Ch. 331..335: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 331-335
Chapter 331 He Is in Love With Someone Else
Amelie had been in love before, so she instantly saw through the new girl's thoughts. She was interested in Toby.
Amelie turned to look at him.
The gentle smile on his stern face previously had vanished.
To be more exact, there was a conflicted look on his face.
She did not know what it meant, but she was absolutely certain that he and the girl knew each other.
"I'll leave you to it," she said, kindly stepping away.
Her dress swished as she strode away.
......
"What is going on, Leony? Why did you let Toby get together with Foxy?"
After searching the whole place in frustration, Melissa finally found her son. The instant she did so, she began to question him, making no effort to suppress her disappointment.
Her youthful face no longer looked elegant and refined. Instead, she looked frustrated and breathless.
In contrast, Leo looked so calm that it made others wonder if they belonged to two separate dimensions instead.
They were acting very differently from each other.
He remained where he was with two hands resting against the railing with a calm and handsome face. If one were to look closer, one would realize he was staring at something in the distance.
Three figures could be seen reflected in his eyes with one of them slowly drifting away from the other two with a swish of her dress.
His gaze trailed the departing figure until she vanished from his sight.
"Are you listening to me, Leony?" Melissa was so furious when she did not hear a response from him after a while. Still, she dared not cause a scene because she was afraid of humiliation. Thus, she had no choice but to suppress her rage.
Her exquisite makeup was starting to crack, though.
It was only then that Leo slowly turned around and looked at her.
When he looked at her, the warmth lurking deep within his eyes had vanished and was replaced by his usual cool aloof look.
He pursed his lips and kept quiet.
Whenever he silently pursed his lips, he always looked incredibly stern and even Melissa was afraid of him despite being his mother. If not for the anger burning in her, she would have backed off by now.
She forcefully shoved her frustration out of her mind and insistently said, "I don't mean anything by it, but you looked so interested in her. I don't want you to miss out on someone you love."
"Love?" Leo finally spoke, but it was only to repeat her statement. He said it as if he were savoring and considering it.
Her face flushed red. Although he had not actually said anything, he had already slapped her in the face with such a reply.
His eyes blatantly told her he knew she was only using not wanting him to miss out on someone he loved as an excuse. At the very least, he knew she was not doing all this for him.
With her secret motive exposed, it took her a long time before she could finally speak again. "I admit, I like Foxy. She may be a little arrogant, but she's a strong woman. She would be of great help to you in the future."
She then cleared her throat and looked up at him. "Leony, you have brought the company to great heights and made those who doubted you shut their mouths, but your marriage is always a weakness people criticize you for. I don't want those shareholders to use that as an excuse to criticize you one day. If you marry Foxy, you won't have to worry about that. Of course, my status would also increase if you married an amazing wife."
Her last statement was her true motive.
Leo looked in disappointment at the woman who was his biological mother. Since he was a child, she only cared about her reputation.
As long as it made her look good, anything could be given up—even he, her own son.
"Do you know who she is?" he asked calmly. His lips were tilted in disappointment and mockery.
"Her? Isn't she Foxy?" she slowly replied, not understanding what he meant.
Who else could the woman be if not Foxy?
Not wanting to explain further, Leo turned and left.
Melissa's fury flared to life once more when she saw him walk away from her, but she did not dare stop him.
After walking away, Amelie hid in a safe and quiet spot.
She did not want to bump into Leo, and she did not want the Walshes and other people to constantly talk about her and Toby.
Thankfully, the gods seemed to understand what she wanted. For the next few hours, no one disturbed her.
Toby only decided to call her sometime after ten.
According to him, the event was over.
Amelie rejoiced and told him where she was.
Within five minutes, he appeared in her vision.
"You're good at hiding." There was a bitter smile on his face when he realized where she was hiding.
She smiled in return, but she did not ask him what was happening between him and that girl.
Toby did not plan to explain either. "I'll send you home."
However, it was so late that she did not want to waste his time. Hence, she had him drop her off at the area she used to live in.
She took her mask off, bid her farewells, and walked into the area with her bag in hand.
She waited until he drove off before walking back out.
Amelie currently lived in Halport, and she would always go home unless something happened, so she walked along the road, planning to call a taxi to take her back to Halport.
However, just as she pulled out her phone, she sensed an overpowering presence coming from above her as her entire body was covered by the shadow of a man.
She swiftly looked up and saw that Leo had been standing less than three feet away from her, staring at her with pursed lips and dark eyes.
He exuded an aura that was so heavy that she felt breathless looking at him.
It felt like she was going to suffocate.
She had to take a deep breath and force herself to look at him. "Is there something you need, Mr. Alston?"
Her voice was so casual and nonchalant that it sounded as if she had merely bumped into a neighbor she only knew the name of.
Leo frowned, seemingly in dissatisfaction. Still, he did not focus on her tone of voice. Instead, he said, "Toby is not the same kind of playboy as Ashton. Ashton is only a playboy on the surface, an act for his family. Toby is a man who has been in love with someone the entire time, but he could not be with her since she was not good enough to be Mrs. Walsh. His parents had warned him that they would destroy her if he continued to talk to her."
"Toby only obeyed their orders on the surface. He had never once planned on giving up on her. If you date him, you will only end up in a love triangle."
As she silently listened to him, she immediately recalled the seemingly demure woman she saw.
While she had only glanced at the woman, her modest beauty was striking enough that she could still recall the woman's looks. She was so breathtakingly beautiful.
Beautiful and fragile.
It was the easiest way to get men to feel protective.
However, what did that have to do with her?
Her relationship with Toby was just a farce. No matter how many people he loved, it was none of her business.
At that thought, she politely smiled and grunted in acknowledgment.
She had just responded when her arms were taken hostage.
Even though Leo had acted with great restraint, his hands were still clamped tightly around her arms.
"Listen up, Amelie. You are mine. No matter what you do to me, be it a fit of rage or revenge, I am fine with it. My only condition is that you cannot be with another man!"
Just the mere sight of her smiling at Toby and dancing with Toby had him going crazy.
Leo could not bear watching the woman he loved smiling at another man.
He instinctively dragged her into his arms and only felt safe when he could feel her petite body pressed up against his chest.
"Ha!" His words did not make Amelie's heart skip. Instead, she let out a cold and curt chuckle.
Her smile shone brightly, but it was full of scorn.
When she loved him, he threw her aside like trash.
How could he say all this after she had finally moved on from him?
Who did he think she was?
She did not want to go over the past though. Instead, she broke free of his grip and said, "Mr. Alston, are you filming a drama series? Yours? I belong to myself, and that has nothing to do with you. Please, stop
telling me all this nonsense. Stop interfering with my personal life."
Even though she had spoken in a joking manner, her face was blank as she rubbed the pain out of the spots he had clenched his hands around.
"If you're not done acting yet, you can stay here and continue your performance. I won't be playing along."
She then walked away.
She had only taken a step when her entire body was lifted into the air by him, which left her speechless.
Chapter 332 Won’t Let Go of Her
Amelie hurriedly tried to break free.
Suddenly, she was lowered down. She had been placed in a car seat.
She swiftly darted out of Leo's arms and clung tight to the seat.
Bang.
The door gently closed.
The next thing she knew, he was getting in the driver's seat.
Then, the car started.
That was all done in the space of a few seconds.
"Hey!" she called out, confused by his actions.
However, she saw him tap and swipe at the car navigation system to enter the address of her home in Halport.
Was he... driving her home?
She stared at him in shock.
"It has been a long time since I've seen Bria. I want to visit her," he said.
He said that with a straight face.
If her memory was right, those two had just met a while ago.
Leo drove quickly, and in a few minutes, they were already on the highway.
It was already too late for her to say anything.
It was nearly midnight by the time they arrived at her home.
Steven was not home yet.
As Toby dragged her away without giving her time to prepare, Amelie had to ask her neighbor, Mrs. Levine, to babysit Bria.
When the two of them arrived, Bria was fast asleep in Mrs. Levine's home.
Amelie repeatedly apologized for how late it was while Leo walked over to tenderly lift Bria into his arms.
Even so, she was awoken by the shift. She stared at Leo while drowsily rubbing her eyes.
He looked down at her and kissed her on the forehead.
Her lips spread into a wide grin. "Dada."
She then wormed into his embrace, shuffling around to find a comfortable spot before going back to sleep.
Mrs. Levine watched their interaction with wide eyes and gave Amelie a nudge. "The child's father is a great man. He's handsome and knows how to take care of kids."
That rendered Amelie speechless.
When they headed back to her home, he acted as though he was only there because he wanted to see Bria.
He stayed in Bria's room the entire time, never once leaving it.
When Amelie walked past, she spotted him carefully wiping Bria's face with a wet cloth.
His hands were so cautious, and his eyes were solemn. The usual stern look on his face was tinged with the softness of a kind father.
She was taken aback by the sight. After leaving a set of new sleepwear from her father on the couch, she headed back to her room.
She had been exhausted on the car ride over, but she did not dare fall asleep since Leo was there.
Now that she was back in her domain, such worries were unnecessary.
She stretched and took off her clothes before heading into the bathroom.
After a nice shower, she went to bed and soon fell asleep.
She woke up at dawn when her alarm rang.
After Steven's departure, she was now in charge of making Bria breakfast.
Thus, she got up and headed to the kitchen.
She immediately spotted the shadow of a man in the kitchen.
"Dad," she called out, thinking her father had returned.
The man turned around to face her.
It was actually Leo dressed in Steven's sleepwear.
She was startled.
It was only then that she recalled he had driven her home last night.
She had left her father's sleepwear on the couch as a precaution. Based on what she knew of him, she thought he would have gone home.
He did not, however.
She knew that he never liked sleeping anywhere apart from his own bed. Unless he had no choice, he would always head home.
This...
Leo frowned when he heard her call "Dad". His gaze swept past her figure in a meaningful manner.
There was something different about his gaze today. Every second of being looked at made her feel as if her clothes might vanish.
The look in his eyes was so impressionable that she found it hard to breathe.
She could not avoid recalling their hug from yesterday and instinctively retreated far away from him.
He did not call her out on it though. "Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes."
She returned to her room and changed out of her sleepwear. She then headed over to Bria's room to wake her up.
By the time they were ready, there was already a large bowl of steaming hot soup waiting for them in the middle of the table. Combined with the fresh parsley, they looked very appetizing.
Bria was drooling. She hurriedly scrambled over to get Leo to serve her some soup.
He grabbed a shallow soup bowl and ladled some into it. That way, the soup would cool down faster.
Bria squinted her eyes with pleasure as she took a tiny spoonful of soup.
"It's delicious!"
He stroked her head before serving Amelie a bowl as well.
She was surprised by his actions.
She just could not get used to the idea of him cooking breakfast.
Still, she lowered her lips and took a spoonful of soup.
It was refreshing and sweet.
While it was not as nice as Steven's, it was good.
Sitting across the table, Bria was engrossed in her food. Her spoon kept clinking against the bowl as she shoved spoonful after spoonful of soup into her mouth.
Soon, her bowl was almost empty.
"Dada, can you make breakfast for me every day?" Bria swiftly asked after she finished breakfast.
He did not respond. Instead, he turned to look at Amelie.
It was as if he was asking for her opinion.
She ignored him and walked over to straighten Bria's clothes. "Come on. We're going to be late."
Bria pouted but did not protest and let Amelie pull her out of their home.
Leo followed right behind them.
"Oh, are you going to drop Bria at her school?" Mrs. Levine cheerfully asked, having just returned from her morning exercise.
She then gazed at the trio with joy. "A family of three; how nice."
That rendered Amelie speechless.
"Say goodbye to Mrs. Levine," Leo said to Bria as his lips tilted up into a faint smile.
Bria waved at Mrs. Levine and chimed, "Goodbye, Mrs. Levine!"
"Goodbye." Mrs. Levine smiled as she waved back. Before heading back into her home, she pulled Amelie aside and said, "You have such a handsome husband, Elie. You should hurry up on your second little one."
Once more, Mrs. Levine rendered Amelie speechless.
What did having a second child have to do with how handsome her husband was?
Wait. She was not even married to Leo!
She was about to explain the situation, but Mrs. Levine winked at her and headed home.
After dropping Bria off at the kindergarten, Amelie turned to Leo. "Let's talk."
She then led him to a quiet spot.
When she turned back to look at him, she saw that he had followed her over. Standing under the tree, he fixed his gaze on her.
She uneasily ruffled her hair. "Leo, we're divorced. Please stop coming to my home. I don't want any misunderstandings to happen. If you want to see Bria, tell me. I'll have you meet her somewhere else."
Boundaries had to be set. She did not want a repeat of what happened this morning.
He did not say anything and just calmly stared at her.
His lips were pursed the entire time, making it hard for her to tell what he was thinking.
Now that she had said her piece, she nodded and walked past him.
He did not run after her.
Instead, he went back to his car.
Watching the car speed away, she felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
The reason why she had to clarify things with Leo was that she did not want Bria to assume they were getting back together.
The years Bria spent in the Alston Residence had irrevocably damaged her. Amelie could not let that happen again.
She turned and walked away.
She never noticed the car quietly turning around to follow her until she headed into her home.
There was a dark look on Leo's face as he held the steering wheel with one hand.
Meanwhile, his left hand was hanging out of the window with a cigarette hanging from it.
The hazy smoke rising from it made his cold face look rather ethereal.
He was lost in thoughts.
There was so much he wanted to say.
He even felt the urge to lock her up and stay by his side.
However, after he realized just how vain his mother was, he had become more restrained.
He wanted her, not because she was Foxy.
It was not because she was Big Eyes either.
He had started to love her before he even knew she was Big Eyes.
However, he had not realized his feelings back then.
By the time he knew of them, it was already too late.
Even so, he would not let go of her.
Thet rendered Amelie speechless.
Chapter 333 Disowned
Amelie was busy with work for the next few days.
Thankfully, Steven was back from his trip, relieving much of her burden.
She was busy with both Knowlit and her streams.
Know it was booming, and there was a lot of interest from research groups.
She had no choice but to hire a few professionals for quality control.
With more quality content being produced, the platform's business was soaring. Investors were all interested in it and tried to convince her to go public.
Not wanting to expand too fast, she rejected all of their suggestions.
Meanwhile, she made a few tweaks to the site to improve the user interface and increase the variety of content available.
In the blink of an eye, two weeks passed.
After all that work was over, she generously gave herself two days off from work.
She was thinking about how to make use of her vacation time.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a message.
'Come to the Walsh Building.'
It was an unknown number.
She stared at it for ages, but she could not think of just who could have sent her that message.
However, she was familiar with the Walsh Building.
That was where Toby's company, Walsh Residence, was located.
Did that mean Toby sent her the message?
She called Toby, wanting to confirm her guess.
He did not answer the phone.
Worried that it was urgent, she did not spend too much time pondering. She informed Steven before swiftly jumping into her car and driving over to the Walsh Building.
It was an hour's drive from Halport to Clouson City.
However, she had cut it down to thirty minutes.
As soon as she arrived at the building, she swung the car around in a beautiful arc to slide her car into a narrow parking lot.
She was about to grab her bag and get out of the car.
At that moment, she saw a car stop right in front of her.
The driver swiftly got out and opened one of the doors to allow a middle-aged man to step out.
He was dressed in a fine suit.
Meanwhile, another man stepped out of the car from the other side.
The man was dressed entirely in white with his somewhat long hair tied up in a ponytail to frame the gentle curves of his face.
It was Toby.
"Think carefully. What happened between you and Leo Alston?" the middle-aged man sternly asked Toby. Despite looking very similar to Toby, he looked extremely strict.
She instantly knew who he was.
He was Toby's father, Theodore Walsh.
The two men had yet to spot Amelie and her car. They were fully focused on each other.
Toby silently pursed his lips. His usually smiling eyes were drooping and staring down at the ground while his shoulders were hunched over.
When Theodore saw that, his anger only grew as he barked out in a harsher tone of voice, "We have always worked well with the Alstons, yet today he suddenly canceled our collaboration, specifically your project. Don't tell me this has nothing to do with you!"
Uncontrollable rage rang in his voice and his eyes looked fierce.
Toby helplessly pursed his lips and huffed in silent agreement.
Theodore slammed his hand against the car window. "You're such a useless failure! Now that the Alstons have canceled our contract, our necks are on the line! If things do not improve, the entire project will fail. Think carefully; the company will suffer a great loss once the few hundred million dollars project fails. If you can't resolve this matter, your grandfather will disown you."
Then, without a second glance at Toby, he stomped into the office building.
Toby raised his eyebrows in helplessness as he combed his long fingers through his hair. As he turned around, he spotted her.
"Why are you here?" he asked in surprise with an awkward look on his face.
Ah, so he was not the one who messaged her.
She was certain of that.
She silently got out of her car and walked over to him. "My apologies. I did not mean to overhear your conversation."
He ducked his head down and gave her a smile that was somewhat bitter and somewhat embarrassed.
"What happened between you and Leo? How did things end up this way?"
She knew that the two families had always worked together.
With how close the two families were, there was no reason for Leo to cancel their collaborative projects.
Not unless something major happened.
"Profit has always been the king in the world of business. My project isn't profitable enough for him, so he gave up on it," he casually explained.
She silently stared at him.
For some reason, she believed that was not the real reason.
"You haven't had lunch, have you? I'm hungry. Do you want to grab lunch together?" he asked, pulling her along as he walked.
That snapped her out of her thoughts.
She instinctively shied away from his touch. "It's fine. I have plans."
She did not want to interact too much with him.
"This is the Walsh Building, and quite a few people know we're dating. If you don't have lunch with me while you're here, people will be suspicious." He did not try to pull her along again. Instead, he looked down at his now-empty hand.
That rendered Amelie speechless.
Theodore had just expressed his dissatisfaction with Toby. If people start to suspect Toby's relationship with her, it would be adding fuel to the fire.
He did save her twice, so she could not be cruel.
Finally, she nodded. "Fine."
He walked fast. Soon, he brought her to a huge and lavishly decorated restaurant.
"This way, Mr. Walsh," a waitress greeted, walking up to them. "Your usual?"
It was evident he was a regular here.
The waitress' eyes were shimmering as she looked at him. Her eyes nearly spelled out "I love you" at him.
However, she uneasily looked away when she spotted Amelie.
"No." He snapped his fingers. "We'll have something different today."
He then pulled out a chair for Amelie.
After they sat down, he immediately began to order without even looking at the menu.
The waitress swiftly tapped away on her tablet and added the dishes he named to their order. Then, she paused with doubt in her eyes. "Mr. Walsh, you usually hate spicy dishes."
"I merely do not like to have spicy food when I'm working. I'm on leave today, so I'd like to give the dishes a go," he replied.
The waitress went silent, hid her doubt, and strode away.
Amelie silently stared at him.
Every dish he had ordered was her favorite.
Was it a coincidence?
They rarely ever dined together, and she had never told him her food preferences.
It was hard to wave it away as a coincidence.
An advantage of high-end restaurants was that few people dined there.
The servers were quick to serve them. In just ten minutes, all of their dishes were served.
Toby politely picked up his cutlery and gestured to her, saying, "Let's eat."
She continued to silently stare at him before turning her attention to the food.
They were soon done with their meal.
Just then, his phone rang.
He shot her an apologetic look. "I have to take this."
He then answered the phone as he walked out.
She took the opportunity to walk over to the sales register as she wanted to pay for the meal.
"Mr. Walsh has already paid," the waitress politely responded while also sizing her up.
Standing nearby, the waitress who had served them whispered to another waitress, "I heard Mr. Walsh never orders spicy food, yet he suddenly ordered some today. Is it all because of the lady he brought along?"
She had just finished speaking when the waitress she was speaking to nudged her.
Realizing Amelie was standing at the sales register, the gossiping waitress hurriedly covered her mouth while shooting an embarrassed smile at Amelie.
"I'm sorry, but I have something urgent to attend to. I have to go now," Toby said, suddenly appearing behind Amelie.
"I'll leave you to it," she swiftly replied with a nod.
He nodded to her apologetically before striding away.
She did not go back to the table. Instead, she headed to the exit as well.
She had barely taken a few steps when someone stepped in front of her, blocking her way out. "Miss Dillon."
Chapter 334 Mr. Alston Has a Soft Side
Amelie stared at the woman blocking her way. The woman was slender and had delicate features, but her pale face looked sickly. Amelie recognized her as the girl who had tried to talk to Toby at the party hosted by Alfred. If Amelie guessed correctly, this was the girl that Leo said Toby had always liked and never gave up on.
"Can I help you?" Amelie asked calmly. The girl was visibly nervous, making her seem fragile and vulnerable.
"Uhm." The girl bit her lip as if finding it hard to speak, but continued, "Miss Dillon, have you heard that Mr. Alston canceled his collaboration with Toby?"
"Yeah," Amelie responded nonchalantly.
"Mr. Alston did it because you and Toby announced during Old Mr. Walsh's birthday party that you two are dating. He did it because of you…" The girl blurted out. Her face turned red as she began coughing a little.
"I-I followed you and found out that you are Foxy. Miss Dillon, you're Mr. Alston's ex-wife, so this was a form of warning to Toby because Mr. Alston doesn't want you and Toby to be together," the girl added, showing that she knew quite a lot.
Was Leo dealing with Toby because of me? Amelie couldn't help but recall Leo's previous domineering expression.
"So, you're the one who told me to meet you at the Walsh Building? You planned for me to hear Toby and his father's conversation?" Amelie's expression grew colder.
"Y-Yes, it was me," the girl said, coughing again because of her nervousness. She was so weak it was downright frustrating to watch.
Amelie couldn't explain it, but she felt uneasy looking at the girl. She just couldn't bring herself to like her.
"I'm Serenity Lindon," the girl introduced herself. "I don't have the power to help Toby, so I hope you can help him, Miss Dillon. He can't leave the company; he's too good to be let go."
After saying that, Serenity looked even more pitiful as her eyes turned red. If Amelie were a guy, she would probably hug and comfort her right now. "Please help him," she pleaded, bowing deeply before turning to leave.
Watching her wobbly back as she walked away, Amelie tightened her lips, but she still went to Genesis anyway.
"Hello, do you have an appointment?" the new receptionist at Genesis greeted her with a friendly smile.
Amelie smiled back and was about to speak when someone walked over. "Miss Dillon!"
It was Eugene. Seeing Amelie, Eugene acted like he was facing a formidable enemy and even glared at the receptionist.
The receptionist looked confused, but still recognized Amelie's distinguished status and quickly lowered her head.
"Miss Dillon, are you here to see Mr. Alston?" Eugene asked politely, wiping away his cold sweat. If he hadn't come down in time, Mr. Alston's distinguished guest would have been neglected.
"Please follow me," he gestured without waiting for Amelie's response and quickly pressed the elevator button. Amelie didn't hesitate and followed him into the elevator.
A few seconds later, Eugene led Amelie into Leo's office. Leo was sitting in front of his computer, his face as serious as ever. Not only did his seriousness not affect his appearance but also added a few degrees of coldness.
He was holding a phone in his hand, issuing orders to the other end. When Eugene spoke, his eyes were cold, but when he saw Amelie, warmth came to his eyes, and his gaze softened.
"The meeting is postponed for three hours," he commanded the person on the other end, his lips curling up slightly.
There was a loud bang as the phone hit the ground on the other side. After a moment of silence, a trembling voice spoke up, "T-Three hours?" The executive from the R&D department had never heard of Leo postponing a meeting before. Leo's time was always calculated by the minute and was never wasted. A three-hour delay was unimaginable. Leo didn't say anything else; he just hung up the phone and stood up, giving Eugene a look. Eugene understood and quickly left the room.
"Bring two cups of coffee to the office," he strode over to the secretary's desk and ordered the secretary.
"Yes, sir." The professional and beautiful secretary immediately walked toward the CEO's private pantry.
Inside the office, Leo looked at Amelie with a soft gaze. "Why did you suddenly come over?" His voice was unexpectedly gentle, so much so that the secretary who brought in the coffee almost thought she was in the wrong place. Is this really the CEO? He was always serious and stern like he could freeze others with a single glance. Even if he was incredibly handsome, no secretary would dare to approach this cold and distant CEO. The secretary took a step back, almost spilling the coffee. After she gathered her composure, she walked toward Amelie. Seeing that Amelie was standing, she put the coffee on the small table behind Amelie. She then took another cup of coffee from the tray and placed it on Leo's desk. "Mr. Alston, your coffee."
"Where's Eugene?" Leo's face darkened at the sound of the secretary's voice. "Can't a special assistant like him brew coffee?"
"Well..." Brew coffee? Isn't that something I always do? The secretary looked at Leo blankly, completely unable to understand what she did wrong.
Seeing Leo's face darken and the secretary on the verge of tears, Amelie took a step back and picked up the coffee on the table, taking a sip with her head down. "I have something to discuss with you."
Leo finally looked away from the secretary, and when he faced Amelie, his gaze softened once again. The secretary was shocked to see this, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. The always cold and distant Mr. Alston was looking at someone with such tenderness! This girl... the secretary couldn't help but look at Amelie, wondering what was so special about this girl that could turn their CEO into a gentle lamb.
"Sit down." Leo felt annoyed that Eugene brought in a female secretary to pour coffee. He left his seat and pulled out a chair for Amelie. The secretary was surprised. Did the CEO just pull out a chair for someone?
She was so shocked that her jaw almost dropped. But thinking about Leo's sternness toward her, she didn't dare to linger and quickly leave the office with the tray, her pace so quick that it seemed like a wolf was chasing her.
Amelie didn't sit in the chair Leo pulled out for her. Instead, she took a step back and pulled out another chair herself.
"It's about Toby." She put the cup on the table and only stared at it, not at him. "If you have any grievances, you can vent them on me. There's no need to take it out on him."
Amelie's sudden visit had initially made Leo feel happy, but after hearing her words, he tightened up his previously soft features once again.
Chapter 335 Till Death Do Us Part
"You came just for him?" Leo's voice was as cold as ice. Amelie had grown accustomed to the coldness after four years of facing it almost every day in Alston Residence, so she simply lifted her chin nonchalantly and said, "Yes."
What? She agreed so readily! Leo felt as though a knife had been plunged into him, slicing away the joy and excitement he had just felt. All that remained was an overwhelming sense of suffocation, like a chest full of hard, cold stones that made it difficult for him to breathe.
Amelie naturally did not miss his subtle change. After years of being around him, she could still tell when Leo was angry. In the past, she would have been nervous and at a loss, racking her brain to find a way to calm him down. But now, she had no such intentions. She silently sipped her coffee, waiting for Leo to explode.
"Since you're here, let's eat together." She waited for what felt like forever, but all she got was this statement. Leo pushed back his chair, walked over to the coat rack, and took off his coat, draping it over his arm.
Amelie was speechless.
She looked at Leo in surprise. He didn't get angry, but instead wants to eat with me? She had thought he would leave silently like he used to. Leo lowered his eyes and looked at Amelie. There was a hint of helplessness in his gaze. "If there's anything you need to say, let's do it over a meal."
Outside the door, Eugene, too, was speechless.
He had come over because the secretary had conveyed Leo's earlier message, and only then did he realize how significant Amelie was to him. He felt guilty for having a random female secretary bring in the coffee. When he arrived at the door, he saw the two of them at odds. Eugene was not unfamiliar with this
situation, but he couldn't just walk in. He stood there, frozen. Yet what he witnessed was the usually cold Mr. Alston becoming extremely gentle toward Amelie. He is putting his lover's needs above his own, even when provoked by a love rival! Is this the same boss I know?
Eugene was still in shock when Amelie spoke. "I've eaten."
Amelie stayed put in her seat. Then, Leo walked over, lowered his head, and pressed his nose against her clothes, sniffing lightly. Amelie didn't understand what he was doing and flinched away in fear.
"Did you eat with Toby?"
Amelie stared at him as if she was staring at a creature. Is he a dog? Could he really smell Toby on me?
"Yeah."
It wasn't really a secret, so Amelie nodded. Leo's face darkened again. Seeing this expression of his, Amelie was aware that Leo was not a softie, and he could do anything when he was angry. She wasn't afraid for herself, but she didn't want him to take it out on Toby. Since she came here to help Toby and not give him more trouble, she quickly said, "Toby and I are just pretending to be a couple. There's no way we would do something like that."
"Pretending?" Leo's face finally softened a little, and his expression became slightly warmer. Even if they were just pretending, he still didn't like it. He didn't say anything more, though. Given Amelie's attitude toward him, he knew that saying anything would only make her dislike him even more. He decided to let it go for now.
"In any case, you have to eat with me. No meal, no talk!" He finished speaking and walked out. He knew he shouldn't threaten her, but if he didn't, she probably wouldn't agree to eat with him.
Eugene was dumbfounded again at the door. Mr. Alston is so shameless!
Amelie sighed helplessly as she watched Leo walk away. She used to dream of him leading her by the nose, but he refused to do so. Now she had no feelings for him, but he was causing one trouble after another. Oh well, it's just to keep him company. I can do that. Reluctantly, she followed him.
"Toby?"
In the narrow corridor, Serenity, who was following Toby, didn't expect him to turn back. She was caught off guard and her face showed a brief moment of embarrassment and shyness as she bumped into him. But she quickly recovered and said, "I didn't expect you to be here too."
Toby looked at her with a deep expression, and the warmth that used to be on his face was gone; it was replaced by a hint of ice. Serenity felt anxious being looked at by him like this, so she could only clench her fists and cough softly. She coughed weakly and gasped for breath, looking very pitiful. While coughing, she secretly observed Toby's facial expressions. She couldn't see the tenderness of the past in his face anymore. Serenity frowned slightly and looked sad and helpless as if she were a pitiful abandoned little animal. Even so, Toby did not come forward to help her and always maintained a great distance from her.
Serenity had to raise both her hands and say, "I admit, I've been following you. I only did it because I care about you."
She looked up at him with a pair of innocent eyes, like a helpless little lamb. "I know you've been bullied by Mr. Alston lately, and I really want to help you."
Serenity bit her lip and her eyes were red. Her tears were threatening to fall. "I know you'll be unhappy, but I still went to find Miss Dillon. I'm sorry. I'm really just too concerned about you, and I can't bear to see you b-being bullied like this."
As soon as her words fell, Toby's eyebrows furrowed tightly. "You went to see her?"
"I really just want to help you," Serenity said with a trembling voice. As soon as she finished speaking, Toby quickly said, "Our relationship has long been over, and I made that clear last time. From now on, don't appear in front of her in any way!"
His words were calm and devoid of any emotions; he didn't even look at Serenity more than once. After he finished speaking, he turned and walked away. Serenity swayed on the spot and looked at Toby. He clearly wanted to go in and buy something, but now he would rather leave to avoid her!
Serenity couldn't bear it anymore and tears fell down her cheeks. "I know you hate me for not listening to you and marrying someone else, but it was your family that forced me. I had no other choice!"
She ran up to him, hugged him from behind, and said, "Toby, do you know how hard my life has been these years? I like you, but I have to be with another man... It's just like living a life worse than death."
Toby didn't move. He looked down at her tightly clasped hands and asked, "Are you sure?"
"Toby, what do you mean?" Serenity looked at him with a pair of pitiful and innocent eyes. "Don't you believe that I've been suffering all this time? Don't you believe that I love you? I've been enduring all this time just to give you time to grow stronger so that you can save me. Toby..."
"I believe you." Toby suddenly smiled, took her hand, and pulled her in front of him.
His expression softened as he said, "So you love me enough to be with me even if I have nothing, right?"
Serenity hesitated for a few seconds before nodding and saying, "Yes, Toby."
Toby saw the change in her expression and his smile deepened. He nodded and took out his phone in front of Serenity. "Okay, I'm going to call my father and grandfather now. I'll give up everything and start looking for work tomorrow. You divorce that man and we'll leave here together. We'll live life just like a
normal couple. Maybe I can't give you a life of luxury, but I can promise you that we'll never be separated for our entire lives."
With that, he pressed a string of numbers on his phone.
Serenity bit her lip and her eyes were red. Her tears were threatening to fall. "I know you'll be unhappy, but I still went to find Miss Dillon. I'm sorry. I'm really just too concerned about you, and I can't bear to see you b-being bullied like this."