Ch. 351..355: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 351-355
Chapter 351 Reputation’s Destroyed But Still His Precious Darling
"I know why you followed Elie. You wanted to see the boss of Starlight Media, right?" Julia said suddenly. "Why don't I just tell you?"
Jodie dropped the hammer she had raised halfway into the air abruptly as she stared at Julia doubtfully. Julia seemingly didn't notice her actions and scratched her ear. "The boss of Starlight Media is... Amelie Dillon."
"Liar!" Jodie shouted. She would never believe such nonsense and did not hesitate in swinging the hammer toward Julia.
Unfortunately, Julia had already jumped off the vehicle. Clang! While Julia was unhurt, the window had already shattered. Several broken pieces landed on Jodie's face, making her bleed instantly.
Under normal circumstances, she would have screamed, but right now, she was so overwhelmed with fury that she forgot about being injured. She glared so intensely that her eyeballs nearly shot out of her head.
Jodie's terrifying demeanor gave Julia the feeling she had gone overboard, yet she couldn't help shaking her head with a snort. "Look at how angry you are. I'm telling the truth, but you won't believe me."
"Just wait. When I find the boss of Starlight Media, I will get him to personally destroy all of you!" Jodie could no longer speak fluently and kept stuttering, yet she was still making threats.
"Whatever you want." Julia shrugged after witnessing another instance of Jodie's stupidity and knew that it couldn't be cured. She climbed onto the motorcycle and waved goodbye.
"I'll have to advise you not to waste the effort, though. No matter how you try, the boss of Starlight Media would never abandon Elie nor harm her. If you don't believe me, you can test it out yourself and try whatever means to your heart's content."
Even an idiot would never hurt himself or herself.
"Sigh, she has gotten into his good books. Even if her reputation is destroyed, she's still his precious darling." Since Jodie did not believe her, Julia decided to blow smoke before stepping on the accelerator.
The motorcycle moved backward bizarrely, which shocked Jodie, and she could only watch as Julia disappeared from her sight.
"Argh!" She broke down and screamed, forcefully tearing at her hair.
…
Soon, Julia met up with Amelie, where she described animatedly how she had enraged Jodie.
"Don't you think she's stupid? She was in denial even when I told her the truth! Getting all frustrated just because she'll never admit that you could be a boss." She sighed, sipping her drink. "Please don't make me deal with her again. I'm scared that her stupidity may be contagious."
Amelie had asked Julia to help her for no other reason than to check who was stalking her. Hearing that it was Jodie made her confused. Fortunately, she had the foresight to refuse Leo. Who knows how Bria would have ended up if I had brought her to the Alston Residence?
"Speaking of which, we should record the scene from before for everyone so they could see what the Alstons are like. There's Jodie and then there's Melissa too. What weirdos!" Julia shook her head at the thought of them. "You had been so tolerant back then. Had it been me, I could never do it!"
"I know why you followed Elie. You wanted to see the boss of Starlight Media, right?" Julia said suddenly. "Why don't I just tell you?"
Amelie bit her lip, sipping her tea without responding. She only had eyes for Leo back then and was willing to endure the bullying by the others no matter how despicable they were. Love was truly powerful but was also blind.
"So, since I did you such a great favor, shouldn't you repay me in some way?" Julia changed the subject.
Amelie raised her head. As she saw the unique gleam in Julia's eyes, she had a bad feeling and alarm bells rang in her head.
30 minutes later, a luxury car drove into Windy City International, the biggest hotel in Clouson City. The car stopped beside a row of palms and the automatic doors opened.
A woman in a sundress skipped out of the car while carrying a pink purse. As she exaggeratedly placed a hand on her skirt to stop it from being blown by the wind, there was a sweet smile hanging on her lips.
"I-is that Miss White?" The person greeting them was stunned. He rubbed his head, feeling that he had to have been mistaken. Julia has always been energetic and handsomely dressed. Since when has she behaved in such a feminine way?
He merely froze for a moment before remembering something more important. "Miss White, you promised that the boss of your company would come personally. Is he here?"
Julia nodded and smiled warmly towards the inside of the car. "Mr. Dillon, we're here."
The person welcoming them was an executive of the company and had only heard of the boss of Starlight Media without ever seeing him personally. Hearing that Julia had brought him here, the executive couldn't help but follow along, hoping to catch a glimpse of his appearance.
As Julia called him, a shiny leather shoe stepped out, followed by the other. She deliberately stretched out her hand, and another hand clad in a black glove landed on her palm.
The executive was speechless. Such a showoff…
As he thought about how dramatic the boss of Starlight Media seemed, something within his view shifted.
A man, blindingly beautiful although he wasn't that tall, alighted from the car. The moment his face was revealed, the executive felt his world brighten and he had the urge to fall at the man's feet.
"H-Hello, Mr. Dillon." The executive soon remembered he had to greet the guest. His voice stuttered as he spoke.
He had seen plenty of handsome men, but none of them stood out as this man did. Mr. Dillon had the flawless smooth skin of a woman, thick eyebrows, and a sharp gaze, which was a perfect combination of a man's and a woman's best features. It wouldn't only be women obsessed with him since even he wanted the man to himself. The executive looked at Julia meaningfully as he finally understood why this usually dominating woman had dressed up like this.
"Please follow me to the venue." The executive did not dare hesitate and quickly led the way.
Behind him, even a small gesture of the boss of Starlight Media lowering his arm and putting one hand into his pocket appeared unbelievably attractive. Julia slid close to him and hooked her arm into his, nudging his hip while the executive wasn't looking.
Amelie sighed internally. Never had I expected to show up like this publicly in my entire lifetime.
Julia had been discussing a valuable project, but the other party was hard to deal with since they insisted on talking personally with the boss. Since she had agreed to it—for whatever reason—and since they had announced the marriage between the boss of Starlight Media and 'Amelie Dillon', which had given the boss a male identity, Amelie had no choice but to dress up like this. She glared at Julia, resisting the urge to beat her to death.
Julia giggled softly in her ear. "I did think of letting you come without a disguise, but I feared that their boss would be so captivated that he would insist on marrying you. For the record, he is a family man, so we would be in the wrong if you became the homewrecker. Besides, you look handsome like this."
Amelie was speechless.
"You cannot do this to me anymore. I don't care if it means we have to cancel the business deal!" she warned in a low voice.
Julia nodded vigorously. "I promise that this is the last time!"
Amelie and Julia were brought into a lavishly decorated conference room. There were many people inside, the most eye-catching of which were the man and woman at the head of the table. The man had a short beard and had a masculine charm, while the woman was beautiful and was dressed formally.
"This is Mr. Goldstein, and this is Miss Gage." The executive began introducing everyone one by one courteously.
"This is our boss, Mr. Dillon." Julia gripped Amelie's arm without letting it go.
"Hello, Mr. Goldstein. Hello, Miss Gage." Amelie greeted them politely while purposefully deepening her voice.
"I've heard many good things about you." Mr. Goldstein inclined his head.
"Hello, Mr. Dillon." Miss Gage, the woman beside him, welcomed them as well.
Amelie noticed she raise an eyebrow and shoot a challenging glance at Julia, and she couldn't help looking at Julia with confusion.
Julia looked calm as she smiled happily. "Can the meeting start now?'
"Hang on." Mr. Goldstein looked down at his watch. "I have also invited a very important guest to join this meeting. He will arrive soon."
Chapter 352 How Daring
When she had a clear view of the man, an alarm bell buzzed within Amelie's brain. She had only one thought—she was finished!
Julia's expression didn't look great either, for she had caused Amelie trouble.
"Mr. Lowe." Miss Gage greeted the man first.
It was none other than Ashton Lowe standing at the entrance. While he was dressed more formally than usual, his collar was loose and revealed part of a chain, making his status as a rich heir all too clear.
"Miss Gage, Alex," Ashton greeted the two at the head of the table, then his gaze shifted lazily toward them.
"Mr. Lowe." Julia stepped forward to block his view of Amelie and greeted him happily. She usually scorned rich heirs like him, who only knew how to talk and throw tantrums but was useless when it came to doing anything else. However, she had to resort to her most disgusting tactic by pandering to him so that he wouldn't notice Amelie.
Ashton snorted faintly. While he was useless in everything, he despised people like Julia who earned a living by being an influencer the most.
Julia naturally didn't care about his scorn for her. Her utmost concern was what she was going to do about Amelie. Things would be complicated if he recognized her, so how could Julia make up an excuse for Amelie to leave?
Ashton soon noticed someone hiding behind Julia. Since he was curious in nature, he couldn't help looking at whomever she was hiding behind her.
"Oh, this is the boss of Starlight Media, Mr. Dillon," Miss Gage introduced Amelie. Her tone was cold, and it made her seem difficult to approach.
"Mr. Lowe." Amelie walked out and greeted Ashton. She knew that she could never hide forever since continuing to do so would only make him suspicious, so it was better to just reveal herself. She shook her head slightly at Julia's concerned look.
Ashton was also curious as to who the boss of Starlight Media was and looked at them as well. His expression stiffened when he saw Amelie.
"What's wrong? Do you know each other?" Miss Gage quickly caught the shift in his expression and asked.
He narrowed his eyes, whereas Julia watched him with sweaty palms. Her brain was ringing, and she felt like she was about to explode. She was on the verge of crying when she turned to Amelie, but she soon realized Amelie calmly facing Ashton head-on. How daring that girl was!
"No," he answered, shifting his gaze away. It wasn't that he didn't suspect her, but the way she looked at him openly without any fear made him feel that it was merely a physical resemblance.
Seeing that Amelie's strategy had tricked Ashton, Julia's clenched heart finally relaxed as her blood flowed once again. She had nearly been scared to death and mentally placed a hand on her chest.
When she had a clear view of the man, an alarm bell buzzed within Amelie's brain. She had only one thought—she was finished!
"What are you all doing? Why don't we sit down?" She quickly utilized her strong people skills and invited everyone to sit. Soon, they all found their seats.
Since Ashton had a high opinion of himself and Amelie was disguised as a man, he did not spare her another glance. Amelie was unruffled by the whole thing as well. Julia secretly gave her a thumbs-up under the table when she saw this.
"Were you unable to invite him?" Miss Gage asked Ashton.
Mr. Goldstein explained politely to Amelie and Julia, "Both Cassandra and I are amateurs in this field, so we asked Mr. Lowe to help invite his trusted friend to share his opinion."
"I see," Amelie replied courteously. The woman's fair skin under her disguise made her look attractive, and there was also a hint of dominance in her tone.
Her eyes shifted a little when Mr. Goldstein wasn't paying attention. Whom could that trusted friend be?
He did not wait for her to ask and introduced the man voluntarily, saying, "This friend of his is a respectable figure who accumulated great achievements at a young age. I can never be as capable as him even if I live a decade longer than him."
Just as he finished speaking, the door opened once again.
"Sorry for being late." As the man finished speaking, Amelie saw a slim wrist land on the doorknob before the man attached to it walked in. Alarm bells rang in her head when she saw the wristwatch, and her shocked gaze met the man's. His pupils contracted, and his eyes narrowed when he saw her.
It's Leo, and he has recognized me! It took a second for her to come to that conclusion.
"Leo, you're a difficult person to invite." Mr. Goldstein stood up to welcome him. "I thought I could never get you to come."
"Of course not." Leo's gaze shifted away from Amelie as he smiled at Mr. Goldstein. "Jimmy and I have been close friends for many years. Since you're his brother, it's only right that I come."
Mr. Goldstein laughed. "Jimmy has become unreliable ever since having a child. He didn't know your whereabouts when I asked him, so I had to contact you through Mr. Lowe."
Amelie remained beside them, her scalp tingling. Who knew that she would attract these people when she was just showing up for Julia's sake? It was far too coincidental.
"This is Mr. Dillon, the famous boss of Starlight Media." Mr. Goldstein quickly made introductions as soon as he exchanged greetings with Leo.
Amelie felt extremely distracted but had to rise from her seat. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Alston."
Leo's gaze was unreadable as he studied her. "I finally get to meet the mysterious boss of Starlight Media. I should be the one feeling honored."
His words made her anxious, and she feared that he might expose her disguise as a man. He even stretched his hand toward her when he finished speaking.
Amelie was speechless, and this action surprised even Mr. Goldstein. Leo was famous in the business circle for being cold and distant, so not everyone had the chance to shake hands with him. The boss of Starlight Media was truly famous and capable, but he was merely a newbie who had made his appearance in recent years and was relatively inexperienced. He wasn't exactly qualified for Leo to approve of him.
Amelie wanted to pretend not to have seen this, but Mr. Goldstein and the others were still present. Leo refused to lower his hand as well, and if this went on, many wild assumptions would be made. Thus, she had no choice but to reach out and touch his hand quickly. His palm felt dry and warm when her fingertips touched it.
Besides initiating their handshake, Leo did not cause any other issues. Everyone soon sat down and the meeting commenced. It was a meeting in name only, for it was a negotiation. Julia was a master in this aspect, so she led the discussions. Amelie only needed to sit quietly beside her.
"Let's take a break," Leo suggested, having remained silent up to that point too.
Mr. Goldstein wiped his temple. "Sure."
He couldn't help glancing at Julia with admiration, since there were multiple times when she had nearly trapped him.
Miss Gage shot a cold look at Julia, who stood up and looked at Amelie meaningfully. Amelie joined Julia in standing up. "I'm going to the bathroom."
After nodding to everyone politely, they left the room.
"Oh, my God. Fortunately, Leo did not see through you, or it would have been over for us." Julia eventually sighed openly when they came to a deserted area.
Amelie looked at her silently, her mouth slightly agape. In the end, she did not mention that he had already recognized her.
"Do you know Miss Gage?" Amelie asked. She had sensed something strange in the way the woman looked at Julia.
"I don't," Julia replied mildly and clapped her shoulder. "If you're tired, you can leave first. You don't have to wait for its conclusion."
Amelie had no desire to remain in the room anyway. "Alright."
Chapter 353 Only Be Cheesy With You
She was about to turn around when her waist was gripped tightly and she was dragged into the elevator. Her back immediately made contact with the cold wall.
The process happened too quickly, and when she tried to turn around and attack the other person, they caught her hand perfectly and pressed it against the wall. She lifted her leg and tried to get at their lower half, but it was caught and trapped as well. Both their bodies were now pressed together tightly.
"It's me," a low, masculine voice uttered as the other person pushed her hand higher. She glanced sideways to see Leo looking downward, his face nearly touching hers. They were now in an unbelievably intimate position.
"What do you mean by this, Mr. Alston?" His face was dangerously close as his breath tickled her face, making it difficult for her to breathe. She had no choice but to turn her head and avoid him.
His face moved closer, the breath from his lips fluttering against her cheek as he spoke. "Why did you come here dressed like this?"
His long fingers moved against her temple as he tried to remove her wig. He did not like her dressed as a man.
"It's none of your business, Mr. Alston." Amelie was pushed against the wall by Leo and could only shrink into it. However, she was already fully pressed against it; since she didn't know the art of contortion, she couldn't get any further than that. The back of her ear burned as he breathed against it.
"Mr. Alston, can you release me? The way you are pressing yourself against me will make witnesses suspect your sexual orientation."
He merely laughed and did not retreat. "That's better. It will be less troublesome."
Well…
Even if he didn't mind it, she did. She didn't want this to be recorded and eventually hit the headlines.
"When have you become so cheesy?" He would never have said such things back then, even on the brink of death. "I'm more used to the past you."
He had been stern and scornful toward her, ensuring they never interfered in each other's lives.
"I will only be cheesy with you," he replied. "It's easy for others to see the past me, but it will be impossible for you!"
His implication was clear, and he would be pestering her from now on.
Amelie had no words, and she didn't need all that.
He had to be some kind of curse inflicted on her. Back then, he ignored all her attempts to win his heart, but now that she decided to abandon him entirely, he chose to haunt her instead.
There was no point in protesting and Amelie knew she couldn't change his opinion, so she changed the subject immediately. "Thank you for not exposing my identity just now, Mr. Alston. I owe you a favor."
Her mention of the issue made him shift his focus back to her. He looked into her eyes, suddenly recalling what Victor had said before—the boss of Starlight Media was a woman, which meant that…
She was about to turn around when her waist was gripped tightly and she was dragged into the elevator. Her back immediately made contact with the cold wall.
A thought suddenly flashed across his mind, and his eyes narrowed abruptly. Then, he released her as he suddenly retreated. Amelie, who had been pondering how she could make him let go of her, was puzzled when he relaxed his grip on her but did not want to think too much about it.
The elevator reached the lowest floor at that moment, and she marched out while rubbing her wrists that had been gripped tightly. She quickly walked to the garage, and when she turned around, Leo was no longer in sight. She could finally breathe easily and promptly left in her car without wasting any time.
Soon after she arrived home, Julia called her. "Sorry, I didn't manage to complete the deal after dragging you there."
Amelie had applied a mask on her face as her fingers played with the sash of her pajamas. "I'm okay. What about you?"
"It's just a business deal. It's fine." Julia sounded as careless as she had always been. While Amelie founded Starlight Media, she had given Julia full control after marrying into the Alston Family.
After hanging up the call, she contacted the company lawyers to give Julia fifty percent of the shares for Starlight Media. She had wanted to do so five years ago, but Julia refused to accept it. Now that Julia and Samuel had been together for so long, it was about time they got married. Samuel's family was extremely successful, so Amelie couldn't just let Julia marry into the family empty-handed.
Samuel had always treated Julia well, but Amelie had learned a lot from her past marriage. The more prestigious a family was, the more relationships would be involved. It would be hard to get by with only love from one's husband. She didn't want Julia to have to be as tentative as she had been but to get married spectacularly. That way, Julia could hold her own when dealing with her in-laws as well.
…
The Genesis Tower resembled a slumbering lion after working hours, with only its tall silhouette visible when the lights were turned off. Only the president's office was illuminated in the dark building.
Leo had returned to his office after leaving Windy City International but postponed all his appointments and meetings.
Eugene opened the door to the president's office to see his boss sitting somberly with his back to him. He touched the files under his arm, his expression complicated.
"Well?" Leo asked as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
Eugene came back to himself immediately and marched inside, standing behind Leo with his back straight. "I've already checked it out. Miss Dillon submitted the files for the application to start Starlight Media under the name Gina Holland. That is most likely the name of Miss Dillon's mother."
"Gina Holland?" Leo thought this over. Amelie had told him about her mother back in Quinn Town and how she felt that her birth had caused her mother's death. Was she paying homage to her mother in such a way?
She definitely was the boss of Starlight Media!
"Miss Dillon is amazing. She's not only a powerful influencer with millions of fans but also the founder of such a big company." Eugene made a thumbs-up gesture, feeling impressed by her.
The more that feeling intensified, the more thoughtful his expression became. The president's mother spent so much effort looking around for a compatible girl for him but did not know that her former daughter-in-law was the real deal. Would she be frustrated after knowing that Amelie was this accomplished and regret letting go of the chance at a powerful collaboration?
Meanwhile, there was Miss Alston, who looked down on everyone and bullied them while relying on her reputation as the Alston heiress. She had bullied Amelie far too many times and would regret that immensely.
Eugene could already imagine the expressions on both their faces if they knew about this. How did such a great individual like Mr. Alston get saddled with such unreliable family members?
As Eugene was distracted by his wayward thoughts, Leo was also pondering things carefully.
The stepwise reveal of Amelie's true identity was like a slap to the face. Had he investigated more closely in the past or merely asked enough questions, he would have known that she was such a powerful individual. However, he was too blinded by anger and did nothing.
She had abandoned everything for him in favor of becoming a normal housewife and waited loyally for him to reciprocate her feelings, but what did he do? He suspected her of having ulterior motives, hated her, and even ignored her. The more he thought about this, the more disgusted he felt about himself.
Eugene could guess what Leo was thinking from his expression. "It's not entirely your fault. After all, Miss Dillon did not say anything during the four years you were married. If she had been willing to give even a hint, the misunderstanding between you two wouldn't have gotten this bad."
Leo was pale and silent as he closed his eyes and looked toward the ceiling. All he could see was Amelie approaching him hesitatingly when they were newly married. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him; he hadn't even given her the chance to do so.
As he considered this, his phone rang.
He took out his cell phone and raised it to his ear. "Speak."
Victor's voice sounded. "I've found the cornea donor."
Chapter 354 Leo’s Acting Strangely
At 6.00AM, Amelie left home with a basket on her arm. Her father, Steven, had been suffering from a cold and coughing, so she was worried that it would get worse if he left the house. As such, she deliberately got up earlier to help with the groceries.
Shopping online was more convenient now, plus her company had a section dedicated to electronic shopping. It had held live shopping events for agricultural products, and she could always ask her own company to send some over. However, Steven wasn't sold on the idea and felt that it would be better if he picked them out himself. She couldn't argue with him and was willing to give in, so their family maintained the habit of going to the market.
Waking up at 6.00AM wasn't easy for Amelie. When she pushed open the lobby gate, a figure suddenly appeared. She assumed it was another resident who had risen early, but upon taking a closer look, she froze.
"Leo?"
What is he doing here so early in the morning?
Leo turned to her with a confused look, seemingly surprised to see her there as well.
"Were you drinking?" She rarely saw him this confused and couldn't help asking the question warily.
"No." He threw away the cigarette between his fingers.
Right then, Amelie noticed the multiple cigarette butts littered on the ashtray above the rubbish bin and tilted her head in surprise. She recalled that he was obsessed with cleanliness and never touched a cigarette, so what was this about?
"I was taking a walk and didn't realize I had wandered here." He stepped toward her, his arm nearly touching hers. The coldness emanating from it made her shiver briefly. How long had he stood in the cold air?
"Did you walk from Clouson City to Halport, then?" She had seen him acting cheesy with her too many times and did not take him seriously, teasing him instead.
Leo didn't answer, only forcing out a rueful smile.
"Elie," he murmured, looking sideways at Amelie, who was at chin height. He then lifted his arm.
She did not miss that movement, instinctively taking a step back when she saw that he was about to touch her. However, he did not lift his hand.
Instead, he muttered, "You don't have to be so guarded against me, nor do you need to deliberately avoid me. I will never disturb you again."
With that, he nodded his head at her and turned away before leaving.
Is he leaving just like that?
Amelie stared at his back, her lips slightly open. He left just as abruptly as he had come, and his words even more so. She was confused and could not react for some time, staring at where his figure had been while even wondering if it had merely been a hallucination.
At 6.00AM, Amelie left home with a basket on her arm. Her father, Steven, had been suffering from a cold and coughing, so she was worried that it would get worse if he left the house. As such, she deliberately got up earlier to help with the groceries.
After breakfast, Bria insisted on going ice skating. She had fallen in love with the sport and always practiced at home. Amelie was willing to indulge her as well; her lessons were twice a week, but she
had applied for an additional annual pass so that they could go every day.
When they arrived at the practice rink, there were already many people skating about on the freezing ice. Since the surface had to remain frozen, the temperature within was colder than outside the rink.
Bria changed her clothes and dragged Amelie onto the ice excitedly, stumbling slightly before starting to skate. She looked around for someone with wide eyes as she did so, and Amelie knew whom she was looking for. Leo had practiced skating with them without fail all this while, so Bria was looking for him. Amelie was usually irritated by him, but she couldn't help looking around as well when she remembered his appearance that morning.
Leo wasn't there.
Bria pursed her lips, the disappointment clear in her eyes, but she did not give up. Dada is busy with a lot of things and is probably late. He will be here soon.
However, he did not show up even after they had warmed up.
Amelie had always considered him annoying, yet his sudden absence made her anxious. She couldn't avoid replaying the way he appeared that morning, but she couldn't figure out anything from that.
"Let's start practicing." She didn't think too much about it.
Leo did not appear even when Bria's practice had ended, and she walked out of the rink despondently with hunched shoulders. There was no sign of him for several days, but Amelie was too occupied with work to ponder over it.
It was soon Friday, and the lawyer called to report that the documents for the share transfer were already done and would be effective once both sides signed them. The lawyer could help send the files
to Halport but considering Julia didn't know about it and Amelie would have to personally persuade her to accept the shares, Amelie drove to Clouson City.
After meeting the lawyer, she brought the documents to Julia's office in Starlight Media.
"Why did you come without saying anything?" Julia looked eye-catching and practical in her white work outfit. She did not call for her assistant and poured out the coffee beans herself to brew freshly ground coffee for Amelie.
Amelie made a noise of assent, noticing that Julia's makeup did not hide her dark circles despite being thicker. "Have you been busy recently?"
"Just like usual." Julia shrugged lightly. "What happened with you and Leo, though? I saw him being quite close to a woman a few days ago when I was out. Their relationship didn't seem casual. I asked around, and it's said that she's Toby Walsh's younger sister or something. They were on a date, and it looked pretty serious since Melissa, Jodie, and even the girl's parents were there."
Amelie froze slightly as she heard the news regarding Leo. "Really?"
Toby didn't have a sister, but he did have an unmarried cousin.
Did Leo and Michelle go on a date?
It wasn't like she didn't consider the fact that he would date the people around him and get married in the future, but this was far too sudden. She remembered that he hadn't really cared about Michelle much, even telling Bria that he wasn't close to her, and their outings together had been arranged by Melissa without his knowledge.
Had that been just to reassure Bria?
Amelie was somewhat familiar with Leo. She knew he was a serious and honest person who disliked lying. So, did he eventually decide to be with Michelle?
After coming to that conclusion, she couldn't help feeling more puzzled. However, since she didn't plan on developing anything with him, she did not wish to make too many guesses. "That's good."
Julia did not say much and placed the ground coffee beans into the special filter which contained a piece of white filter paper. The brown coffee beans were ground finely and smelled aromatic.
She took the jug with a narrow spout and tested the temperature, only pouring the water along the edge of the filter when she estimated its temperature to be around eighty degrees. Her movements were smooth and practiced, but it did not seem like her style. She was extremely grandiose and exuberant and disliked such simple and rustic habits.
Amelie also remembered that with Julia's temper, she would have called Amelie much earlier after seeing Leo having such a high-profile date to tear him apart. She wouldn't have waited days before mentioning it. She was behaving far too unusually.
"Did anything happen to you recently?" Amelie couldn't stop herself from asking.
Julia paused her actions abruptly, freezing on the spot.
Chapter 355 Leo, Do You Think a Boy or a Girl Is Better?
She recovered within seconds and continued pouring.
"No.No? Amelie studied her carefully.
Julia was already laughing it off.
"See, you keep interrupting me, and it has interrupted the flow of water.Coffee is delicate and finicky; if you don't pour water at once, it will become sour.I was about to show you my extraordinary abilities and treat you to an exquisite cup of coffee, but I've failed."
With her animated expression, she didn't look like something had happened to her.
"Please do tolerate it even if it's sour."
She handed Amelie the cup of coffee.
"You know that I'm unrefined and only would engage in such a delicate habit once in a blue moon.I don't have the talent cither, so don't expect too much.
"Of course not."
Amelie lowered her head to sip her coffee.
Nothing was added to it, and she couldn't taste anything besides the intense bitterness.
When she finished her coffee, she remembered her purpose for coming and pressed the documents she was holding into Julia's palm.She said seriously, "Jules, I may have founded Starlight Media, but both of us did the work.You have sacrificed so much, even more than I have.I already asked the lawyer to draft a transfer agreement of fifty percent of the company shares, so I hope you will accept it."
"Elie, what are you doing? Didn't I mention that Starlight Media made me famous? I've already gotten what I want, so I don't want your shares."
Amelie pressed her hand to stop her from moving.
"Your contributions aside, we are still best friends who are even closer than blood sisters.You're getting married soon, so consider this your dowry or my blessing for you and Samuel.If you see me as family, you have to accept it!"
Just as she finished speaking, Julia's tears rolled down her face uncontrollably.
Julia rarely cried, and Amelie was stunned since it had been very long since Julia cried this hard.
"Elie, you are the best since you always look after me.However, it's okay.There's no need for this."
It was a while before Julia continued, "I've already broken up with him."
"Why did you guys break up?"
Julia sobbed for some time before finally taking a tissue to wipe away her tears.
"Do you still remember Miss Gage from before? She's Samuel's sister."
The reminder made Amelie recall the two executives whom she had met in disguise.
In particular, Miss Gage seemed cold and proud whenever she looked at Julia.She had her suspicions and asked Julia about it, but the other woman might not have told the truth.
"Did their family forbid you from being with him?"
Amelie inquired, her tone more frigid than before.
Julia nodded.
"Miss Gage somehow managed to discover what happened back then, blamed me for it, and claimed I did not deserve Samuel.It would have been fine if only she shared this sentiment, but Samuel has also lost interest in our relationship.He went behind my back and went for a matchmaking session: "Did Miss Gage tell you that?"
Amelie felt Samuel wouldn't be that sort of person.
The three of them had known each other for many years, and she considered him to be humble, honest, and sort of a brother figure.
Julia shook her head.
"You know that while I have a short temper, I won't fall for claims that easily.Miss Gage took me to the matchmaking ceremony herself.The other girl's parents seemed satisfied with him and were discussing their marriage"
"If Samuel didn't want to be with me, he could've just said so, but secretly going on a blind date...I cannot accept this."
Julia's usually sharp features were now filled with hurt and bitterness.
"I didn't make a scene though.No matter what, Samuel did have a relationship with me before.I raised my glass and blessed them"
Julia smiled slightly.
"Elie, I'm like you now.I am free and have nothing to worry about"
Amelie looked at Julia somberly.
The woman might have grown up in a village, but her parents had been important officials which gave her a proud attitude.
Being brought there like that was akin to humiliation.
Amelie felt sympathetic and hugged her.
"Don't worry, you still have me."
"Okay."
Julia buried her face in her shoulder as tears ran down her cheeks again.She had been pretending to be unbothered about it and acted as careless as usual, but no one knew how heartbroken she was.
Amelie's warm hug made her feel like she had found her family, so she let everything out.
When she was done crying, her mood improved drastically.
"I made you cross-dress before because Miss Gage was still concerned that I might disturb Samuel.I deliberately acted intimate with you so they would think I'd already found someone.Sorry for using you.Don't get angry."
Amelie glared at her.
"Of course, I Am angry.You didn't tell me anything when something of this scale happened.Do you still consider me your friend?"
"I thought about telling you, but I was scared that I might get dejected and depressed by doing so."
Her pride did not allow her to be depressed after experiencing a failed relationship.
"Miss Gage came suddenly, so I was unprepared.I didn't know what to do and came up with that stupid idea."
Julia still looked apologetic.
Amelie shook her head and sighed.
Without saying anything else, she handed over the transfer agreement to Julia.
"Since you're not getting married, this isn't considered a dowry.However, you've already served the company this long and contributed a lot to it, so you should have some shares as well.You can think of it as a work benefit.It'll encourage you to continue working hard, strengthening and expanding Starlight Media into a global top company!"
"Wow, Amelie Dillon.How cruel of you.You're using the company shares to bind me.That way, I can toil tirelessly for you!"
Julia exclaimed dramatically.
Amelie pretended to be an evil businesswoman.
"Miss Julia, you are not working for me but for yourself!"
The two of them joked around for some time before Julia eventually accepted the shares.
After lunch, Julia had to go on a live show, so Amelie did not disturb her any longer.
However, her mood became worse when she walked out of Starlight Media.
Samuel suddenly abandoning Julia still felt somewhat doubtful, and after some thought, she called him.
"Can we meet up, Samuel?"
"Of course, but I Am occupied right now.Can I get someone to fetch you?"
He sounded exhausted.
"Sure."
Soon, the car Samuel sent arrived along with his subordinate.
After she got in the car, they headed straight for a high-class private hospital in the countryside.
Samuel was waiting for her in the garden on the ground floor.
"Samuel, why are you at the hospital? Are you ill?" Amelie asked anxiously.
He rubbed his brows and smiled.
"Not me, but my mother"
"Oh."
She had assumed for a moment that he had decided to break up with Julia because he had an incurable illness.
"My mother has a serious disease and needs to undergo an operation with a low success rate.She was afraid she couldn't survive it and insisted on arranging my marriage.She arranged for a blind date the day Julia found me, and I only knew about it upon arriving at the venue."
He had guessed her purpose for coming and gave his explanation.
"She left as soon as she gave a toast, not even giving me a chance to explain.She even blocked me on everything, so I couldn't contact her," he went on, rubbing his brow more insistently.
"Is she okay?"
It had been a misunderstanding.She secretly sighed in relief and chose to tell the truth.
"She isn't okay.She feels hurt and offended, but she's trying to put up a happy facade"
Samuel frowned deeply when Amelie finished speaking.
"Sir, the doctor is looking for you."
A plump woman who looked like a servant ran toward them.
"Something happened to Madam Gage again."
"Alright."
Samuel frowned and looked at her apologetically before leaving.
"Sorry for not being able to accommodate you properly.Can you help me bean explain things to Julia? At the very least, tell her not to block me again."
"I will.Go on."
Knowing that it was urgent, she nodded her head decisively.
Samuel left quickly with the servant, while Amelie lingered there for a while before walking out of the hospital.
Just as she passed a patch of greenery, she heard a delicate voice.
"Leo, do you think a boy or a girl is better?"