Thanks to Toby, Amelie tossed and turned in bed all night long.In the morning, after dropping Brianna off at school, Amelie was planning on heading home for a nap when she got a call from Julia.Julia said she had a remarkable talent to introduce to Amelie.Amelieâs audiobook service platform was beginning to produce results, so she planned on starting a new project that offered offline training courses. Thus, she was looking to hire people for the project.It was hard to find great talents, so after hearing what Julia said, Amelie booked a ride to Clouson City without wasting any time.When she arrived, the candidate wasnât there yet. Julia was drinking coffee by herself.Julia spotted Amelie and immediately waved at her, but when she saw Amelieâs face, she exclaimed, âOh, my. Your undereye circles are pretty dark. What happened? Did you lose sleep over Leoâs announcement?ââWhy would I?â Amelie immediately retorted in embarrassment.It did have something to do with Leo, but it was mostly because he got into a fight with Toby and she had to go over to talk them down, which culminated in Tobyâs confession.Still, she wasnât going to agree to start a relationship with Toby, so she saw no point in mentioning this to Julia.âOh,â Julia replied, but her expression became rather strange.Amelie didnât understand why, so she turned around to see what Julia was looking at. What she saw was a cold and stern-looking face.The manâs features were flawless, but his brow was hard.A stifled feeling rose in Amelieâs chest. Her limbs felt numb.Julia shuddered and backed away ever so slightly as she thought, That b*stard Leo has such an imposing presence. How scary!Amelie had been married to Leo for four years and knew him well enough to pick up on his displeasure. I didnât say anything to rile him up, so why is he displeased?âDid he come in because of you? Donât tell me he suddenly developed feelings for you,â Julia murmured into Amelieâs ear when she saw that Leo showed no signs of leaving.Before Amelie could say anything, the clear, bright voice of a woman rang out. âLeo.âImmediately after, a young, fashionably dressed woman walked over. She was carrying her purse with both hands as she stood elegantly in front of Leo.Her smile made her pretty dimples even more prominent. âHave you been waiting long? Iâm so sorry. I got stuck in traffic.ââLetâs go over there,â Leo said as he led the way.
Soon, their silhouettes disappeared behind the partition.âWhat the hell?â Julia cried out as she slammed her hand on the table. âIt was obvious that he was standing up for you when he made the announcement last night, but here he is on a date with another woman today! What does he mean by this?âJulia had already heard about Elyse interrupting Amelie and Brianna at the event.Although Elyse didnât mention the event when she uploaded the picture, Briannaâs classmates and their parents who took part in the event as well knew about it.Elyseâs actions had turned Amelie and Brianna into the subjects of mockery.Julia had been focused on finding a way to get even with Elyse, but before she could do anything, Leo beat her to it.Amelie was amused by Juliaâs fury. âYouâre the one who misunderstood him, so you canât blame him for that.âAmelie no longer had any expectations, so she didnât misinterpret Leoâs intentions. âIf he even cared the slightest bit about me, it wouldâve been clear during our marriage. Why would he wait until now to show me that he liked me?âJulia understood that too, but she still had a feeling that there were still instances of Leo protecting Amelie. Even though Julia loathed Leo, she knew that Brianna cared about her father, and sometimes, she couldnât help but entertain the thought that it would be good for Brianna if Leo did fall in love with Amelie. It turned out that she was mistaken after all.Amelie didnât dwell on this subject, and the candidate arrived soon after, so the three quickly became engrossed in a discussion about work. Eventually, the meeting came to an end. The candidate had other matters to discuss with Julia while Amelie had work to attend to, so she took leave of them.As soon as she stepped out, she saw a tall figure standing right in her path.The man turned around, and Amelie got a clear view of his dashing face.âBlakey?â Amelie called out to him in surprise.Blakeâs eyes were as clear as ever. He smiled when he saw her, and it looked as if spring had bloomed across his face.Before Amelie could swoon over the way he looked, the young women beside him were shrieking with infatuation.âItâs Blakey! Heâs so handsome. Iâm in love!ââHe looks even more like a prince in real life.ââOh, my goodness! I can barely breathe.âAmelie was a little embarrassed when she saw Blakeâs adoring fans.However, Blake wasnât affected by their presence at all as he continued to stare at her.âHey, is that his girlfriend? Sheâs very pretty.â The crowd finally noticed where Blake was staring and spotted Amelie.âShe makes a good match with him. It feels as if Iâm watching a romantic comedy.ââMe too.ââAre you telling me that my celebrity crush has a girlfriend? I donât want to live anymore.âAmelie was even more embarrassed when the fans mistook her relationship with Blake, so she quickly said, âPlease donât misunderstand, everyone. Blakey and I are just friends.âShe said this because she didnât want to damage Blakeâs image. He was pure and flawless in every way, and she would feel guilty if he was stained in any way.Everyone brightened up when they heard Amelie stating that she wasnât Blakeâs girlfriend.The fans understood Blakeâs personality, so they didnât go overboard with their reactions and left after greeting him.Amelie exhaled in relief to have avoided a messy scene.
When she turned around, she noticed the hurt look in Blakeâs eyes.She was startled, but she didnât pay much attention to it as she said, âWhat a coincidence. I didnât think Iâd bump into you here.âBlake hid the hurt in his eyes and asked, âWhy didnât you let me take part in Briaâs event?ââHuh?â Amelie stared blankly at him as she didnât expect him to ask this question.âAm I not qualified?ââNot qualified? Of course not! Thereâs no such thing!â Amelie instantly refuted him.All along, she thought that Blake was merely joking and wouldnât care about it. However, since he asked, she had to be honest and tell him that Leo took part in the event.Blake pursed his lips, and his expression grew a little stormy. It was completely at odds with his usual warm and pure-hearted image.Amelie had always treated him like a younger brother and liked the guileless side of him, so when she saw his reaction now, she couldnât resist taking his hand. âI know you like Bria, but youâre a celebrity so it wonât be wise for you to come to Briaâs events. I donât want people to gossip and create unwarranted rumors about you.ââI donât care about that.â His voice was just as soft and warm as ever, but there was a trace of stubbornness in it as well.Amelie didnât know what to say.Blake kept quiet, but he continued to stare at her with clear, gentle eyes.That look in his eyesâ¦âYou said youâre not a couple, you liars!âBefore Amelie could look any closer, a shrill voice pierced through the air.One of the fans who left moments ago jumped back out and shrieked at the top of her lungs.Amelie was speechless.She turned around to look at the fan and saw the young woman with a hurt expression on her face. Her eyes were reddened, and her fists were clenched.It looked as if she had caught her boyfriend cheating on her.âSee! Youâre holding hands, and so tightly too!â she fumed agitatedly as she pointed at Amelie and Blakeâs clasped hand.Amelie was still speechless.She quickly withdrew her hand and said, âThis is just a misunderstanding.âHowever, the young woman wasnât convinced. She stared at Blake with teary eyes and asked, âTell me, Blakey. Do you like her?â