As soon as the duo turned around, they saw Steven taking big strides toward them with a big ladle in his hand. At the same time, he was followed by Toby, who was staggering with his steps along the way.
Steven was seen with his eyes wide open at that moment, glaring at Melissa like an angry beast as if he wanted to eat her.
It turned out that he had overheard the duoâs conversation when he was on his way to return the ladle to where it was. Having a strong grudge toward the Alston Family, Steven was even more pissed off upon hearing Melissaâs words. The next second, he angrily walked up to the old lady and questioned her, âWhat did you just say? Did you just threaten to lay my daughter off? How dare you!â The man raised the ladle as he finished his words.
Taken aback by the manâs violent reaction, Melissa was prompted by her instincts to step back in intimidation as her face turned pale. âY-You! Youâre unreasonable!â The womanâs anger quickly took over her feeling of humiliation just when she pointed at Steven madly with a trembling finger.
âMe? Unreasonable?! Guess what? No one else on this planet is more unreasonable than any one of you from the Alston Family!â Steven bellowed like a tiger roaring at its prey. Steven had always preferred to avoid rather than engage in conflict even though it rarely ended in his favor, but this time, he was so angry that he couldâ
barely control his emotions.
Meanwhile, it was Amelieâs second time seeing her father so worked up as she recalled the last time that he got mad on her behalf.
In the meantime, Steven didnât strike Melissa with the ladle but instead brandished it in front of the woman to threaten her. âMy daughter gave everything she had to your family, but none of you treated her the way she deserved. Iâve always put up with that, yet here you are now, trying to stir up trouble. Do I look like some pushover to you?â The manâs menacing loud voice sent cold chills down Melissaâs spine, making her shiver from head to toe.
On the other hand, Melissa couldnât help but recall the time she met Steven during the wedding, remembering him as a timid man whom she reckoned she could just take advantage of. Nevertheless, it wasnât until that moment she realized she had been wrong about the man the entire time.
When Steven finished his words, he slammed the table with the ladle, creating a loud bang that echoed through every corner of the place. At the same time, Melissa lost her footing and collapsed with her arm hitting the table, terrified and frozen as if her soul left her body.
At the same time, Toby was also frightened by Stevenâs response, thinking the latter was about to hit Melissa. However, when he saw him slamming the table instead, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Amelie believed Steven knew what he was doing when he chose not to get physical with Melissa. Judging from that, she wasnât worried that her father had lost his rational mind.
At the same time, Steven kept questioning Melissa harshly with his deafening voice, showing no signs of going easy on the lady who tried to take advantage of his daughter. On the other hand, Melissa was so frightened that Seeing Melissaâs helpless look for the first time, Amelie couldnât help but find the sight of that satisfying.
After all, Melissa had always treated her less than she deserved, having arranged a small room beside the garage for her when even the maids were given rooms on the same floor as their masters.
Even the maids received better treatment than me. Soon, she recalled the fact that she was always stopped from seeing Leo every time he returned home, thinking Melissa was responsible for that in hindsight.
Itâs all thanks to you, Melissa. Youâre a big reason why Leo and I still felt like strangers to each other despite the four years we spent together. Amelie was disgusted by the thought of Melissaâs hypocrisy, feeling sick about her unkind nature beneath her kind pretense in front of others. However, although she found Melissaâs situation ironic, she felt a stab of pain in her heart for making her father worry even as an adult.
âArenât you going to do something to stop your father, Amelie? If you get on the wrong side of the Alston Family, it wonât end well for you.â Amelie heard Melissaâs voice just when her eyes began to swell with tears.
âThatâs enough, Dad.â Amelie snapped out of her trance and restrained Steven.
Steven looked back at his daughter, his reddened eyes filled with tears. âNow that youâve divorced Leo, there is no reason for you to fear them anymore. Iâll always have your back!â Deep down, Steven blamed himself for Amelieâs misery, thinking he could have avoided that if he had interfered with his daughterâs marriage soon enough. Because of that, he wanted to make it up to her.
Upon hearing her fatherâs words, Amelie could barely fight back her tears as she wrapped her arms around him. âEnough, Dad. Youâve done plenty for me. Iâm so touched and happy that youâre always by my side, but you need to stop doing this; youâll only make me feel useless.â
Steven then paused and wiped the sweat and tears off his face. While he could give up the whole world if he had to, his daughterâs feelings were the only thing he cared about the most.
When Melissa saw Steven stop, she heaved a sigh of relief. Even though Steven hadnât laid a finger on her, she was still too frightened to respond. She would have collapsed onto the ground if she hadnât gotten a hold of the table.
At the thought of that, she glared at Amelie, who stared back at her as she uttered, âMrs. Alston, the only reason I stopped my father from pressing on is not that weâre scared of the Alstons, but we donât want to have anything to do with you all. As you said, Leo and I are divorced, so we should have nothing to do with each other anymore. For that, consider this your lesson learned and remember that we, the Dillons, are no pushovers you think you can just take advantage of. If you insist on asking for more trouble, hitting the table with a ladle is going to be the least of your worries.â Amelie kept her eyes fixed on Melissa.
At that moment, it finally dawned on Melissa what Amelie was capable of as she shivered uncontrollably from head to toe. At the same time, it was her first time noticing the intimidating aura that filled Amelieâs eyes. Unlike Amelieâs submissive nature from before, her current tough attitude even made Melissa doubt herself for having barked up the wrong tree.
âMr. Walsh, please see Mrs. Alston out the door,â Amelie said to Toby, having grown tired of talking to the Toby nodded and walked up to Melissa. âMrs. Alston, this way, please.â
Melissa responded with a cold grunt and walked out the door, but since she was still haunted by Stevenâs outburst, she staggered and struggled to get her footing right. Because of that, Toby was forced to give her a hand and helped her walk.
As soon as the duo disappeared out of the door, Amelie let go of Steven and took the ladle that went out of shape from his hand, gently patting his back. âTake it easy, Dad. There is no need to get so worked up over a woman like her. Your health is more important.â
Steven sniggered, feeling sympathetic for his daughter even though he didnât show that through his facial expressions. He then tilted his head and uttered, âI will not go easy on anyone who bullies my daughter!â
âAlright, no one can bully your daughter now,â Amelie comforted Steven.
However, Steven still seemed worried, knitting his eyebrows like he had something he wanted to get off his chest. In the end, he decided to speak his mind. âElie, whatâs going on between you and Starlight Mediaâs boss? If he cares about you, he should stop acting mysteriously and show himself! I wonât agree with your relationship if he keeps acting like this!â
Steven only just learned about the affairs between Amelie and Starlight Mediaâs boss, feeling worried instead as he was afraid that the mysterious man was worse than Leo. After all, while he knew whom Amelie married back then by recognizing Leoâs face, he had no idea whom his daughter was dating now.
Upon hearing Stevenâs question, Amelie realized that she hadnât told her father about the matter, sniggering as she went on to explain it.
Meanwhile, Leo was sitting in the center amidst a meeting at Genesis Company, keeping his face slightly down while listening to the monthly report from the representatives of every department.
At the same time, his face seemed emotionless and stern. His eyes were filled with a cold aura, and it was enough to fill the meeting room with an intense vibe, making everyone restless as they sat in their seats. While the person presenting carefully delivered his speech, the door suddenly swung open as someone interrupted the meeting.