Instead of answering her questions, Leo whisked out a card from his pocket. âThereâs 10 million in this card, and you can spend it as you like. In addition, if you need help in the future, Iâll do my best to help you.â
After speaking, he didnât hang around longer and walked away.
Without a word, Elyse watched as his back became smaller and smaller. Then, she stared at the bank card in her hand, trembling all over like a leaf in the wind.
Is Leo⦠cutting off all ties with Big Eyes with money?
Tears streamed down from her eyes again, but in the next second, she started laughing hysterically.
âAmelie Dillon, so what if youâre Big Eyes? As long as Leo wants to leave, he can abandon you all the same!â
When Leo reached home, Melissa was still there, and she immediately went to him..
âI saw the news, Leo. And itâs proven itâs not suitable for Bria to stay there. When are you taking her home?â
Frowning, he massaged the spot between his brows with his slender fingers. âBriaâs not coming back.
In the future, donât do anything to her and Amelie!â
The impatience on Melissaâs face froze at his words, and she couldnât help but study him quietly, trying to guess if he had already found out that she was in cahoots with Elyse.
When he didnât say anything, her heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and her face turned solemn.
âElliot has already made his statement. Why are you still letting Bria stay with Amelie? What exactly do you mean?â
âI mean it literally.â Not in the mood to be bothered with her, he added, âIâm tired. If thereâs nothing else, Iâm going upstairs to rest.â
Melissa wholeheartedly thought that Elyseâs smart plan would work and waited patiently for him to bring Bria home so that she could salvage a little of her lost dignity. However, now, not only did he not bring her back, he even seemed like he wasnât going to fight for her, and this was the last straw for Melissa.
Ignoring the fact that he was tired, she raised her voice at him, saying, âPreviously, you thought that I wanted to take Bria back for the sake of my face, but it has now been proven that Elliot and Amelie donât want her. As her grandmother, how can I turn a blind eye to this?â
Taking a few steps toward Leo, she gulped and softened her tone. âIâm doing this for Briaâs good, and she can only lead a normal life if she returns to the Alstons! Right now, Amelie is having a complicated relationship with the boss of Starlight Media while hanging out with other men. Even Toby is hanging out with her now.
Hearing this, Leo couldnât help but think of Tobyâs unconcealed feelings for Amelie, and his chest tightened uncomfortably.
When he was silent, Melissa thought she had convinced him, and some joy lit up on her face. âThatâs why you should bring Bria home as soon as possible. Then, she doesnât have to suffer so much from Amelieâs poison. Donât worry. Once sheâs back, Iâll treat her well and nurture her to be a top socialite.â
Snapping back to his senses, Leo was too tired to explain that Elliot was a fake character and merely said, âIâve asked Bria, and she said that she doesnât want to come back.â
âWhat does a child know?â Melissa snapped immediately. âBring her back, and sheâll have feelings for home if given time. Leo, sheâs still a child who doesnât know how to differentiate right from wrong, and neither does she know which life is good for her. As adults, we have to be her gatekeepers.â
Melissa ended earnestly, and Leo couldnât help but smirk sarcastically when he heard her saying that the adults had to be the gatekeepers.
His expression was reflected in her eyes, and her heart thumped loudly as she knew what was on his mind.
Heâs silently blaming me, isnât he? she thought. Did being the so-called gatekeeper as an adult include throwing him to Quinn Town when he lost sight?
This was the toughest thing she had to admit to him, and she lost the confidence to speak more as she intertwined her fingers restlessly.
In the end, he didnât bring up the old score with her and said, âI believe that Amelie will raise Bria well.â
For some unknown reason, when he thought of Amelie jumping into the box filled with the eels that terrified her the most without hesitation and the things she said, he was ready to believe her.
After he finished speaking, he didnât give Melissa a chance to argue further and went upstairs straight away, leaving her alone downstairs to stomp her feet repeatedly.
Early in the morning, Amelie dropped Bria off at school and drove herself to Starlight Media.
Recently, there were several projects at hand, and they were major innovative projects, so she didnât dare to slack off and immediately got to work. By the time she could catch a break, it was already noon.
Fortunately, Juliaâs assistant, Lena, was an attentive person and had prepared lunch. As Amelie rarely came into the office before this and didnât manage the actual operations, she didnât recruit an assistant for herself.
However, now that the company was going to make big moves, and she would be in the office more frequently. she figured she shouldnât share an assistant with Julia much longer.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Someone rapped on her door, and she raised her head. âCome in.â
Lena walked in and informed her, âMiss Dillon, a woman, who goes by the surname of Richards, is outside and wants to meet you.â
Richards? Amelie paused for a second and racked her brain, but she couldnât recall having an appointment with anyone named Richards.
Reading her mind, Lena quickly added, âShe didnât have an appointment, but she said that sheâs Briaâs grandmother and has something important to speak with you.â
Since Bria often showed up at the company, it was only natural that Lena knew her.
When Amelie heard it was Melissa outside, her face cringed a little. What is she doing here?
Knowing that she would only bring trouble, Amelie was worried that she would affect her appetite and said, Please attend to her for a while.â
Then, she continued eating. After she finished her food, she put away the lunch box before going to the visitor lounge.
In the lounge, Melissa leaned sideways into a single couch with her legs crossed proudly and her palms stacked on the armrest. Frowning, she appeared annoyed as she said, âWhatâs going on? This company doesnât have any hospitality at all. Iâve been waiting for so long. Why isnât Amelie Dillon out yet?â
Although she didnât mention anything else, it could be seen from her face that she was filled with indifference and contempt for this company and Lena.
She carried a lofty stance, looking high and mighty like a queen, waiting for someone to bow down to her. Behind her, a middle-aged man dressed in dark clothes stood with his back straight, and this man was none other than the lawyer Lena had seen the last time in the cafe.
âIâm sorry, but Miss Dillon is busy. Furthermore, you didnât make an appointment before this, so youâll have to wait a little longer,â Lena said politely.
âHow big is this company? Are appointments even needed?â Melissa surveyed the surroundings. As she didnât know the operation mode of Starlight Media, she reckoned that Lena was bluffing when she saw the small space around her.
âDo you have any idea how precious our time is? Twenty-three minutes of our time has been wasted!â
Henry checked the watch on his wrist and tapped at it loudly.
Pursing her lips into a smile, Amelie then walked into the room. âIf you donât want to waste your time, you should have made an appointment beforehand. The management staffâs time is precious and canât be wasted on âWellâ¦â The lawyer whose name was mentioned turned scarlet from his cheeks to his ears.
Pacing next to Lena, Amelie patted her shoulder. âLeave this to me.
Lena nodded but couldnât stop herself from casting Amelie a worried look. After spending a few minutes in the same room with these people, she was already at the end of her patience. Could Amelie deal with them?
However, as an employee, she was in no position to say much, so she turned to leave.
After she left the room, Amelie turned to Melissa. âHow may I help you, Mrs. Alston?â