Ch. 401..405: My Sugar And Your Spice Chapter 401-405

CHAPTER 401 YOU IDIOT!

Amelie took a few steps closer to Jodie. Jodie was too afraid even to bat an eyelid, and she glared at Amelie's hand with a look of caution in her eyes. Jodie flinched a little as Amelie got closer, and Melissa flinched along with her. Melissa didn't have the guts to mess with Amelie right then, but Jodie was still Melissa's daughter, after all. Melissa couldn't help but wonder what she should do if Amelie were to hit her daughter.

Fortunately, Amelie didn't do what Jodie and Melissa had expected her to do. Instead, Amelie tucked her hair behind her ear before staring directly at Jodie. "You could've just expressed all your dissatisfaction at home, and everyone would be fine with that, Miss Jodie. Why did you have to tell the shareholders about this? Are you trying to dig your own grave? You're already paralyzed—are you trying to ruin the rest of the Alston Family as well?"

Jodie's face turned pale after hearing Amelie's words. She looked all over the house frantically—she felt too ashamed to look into anyone's eyes right then. "What… What do you mean?" Melissa felt her heart pounding after hearing Amelie's words. She turned to stare at Amelie.

However, Amelie didn't respond to Melissa. She simply kept her lips sealed. Melissa had no choice but to turn and look at Jodie. "What have you done, Jodie?"

"What… What could I have done?" Jodie had been eager to get revenge when she first did the deed. She was even excited to do it. However, Jodie no longer had the guts to admit to her faults after she heard what Amelie said. Melissa knew that Amelie wasn't the sort of person who would randomly accuse someone of something they hadn't done, so she smacked her hand on her own thigh as she shouted at her daughter. "I want you to explain yourself now. I'll kick you out of the house if I have to find out about your acts on my own!"

"How could you trust an outsider, Mom? I'm your daughter!" Jodie put on a pitiful look as she gazed at her mother with bloodshot eyes. Tears threatened to trickle down her cheeks.

"That's beside the point!" Melissa wasn't the brightest woman, but she knew her daughter well enough to tell what she was trying to do. "If you're not going to explain yourself, then I'll tell the housekeeper to send you out now. Mr. Cooper!" Melissa cried.

"No! No! Don't send me away!" Jodie shook her head frantically. "I'll tell you. I'll tell you what I've done, okay?" Jodie shot Amelie an angry glare before she finally explained herself. "It's no big deal, you know. I was angry because this woman here took over the role as the president of our company, so I told the shareholders to drag her down," Jodie explained.

"That's not all. She also told all the shareholders about Leo's coma," Amelie added. Melissa's eyes were so wide, her eyeballs looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets at any moment. Smack! Melissa gave Jodie a slap. "What a betrayer you are! How dare you tell outsiders about such things? Don't you know that those shareholders are a bunch of greedy pigs? They'd probably swallow Genesis alive if Amelie weren't here to hold the fort! Amelie and I have been trying our best to keep everything a secret, yet you told the public all about what happened to Leo! Are you trying to ruin us all?" Melissa cried. Even though Melissa wasn't in charge of the company, she still knew a lot about company matters.

Jodie's face turned pale after Melissa slapped her. "I know. I'm paralyzed now, so you no longer care about me. You probably wish I was dead, right? Are… Are you even my mother?" Jodie cried while pressing her hand against her cheek. Melissa felt like she was about to burst into flames after hearing Jodie's words.

"How dumb can you be, Jodie? Didn't you hear what Amelie just said? Once you tell the shareholders about such matters, you will have given them the power to snatch our company away from us. You might be paralyzed now, but you still have tons of people to care for you. You have tons of money and a big house! However, if the shareholders ended up scheming against us, we would have no choice but to sleep on the streets!" Melissa cried.

Jodie couldn't picture herself sleeping on the streets—just the thought of it left her too shocked to speak for a while. Jodie simply started sobbing silently after that. "There are a lot of times when I chose not to argue with you, not because I was guilty of your accusations, but simply because I didn't have the time. Let me clear things up this time around, Jodie—you're responsible for your own broken legs. I have nothing to do with it. I'll bring you to court if you ever bring this up again!" Amelie cried.

"As for Leo… It's true that he was trying to save me. But have you ever considered why Chandler ended up taking me away? Don't you think you're partially responsible for it as well?" Amelie added.

"I obviously didn't… You were the one…" Jodie mumbled.

"Are you sure?" Amelie widened her eyes. Jodie was too terrified by Amelie's strong aura—she had to swallow her words even though they were at the tip of her tongue. Jodie knew what she did, of course —she was the one who told Chandler about Amelie's whereabouts, and it was Jodie's intention for Amelie's life to be ruined.

However, Jodie had no idea that Chandler was a madman who had been using her the entire time. What Chandler really wanted was to see the Alston Family being torn apart, and for the Alstons to suffer. Most of his dreams had been achieved at that point!

"I'll let you go just this once. If this ever happens again, you'll no longer be under my protection!" Amelie announced before she strode out of the door. Melissa shot Jodie an exasperated and disappointed glare. "Jodie, you idiot!" Jodie couldn't handle all the criticism that she just received, and all she could do was cover her face and bawl her eyes out.

…

There was no need to hide the truth about Leo's condition after that, so Amelie figured that she might as well bring Bria and Steven back into the country. Steven was aware of how much Leo had sacrificed for his own daughter, so he no longer felt the same intense hatred toward the Alstons. Even though Steven still didn't want to meet the Alstons, he often brought Bria over to visit Leo at the hospital.

Bria was braver than everyone had expected her to be. When she saw Leo lying still in bed, she wasn't afraid of him—she even reached out and held his hand before talking to him. Amelie went over to visit Leo whenever she ended work a little earlier, and she would sit by his bed to tell him about things that happened in the office. This eventually became a routine.

Everyone now and then, Amelie would fall asleep while talking to Leo. One day, she woke up to find a jacket draped over her. She often fell asleep resting on the bed, so she figured that a nurse must have put a jacket over her. However, after she tugged on the jacket, she froze in shock.

Her gaze was fixed upon her own hand. My hand is warm. This isn't the sort of warmth that comes from the heater in the room! Amelie turned to look at the man's palms. I pulled my hand out of his earlier. Does that mean that he… held my hand? Amelie couldn't believe what was going on, so she gently poked his arm before calling his name.

The man didn't respond to her at all. Could I have been the one who pulled his hand out of the sheets

before putting my hand in his? Amelie thought about this matter for a while more, but she couldn't seem to come up with any other possible answers.

"What would you like for breakfast, Miss Dillon?" The nurse walked in right then. They were in a VIP room, so the nurse was in charge of both caring for the patients as well as the patient's visitors.

"Anything's fine," Amelie replied as she regained her senses. The nurse ended up handing Amelie a bowl of porridge after that, and Amelie took it before devouring the food while scrolling through her phone. Amelie had an application that allowed her to manage her schedule, and she was focused on arranging her time when the man on the bed seemed to have moved a little.

The man's eyes moved under his eyelids, but they eventually stopped after a while. There were other things that Amelie missed out too—she didn't notice how the man's fingers were moving as if they were in search of something. His hand moved around for a long while, and he only stopped when he finally ran out of strength.

CHAPTER 402 ASHTON’S AMBITION

Amelie came to the company a little after 8.00AM.

The employees had been long used to her arriving at work earlier. Eugene also specifically hired an early shift secretary for her.

When she arrived at her office, the early-shift secretary served Amelie a cup of steaming hot coffee. "Thank you." She lowered her head and spoke.

The secretary did not leave immediately as usual, but she stopped there with an uneasy look. "Miss Dillon, a gentleman was here to see you."

"Oh?" Amelie looked surprised. I'm not surprised that someone wants to see me, but he came earlier than me. "Who?"

The secretary shook her head. "He said that you'll know once you see him."

However, that man did not stay in the company, but on the contrary, he left an address for the cafe downstairs.

Amelie disliked such odd behavior, so she did not take it to heart. Turning on her computer, she started getting busy with work.

In the blink of an eye, it was noon. She asked her secretary to buy her lunch as usual. However, her secretary was away for a long time and did not return. Amelie got a call from her. "Miss Dillon, I came downstairs to buy you lunch, but suddenly, two people led me to a cafe. It's the same gentleman who

asked to see you."

What's with that man? He seems persistent. Amelie checked the weather. It's a sunny day. And he wants to see me in a crowded place like a cafe. Surely, it's not to kill me.

Amelie got to her feet. Now I'm curious who's so eager to see me. She walked straight into that cafe after going downstairs.

The slow, languid music playing in the cafe radiated a kind of ambiguous atmosphere and gave off an aura of a slow lifestyle.

Amelie frowned because she despised that type of clingy and sentimental music.

"Miss Dillon," a woman called out to Amelie.

Amelie raised her head and noticed her secretary uncomfortably waving at her from the second-floor banister. The secretary appeared to be on the verge of tears with her lips pressed together. Behind her was a figure that had obscured facial features. However, his legs were as lanky as ever. After that, Amelie approached them.

Two bodyguards blocked the secretary, and the man behind the secretary finally revealed his face. It was a cynical and slightly unruly face. "It's been a while."

"Mr. Lowe?" Amelie muttered while raising her brows. That was all her reaction.

Unlike his usual self who always wore a casual floral shirt with a devil-may-care attitude, Ashton now

donned a very formal suit with a tie and leather shoes. He appeared quite presentable. When he saw Amelie, he spread his hands open in exaggeration.

"Miss Dillon." At last, the bodyguards let the secretary go. Her eyelids fluttered incessantly as she ran over to Amelie. She had been detained there for an extended period for no apparent reason, so she felt scared and even violated.

Amelie patted her secretary's shoulders with understanding. "Just get back to work."

"How about you?" The first thing Ashton Lowe did was ask his bodyguards to detain me. Will Miss Dillon be fine?

Amelie smiled faintly. "It's okay. Mr. Lowe's an old friend."

The secretary was still slightly worried since Ashton did not seem like a good guy no matter what, but she did not dare to disobey Amelie. Hence, she nodded and went downstairs to leave.

Only then did Amelie walk to Ashton slowly. "Mr. Lowe, you can just go to Genesis if you want to see me. Why did you have to wait here for such a long time and come up with such tricks?"

Ashton smiled faintly before he started fiddling with a small ornament on the table as if pondering something. "Well, I'm free. Getting coffee to kill time sounds nice to me." Then, he stood up. "Miss Dillon, please have a seat."

Amelie approached him and sat across from him. Her gaze was calm. "Mr. Lowe, what can I do for you?"

"Oh," he said, setting the ornament down and straightening his back to face her. "I've come to talk business with you."

She frowned. I recall him always looking down on me and never being nice to me. He hasn't said anything nonsense or mean today, though, and he even wants to talk business with me.

"Mr. Lowe, you want to talk business with me? Did I hear that right?"

He laughed. "Yes."

"What would you like to talk about, Mr. Lowe?" Amelie remained calm as she straightened her back, appearing to be all ears.

The upper half of Ashton's body leaned against the chair as he behaved like a successful businessman.

"Let's talk about Genesis. I want to acquire it."

"You want to acquire Genesis?" Even Amelie was astounded by Ashton's bold idea.

"Mr. Lowe, I'm sure you're joking."

"Does this sound like a joke? I do want to acquire Genesis." Ashton raised seven fingers at Amelie. "Seven billion. Flat rate."

She was flabbergasted. Seven billion isn't considered the top price to acquire Genesis, but it's a pretty good price. After a while, she chuckled. "It's indeed a pretty good price, but the company belongs to

Leo. I don't have the right to make this decision for him."

"Yes, you do." He tapped the table. "I know that he has long transferred his shares to you, and the contract is kept in his safe. It's binding."

She glanced at him. When did this half-hearted playboy become a cunning wolf?

"Mr. Lowe, Leo is your best friend, but you want to frame him like this. How can you live with that?" she demanded coldly.

He burst into laughter. "Best friend? I'm just a lackey for him at most. No, not even a lackey. When he's in a good mood, he looks at me, but when he's in a bad mood, he doesn't even acknowledge my presence!" Ashton's languid gaze was filled with hatred. "Miss Dillon, isn't he bad to you? Why are you concerned about him? My offer isn't low, and you'll get some of it. A few billion, that is if you sell your share to me."

"I'm not like you, Mr. Lowe." Her expression had become icy. "I never want something that isn't mine. Even if there is a shares transfer agreement, I will not accept it because I despise receiving handouts from others."

Amelie slowly leaned forward. "I advise you to reflect on yourself carefully as to why Leo doesn't take you seriously. It's because you're only worth that much, or you're simply worthless. How could you ask others to respect you if you're worthless?" Amelie rarely gave someone a mouthful. This guy has crossed the line. I have to be straightforward.

"You sound as if you're nothing to him. But do you remember, when your father ignored you, who helped you? You've been in business for a long time. Which one didn't he support? Do you think you'll

hold a little status in your family without him? If you lack even the most basic gratitude, are you even human?" Amelie then nodded politely before slowly walking down the stairs.

Ashton's languid face turned angry and violent behind her.

CHAPTER 403 A SELF-DIRECTED SCHEME

An hour later, Amelie exited the conference room.

"What is the result? Did you figure out who did it?" Melissa staggered as she approached Amelie and inquired.

Amelie shook her head. "Everyone who came has an alibi, and the surveillance camera in the room was inexplicably broken. Nothing was recorded."

"Why did it turn out like this?" Melissa appeared very worried.

However, Jodie snorted. "Why not? You're just trying to shift the blame, Amelie. Others might be ignorant but I'm not. You did this because you covet my brother's property! You want to kill him, so you came up with such a self-directed scheme!"

"Jodie!" Melissa reminded her and gave her a look to shut her up.

Jodie, of course, was reluctant. "Did I say anything wrong? This is the VIP floor. Who could easily come here and do something bad? Except for Amelie, who else is capable of this? Mom, I warned you not to put too much faith in this woman. She claims she is uninterested in our family property, but she has long coveted it. Who in this world dislikes money?" Jodie sounded aggressive, and she even glared at Amelie. "Furthermore, even if she didn't do it for the money, she despises Leo because of how he has treated her in the past. Of course, she wants to kill Leo and us to exact revenge!"

Amelie had lost the desire to refute Jodie's outlandish claims, so she simply let Jodie be.

However, Jodie behaved more outrageously seeing Amelie remain silent. "Mom, look at that. She's struck speechless. She's already admitted to it!"

"Zip it!" Melissa gave several warnings whenever Jodie spoke more nonsense, and she even made a gesture as if to slap Jodie.

Consequently, Jodie felt much aggrieved, and she kept pursing her lips. "Just wait and see. I'll expose her true colors one day!" After that, she snorted and left while pushing her wheelchair forward.

Leo's condition was still unknown. The doctors had been in the surgery room for three hours. No one came out to give them a message either. Amelie appeared calm, but her eyes were full of worry. What if something happens to him… A sudden sharp pain gripped her chest.

The doctors only appeared when night fell.

"How is he?" Amelie and Melissa both dashed over to question the doctor.

The doctor took off the mask. "Ladies, don't worry. This incident didn't cause Mr. Alston any real harm."

"Why did you take so long to save him since he's not harmed? You're not lying to us, are you?" Melissa was very anxious.

The doctor laughed. "How could we possibly lie to you when it's a matter of life and death for the patient? We weren't trying to save him, but rather to figure out why he could breathe on his own."

"He could breathe… on his own." Amelie was stunned by what she had heard.

The doctor nodded. "We don't know when he started breathing on his own either. Anyway, he was not harmed when the breathing apparatus was pulled off."

"Do you mean… he will wake up soon?" Joy filled Amelie.

The doctor did not immediately respond, but after a long pause, he explained, "The ability to breathe on his own has no bearing on whether or not he can wake up. We don't dare to make any conclusion. However, one thing is certain. His body is healing in a good way. He might regain consciousness."

"Regain... consciousness?" Melissa was more agitated than Amelie as she muttered that statement several times.

"There's a possibility of that." The doctor did not respond in the affirmative.

Leo was pushed out before long. Although he could breathe on his own, the doctor placed him on a respirator for safety reasons.

Both Melissa and Amelie went forward and saw Leo lying in bed. They then pushed him back to the ward.

In the ward, Melissa touched Leo's face and cried incessantly while Amelie stood by the side quietly.

Amelie did not dare to be careless after such an incident. She readjusted the security system of the VIP ward and hired two guards to protect Leo. Only after arranging those did she go downstairs with Eugene. A deep frown remained on her brow.

"What else are you worried about, Miss Dillon? Are you concerned that the people who did this to Mr. Alston will not give up and will try again?" Eugene asked a question.

She pressed her lips together and nodded.

"But you have enforced the security system." He felt that that should be enough.

"If someone wants to kill him, these devices will eventually fail. And the men who are guarding him..." I'm well aware that human loyalty is less dependable than a strong security system. "I need a trustworthy person to find out who wants him dead as soon as possible."

Amelie initially wanted to seek assistance from Samuel, but he had returned to his family to manage his family business. It was best not to let him get involved in this again. For a brief moment, she was unsure whom to approach.

Eugene paused for a moment to reflect on the situation. "I've got a decent candidate."

The moment Amelie saw Victor, she knew he was a trustworthy person. In his eyes was a sense of indifference not seen in ordinary people. He was quiet and composed, no matter whether he stood or sat. She handed over control of the situation to him and asked him to be responsible for Leo's safety.

"Don't be worried, Miss Dillon. It's my responsibility given my relationship with Mr. Alston."

She then talked about the details with him until late at night before returning to her house, but she did not tell Bria or Steven about what happened to Leo because she didn't want them to worry.

The days that followed were relatively peaceful. However, a solicitor went to Amelie to give her a

shares transfer agreement.

"Mr. Alston has long drafted this shares transfer agreement, which has been kept at my place. I believe you should keep this," the lawyer elaborated.

Amelie had known about the shares transfer agreement for a long time, but she was still a little dazed when she saw the document right in front of her.

"This shares transfer agreement is legally binding. Miss Dillon, it's possible if you want to go through the formalities," the lawyer continued.

Amelie looked at him but made no response for a long time. At last, she pushed it slightly. "Got it."

The lawyer could not figure out her thoughts, but he said nothing more and left.

She called Victor no long after the lawyer had left. "Investigate Mr. Lewis."

"Yes." Victor never said or asked anything unnecessary. He hung up the phone right after Amelie gave her order.

Amelie then locked the shares transfer agreement away in her cabinet and went to numerous meetings. After the final meeting, it was already evening. As she walked toward her office, she leaned close to give Eugene some orders.

"Miss Dillon." The secretary at the secretary's desk called after her with an uneasy expression. "Mrs. Alston is here. She insisted on waiting for you in your office, and we couldn't do anything…"

There were many important documents in her office. Others were generally not permitted to enter her office unless she invited them. She was bewildered for a moment before nodding. She did not reprimand the secretary, instead saying, "Just get me two cups of coffee."

The secretary was relieved since Amelie did not scold her.

Amelie was not as solemn as Leo, but she was meticulous in her work. She would not show mercy if her subordinates made any fundamental errors. Her means were not insignificant in comparison to Leo's. So, even though she was generally polite to her subordinates, the secretary did not dare to disobey her easily.

CHAPTER 404 SELFLESS

"Let's stop here. Just sort out the data again based on what I just said," Amelie instructed Eugene.

He nodded and walked away in a different direction.

Only then did she open the door and step into the office.

The secretary happened to bring the cups of coffee into the office. Melissa was then given a cup of coffee. "Madam."

Melissa sat upright in the small reception room in her branded suit dress while carrying a designer bag. Her classy appearance had a deliberate elegance to it. She pushed away the cup of coffee in front of her as she glanced at Amelie. "I'm not going to take the coffee. Makes me sleepless at night."

Amelie knew how much Melissa cared about her health, so she asked her secretary to substitute a cup of milk for Melissa.

After the secretary left, Melissa rose to her feet and took several steps toward Amelie. "Be honest with me, Elie. Uhm… Did the lawyer give you the shares transfer agreement?"

She found out about this so quickly. Amelie could not help but be taken aback. Nonetheless, she nodded. "He did, indeed."

Melissa paled as her fingers turned weak while gripping her bag. "I trusted you, Elie. How could you possibly... How could you have done this to me... I-is Jodie right about you coveting the Alstons' property?"

Amelie rubbed her aching brows. Genesis' affairs are much more complicated than my previous work. I'm already under great pressure and exhaustion from handling them every day. Now I have Melissa making a scene here.

She knew the reason why Melissa was afraid, so she hurriedly stated, "Don't worry. Although the lawyer gave it to me, I don't intend to take anything from the Alstons."

"Really?" Melissa's question revealed how little she trusted Amelie.

Amelie sighed silently.

"If you don't want the Alstons' property, why don't you let me keep that shares transfer agreement?" Melissa asked quickly, averting her gaze. "Doesn't it prove that you're selfless if you let me have it?"

However, Amelie made no reply before she walked over to take out the shares transfer agreement. She was on the verge of ripping the shares transfer agreement.

Melissa, on the other hand, moved quickly to stop Amelie. "Elie, what are you doing? No, you can't destroy it." She snatched it and pressed it against her chest while speaking.

Amelie frowned as she looked at Melissa.

Melissa had stuffed the shares transfer agreement into her bag. "You don't have to tear it. I'll keep it for you."

The secretary happened to come into the office to serve Melissa a cup of milk. After casually taking a sip, Melissa said, "I've got to go because I have something to do." Then, she strode out of the office swiftly as if she was being pursued.

The secretary was perplexed as she observed Melissa's back. "Why did Mrs. Alston leave in such a rush? Isn't it better for her if you rip the shares transfer agreement up? What made her stop you?" When the secretary entered the office, she happened to see that scene. She was baffled, so she tilted her head. However, she soon realized that she had overstepped her boundary, so she immediately bowed her head to apologize. "I'm sorry, Miss Dillon."

Amelie did not say anything but waved her hand.

The secretary left quickly and closed the door.

Her frown tightened. Even the secretary found it strange. It might make sense if it were someone else, but Melissa has always been extremely selfish. She'd want me to just destroy it given her character. While she was deep in thought, a phone call from Victor came.

Victor would never call her for no reason, so she frowned as she quickly picked up the phone.

As expected, he said something useful on the other end of the phone. "I found who harmed Mr. Alston!"

Victor and Eugene were both present when Amelie arrived at Alston Residence.

Melissa wore an extremely solemn and hideous expression.

All the servants in the house were sent away.

Jodie huddled in the corner feebly, sobbing and covering her face. Not far away, the wheelchair she had been using was turned upside down.

Eugene approached Amelie when he saw her.

"What happened exactly?" she asked, looking down at Jodie.

"Victor found out that it was Miss Jodie who yanked off Mr. Alston's respirator. When we came just now, we forced the truth out of her, and she admitted to it. Mrs. Alston got so angry that she kicked Miss Jodie."

Amelie responded subtly. The call she received from Victor not long ago informed her that the murderer was Jodie. The news shocked her, but she had calmed herself down on her way there. She appeared as composed as usual at the moment. Melissa, on the other hand, couldn't stop breathing heavily on the couch. Even her face was distorted.

"Your brother has been extremely protective of you. You never earned a penny for our family at your age, and all you ever did was cause problems. He never made a big deal about it, and he just let you be. What audacity you have to do this to your brother!"

Jodie was too shameful to face others, so she covered her face even more firmly.

Melissa dashed over to shake Jodie's body recklessly. "You useless girl! Why did you harm your brother? For what? He's become like this now, but you still want him dead. What do you want?"

Jodie became dizzy as a result of the shaking. Her teary face turned pale as she bit her lips again until

they bled.

Something finally got to her, and she shoved Melissa. "You are only ever concerned with him. When do you care about me and my feelings? I know everything, even if you guys thought you kept things well hidden. He gave all of his property to an outsider and gave me nothing! The Alstons' property is not solely his, and he did not acquire it all on his own. How could he do this? Why should I care about him if he doesn't care about me?"

Amelie listened to her silently. Both Victor and Eugene said nothing either.

However, Jodie's motive became obvious with what she had just said. Jodie had discovered Leo's shares transfer agreement and wanted to kill him before the affair became public. She believed she could keep the Alstons' property in this manner.

"You fool!" Melissa slapped Jodie. "Do you know that the transfer agreement has taken effect? If you kill your brother, we'll lose the property!"

Jodie was struck speechless. She was struck dumb there like a helpless lamb. She was not that bright, and she disliked studying. She had no idea that her actions would go against her wishes.

On the other hand, Melissa hit and pushed her incessantly.

"You must trust Elie, even if your brother is unjust to us. She never wants our family's possessions. She even gave me the shares transfer agreement!" Melissa felt Jodie had fallen short of her expectations.

Amelie stood there as an observer for a while before Victor approached her. "How should we handle this? Should we call the cops?"

"No, please don't." When Melissa heard Victor's words, she hurriedly let Jodie go and ran to Amelie to hold her hand. "Elie, you can't call the cops. We should never wash our dirty linen in public, and our family can't afford to be humiliated like this. And i-if we call the cops, Jodie will be locked up in jail. Please, I'm begging you. Don't do this. Let's handle this family issue between us, okay?"

After all, Amelie was just an outsider. She could not say much if Melissa did not haggle over it.

Melissa realized that Amelie had agreed to her given Amelie's silence. Hence, she was no longer nervous. She then glared at Jodie. "You should be punished even if we won't send you to jail. Lock her up in her room. She's grounded from today onward!" After that, she called the butler over and asked him to drag Jodie to her room.

After the matter was resolved, she wiped away her tears. "Elie, thank you for giving Jodie a way out. Have you had your dinner? What would you like? Let me cook for you."

Amelie noticed Melissa still had something to say to her, so she nodded at Eugene and Victor. They quickly realized what was going on and left. She only spoke up after that. "I'm not going to stay for dinner. Now, spit it out."

CHAPTER 405 YOU CAUSED THE CAR ACCIDENT

Melissa gripped Amelie's hand tightly. "Elie, Jodie did such a stupid thing just because Leony gave you all the shares. She's already lost her mind, even though you don't want them. It's useless even if we advise her. I... I don't want her to be ruined in this way. Why don't you do one more thing and return the shares to the Alstons? I know that it's meddlesome, but Jodie won't be so upset when she knows about it."

Amelie became thoughtful. "Do I put Leo as the recipient?"

"Oh, no, just put down my name." Melissa elaborated, "You know that Leony's illness will recur. Who knows when he'll wake up? It'll be more troublesome if you return them to him. Jodie won't have any objections if you give them to me, and others won't dare to say anything either."

"I'll think about it," Amelie answered.

"There's no need to." Melissa appeared to be nervous. "You simply need to transfer them to me. After all, you don't want the shares, do you?"

"That's true, but it involves a lot of legal technicalities. It's best to get everything cleared up."

Melissa did not say much about that after listening to Amelie. She simply said, "I'll ask around and see if it's meddlesome. I'll call you after figuring it all out. Don't worry. It won't take up much of your time. I'll do my best to handle everything and just have you sign it."

"Okay."

Amelie noticed the cars parked by the curb as she exited Alston Residence. Eugene and Victor were still there. Eugene had to look after Amelie as per Leo's orders, and Victor had something else to say.

She asked Eugene to leave first before she got into Victor's car. He then started the car.

Amelie relayed Melissa's suggestion. "What do you think?"

"Miss Dillon, I believe you have the answer," Victor said.

Smiling, Amelie replied, "Yes, I do."

"You think Melissa's been acting unusual, and the lawyer seems off as well," Victor outlined. He had been a detective for a long time, so his logical reasoning abilities were exceptional.

She nodded. "The lawyer's appearance is too sudden, while Melissa's request is too odd." Melissa only needs to tear up the shares transfer agreement to get those shares back. She doesn't have to take such a detour at all.

"I suspect the lawyer gave me the shares transfer agreement on Melissa's orders. She most likely wants to claim the shares herself." Amelie was aware that it was a wild guess, but she could not think of anything else.

"Does that mean what Jodie did was also the result of Melissa's deception?" Victor had a wilder suggestion.

Amelie drew in a cold breath at the thought. This idea did occur to me, but I didn't dare to give it much

thought. If Melissa did all this, what did it make her? She would be worse than a monster!

"I'm still baffled as to why she did this."

Victor turned around to glance at her. She's not shocked at my assumption, but she's jumped to a more important issue. Ordinary people aren't as quick-witted as her.

"Uhm… I can look into that," he said.

"Okay, thank you."

Amelie was not ignorant of worldly affairs. Although the guess toward Melissa is too bold, I still trust my instincts.

The days that followed were peaceful. Melissa would come to Amelie for small talk daily. She did not say anything about it, but she made it clear to Amelie that she had come for the shares. Amelie, on the other hand, received no news from Victor, so she naturally would not agree to it while she pretended not to see through that. Melissa could only leave every day in dismay.

One day, Victor finally called her. "There's a big issue that may be relevant to Melissa. This could be the real reason she's so eager to get her hands on the shares."

"Let's talk face-to-face." Amelie did not say much before they decided on a location.

Melissa's exquisite fingernails stood out against the red wine in Alston Residence. The fingernails were blue, while the wine was red. She held the wine glass between her fingers and wore silk pajamas as she lay lazily on the couch, talking on the phone.

"Mr. Lowe, why don't you believe me? I'll transfer the shares to you as soon as I receive them."

"I heard that Leony can breathe on his own now. It looks like he's about to wake up. If you do this, aren't you afraid that he'll come after you when he wakes up?" It was Ashton's wicked but languid voice coming from the other end of the phone.

"What is there to be afraid of?" Melissa cocked her chin. "When he wakes up, I've already left with my belongings. How is he going to find me? Even if he finds me, what can he do to me since I am his mother?"

Ashton chuckled lowly as he listened to Melissa's fearless remarks.

"What about you, though? When he wakes up, he'll come after you if you get the shares and become the boss of Genesis. You must be prepared."

"When he wakes up, he's nothing but a poor man. At most, he can work for me. How can he possibly fight against me? But, for your sake, I'll be nice to him." After that, he feigned laughter with a low chuckle as his eyes were engulfed with a sinister light.

Leo looked down on me previously. How could I let him have it easy? When he wakes up, the first thing I'll do is show off. I'll let him know that the person he once despised is not easy meat.

"All right." All Melissa wanted at that moment was to get the shares and exchange them for money. She cared about nothing else.

"So, Mrs. Alston, why did you suddenly decide to give Genesis and your son up? Even if you hold a

great grudge against him, you don't have to go to such an extent since he's your son, do you?" Ashton asked curiously.

Her face became distorted. "I don't hold a grudge against him, but there's no one managing the company now given his current situation. It's better to hold the money in hand. If he wakes up in the future, of course, I'll help him with the money since I'm his mother."

A giggle came from Ashton. "Madam, I'm not as silly as you guys thought. I heard that Leony had started investigating the car accident that caused his father's death before his coma. I'm sure you've heard about it. Oh, that car accident is quite mysterious. I even heard a version that claims that you were the one who caused the car accident."

"W-What nonsense are you talking about?" Melissa's well-nourished face revealed nothing but deep fear now. She even dropped the wine glass in her hand. The glass shattered on the floor and made a loud, crisp sound.

Ashton was enlightened when he heard that. "You don't have to keep it a secret from me. We're all in the same boat now. Even if you're really the culprit, I won't look at you differently."

He was not a kind man himself, and he never cared about morality. Besides, those were family affairs of the Alstons. It would only make him happier to see the Alstons get into more and more mess.

Melissa was able to calm herself down after a long while. She warned with a shaky voice, "Don't you dare spread it out!"

"Oh, I won't. By the way, do you need help getting rid of that lawyer whom you bribed?"

"Let's talk about it later." Melissa became flustered. She quickly hung up the phone. She then grabbed her hair and drew in a cold breath. "How did Ashton find out? This isn't a small affair. Will this b*stard use this to set me up?"

"Mom, you want to sell the company?!" She heard a voice out of the blue when she was still vexed.