Leo was unfazed, his expression as stern as usual. It felt like he didnât even care Toby was holding him.Feeling defeated, Toby let him go. He was about to back off, but Leo gripped his shoulder and pushed him down. âWhat do you know?âToby froze. Even when heâs angry, heâs still smart. He knows something. But Toby wasnât going to tell him what he knew. All he did was smile. âJust joshing.â He pulled Leoâs fingers away and left.Leo frowned. He knew Toby. He was not one quick to anger, and yet he had flown into a rage twice in a span of a single day. Heâs bothered. That was why Leo came. He needed to know what Toby was bothered about. Shadows were cast upon Leo, and he narrowed his eyes. A moment later, he stared at the ground and called Victor. âLook into Toby.âTwenty minutes later, Victor showed up, hidden in the shadows and standing before Leo.When Leo raised his head, Victor said, âHeâs been sending his men to look into Ms. Dillon.âVictor knew what Leo wanted to know before he even said it, and that was why Leo liked him. There was a reason he was willing to pay for Victorâs sky-high price. Heâs looking into Amelie? Leo paused for a moment, his brows furrowed into a frown once more. He didnât like anyone looking into Amelie, especially not Toby. Yet he remained stern, refusing to fly into a rage. âWhat precisely did he want to know?ââI am not sure.âLeoâs eyes narrowed.Victor fell into silence, his breathing almost quiet. And for a moment, it felt as if he was not there.A long while later, Leo said, âLook into Amelieâs case.âVictor drifted away like a phantom, saying nothing.â¦Melissa was chatting with Carol.Carol pouted. âLeo doesnât like me, does he? He doesnât talk to me that much, and he almost refused my salves. I had to tell him that you sent me before he begrudgingly took me with him.âMelissa loved Carol. She was a good woman, and she came from a good family. Now that she had concerns, Melissa needed to douse them right away. âLeoâs an aloof man, but I assure you heâs quite passionate inside. Heâs just not good at communicating, thatâs all.ââDidnât seem like that with the other girl. He wouldnât take me anywhere, but he would wait for her.
And the moment she got into trouble, he went and helped her.ââIs that so?â Melissa cocked her eyebrow. âThatâs odd.â Weird. He was only nice to Elyse. Wouldnât care about anyone else.âLots of people saw that. That girlâs really close to Blake. Even came to his defense.â Carol told Melissa everything she saw. âAnd Leo said that girl is his girlfriend. They even had a child together. Melissa, are you hiding something from me? Is he taken?ââNo, of course not,â Melissa denied. Sh*t. A friend of Blake and the mother of Leoâs child? Thatâs Amelie. Whatâs going on? Why did they get together again?
Melissa was furious, yet she didnât show it. She kept putting in a good word for Leo and promised she would make Leo apologize to her.Eventually, Carol felt better, and she left happily. Once she was gone, Melissaâs face fell, her smile replaced by fury. âWhat are you doing, Leo? Why did you poke your nose in Amelieâs case? Damn it, I bet Amelie seduced him again. That wench!ââ¦It was an arduous day at the training class. Eventually, Amelie came out feeling woozy, and she massaged her temples. Gods, I want to go home, but Julia wants to talk to me. Julia came to Halport that day, and she wanted to see Brianna. Amelie stood outside the coffee shop in her neighborhood, waiting for her ride. As she waited, she scrolled through the novel website, going through her stats.She then heard the clops of heels. Oh, Juliaâs here. Amelie tucked away her phone and was about to say hi, but that woman stormed up to her and slammed something into her chest. Then she said shrilly, âIf you need money, you come to me.
Leave Leo alone!âAmelie looked at the woman before her. Melissa. Melissaâs short, curly hair tumbled down to her shoulder. She was in branded-name clothes, and her bag was as expensive as ever.
Hanging from her neck was a designer necklace. She looked like a regal woman, and yet her attitude spoke of nothing but a spiteful wench.Amelie noticed the disgust hanging in her eyes. She was looking at Amelie with hatred like Amelie was a mouse. The thing she slammed into Amelieâs chest were two pieces of paper. Checks. They were fluttering down to the ground, escaping Amelieâs grasp. Amelie wasnât angry at Melissa. She was used to Melissaâs hypocritical act. Slowly, she picked the checks up.
âNow, Mrs. Alston, calm down. You donât want anyone seeing you in this state.ââWhy you littleâ¦â
Melissaâs lips were trembling, but she didnât push matters any further. Like magic, she quickly calmed down and looked around.Amelie smirked. What a hypocrite. Doesnât she get tired of putting on this act?
When she noticed the coast was clear, Melissa hissed, âSix hundred grand. That enough for you?â A frown furrowed her almost-perfect brows.Amelie was counting the zeroes on the checks. Three hundred thousand each. âGenerous.â She throws money at everyone she meets. Of course, sheâs generous. âThank you then, Mrs. Alston.âShe took the checks. Hah. âI always help the poor. But this proves you canât take care of Bria well, so give her back to us. Take the money and leave. Do not come back.âOh my gosh. Look at her. So arrogant. Amelie laughed. Six hundred grand is nothing to me. Not even enough to hire a live streamer.âYou should know that Leo is going to marry Carol of the Joyner Family. He wonât go back to you just because youâre hounding him.âOh, so that girl is the daughter of Seafareâs local boss, huh? Amelie was surprised. For some reason, she got upset, even though she knew Leoâs relationship was none of her business. Iâm just sad for Bria. She has acknowledged him as her father, but if he marries someone else, their relationship will change.Sheâs staying quiet. She must know I have a point. Melissa shot her a look of disdain and stuffed an agreement into her hands. âThis is the agreement for relinquishing Briaâs custody. Sign it, take the money, and leave.âGods, look at her.
Money is all she knows. And she keeps pointing at the checks with her eyes. Does she think Iâm that poor? Amelie took the papers and glanced at them. But she didnât sign them. Instead, she whipped two more checks out of her bag.