Ch. 396..400: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 396-400

CHAPTER 396 MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE DEAD BEFORE HE GOES INSANE

Chandler licked his teeth and stuck his tongue in his inner cheek as he spewed hatefully, "Of course, I'll make him suffer!"

Following that, he pressed the tip of the knife against her eye socket and continued, "I heard that he owes you a cornea, and he's suffering from mental illness because of this. What do you think will happen to him if you lost your eyeball and your life this time round?"

He was speaking so casually that his tone wasn't solemn; it was more like a soothing whisper between lovers. If one disregarded the contents of his words, one might even be smitten by his voice. He spoke of the most horrifying and bloody subject with the most soulful voice, and it gave Amelie the chills.

"Do you think that his condition will worsen? Is there a possibility that he will go crazy?" he asked with a straight face and tipped her chin as he waited for an answer.

"Chandler, it's not too late to stop this. Leo might go insane, but you know him well. He'd make sure that you're dead before he goes insane." Amelie looked at him coldly.

"I know that." Chandler let go of her chin and inserted his finger into his mouth to lick it as if he was a pervert. "But I don't care." He then continued, "Do you know that I should have been dead many years ago? I was able to stay alive with God's grace, and I'm only here to make Leo and the Alston Family suffer!"

His sinister grin exposed a row of white teeth which seemed terrifying, but at the same time, tears welled up in his eyes like an aggrieved child. It was creepy that he expressed two kinds of expressions at the same time.

"I want them to pay the price of their decision for the rest of their lives!"

Chandler had gone mad. In truth, he had been mad for a long time. Ever since the Alston Family abandoned him, he was full of hatred and he only managed to stay alive for the past few years by fuelling his life with resentment.

If Amelie wasn't in such a dangerous situation, she would have pitied him. With that, he pull her up and forced her to sit on a chair before tying her up. Right after, he took his phone out and made a video call. As the light coming from the phone shone on his face, it revealed his grin and the excitement in his eyes.

"I'll let Leo see with his own eyes how the love of his life, whom he is indebted to, will lose her sight," he uttered. As soon as he spoke, he placed the phone in front while facing Amelie. He then pressed the knife against her eye socket.

"Chandler, stop it!" Leo's voice could be heard calling out. However, the screen of the phone was black with nothing displayed on it. Even so, Leo must have answered the call since his voice was heard.

"Leo, look closely." With that, Chandler slowly lifted his hand. Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard coming from outside, and following that, a bright light came through the room. A tall figure was seen walking in the next moment. They could only make out his silhouette since he was standing against the light.

"Chandler!" yelled the man.

It's Leo's voice! Amelie was surprised when she heard his voice, but at the same time, she had mixed feelings about his sudden appearance.

"That quick, eh?" Chandler was startled.

Leo then slowly approached them. After his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked at Chandler before turning to look at Amelie. She noticed that he seemed calm.

Chandler was displeased when he saw Leo's overly calm expression. "Don't you feel anxious when a bloody spectacle is about to take place?"

However, Leo was quiet and took a few steps forward. "Don't you want me to suffer? You can still make me suffer by releasing her."

"Oh?" The fascinated Chandler tilted his head and turned to look at Leo.

"Don't worry, no one came with me," Leo answered. Indeed, no one had followed along.

"Leo, it seems that you do look down on me." Chandler scoffed.

"In fact, I will despise you even more!" Instead of giving him an explanation, Leo provoked him instead.

"You… It seems like you're doubting my ability!" The provoked Chandler was infuriated. With that, he stabbed the knife into Amelie's eyes. As she experienced a sharp pain, she instinctively shut her eyes and soon felt warm fluid gushing down her face. It was blood!

This pain that I'm feeling, though… Having an eye gouged out should be more painful than this. While

she was still trying to make sense of the situation, she heard Chandler roaring frantically, "Leo, you lunatic!" When Amelie looked up and opened her eyes, she saw a hand in front of her. That hand was gripping tightly onto the knife which was supposed to stab into her eyes.

Chandler was so baffled by the scene in front of him that he was wide-eyed. Before Amelie could figure out the sudden change in his expression, the back of her neck felt cold and moist. The next moment, she could feel fluid dripping; over time, there was more of it.

Suddenly, Leo's deep voice rang next to her ears. "Once I'm dead, I wouldn't know or feel heartbroken if you cut her into pieces. Chandler, you won't be able to achieve your objective."

As soon as Leo spoke, Amelie heard a loud gunshot. Following that, there a was bloody hole on Chandler's forehead that went through the front and back of his skull. The bloody hole appeared horrifying, and someone covered her eyes before blood started gushing out of the hole.

Suddenly, a loud thud was heard before police officers started rushing in.

"Miss Dillon, are you okay?" one of them called out as they untied her. Amelie wiggled her body, but before she could stretch her hands which had been tied for a long time, she turned to look at Leo. He was seen slumping against the chair with a knife stabbed in his chest. Blood was flowing down from the edges of the knife…

It was then that Amelie finally realized what had caused the fearful look on Chandler's face and the liquid on the back of her neck.

At that moment, she was overwhelmed by emotions as she rushed over to him. "Leo!"

Leo was being carried by a few men. As he arduously placed his hand on her face, he smiled. "Don't be scared…" Before he could finish what he wanted to say, his hand slipped down from her face as he collapsed to the ground.

"Leo!"

…

Three months later, Clouson City was still as busy and crowded as ever.

On a huge screen outside of the entrance of a shopping complex, a news anchor was delivering the following news, "Genesis Company has once again led the way this year, being the most profitable company in Clouson City for the third consecutive year. Their share price has risen steadily and has reached 10,000 per share. The company is estimated to be worth…" In a Bentley parked outside of the shopping complex, Eugene pursed his lips as he looked over to the person next to him who was resting her eyes. They're like two peas in a pod.

Soon, the car drove away and reached Genesis Tower in 20 minutes. Eugene instantly got out of the car and opened the other door. The next moment, a slim woman in all-black office wear was seen getting down.

"Miss Dillon, a few reporters have requested to interview Mr. Alston. What do you…" Eugene asked.

"Tell them that Mr. Alston is on a business trip overseas and won't be accepting any interviews for the time being." With that, the woman entered Genesis Tower. As Eugene looked at the woman's back, he pursed his lips while looking grim. In the end, he let out a sigh and followed behind her.

 

CHAPTER 397 DO YOU PLAN ON MANAGING GENESIS AND THE ALSTON FAMILY?

Amelie finally left work at 11.00PM after wrapping everything up.

"Miss Dillon," Eugene greeted her as he walked toward her.

She was surprised to see him. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Mm." His reply was brief.

"Let's go down," she said after pressing the elevator button.

With that, both of them entered the escalator and headed toward the underground car park. After opening the car door to let her in, he sat in the passenger seat.

"Are you heading home?" he asked as he turned around.

The car was dark, and the light from the streetlamps that came in through the window reflected on her calm yet fair face. Since the light was dim, Eugene couldn't tell whether she was asleep or not. Seeing that she was silent, he quietly turned to look to the front.

"I don't want to go home yet."

As soon as Eugene turned over, Amelie's voice rang. She had been staring out of the window earlier on.

Just then, she shifted her gaze forward and massaged her temples before replying, "I'd like to go

there."

"But it's late at night." He knew where she was referring to and couldn't help but remind her. However, he didn't get a response.

With that, he looked over to the driver and said, "To the hospital."

As soon as Amelie arrived at the hospital, she received a call from Julia. "Are you home?" she asked.

"Nope," Amelie answered while slowing down her footsteps.

Hearing that, Julia acknowledged her answer and asked, "Are you at the hospital?"

"Yes." Following that, there was a brief pause.

"How… How is he?"

"Same old." Amelie looked into the distance calmly with the phone in her hand.

Julia hummed in response. She wanted to say something else but ended up saying, "Please take good care of yourself."

"I will." Amelie knew that Julia was concerned about her and added with a smile on her face, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Even so, Julia's heart ached for her as she said, "You are not responsible for the incident, so don't be

too hard on yourself."

"Mm." Amelie pursed her lips, and a trace of sorrow could be seen on her face. She looked down and stared at her toes as she tried to suppress her emotions. Since it was already late at night, Julia ended the call soon after asking Amelie to rest early.

As soon as the call ended, Amelie turned around and instructed Eugene, "You should go home now since it's late. Your wife and children must be waiting for you."

Eugene didn't budge, for he couldn't bear to leave her there.

"The driver will be here," she said while pointing at the car in the distance. The driver was a female who knew martial arts, so she was a driver cum bodyguard.

"Alright." Eugene nodded and left. He knew that Amelie wanted to be alone.

She stood downstairs for a while before heading to the ward on the highest floor as it started to get cold. The ward gave off a homey atmosphere; if it wasn't for the medicine bottles on the table, one would mistake it for someone else's abode. The blankets were fluffy, and the warm lighting made the atmosphere feel cozy. A nurse in a pastel blue uniform was looking down and arranging something by the pillow. She greeted Amelie upon spotting her.

"Thank you," Amelie responded.

"No worries." The nurse nodded and left the room.

After the nurse left, Amelie's gaze fell on the bed. Under the sheets, a man with well-defined features

was lying on the bed. Since his eyes were shut, he seemed gentle and not solemn like he usually was. He lay still with pursed lips as if he was just asleep. However, no one would be asleep for three months straight.

She slowly walked over to the bed and stared at his face after taking a seat. "Leo," she called out gently.

Three months ago, after Leo stabbed himself in the chest to divert Chandler's attention and save Amelie, he underwent emergency heart surgery. The surgery was successful, but he fell into a coma due to the trauma.

For the first two months, Leo had undergone treatment overseas in secret, but it didn't help much with his condition. It was only a month ago when he was transferred back. Meanwhile, Amelie returned a month earlier to run the show at Genesis.

Ever since Leo was injured, Melissa was put in charge of Genesis. However, as soon as she took on the position, the company was in chaos as many problems had arisen. She was nearly scammed once, and it almost caused Genesis to change hands. Due to such issues, Amelie had no choice but to return to the country and manage the company on Leo's behalf.

It took her two months to finally put the company back on track. Of course, she had been through a lot during that period, but fortunately, she managed to protect the company and even helped it grow, which helped to reduce the guilt she was harboring.

The news about Leo in a coma was kept away from the public, and they only knew that he was accompanying his daughter overseas. Both Amelie and Leo, who were supposed to go their separate ways, had ended up in this current situation. Amelie smiled bitterly at the thought of it.

…

The next day, Amelie was awakened by Eugene.

"You didn't go home last night. Will you be fine?" He looked at her concernedly.

"I'm fine." With that, she went to the toilet to freshen up. Since she had been leaning on Leo's bed the whole night, her neck felt sore and she had a stuffy nose.

"Give me today's schedule," she asked. She looked refreshed after washing up.

Hearing that, Eugene opened the notebook and started reading from it. After reading everything, he looked at her and said, "Melissa called me earlier, and she was hoping that you'd drop by her place tonight."

"Okay," replied Amelie as she nodded with a frown on her face.

At noon, she signed a big project. As soon as she exited the clubhouse after securing the deal, she bumped into Toby. He happened to enter the venue and waved at her when he saw her. He then turned over, spoke to his team, and walked toward her after they had left. Amelie was in a daze when she noticed the metal tie pin on his white suit.

"I never thought that I'd bump into you here," Toby said with a smile, his personality as warm as ever.

"Mm," she answered.

"You seem quieter than before. Is it because you've been too tired?" Toby looked at her while he spoke. He was one of the people who knew about Leo's injury, so he naturally knew that Amelie was managing Genesis on behalf of Leo.

"I'm fine," she replied politely.

Hearing that, he pursed his lips. "I visited Leo yesterday. About his condition… I'm sure that the doctors would have told you about it. Do you plan on managing Genesis and the Alston Family for the rest of your life if Leo never wakes up?" He looked at her concernedly.

He knew how capable she was from how she had established Starlight Media and Knowlit to being a social media influencer. All of these would help her manage Genesis well. He also knew that she loved her freedom. If not, she wouldn't have let Julia manage the company that she had established.

"Maybe," Amelie answered softly.

Toby felt bad for her when he saw how calm she was. In the end, he told her, "Let me know if you need any help."

"I will." She nodded at him and didn't say anything else. After their conversation ended, he entered the clubhouse with a heavy heart.

"Isn't the woman from earlier on Amelie? She's Leo's ex-wife, and they got divorced." A few of the Walsh siblings and Toby's uncle were in the clubhouse. They remembered Amelie since Toby and her used to pretend to be a couple. On top of that, she was also Leo's ex-wife. Toby nodded upon hearing the question.

"Toby, that's so smart of you to get close to Leo's ex-wife now that Leo is in a coma. What's more, no one from the Alston Family can manage Genesis. You should find a way to seize the company." Toby's uncle was impressed by him and gave him two thumbs up.

Hearing that, Toby's expression tensed up. "Leo is my best friend. I will never kick him when he is down, so don't even think about it!"

"Why so serious, Toby? In business, there are no friends. What's more, it is still unknown whether Leo will wake up or not."

"Exactly. Someone else will be eyeing Genesis even if we don't. Why shouldn’t we do it?" Both of Toby's cousins chimed in as they couldn't agree more with their uncle.

The furious Toby suddenly slammed the table, his expression grim. "Listen carefully. This will be the last time I'm saying this—I will never seize and take ownership of Genesis. If anyone dares to do that, it will mean that you are going against me!"

Toby's cousins wanted to protest, but their uncle shot them a look and nudged them. Although Toby's decision didn't sit well with them, they kept quiet after seeing how adamant Toby was about it.

…

It was already 7.00PM when Amelie finished work. She had to postpone a work dinner to go to the Alston Residence. Upon her arrival, Leila was seen coming out with a doctor.

"What happened? Who has fallen sick?" Amelie walked over and asked.

Hearing that, Leila looked at her and sighed.

CHAPTER 398 SHE’LL HAVE TO PAY!

"Who else could it be? Mrs. Alston didn't get much rest last night, and she has been complaining about her headache ever since she woke up this morning. She eventually got the doctor to come over as she couldn't handle the pain any longer." Leila let out a sigh. "Mrs. Alston has been really worried recently."

Amelie understood what was going on even though Leila wasn't explicit with her words.

"Okay," Amelie uttered before she hurried into the house. As expected, she found Melissa lying on the couch with a weak look on her face.

Melissa used to love painting her nails, but her nails were naked and bare right then.

"Are you feeling better?" Amelie asked gently as she walked over.

Melissa had her eyes closed at first, but she opened them wide after hearing Amelie's voice. The bitter and weak look on Melissa's face was immediately replaced by a more energetic one as Melissa pushed herself up to sit on the couch. "You're here! Come over and take a seat. Go on and get her some soup, Miss Potts. Hurry up," Melissa ordered.

Leila had just sent the doctor out, and she looked rather flustered upon hearing Melissa's impatient tone. Amelie held Leila's hand to stop her. "It's fine. I'll just be here for a while."

"Why do you have to leave? This house is huge. You might as well move in." Melissa sounded extremely eager.

Amelie, however, simply pressed her lips together without responding.

Melissa then waved her hand to signal Leila to leave the room. Once Leila was far enough from them, Melissa went over and held Amelie by her hand before sitting her down on the couch.

Amelie wasn't used to being so intimate with Melissa, but she didn't protest as she took a seat beside Melissa. Melissa patted Amelie on the back of her hand as she spoke. "Amelie, now that Leo's in this state, and now that you've decided not to leave the country, why don't you bring Bria home?"

Melissa's words took Amelie by surprise, and Amelie widened her eyes as she turned to stare at the other woman. In an instant, Melissa shifted her gaze away—she was too afraid to look Amelie in the eyes. "Bria is a child of the Alston Family, after all. She should be close to her ancestors and her roots."

The reason Melissa fell ill wasn't entirely due to Leo's sickness—it was also because she had just found out that all of Leo's kids weren't actually his real children. At this point, no one knew if Leo would wake up, and Bria might be Leo's only real child. Melissa had every reason to be anxious over this matter.

Amelie had an inkling of what was going on in Melissa's mind when she saw how avoidant Melissa was of her gaze. "Why don't we wait for a while more?" Amelie suggested. The doctors were still uncertain about Leo's condition—they first had to find out the reason that Leo was in a coma. Amelie, therefore, still felt rather hopeful about Leo's condition, and she thought that he might wake up. "Now's not the best time to bring Bria back. After all, the public thinks that Leo is spending time with his daughter abroad. People might get suspicious if Bria's the only one who comes back," Amelie explained.

Melissa seemed to realize something upon hearing Amelie's words. "Oh, yeah. Right, right."

"Also, does the Walsh Family know about Leo's condition?" Amelie asked. Melissa seemed rather

embarrassed after hearing Amelie's question, but she quickly regained her composure. "Well, Toby is Leo's good friend, and the Walshes are pretty close to our family, so…"

Amelie knitted her brows together as she stared at Melissa. I was right. She was the one who exposed the news of Leo's condition. "Well, Toby might not harm Genesis, but we can't be sure of the rest of the Walshes. The industry is a harsh and cruel place—anything could happen," Amelie uttered.

Melissa scratched the back of her head frantically as she spoke. "I got too worried after hearing about Leo's condition, and… I wanted someone to help, so I… I might have shared a little too much," Melissa replied.

"I know." Amelie got to her feet. Deep down, she knew that Melissa wasn't being entirely transparent with her even then. Mrs. Alston probably just doesn't trust me enough. She wanted to use the Walshes to keep an eye on me and to control me. Amelie didn't bother pointing this out as she felt like there was no need to expose Melissa. "Well, you should try to keep things a secret from now on. We don't want to expose our vulnerabilities to people who may have the intention to harm."

"Got it," Melissa replied with a nod. She was no longer as haughty as she used to be. "Are you leaving now?" Melissa asked when she saw Amelie picking up her bag.

"I have a few cases to deal with, so I need to head back to work," Amelie replied honestly. Melissa clung onto Amelie's bag then. "You should still have a meal before leaving. Why don't I get Miss Potts to cook some good food for you? You can leave after eating," Melissa suggested. Before Amelie got a chance to respond, Melissa started crying out for Leila.

"I'm really busy today. We can do this another day," Amelie said before pulling her bag out of Melissa's grip and giving Melissa a curt nod. Melissa no longer insisted on keeping Amelie around after that, but

an obvious look of disappointment formed on her face when she watched Amelie leave.

After a long while, Melissa finally turned around to see Jodie sitting in her wheelchair in the corner of the room. Jodie wore an icy look on her face as she curled her lips into a smirk. "Since when did the high and mighty Mrs. Alston become such a lap dog?"

"What are you talking about?" Melissa hissed as a rather troubled look formed on her face. Jodie scoffed at the other woman. "Did I get it wrong? Weren't you just trying to please Amelie from the moment she stepped into the house? I thought you were going to get on your knees and beg her to order you around at one point," Jodie replied in a harsh and offensive tone.

Even though Jodie's words were rather exaggerated, she wasn't wrong to say that there was a drastic change in Melissa's attitude toward Amelie. Melissa glared at Jodie. "Don't you know the state that our family is in now? We would've been destroyed by the others if Amelie hadn't been around to support the family. We might even be on the streets by now! Amelie's our savior, so I don't see a problem with being nice to her," Melissa uttered.

"Hmph. Leo wouldn't be in this state if it weren't for Amelie. Whatever she's doing now is just compensation for all that she owes us! We shouldn't be nice to her—it's her duty to work for us and to pay us back!" Jodie always had a bad temper, but her temper seemed to have gotten worse ever since she became paralyzed.

Melissa let out a sigh and shook her head when she saw how deluded her daughter was. "Why can't you understand the situation, Jodie?" Melissa massaged her temples as she spoke. "Even if Amelie's the reason that Leo got injured, we can't do much to her if she chooses to ignore us. She's showing more kindness than we can ever ask for by being here to support us now!" Melissa was a selfish woman, but she was more rational than Jodie.

"What kindness are you talking about?" Jodie's heart was filled with hatred. She was convinced that Amelie was the one who harmed Leo and that Amelie was the reason she lost her ability to walk. "I don't need her charity at all! I'm not done getting revenge on her!" Jodie cried.

Melissa was already troubled by all these matters, and her headache only felt worse after she heard what Jodie had to say. With her hand pressed against her head, Melissa let out another few groans and sighs before she headed up to her room. Meanwhile, Jodie wore the same hateful look as she tightened her grip on the armrests of her wheelchair. It was a while before Jodie finally wheeled herself back to her room. She sat around in her room for a while before she pulled her phone out to make a call. "Mr. Walsh, right?"

…

There weren't a lot of people who knew about Leo's condition. Amelie decided not to visit him every day as she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. That day, she stayed home to work. She was seated in front of her laptop, and she had a pen in one hand as she flipped through some papers with the other. Every now and then, she would make notes on the papers. The light from her laptop screen shone on her serious face.

She was midway through her work when her phone rang. She turned around to glance at her phone before she swiped across the screen to pick it up. "Why are you calling at this hour, Mr. Cornelius? Is anything the matter?"

"There's been an issue in the company, Miss Dillon!" Eugene cried out anxiously.

CHAPTER 399 SOMEONE CAUSED TROUBLE

Things were already an utter mess by the time Amelie arrived at the office. Many of the shareholders who rarely showed up were all present—some of them stood around while others sat down with sour looks on their faces. "Mr. Fleurs, Mr. Weir, Mr. Langston…" Amelie greeted everyone politely. Even though she hadn't met them in the past, she had memorized all of the shareholders' names throughout her three months in Genesis.

"You could've just called if there were any issues. Why did all of you come over?" Amelie asked.

"Miss Dillon?" Andy Weir called out to her. He was a man in his fifties, and he was dressed in a dark- colored shirt with a vest on the outside. He seemed like a gentleman, but he didn't sound that pleased at that moment. "If my memory serves me right, you're Leo's ex-wife, right? What are you doing here? Where's Leo?" he asked.

Amelie kept a smile on her face. "You sure have a good memory, Mr. Weir. Why don't we head in to have a talk?" she asked while pointing at her office.

Andy seemed a little less agitated after hearing her words of praise, but he continued to wear a stern look on his face as stepped into the office with Amelie. The other shareholders followed closely behind them. Eugene hastily arranged some chairs for the shareholders while the secretary hurried in with the shareholders' preferred drinks.

Darren Langston glanced at the cup of tea in front of him before he picked it up and took a sip. "I heard that Mr. Alston hasn't been in the office for more than three months, Miss Dillon. Is that so? Has he decided to stop running the business and hand it over to you? If that's the case, then why did he have to hide it from us?" Darren asked.

"We're the company's shareholders, after all. We might not hold as many shares as the Alston Family, but we still have the right to vote and make decisions. Are you guys looking down on us right now?" another shareholder voiced out.

"You guys are too much!" The other five shareholders started speaking up after hearing Darren's words.

Amelie quickly shook her head with a smile. "That's not the case, of course. I'm just a temporary replacement."

"I heard that he's abroad with his daughter. Is that right?" Travis Sunders asked. Travis was quieter than the rest of the shareholders. He was a man with small eyes and thin lips, and he looked like an extremely wise and thoughtful man. His question wasn't directed to Amelie—instead, he had gone over to ask the secretary who handed him his drink earlier.

The secretary had been informed by Amelie to stick to this particular story, so she nodded and smiled. "Yes—"

"No!" Amelie interrupted the secretary before she could complete the sentence. She turned to give Amelie a puzzled look, and Amelie walked over to pat her on the shoulder. "You don't have to be here anymore. You may leave now," Amelie urged.

"Sure." The secretary walked out without protest. After that, Eugene walked over and shut the door behind the secretary while Amelie stood in front of all the shareholders to give them a clear explanation. "What you guys heard earlier was just a story that we've told the rest of our internal staff

and clients. The truth is that Leo has suffered a cardiac injury and is currently still in a coma."

Eugene shot Amelie a surprised gaze after hearing her words. However, he didn't say anything. "A cardiac injury?" one shareholder asked.

"He's in a coma?" Both Andy Weir and Sebastian Warhol wore looks of surprise on their faces, while Darren and another shareholder, Jonathan Lee, showed no response. Darren simply rubbed his chin with a thoughtful look on his face, while Jonathan wore a rather amused expression.

Eugene seemed to understand something when he noticed the two men's expressions. He couldn't help but feel amazed by Amelie's wits right then. "How could such a thing happen?" Andy asked. Amelie told the shareholders a brief summary of what happened to Leo when he was abroad.

"Well, if he hasn't woken up for three months, it's clear that he's never going to wake up. We can't just allow you to handle the company, can we, Miss Dillon? How could we have such huge changes without a formal announcement?" Darren asked with a slow but harsh tone.

"Yeah." Andy nodded in agreement. "Mr. Alston is a brilliant man. I only invested in this company because I was impressed with his abilities." In other words, Andy was implying that he had no trust in Amelie.

"Same here. I only invested in Genesis because of Mr. Alston." The rest of the shareholders began to share their thoughts after hearing Andy's words. "Furthermore, regardless of how great your skills are, you're merely Mr. Alston's ex-wife, Miss Dillon. You're not even part of the Alston Family. How are we supposed to trust you?" Andy's eyes glinted with rage as he spoke.

"Yeah."

"Yeah!" The rest of the shareholders were in agreement with Andy's words.

"There was a huge issue that arose after you got a divorce with Mr. Alston, right, Miss Dillon? Mr. Alston might be in a coma, but Mrs. Alston is still well and alive, isn't she? How could she allow this to happen?" someone asked.

"Yeah. Your relationship with Mr. Alston is too complicated for you to be able to take over Genesis, Miss Dillon," someone else said.

"I'll have no choice but to retract my investments if you insist on taking charge of Genesis, Miss Dillon!" Jonathan was the first to express his wishes. Even though the rest of the shareholders didn't speak up, their body language made it clear that they were in agreement with Jonathan.

Amelie didn't seem fazed by the shareholder's threats—she continued to smile at them as she stood in front of the crowd silently. Eugene stepped forward then. "Miss Dillon has already taken over the company for three months, and I believe you guys can see how well the company has been doing ever since she took over. Her skills are undeniable." Eugene placed some company performance reports in front of the shareholders as he spoke.

These reports had been prepared beforehand, and Amelie was the one who had requested for them to be prepared. Eugene was extremely impressed by how Amelie seemed to have predicted all of this to happen. "Furthermore, if you guys are worried about how trustworthy Miss Dillon is," Eugene continued after handing the reports out, "Both Mr. and Mrs. Alston have complete trust in Miss Dillon. Otherwise, they wouldn't have handed the entire company over to her."

"Well, that's their business! We don't know Miss Dillon at all, so how are we supposed to trust her?"

Jonathan spoke up in a dissatisfied tone. It was evident that he was a rash and impatient man. "Yeah. I met Miss Dillon back in the Alston Residence, and it seemed like the Alstons didn't really fancy her. Why would she help a family who doesn't like her? Does she have some ulterior motive? The Alstons aren't the only ones who own this company. We have rights to the company as well!" Andy added. He was expressive of his distrust in both Amelie's skills and her character.

Sebastian spoke up as well. "Genesis started off with a strong foundation. The outstanding performance in the past three months simply shows us that Mr. Alston has done a good job with managing the company previously. It doesn't showcase Miss Dillon's skills at all!" The shareholders were very direct, and they clearly had two main concerns. Firstly, they didn't trust Amelie's skills, and secondly, they didn't believe that Amelie genuinely cared for the Alston Family.

Eugene was worried that Amelie wouldn't be able to handle the crowd, and he had been about to speak up when Amelie held her hand up to stop him. She continued to wear a pleasant smile on her face as she spoke. "Well, if you are so suspicious of my abilities, you may retract your investments. I'll pay you with whatever the market rate is."

"Well…" The shareholders were stunned after hearing her words. They had been ready to start a fight earlier, but now they were all frozen in their spots. "You… You're too reckless." Jonathan was the first to express his displeasure. "How could Genesis be the company that it is now if it wasn't for our help back then? You're getting rid of us after receiving our help!"

"If that was what I wanted to do, we would've bought off all your shares years ago. Leo is a skilled man —he would've had his way to make you guys comply with his wishes if he wanted to do so. He didn't pull such an act because he was grateful for all of your help." Amelie remained calm.

"Now that I'm the one in charge, I continue to share the same views as Leo. I won't allow any of you to

suffer any losses. If you trust me, you may continue to be a shareholder of the company. Even if you decide not to trust me, I'll still make sure that you don't suffer any losses," Amelie offered.

CHAPTER 400 SHE’S NOT MY SISTER-IN-LAW

The shareholders no longer continued kicking up a fuss after they heard what Amelie had to say. Amelie cleared her throat after the shareholders were silenced. "If you wish to further understand my skills, you may look up Starlight Media, Knowlit, and the live stream sessions with my ID, Foxy."

"What? You're in charge of Starlight Media?"

"Did you say that you're the boss of Knowlit as well?"

"And you're Foxy?"

The shareholders were frequent travelers, and they were typically out in search of new businesses or leisure activities. It was rare for them to keep up with things in the entertainment industry. So, even if they had heard of Foxy, they had no idea that Amelie was the one behind the name. Starlight Media's boss had always been anonymous, so no one could've known that it was Amelie, either. Knowlit, on the other hand, had received a lot more attention in recent years, and Amelie had shown up at its events. However, most people assumed that she was working for someone, and they never considered other possibilities.

It was, therefore, a huge shock for everyone to learn that Amelie was the sole person in charge of these three ventures. Even the shareholders, who were experienced figures in the industry, couldn't imagine themselves generating as much wealth within such a short period of time. The shareholders no longer held the same judgments about Amelie's skills after that.

Amelie continued to speak calmly. "You won't have to worry about my loyalty toward Genesis as well. My daughter is Leo's only real child. If Leo never wakes up, I'll have to protect Genesis to ensure that

my daughter inherits a profitable business in the future." Amelie felt a sharp ache in her chest after finishing her words.

The shareholders no longer made any protests after that. They simply made a few neutral remarks before they found some excuse to leave the office. Eugene felt like he was finally able to breathe normally after they sent the last shareholder out of the office. "Phew." Eugene had been genuinely worried for Amelie earlier.

"I was dripping with cold sweat after you suggested that the shareholders retract their investments earlier, Miss Dillon. How were you so sure that they wouldn't do it?" Eugene was eager to learn a thing or two from her. He wouldn't have been worried about the investors retracting their funds if Leo had been around. However, after Melissa handled the company for that period of time, the entire system turned into a huge mess, and they had just managed to settle things a while ago. If the investors retracted their funds right then, Genesis would've been in huge trouble. They would've lost their biggest support.

Amelie smiled as she lowered her head to collect the shareholders' cups on the table. "Well, if I started off by telling them about my skills, they would've thought of me as a cocky person. If I offered for them to retract their investments first, then they would think that the company isn't lacking in funds. I only shared my personal achievements after that as a cherry on top. The shareholders would have no reason to worry after hearing my words."

"Impressive!" Eugene cried. It was then that he realized how Amelie's successes were never due to pure luck but genuine ability. Amelie responded with a bashful smile as she took her laptop and stepped out of the office. "Don't we have a meeting at 9.00AM? We're just on time." She strode out after that.

When Amelie stepped out of the room, she realized that Darren was still standing in the well-lit corridor outside. He seemed to be admiring the potted plants on the walkway. It only took Amelie one glance to know that Darren probably had more to talk to her about. So, she handed her laptop to Eugene and gestured for him to go ahead and host the meeting first. Then, Amelie walked over to Darren. "Are you checking the plants out, Mr. Langston? Do you fancy any of these? I can get someone to send you a few plants if you want them," Amelie offered. She knew that Darren was a fan of arranging flowers.

"No, no. It's fine," he uttered while holding his hand up. Despite claiming that he wasn't interested, he continued to gaze at one particular plant. He rested his hands behind his back and bent down as if to observe every detail of the plant. Amelie stood around and kept quiet for a while. Darren stared at the plants for nearly five minutes before he turned his attention back to Amelie. He pushed his glasses up his nose while staring at her.

"I'm curious, Miss Dillon. Since you're such a capable woman, why did you insist on being so secretive? I've always wanted to invest in Starlight Media, yet I couldn't find the owner's identity even after asking around in the industry. Starlight Media is a good company, and it seems to be profiting well. We should all share this profit, don't you think?"

Amelie knew that he was kidding, so she simply chuckled without responding to his statement. Meanwhile, Darren flicked the leaves of the plant. "You sure are a smart woman, Miss Dillon. You told us the truth right after we showed up and asked about Mr. Alston's whereabouts. Frankly speaking, whatever you said would've been pointless if you hadn't told the truth from the start."

Amelie pressed her lips together. "Well, you and the rest of the shareholders are here to gain benefits for yourselves as well. I wouldn't lie to you," she uttered.

Darren responded with a satisfied nod. "Well, I'm sure you already knew something from the moment you saw the shareholders, right, Miss Dillon?"

She smiled this time. "Yeah. You are all busy people, so you wouldn't just show up at the company if you were utterly clueless."

"That's smart!" Darren stuck his thumb up. "Don't you want to know who leaked such information to them?" he asked.

Amelie pressed her lips together without responding. Darren's gaze was filled with admiration when he saw how unintrigued Amelie seemed. Finally, he clenched his fist before clearing his throat. "You're a smart woman, Miss Dillon. I'm sure you're good at managing companies. However, I'd like to remind you not to neglect family time in the process," he uttered before turning around and walking off.

Amelie stared at his figure for a long while before she, too, turned and headed toward the meeting room. Later that night, Amelie showed up at Alston Residence. "Elie." Melissa beamed the moment she saw Amelie. "Have you thought things through? Did you decide to move in?" she asked excitedly.

Amelie didn't seem too pleased, but she still gave Melissa a polite nod. "Where's Miss Jodie?" she asked.

"Jodie?" Melissa raised an eyebrow. "Do you need anything from her?" Melissa had every right to be surprised—after all, Amelie rarely ever showed up at Alston Residence unless she was invited to go over. Furthermore, Amelie never once spoke to Jodie while she was there.

"Yeah," Amelie replied without explaining.

Melissa decided to get the housekeeper to bring Jodie over. "Hurry up and get Miss Jodie to come here!" Soon enough, the sound of a wheelchair's rollers moved closer to them, followed by Jodie's agitated voice. "Don't you hear what I'm saying? I said I don't want to go to the living room. Can't you hear me?" She was clearly speaking to the housekeeper. Before Jodie could protest any further, the housekeeper had already pushed her into the living room.

Jodie shot Melissa a look of displeasure. "What is it, Mom? Can you stop torturing me? Why don't you give me some peace?" Jodie always had a bad temper, but her temperament only grew worse after she injured her leg. She showed zero patience whenever she was talking to others.

"I'm not the one who asked for you. Your sister-in-law is the one who wants to see you," Melissa uttered while pointing at Amelie. Amelie had been standing behind Melissa, so Jodie didn't notice Amelie from where she was until she heard her mother. "Hah! My sister-in-law, huh? How could you be so careless with that term, Mom? Do you think any random woman has the right to be my sister-in- law?" Jodie scoffed.

Melissa's face turned sour when she heard Jodie's sharp and hurtful words. "Why are you talking that way?" Melissa growled as her face darkened.

"What else do you want me to say?" Jodie talked back to her mother. "She's just someone my brother dumped. She might even be the family's enemy in some ways. She's the reason Leo is the way he is now!" Jodie cried.

"Shut up!" Melissa rushed over and slapped Jodie on her face. The whole Alston Family was dependent on Amelie at that point, and Melissa had no choice but to punish Jodie because of her reckless behavior. Jodie felt as if her cheek was deformed after receiving Melissa's firm and hard slap.

Melissa pressed her palms together as well—she knew that she had used a little too much strength, and she felt both angry and sorry for Jodie. "H-How dare you hit me?" Jodie only reached out to touch her cheek moments after she was slapped. Then, Jodie turned to glare at Amelie before she started screaming at her. "Are you happy now? You broke my legs, and you made my mother hate me… This is the outcome you were waiting for, right? You're such a malicious woman, Amelie!"

Amelie shifted her icy gaze to look at Jodie. "You're not in the right mind now. I think your mom was being nice by only slapping you once." Jodie was speechless after that. She hadn't expected Amelie to utter such a thing in front of Melissa.

"Did you hear that, Mom? She's just trying to hurt me!" Jodie immediately started complaining to Melissa. "She's trying to tear our family apart, and she's trying to ruin us. She's doing it to me now, but you'll be her next target!" Jodie cried.

Melissa shuddered as a rather fearful expression formed on her face. It wasn't clear if she was furious at Jodie for going overboard or if she was simply too shocked. Amelie didn't have the time to mess around with Jodie anymore, so she got straight to her point. "I have some questions. Let's go to your room," she told Jodie.

"Hah! Are you going to beat me up behind closed doors? I'm not going to leave. If you have the guts to do it, why don't you hit me here, in front of my mother and the housekeeper? I want all of you to stay. You guys can be my witness!" Jodie cried.

Amelie had no choice but to change her plans when she saw how dramatic Jodie was acting. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

"Fine," Amelie replied.