Chapter 82 Mortifying Moment While Elyse was musing, Tobyâs phone rang.
âMr. Steward,â Toby greeted softly after answering it, causing everyone to hold their breaths.
It was a short call that lasted ten seconds, and by the end of it, Tobyâs countenance became evidently different. âMr. Steward said heâs willing to partner with us.â
âYes!â Elyse was the very first to jump for joy, clapping her hands as she believed the heavens were on her side.
At that, she returned to Leoâs side with sheer excitement. âWhat did I tell you, Leo?! Mr. Steward is already tempted. I convinced him!â
âYou really are something, Elyse!â Ashton instantly gave the young woman a thumbs-up, then looked profoundly at Leo. âNow that Elyse is Genesisâ number one hero, you have to treasure her, lest someone comes in and swoops her away because of how outstanding she is.â
âYou think too highly of me.â Elyse blushed in response. âI merely mentioned it to him. Iâm not that impressive.â
Despite being humble on the surface, the sparkle beneath her eyes had already sold her out, for she claimed herself to be the hero.
At that, Elyse threw her hair behind and fixed her gaze on Amelie for a moment.
Ashton, too, diverted his attention on Amelie once more and couldnât help sneering, âSome people went all out and used some shifty manâs connections to hinder our project, wanting to show off how capable she is, but in the end, she still lost to our Elyse. Those lowly will forever be lowly, and a baboon will remain a baboon even if it wears a crown.â
His words were beyond unpleasant to hear.
Though he didnât name any names, it was evident he was talking about Amelie, and a spokesperson like Ashton was whom Elyse needed precisely.
The man ranted every single thing she wanted to say to Amelie. Ah, how exhilarating!
As joyous as Elyse was now after having to suffer from Amelieâs outstanding performances for the last few days, she didnât forget to reproach Ashton, saying, âAshton, donât say that. You donât know the truth.â
âWas I wrong about anything?! You guys dare tell me she hasnât deliberately come all the way here from Capland to screw things up?!â
His missiles were openly targeted at Amelie this time.
That said, Amelie smiled and said nothing.
Just then, her car arrived, and Toby spoke up before Amelie could get in while looking at Ashton like he was a dumb*ss. âMr. Steward said the only reason he decided to invest in Genesisâ project was all for Miss Dillonâs sake.â
His voice wasnât loud, but it managed to leave everyone except for Amelie frozen in place.
Ashtonâs mouth was agape with incredulity. Even Elyse dropped her image and blurted, âImpossible!â
âYeah, as if!â Ashton echoed at once. âToby, donât you think youâre favoring Dillion too much? To think you can even come up with such bullsh*t. Whose side are you even on?!â
Not wanting to waste his breath, Toby pressed a button on his phone, and Owenâs voice came from the speaker instantly. âMr. Walsh, thank Amelie that Iâm willing to give Capland merchants a chance. Sheâs the one who showed me the good side of Capps, and itâs because of her character that I believe the Capland merchants she recommended to me are trustworthy. One more thing, a word of advice to your partnerâhe can do better than settling with someone like her.â
It was a recording of the call earlier.
Toby had developed the habit over the years, and whoâd have thought it would come in handy like this one day?!
Owenâs words didnât surprise Amelie, for she had foreseen the result.
With that, she got into her car and drove away.
Meanwhile, Leoâs grim gaze slowly landed on the leaving vehicle as his lips pursed tightly.
The result was beyond his expectations.
Even though he didnât think Amelie had come to screw him up as Elyse and Ashton assumed, he never thought that the ex-wife he never gave a damn about would one day leave such a profound mark in a significant moment in his life.
She helped me⦠and even succeeded at it!
Elyse, on the other hand, was rendered utterly speechless.
No, what did I just do?! I self-righteously claimed I was the reason Owen agreed to collaborate and allowed Ashton to degrade Amelie as he pleased!
Thinking back to all of it, she thought she was nothing more than a clown!
She had been performing the lousiest act obliviously while thinking she was outstanding!
Worst yet, her laughable act was fully displayed right before Leo!
No, this is mortifying! Just kill me now!
Shameful, Elyse ran away with her head buried in her hands.
âWhat are you getting at?! Couldnât you have brought it up sooner?! You did it on purpose, didnât you?!â
Ashton barked at Toby in haste before chasing after the young woman.
Toby, on the other hand, shrugged helplessly. What chance did I have to interject when you two kept rambling on and on?
Besides, he hadnât wanted to bring it up in front of Amelie, thinking he should at least save them the embarrassment. However, their words were beyond unpleasant.
Did Amelie deserve to be degraded like that?!
He ultimately let out the truth in front of Amelie to remind the two. However, they continued to behave unreasonably and even claimed that he was bullsh*tting.
In that case, he could only release the recording and unveil their fig leaf.
Meanwhile, Amelie took a long, relaxing shower after returning to the hotel.
Mission accomplished. I can finally go back.
Owen might not have invited her to join him for a meal, but he had his men deliver a great deal of the best authentic local specialties.
Finding the most authentic specialties was even more troublesome than just spending money in a shop.
Moreover, Owen had personally picked each and everything out.
He wasnât a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, but through this, it was apparent how much Amelie meant to him.
No doubt only Amelieâhis savior, friend, and juniorâcould make him go all out.
While feeling touched, Amelie also felt helpless when she looked at the pile of local specialties, and she inevitably recalled his latter words to Toby in the recording.
Though he didnât care about her love life on the surface, he was defensive of her deep down, and it warmed her heart.
Moments later, she decided to get her father, daughter, and Julia some gifts.
With that, she headed out only to find a tall, slender, handsome figure standing right behind the door.