A voice cut Amelie off before she could finish her sentence.
Elyse ran down from the car and took Leo by the hand in front of Amelie. âI donât feel well. I want to go home.â
She pressed her lips into a peut and spoke softly.
There was a trace of dejection in her eyes as she stared at Leo with the look of someone trying her best to hide her emotions.
Her goddess persona was eye-catching enough, but the look of a goddess who was trying to maintain her composure was even more striking to the soul.
Furthermore, she had just lost to Amelie, and it didnât help that it had been such a mortifying loss too.
With how she looked now, even someone with a heart of steel would feel bad for her.
Amelie could see Leoâs cold, icy expression softening almost immediately.
His eyes which were piercing and accusatory earlier also turned warm at the sight of her.
Not a single trace of his piercing gaze remained.
It had all been replaced by undisguised gentleness.
âOkay,â he said.
Amelie could hear how sweet and loving his voice was.
Once again, she realized the stark difference love made.
Thankfully, she had long since come to terms with reality and removed every trace of her love for him.
Otherwise, what she witnessed today would only break her heart again.
By now, she felt there was no point in saying the things she wanted to say earlier.
She smiled faintly and walked away.
Julia wasnât back yet. So, Amelie decided to wait in the car.
As Leo went to get his car, Elyse ran over to Amelie.
She pressed her hands on the door. Her delicate face was visibly anxious as she blurted, âYouâd better not spew any nonsense in front of Leo!â
âOr⦠What?â Amelie turned to her with an indifferent smile.
Her provocative tone and expression came across as silent mockery in Elyseâs eyes!
Amelie was clearly mocking her for having the gall to do what she did but not the courage to admit to her schemes!
Elyseâs nails bit into her palms. It felt as if someone had stabbed a needle into her heart.
She felt utterly discomfited, but there was not a hint of guilt in her eyes!
Amelie watched as Elyseâs face flitted through multiple expressions.
She could finally see Elyse as she was, a jester dancing at her every whim.
âYou already have the heart of the head of Starlight Media, so why do you insist on picking on me? As they say, itâs better for foes to reconcile than to contend with each other. If you make life difficult for me, I can approach the head of Starlight Media and make things difficult for you too!â
Elyse bit her lip as she spat whatever came up in her mind. But at least this time, she didnât bother keeping up her goddess act anymore.
Amelieâs expression didnât change the slightest. âUh-huh,â she replied indifferently.
That was all she said in response to Elyseâs threat.
Approach the head of Starlight Media, huh?
Do you even have the ability to do that in the first place?
Elyse waited and waited, but Amelie didnât say anything else.
Finally, Elyse became infuriated upon realizing that Amelie was toying with her. She nearly raised her hand to slap Amelie!
âDonât worry, Iâm not in the habit of screening b*tches on my ex-husbandâs behalf. I may have been a blind fool, but I can admit to never being a saint,â Amelie finally responded after some time.
Then, she floored the accelerator, and the car shot off.
The cloud of dust that was kicked up blew straight into Elyseâs face!
Amelieâs response stupefied Elyse.
She should be happy that Amelie wasnât going to use the information against her.
Unfortunately, her expression soured as her face contorted unpleasantly as she thought of what really went down.
Everything that Amelie had said and done earlier communicated nothing more than scorn and derision!
Not only did Amelie expose her, but she had even succeeded in humiliating her!
Elyse clenched her fists so tightly that her fingernails cracked.
It was already rather late by the time Amelie and Julia returned to the place they were temporarily staying.
The two planned on heading back the next day.
As soon as they got to the door, they saw a car parked out front. They didnât know who was there since they werenât expecting any guests so late at night.
It was too dark to tell the carâs color, but the person sitting on the hood was particularly eye-catching.
The man was tall and slender. Yet, he had an air of elegance about him.
Several strands of hair scattered across his forehead while he tied the rest behind his head.
It looked as if he had stepped out of a historical movie.
Juliaâs eyes were sharper than Amelieâs. So, naturally, she spotted him first and commented with pure icething. âMy, my. Isnât that the one and only Mr. Walsh? Are you shooting a rom-com here in the middle of the night?
Tony looked up and smiled at the two women.
His features made him look warm and friendly, and the dimples that appeared when he smiled made him even more mesmerizing.
He looked exactly like the heartthrob that would appear in a romantic comedy.
He would undoubtedly play the role of a friendly and supportive boyfriend.
âIâm waiting for Miss Dillon,â he said. His voice was just as gentle and warm as he was.
Julia was aware of Tobyâs relationship with Leo and had no goodwill to spare for anyone close to Leo.
When she heard that he was looking for Amelie, she sneered, âWhatâs the matter? Did Amelie here kill your father or your mother? What brings you to her door at this hour of the night?â
Toby didnât know how to react in the face of her clear aggression toward him.
Amelie nudged Julia aside before looking at Toby apologetically. âMy friend can be quite blunt, but she means no harm. Please donât take it to heart, Mr. Walsh.
Toby knew Julia, so he shook his head. âItâs alright.â
He knew Juliaâs displeasure toward him stemmed from his relationship with Leo. Yet, he could only sigh in resignation as he decided to treat her harsh remarks like water off a duckâs back.
âBut she does have a point. What brings you here this late at night, Mr. Walsh? Is it for something urgent?â Amelie asked in concern.
âYeah,â Toby said. âItâs mainly to finalize the details for the trip to Skaynia. Mr. Steward has returned to Skaynia.â
Amelie had promised Toby that she would persuade Owen on Tobyâs behalf.
Unfortunately, Owen had been traveling worldwide thus far, so they couldnât locate him. Thus, they made no progress on that front.
*Since Mr. Steward has returned, letâs pay him a visit tomorrow,â Amelie readily suggested.
âSure.â Toby was more than happy with that. âIâll book our plane tickets right away.â
Amelie didnât bother offering to pay for herself. Instead, she nodded and said, âItâs getting late, so I wonât be inviting you in, Mr. Walsh.â
Toby glanced at Julia, who was eyeing him like he was her mortal enemy, and thought, Even if you offered, I wouldnât have the guts to stay either.
âElie, why did you agree to help Toby Walsh convince Mr. Steward?â Julia began venting her dissatisfaction the moment Toby left. âDonât you remember his relationship with that b*stard?â
Amelie patted Juliaâs shoulder gently. âYes, Toby is friends with Leo, but he saved me before.â
She gave Julia a quick recap of what happened.
âWhat?! Why have you never told me about this when itâs such a huge thing?!â
Julia exploded as soon as Amelie finished speaking.
She knew that Amelie nearly froze to death in the snow, but she didnât know about the childbirth complications.
She was hopping mad now that she had learned about it.
âAmelie Dillonâ Do you still consider me your friend? You⦠Iâm so mad at you!â Julia was so enraged that she almost wanted to cut off all ties with Amelie Amelie hugged her tightly as she mumbled against her neck. âYou had matters of your own to handle at the time, and you were so far away too You couldnât help me even if you wanted to, so I didnât see any point in telling you I know Iâll only add to your burden, and I didnât want that.â
Julia quietened down the moment Amelie brought that up.
The matters that Amelie referred to were an unspeakable, painful memory for her.
âIâm sorry,â Amelie immediately apologized when she realized she had misspoken.
âWhy are you apologizing?â Julia soon turned back to normal, but Her eyes were bloodshot. âAll those sacrifices and for what?! He isnât worth it! You deserve better than this!â
âWe shouldnât be hung up on whether or not something was worth it, remember? Iâve said it time and time again. All I want is to do my best and be able to face my conscience when all is said and done.
Thatâs enough for me.â
Julia was willing to accept this perspective in the past, but after everything that happened⦠This was utter nonsense to her now.
âThank goodness that you and Bria survived,â Julia sighed.
She didnât say anything else, but she still felt remorseful.
She hated herself for not being by Amelieâs side, then.
Amelie wouldnât have suffered that much if she had been there.
âI wonât stop you. Go ahead and help Toby,â Julia said. âBut, once youâve helped him this time, you wouldâve cleared the debt between you two. So, you should avoid staying in touch with him in the future.â
She genuinely didnât want Amelie to be in contact with people related to Leo. To her, birds alike flock together, so she didnât want to risk her best friendâs well-being any longer. She couldnât do anything back then, but sheâd be damned if she wouldnât protect her best friend now.
âDonât worry.â
The next day, Amelie exited the residential area with her suitcase bright and early in the morning.
Julia was still fast asleep when she tip-toed across the apartment as she freshened up.
Amelie didnât want to disturb Julia, so she left a note behind.
âGood morning, Miss Walsh.â The security guard greeted Amelie warmly when he saw her. âAre you going on a trip?â
âThatâs right,â Amelie replied with a smile.
She was always courteous to the guards.
The guards were also equally fond of her and would take the initiative to greet her whenever they saw her.
âThe car that care for you is over there. It just arrived,â the guard said as he pointed at the car by the main gate.
âThe car that came for me?â Amelie was taken aback as she scrutinized the car before her.
Last night, once Toby told her that he had booked the plane tickets, she informed him she would be heading to the airport by herself tomorrow. Did he still come over to pick me up anyway?
Amelie slowly dragged her luggage along as she took a closer look at the car.
It was then that she realized that it wasnât the Maserati that Toby usually rode.
Instead, it was a Bentley that she was highly familiar with.
Amelieâs expression changed drastically the moment she saw the Bentley.