, Leo was not in the mood to care about her feelings and had already reached Amelie’s door by then. He pulled the door open, eager to return and be with Amelie and Bria. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a voice yelling from behind, “Ellen. Ellen is back!”The hand on the doorknob froze, and his lightning-like gaze shot at Elyse. It was so forceful and strong that it made her shiver in fear.“Say that again!” When he said so, he had arrived before her wheelchair and gripped tightly onto the armrests. Then, he pulled her and her wheelchair over.Since he was close, his gaze seemed more forceful and sharper than earlier, causing Elyse to stammer a while before muttering, “E-Ellen is back. I-It’s true.” She shrank her body, obviously terrified by his actions.Leo fell silent again while staring straight at her like he was trying to see through her. A while later, he stood up without saying anything and entered the house.Elyse was at a loss for words. He’s leaving? Does he not care about Ellen’s return?“Daddy!” Bria jumped to her feet excitedly and disregarded her building blocks upon hearing the door lock. Then, she ran over and threw herself into Leo’s arms.He squatted and caught her before helping her steady herself. “I have something important I need to deal with. I’ll visit you next time.”In response, she did not

speak but pouted. She wanted to ask him to stay but remembered that Amelie said he was swamped.He looked down and leaned his forehead against Bria’s before rising to his feet and thanking Amelie, “Thank you for having me over tonight.”After saying that, he strode away.An hour later, his limited-edition Porsche Cayenne stopped before the entrance of a small cottage. The entrance was in an alley with tall walls around it, making it seem quiet and secluded.At the door was Michael, who had been waiting for some time. When he saw the car approaching, he quickly came forward to welcome the guest, after which the door opened, revealing Leo.“Mr. Alston, y-you’re here,” Michael greeted him while flatteringly bowed.Since he was not tall, to begin with, he seemed even shorter and more slavish after bowing.“Dad.” Elyse opened the door and called to him.Then, Michael sprinted over and helped her get her wheelchair.“Where’s Ellen?” she asked.He pointed inside the cottage. “Inside. She’s inside!”As soon as his words fell, Leo dashed over at the speed of lightning.The courtyard only had one single-story house. He scanned every corner of the cottage and walked toward the corridor that led to the rooms.There were three rooms in the cottage, and two of them were open and empty. Therefore, he merely scanned across them before staring at the only closed door. He reached out and grabbed the handle.“Mr. Alston!” Michael ran over anxiously and grabbed Leo’s hand. “You can’t open this door!”“Why not?” After shaking Michael’s hand away in frustration, Leo questioned, “Isn’t Big Eyes back? Where is she?”Michael kept scratching his head while sneaking a peek at Elyse.Then, she rolled her wheelchair over and explained, “Leony, don’t be so anxious and hear me out. Ellen has been through a lot, so she’s gotten very timid and easily terrified. You’ll scare her if you barge in like that.”“Why didn’t you tell me when we were coming here?” Leo’s gaze looked furious.“That’s because… I forgot to tell you,” she replied quickly.His sharp gaze made her afraid to look into his eyes.“Leony, truth be told, Ellen has been back for a few days, but she isn’t mentally stable. That’s why I didn’t tell you about it. She screams at everyone and won’t stop no matter what you say or do. Also, she’s seriously malnourished and would faint if she gets too emotional. Would you bear to see her pass out from seeing you?”At that, Leo slowly fixed his eyes on that door. Elyse lies pathologically, so her words aren’t believable.Therefore, he reached out and planned to push the door open forcefully.Frantic, Elyse quickly came forward and leaned over to hug his legs. “Leony, please. Don’t scare Ellen

anymore. She’s already been through hell! Sob!” she cried in pity as tears streamed down her cheeks.At that moment, he could only glance down at her.

Chapter 227

“I promise you that I’ll bring you to see her once she gets better. So, Leony, for the sake of your savior, please give her some time, okay?” Along with the tears streaming down her pitiful-looking face, her sad voice could evoke everyone’s compassion.In the end, Leo withdrew his hand, but it was not because he felt distressed for Elyse. It was because he was afraid that… Big Eyes was back.How could he stand to hurt Big Eyes, who donated her cornea to him?As such, he walked toward the living room with Michael and Elyse following behind him. When they looked up, they saw that Leo had not left but stood in the living room with his back against them. His hands were sagging before him, and he seemed to be exuding a sad aura.Having known him for so long, Elyse had never seen him so dejected and was shocked.Michael nudged her, asking her to say something. “Leony…” She hesitantly called him.“You should know what I’m capable of. If this is all a lie, you’d better come clean!” After warning them, Leo disappeared through the entrance.It was not until they heard the car engine gradually disappearing that Michael clutched his chest, moved a few steps back, and plopped down onto the couch like a pile of mud.Meanwhile, Elyse was not faring any better. Her face was ashen, and she had broken out in a cold sweat. She was gripping the metal armrests of her wheelchair to stop herself from falling over.It took her a while before she slowly made her way to the closed door and opened it with a key, revealing an empty room.“El, have you gone mad? How could you lie to Leo about this?” Michael got up from the couch and made his way over to Elyse with difficulty. He supported his waist while heaving. “Do you know how much danger you’ve put us in earlier? I was almost scared to death!”“It’s not the first time, anyway! What’s there to be afraid of?” Her voice was now ice cold, and her expression had returned to normal.On the other hand, he looked pale after being exposed.“Didn’t I ask you to get a decoy?” Elyse questioned in dissatisfaction, “Why is no one here?”Michael sighed and replied, “How do you expect me to get a woman in such a short time? You should be lucky I was quick-witted and locked the door. Or else, we would’ve been toast.” He kept wiping the sweat on his forehead.The so-called ‘Ellen is back’ was just a plan Elyse conjured up on a whim. Therefore, when Leo asked to meet his savior, she could only text Michael and ask him to make some arrangements.Although they were habitual liars,

Michael was still terrified by what happened. The person tricked was not anyone but Leo Alston, the man who could erase him from the earth with ease and silence!“El, even though you managed to fool Leo this time, you might not be able to fool him again. I think we’d better come up with another plan. How about we come clean to him?”He was already so old and wanted to live the rest of his life peacefully, so he did not want to cause any more trouble for himself.“Come clean?” When Elyse heard what Michael said, her face immediately fell. “Leo doesn’t even look at me now. How do you expect me to make a turnaround if we tell him the truth?”Thinking of the people who bullied and hurt her, she gnashed her teeth so hard and felt her blood boil!“I’m still counting on him to help me get back on my feet!”“My dear daughter, what nonsense are you on about?” He felt like crying after hearing what she said. “If you tell him the truth now, he might forgive us because of your ‘sister’ and make sure we can live a comfortable life. However, if your lies get exposed, not only would we have to worry about food and water, we might even lose our lives!”To Michael, having necessities and money to spend was already a perfect life, so he did not have to make things more difficult for himself.“El, you can’t be so muddleheaded.”Meanwhile, Elyse also knew that her plan was risky.“I’m going to find Leo now and apologize to him!” While saying that, Michael frantically sprinted toward the door.“It’s too late!” Her voice came from behind him. “Dad, have you thought about what would happen if you tell Leo we lied? He’d start getting suspicious about whether there’s an ‘Ellen’ in the first place! You and I know the truth, so if he decides to investigate this matter, he’ll certainly find something. When that time comes, we won’t live a comfortable life but disappear without a trace!” Once she finished her words, Michael fell to the ground like he had lost all his energy. “El, what have you done? Can’t you think before coming up with such a plan?”“Do you think Leo wouldn’t investigate this matter had today’s incident not happened?” Elyse stared down at her haggard-looking father with cold eyes. “He’s already suspicious and has been investigating! I helped you this time because only when ‘Ellen’ comes home will he ignore his suspicion and believe that it was her who saved him!”“Leo… is investigating this matter? H- How could that be? Didn’t we tie up all our loose ends? How could he…” He looked at her in disbelief.She sneered. “Do you think Leo is a fool? He wouldn’t have survived in the business industry if he’s so gullible.”Temporarily, Leo could not find any clues because she had someone helping her.

When she thought about that person, she could not help but feel irritated.“So, what should we do now?” Michael was anxious. He did not want the comfortable life he obtained to vanish.“What else can we do? Of course, it’s to find Ellen as soon as possible.”Hearing that, he wanted to cry again. Find ‘Ellen’? Ellen might’ve been long dead by now, so where can we find her?When he transmitted his thoughts into words, she replied, “I don’t care about the probability! We must find her! If she’s dead, we’ll just find one who has similar circumstances. If there isn’t one, we’ll just make one!” She wore a vicious expression while pinching her fingers.At that sight, Michael could not help but exclaim secretly while looking at his daughter. My daughter is more merciless than me!“You have more connections, so I’ll leave this to you. I’ll be responsible for stalling Leo,” Elyse ordered decisively.…When Amelie’s father, Steven, went to Quinn Town without returning home after a long time, she became worried and began calling him.He found an excuse and said he had something important to do but did not disclose much information when asked.Therefore, she thought he had gotten used to living in the countryside and stopped asking questions. Then, she exhorted him to take care of himself and transferred some money into his bank account.That weekend, Amelie was sending Bria home when Julia called and said she was about to arrive in Halport before inviting them to a meal. Since Julia still needed some time to arrive, Amelie brought Bria to the restaurant first.When they arrived at the restaurant’s entrance, a group of people happened to come out. One of them spotted Amelie and paused before calling out for her, “Elie.”When she looked over, she saw a man in a buzz cut with a briefcase in his hand. She was stunned and took a while before recognizing the man. “Matthew Larkson?”Matthew was the richest man from her hometown and used to pursue her, so it came as a surprise to run into him here.He uttered something to his companions before leaving them and approaching her.“Bria, this is Mr. Larkson,” Amelie told Bria.Then, Bria greeted him in her sweet and crisp voice, after which he caressed her dainty face.Since Amelie and Bria had stayed in Quinn Town for some time, Matthew had gotten to know the kid and had taken a liking to her.“Did you have a business to discuss here?” asked Amelie.While humming in response, he nodded. “Starlight Media and I are working on an agricultural development project. I was just discussing it with them.” He rubbed his head as he said that. Although he felt proud of his accomplishment, he did not show off in front of her.With that, Amelie finally

remembered that Julia had mentioned a project they were working on with Quinn Town, not expecting it to be with Matthew. However, she did not mention that she was the owner of Starlight Media and decided to exchange some pleasantries before leaving.He suddenly changed the topic. “Have you heard about what happened with your dad at Quinn Town?”“What do you mean?” She could not figure out what he was trying to say.He hesitated for a bit before explaining, “I don’t know the details since I heard it from someone else, but according to them, the matter has spread throughout the whole village. I think you’d better head over and check up on him.

Chapter 228

After hearing Matthew’s words, Amelie felt uneasy and even lost her appetite. Therefore, she left Bria with Julia after she arrived and drove straight to Quinn Town, which was not particularly near since it took her three hours to drive there.When she arrived, it was already past 9.00PM. There were not many residents in the village or any special entertainment. The most the middle-aged and older folks did was group exercises, and they had almost dispersed.There were one or two that saw how luxurious Amelie’s car was and came forward to have a look. So, she had no choice but to lower her window.“Oh, it’s you, Elie.”The two lived near Amelie’s home, so they recognized her and greeted her with bright smiles. Following that, they looked at her car from all angles while commenting, “Have you made a fortune? This is such a great car.”The villagers were different from before and were now more knowledgeable. Therefore, many of the elderly villagers could recognize luxurious cars.As Amelie did not drive her car on her last visit, the two elderly women were surprised when they saw her car.She was anxious to get home but still smiled at them before greeting them politely, “Mrs. Olson, Mrs. Drew.”The two nodded, and Mrs. Drew reached out her oily hand that was used to doing chores and patted Amelie’s shoulder. “Elie, you must’ve come here to pick up your dad, right? That’s a good idea.”Hearing her mentioning Steven, Amelie thought about what Matthew had said and asked, “What happened to my dad?”“You mean that matter? Jeez! I even feel embarrassed just talking about it!” Mrs. Drew used her wrinkly hand to cover her face, but she was giggling.Meanwhile, Mrs. Olson was calmer. She also placed her hand on Amelie’s car window and explained, “Elie, your dad used to seem upright, but how did he turn into such a person? Men do develop bad habits after getting rich. After your dad sold his artwork and earned some money, he started to… His lifestyle became…Gosh!”When Amelie heard it was about her dad’s lifestyle, she was not as anxious anymore. She was worried about her dad’s health deteriorating or him getting into trouble. Since her dad stayed alone his whole life for her, it was reasonable that he wanted to find someone to accompany him during his last years.Therefore, she supported that idea.In the meantime, Mrs. Olson was still criticizing. “How can he do such a thing? Even if he wants a new wife, he should’ve found one that suits him. Why did he have to find such…

Gosh!”The two could not bear to continue anymore and asked Amelie to head home and see for herself. Without wasting any more time, she drove toward her home.Since the last time they returned, Steven retrieved the old house he used to live in and moved back in. After arriving, Amelie parked her car and jumped out. Then, she pushed the old wooden door open without being bothered by anything else. The door was not locked, so she easily thrust it open.Subsequently, she glanced inside and saw a dark, gloomy courtyard.There was no light there, so her vision was blurred. However, she still caught sight of her father sitting beside the well, bending over while pushing and pulling the lever of the well. In the meantime, water was being pumped up from the well and flowed into a basin.Then, he bent down to pick up the basin and placed it outside the concrete well, where someone was sitting on a stool.Amelie could not make out the person’s face, but her pale legs swinging back and forth were eye- catching.He placed the basin before that woman and uttered slowly, dragging his words. “Hurry up and wash your feet. You should head to bed and rest early.”The woman on the bench giggled, which somehow exposed her age to be a young woman. It was then that Amelie realized the reason behind Mrs. Olson and Mrs. Drew’s behavior. So, my dad is dating a young woman?Hahahaha.Laughter sounded again.This time, Amelie turned on the flashlight on her phone and shone it in Steven’s direction while calling out, “Dad.”The light from her phone landed on his figure.Vividly stunned, he rose to his feet and was shocked when he saw her. “Amelie, why did you come here?”It was then that she approached him and looked at him in the night. “You haven’t returned after a long time, so I was worried and decided to check up on you.”She was shocked that her dad would date such a young woman. Then, she looked worriedly at the lady.Since it was dark outside, Amelie could not make out the woman’s face. The only thing she noticed was that the woman’s hair was hanging before her face and was not tied up.Though her hair mostly covered her face, the woman seemed like she was about Amelie’s age.Steven noticed Amelie was looking at the woman and coughed uneasily. “I wanted to return earlier, but this young woman suddenly appeared at our house. I asked her where she lived, but she said she doesn’t know. Then, I brought her to the police, but she started crying heavily. The police couldn’t do anything, so we could only wait and see whether her family would come and find her. There was no place to stay at the police station, so I brought her back here.”After listening to his explanation,

Amelie finally understood what had happened. It turns out that Dad found a woman who has lost her way and not a girlfriend. I was right. Dad has always been upright, so how could he have fallen in love with such a young woman?Steven did not like talking to others, so he did not explain anything when the other villagers bumped into that young lady. That was why the villagers thought he was dating her and spread those rumors around the village.On the other hand, Amelie did not tell him that she came because of the rumors, but she could not help but worry about where that woman could go.“Since her family hasn’t come for her after so long, they might’ve given up on her. How about we bring her to a shelter?” Not only did they not know where that woman came from, but she also seemed mentally ill. Therefore, it was rather terrifying to keep such a woman around.After thinking about it, Steven nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”“Elie.”Just as the two were talking, they suddenly heard a voice.Amelie was taken aback and scanned her surroundings.There was only her, Steven, and the woman around, so that voice…“Do you know my daughter?” He was the first to react and looked surprisedly at the woman before him.She nodded. “Of course, I know Elie. Elie is very pretty. She wears a princess dress every day and is the prettiest princess in the entire village.”Hearing that, Amelie was at a loss for words because the girl she was describing was indeed Amelie when she was a child. How does she know what I was like?While thinking of that, she shone the light onto the woman while moving away the hair that was covering her face. Steven also leaned over to take a look.Since he had presbyopia, he could not see anything under the dim lighting.However, Amelie slowly gained confidence that she had seen this face before. She racked her brain to find out who this woman was, and a similar figure suddenly appeared in her mind. “You’re Liz!”“Liz?” Steven became even more shocked. “How could she be… Liz? How could Liz become…”Liz was the daughter of Steven’s former apprentice and had stayed with the Dillons for a long period. Since her father did not send her to school, she became introverted and locked herself in the loft almost every day.However, the ‘Liz’ back then was alert and not mentally ill…

Chapter 229

“Yes, I am Liz,” the young woman spoke up sweetly, but her voice sounded robotic.Amelie was at a loss for words.Steven could not recognize Liz until now because she covered almost her entire face with her hair all day long. Also, she did not like appearing before others when she lived with the Dillons, so they would not meet each other for a few days at once. It had been so long since then that he had long forgotten about her.After observing her for a while, he sighed and withdrew his gaze. “It’s no wonder she’s out on the streets.”He never had any positive feelings about Liz’s dad, his apprentice.“It’s obvious now. Gary saw that she had gone mad and discarded her.”Gary McBride was Steven’s apprentice. One day, he came to Steven’s door and told him how pitiful he was. After hearing Gary’s story, Steven could not bear to see him suffer and agreed to let him be his apprentice.He pretended to be an honest person, addressing Steven as his master and saying he would take care of Steven after he got old. However, he secretly stole Steven’s glue-making formula and decided to sell it at a high price.The glue-making process was the most important in making shoes, for it was what paid the bills. Therefore, selling the formula was equivalent to ruining Steven’s career.At that time, Steven relied on his skills in shoemaking to feed his family. Naturally, he would not let such a thing happen. After Gary’s intentions were exposed, he sent the traitor away. Yet, he even stole a huge amount of money when he left!It was until they went to file a police report that they discovered the name, Gary McBride, was fake.If Liz had not appeared, Steven would have forgotten about that incident since it happened so long ago.When Amelie thought of these, she could not help but sigh softly. Then, the two brought Liz inside and let her sit on the old cloth couch.Amelie asked her, “Where’s your dad?”Liz’s eyes looked dazed, and it took her a while before coughing out a laugh and replied, “My sister is the most important. Daddy isn’t a good person. I followed Daddy, and Mommy married a rich man. My sister followed Mommy and the rich man.”After asking Liz many questions, she kept repeating these illogical sentences, so the Dillons could not get much information from her and stopped asking.Since Gary was a fake name and Liz was not in a sound mind, the Dillons had no idea where to send her. Therefore, Amelie stuck to her original plan and sent her to a shelter.As there were not any in Quinn Town, Amelie brought her back to

Halport and settled her at a shelter there.After the personnel checked Liz, she asked Amelie, “One of her eyes is blind, and she has traces of abuse on her. Do you know what she’s been through?”Amelie gazed into Liz’s eyes in surprise. She noticed her eyes looked dazed and thought it was due to her mental state. So, it was because she’s blind in one eye?“I don’t know.” It took her a while to answer.The worker sighed and shook her head. “People from the black market typically prefer healthy but mentally ill kids because their families don’t care or want them, so there’s no risk in kidnapping these kids. After caring for the kids for a few years, they would have these kids’ organs harvested for whoever needed them. It seems like she’s one of the lucky ones because she only lost her cornea.”Although Liz only had her cornea removed, such an experience must have been terrifying. Then, Amelie subconsciously touched her eye, which had lost most of its cornea too.That day onward, Amelie’s life was back to being peaceful, except when Leo kept coming over with the excuse of visiting Bria. Luckily, his visits were not frequent, so Amelie could accept that exception.Two weeks later, she went to Starlight Media. Although she no longer relied on that company to earn money, she still had to participate in making important decisions.When she arrived at Starlight Media and was ready to walk up the long, artistic stairs inside the building, she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw it was Matthew, who was standing not far from her and dressed like an elite with his neat suit, beaming at her.“Matthew.” Since they bumped into each other, she had no choice but to greet him.He kept his bright smile. “I thought I saw you.”Amelie smiled and heard him continue, “Miss White and I just happened to talk about you the last time we met. Since you’re single, how about giving me a chance, Elie?”Previously, he retreated his pursuit because he thought she had a boyfriend, yet after hearing from Julia that Amelie was single, he felt his heart beating wildly for her again.Amelie did not answer him but touched her aching forehead. Julia, that idiot. Does she think I don’t have enough on my plate? “I’m sorry, but I don’t have plans on getting married.”“Well, you never know. Things might change. Perhaps you’re just terrified of getting married again after your last attempt. After all, everybody is different, and I’m not the same kind of person as your ex,” Matthew spoke quickly, desperately trying to persuade her. “Although my conditions aren’t as good as your ex-husband’s, it’s not a problem for me to give you and Bria a comfortable life.”She remained silent.“As you can see,

Starlight Media and I are working together, and Miss White is very interested in our project, so you have to believe me when I say that.”Of course, Amelie believed him because she was the one who authorized the project. However, she did not need another man in her life as she enjoyed her life with Bria and Steven. She had grown tired of living with a large family that required her to be attentive to all sorts of relationships. Now, she preferred a simple life.Before she could speak, he grabbed her hand. “Elie, please give me a chance. I’ll use the rest of my life to prove to you that I can bring you and Bria happiness. If you think that’s not enough, I can even give you all of my assets!”She was too stunned to respond. I don’t need any money because I have countless of them, but if I say that, would it…Just as she was thinking of how to dissuade Matthew, she heard a cough coming from behind her. Who’s this guy? This is such a broad hallway, but why does he have to come over here? Also, he’s coughing like I’m in his way.While thinking of that, she moved slightly toward Matthew to make room, but the person behind her did not move. Why is that person still standing there? Is he watching us?Amelie could not figure out why that person was stationary. She was already feeling awkward with Matthew grabbing her hand, but now, they had an audience. Without any other choice, she looked over to the person behind her.When she turned around, she was met with a pair of cold eyes. Leo!Her heart began thumping frantically as she felt like today was her unlucky day. Leo had bumped into her in such an awkward state!Meanwhile, the man did not move and glued his gaze on her so brazenly that it surprised Matthew.“Who is—”“Good morning, Mr. Alston.” Amelie barely managed to smile when she greeted him.On the other hand, Leo wore an expressionless face and was as serious looking as ever. There was even a slight trace of hostility in him as if someone owed him money.With him standing there like an audience, Matthew could not continue with his confession and let go of Amelie’s hand. The moment he let go, Leo silently walked past her.This man… What is he doing? Did he stand there just to enjoy the show? She was speechless.“What’s his relationship with you?” asked Matthew, as Leo’s visage was on the tip of his tongue.Since Amelie had no intention of telling others about the matters between her and Leo, nor did she feel like there was a need to mention them, she simply replied, “A client.”“Oh,” Matthew responded. “By the way, I haven’t asked about your job.”“A social media influencer.”She had a lot of careers, so she just told him a random one.When Matthew heard that she was an influencer, he

replied with an ‘oh’, and his face dimmed. “My folks back home don’t like influencers. If it’s possible, you should have a change of career. I can help you get whatever job you want. If you want to continue with your current one, t-that works too.”Amelie was the person Matthew could not let go of. Therefore, even if her career would affect how his family judged her, he was willing to accept her wholly.Meanwhile, she looked at him speechlessly. Why are we back on this topic again?She had repeatedly told him her standpoint and now felt her throat dry, so she no longer wanted to continue this conversation and said, “I have something to do. Let’s continue this conversation in the future.”Hearing that she was about to leave, Matthew stuffed his name card into her hand. “If you’re free, please call me. No matter what trouble you’re facing, I’m one call away.” While he said that, he retreated while repeatedly gesturing that she call him.In the meantime, Amelie held the name card and thought about how as stubborn as a mule he was. Well, at least he’s an honest one.As she thought about it, she continued to walk up the stairs. When she arrived at the top and turned a corner, she saw the man that left earlier.Leo was leaning against the railing at the end of Starlight Media’s corridor while smoking a cigarette. The position he was standing in was able to monitor everything that happened at the curved staircase.

Chapter 230

Please don’t tell me he’s been standing there watching me and Matthew all this while.With that thought, Amelie shook her head. No, Leo wouldn’t do such a childish thing, so he must be waiting for someone.As a result, she did not intend to pay any attention to him and continued forward. When she arrived before Leo, he straightened his back and left the railway to stand before her. His deep eyes landed on her figure. “That man isn’t a fit for you.”She was speechless. Although she had no intention of getting into a relationship with Matthew, having Leo point out her private matters made her feel uneasy.A faint smile appeared on her beautiful face as she rebuked, “Mr. Alston, you’re crossing the line.”Leo looked silently at her and found her smile cold and offended. Is it because I criticized that man?He did not know Matthew’s name but remembered who Matthew was. He was the man who was always following behind Amelie back at Quinn Town. Now, he chased after her to Clouson City.Combining what Amelie said and how she let that man hold her hand, Leo reckoned she had feelings for that man. That guy not only looks meh, but his career is also… meh. His entire existence screams ‘basic’, so what does she see in him?The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. His face darkened like storm clouds, and an oppressive aura spread about several feet to their surroundings!Suddenly, Amelie could feel the oppressive atmosphere and shivered. Why do I feel so cold?At first, she thought Leo would act like he usually did and leave without saying anything, but who would have thought he would continue to stand before her like a statue?“I just want to remind you that you have Bria with you, so it’s not suitable for you to marry a man who’s stepping into his first marriage.” In an instant, Leo’s voice became ice cold.His words… He’s clearly saying that I’m divorced, so I don’t deserve to marry someone like Matthew. Fortunately, I have no intentions with Matthew. Or else, I might’ve been discouraged.His words resembled a fishbone lodged in her throat; it was stuck in her throat, neither going up nor down, making it utterly uncomfortable to reply.Not wanting to say another word to him, Amelie walked past him and left.When she arrived at Julia’s office, she saw Julia crossing both her legs on her chair, indecently swirling it in circles. Also, she had one hand lazily propping one side of her head while looking at something in her other hand.When she saw Amelie, she

giggled and walked over. “Have you heard? Elyse has been living a hellish life recently. Not only is her manager ignoring her, but all her resources have also been taken away by newbies. Also, there’s been news that she even fought with a newbie. Someone happened to catch it on camera and posted it on the Internet. The few remaining geeky fans she had have now made a change of heart and unfollowed her social media accounts.”Since Amelie was busy with matters about their platform and had no interest in entertainment news, she did not know about Elyse’s recent situation.Then, Julia reached out her arm and showed her the video.Amelie looked down and watched the video of Elyse fighting another person without caring about her image. The Elyse inside the video was no longer the same elegant woman but shrewd!Also, the viral video gave the netizens another look at how she was in real life. Henceforth, her image plummeted, and the internet was filled with criticism of her.“She already can’t act, and now, she comes out with such a scandal. Does she not want to stay in the industry anymore?” Julia huffed.With the number of disgusting deeds Elyse had done, Julia felt no pity for her encounter; instead, she was gloating.“What’s up with Leo recently? The love of his life is being mistreated, yet he doesn’t even come to her rescue. Is he going to stand by and watch as everyone criticizes her and let her dreams get washed away?” At the mention of him, Amelie instinctively thought about what he had said earlier and felt displeased. However, she did not show it on her face but replied coldly, “Melissa has her eyes set on the Joyner Family from Seafare, so he might be getting married soon.”“Really? The Joyner Family from Seafare? That’s a huge chunk of meat,” Julia spoke sarcastically. “No wonder he left Elyse alone. He’s afraid the Joyners would be unhappy about this. Seriously, how ambitious is Leo? He’s already a tycoon in Clouson City and gets his assets doubled each year, yet he still wants to marry someone from the Joyner Family? Is he trying to become the richest man in the country?”“Regardless of whether he’s trying to become the richest man in the country or the world, that has nothing to do with me.” Amelie seemed uninterested as she reached for a contract on the table beside her. “Have you drawn up the cooperation details on Matthew’s project?”“It’s all done. All there’s left is for the legal department to run through it, then we can get him to sign the contract.” While Julia was explaining, she looked at Amelie with glistening eyes. “He asked me a lot of questions about you after finding out that we know each other. Also, he told me that he had exerted a lot of effort in pursuing

you back in the day. It was a pity he was interested in you, but you weren’t. I think he’s an honest and upright man whom you can rely on. Are you not going to consider him?”Julia only met Amelie after high school, and since Matthew and Amelie did not go to the same school, he could only pursue her when she was in Quinn Town. Therefore, Julia did not know of his existence.Moreover, with Amelie’s current value, their marriage would be considered marrying down into the Larkson Family.Still, with her abilities, she did not need to rely on men to gain money. All she needed was a considerate and meticulous man, so Julia saw highly of Matthew.“Stop trying to be a matchmaker.” Amelie closed the document and slapped it on Julia. “Don’t you think I have enough on my plate?”Having Matthew chasing after me is already bothersome enough, and there are also Leo’s sarcastic remarks…“I rather leave these men alone and not let them interfere with my life.”Isn’t it satisfying enough to live a life with Bria and Dad?Seeing that Amelie was uninterested, Julia could only stop talking about it and received the document. “To be honest, I don’t know much about Quinn Town. If you, the boss, hadn’t authorized this project, I wouldn’t have decided to cooperate with them so quickly.“I was born in Quinn Town. The air there is fresh, and I’ve visited Matthew’s farm before. The farm is run according to the Peroulian Union’s standards, and the fruits are grown entirely without pesticides. So, we don’t have to worry about their products.”Back then, the fruits Matthew sold were all imported. However, due to the pandemic worsening the market over the last two years, he could only turn to local fruits.“Although the quality of his fruits passes with flying colors, the domestic market is already saturated. If it weren’t for you, no matter how good he is, he might not have reached what he has today. In that sense, it looks like Matthew owes you a big favor.” After saying that, Julia rose to her feet and called the legal department to progress with the final checking and printing of the contract.When Amelie heard what Julia said, she pursed her lips and said calmly, “We grew up in the same town, so I’ll help him in any way I can.”Just as Julia was about to reply, she thought she saw a figure behind the ajar door and strode over. When she looked out the door, the place was empty, so she did not think too much about it and took a few more glances around before shutting the door.After the door was closed, a figure clad in a suit appeared.