After dinner, the family sat in the living room for a while before returning to their rooms.
William Lane had some matters to attend to, so he went to the study room.
An hour later, Amelia Smith came to knock on the door. She knocked three times, opened the door, and poked her head in.
William looked up, and after seeing her, he smiled first: âNot asleep yet?â
âCan I come in?â Amelia Smith asked.
âCome here,â William said.
Amelia Smith came in, closed the door gently, then walked to the desk and sat down across from William, âYouâre not done yet?â
âAlmost,â William responded, âAnything up?â
âJust a little thing.â Amelia Smith clutched the bank card in her hand.
âHmm?â
Amelia Smith thought for a moment and said, âMy mom has been discharged from the hospital, and her health is in good condition now. Thank you, brother. I went to the hospital yesterday to get the bill from the doctor. I know the doctor you helped me find and the connections you used canât be repaid with money, but I can pay back the detailed fees on the bill. There are 20,000 here. Iâll give you back a part of it now. For the rest, I can pay it back slowly with interest. â
William looked at her for a while, âAmelia⦠â
âElder brother, Iâm not trying to sever ties with you or insist on separating everything between us.â Amelia Smith interrupted him, looking up at him with her bright eyes, âI just feel that this part of the money shouldnât be your responsibility, even though this amount of money may not mean much to you.â
William looked into her eyes without speaking.
Amelia Smith continued, âIf we had a good relationship, it wouldnât matter if you paid the money. But we donât. And not just in this case, I also donât want you to be involved in any financial matters in the future. I want to take on it myself.â
William still did not speak.
Amelia Smith licked her lips, paused, and said, âElder brother?â
Williamâs eyes moved, looking at her, âWhy are you so far away from me?â
Amelia Smith blinked, confused, â???â
âOver here.â
âWhat are you going to do?â Amelia Smith asked.
âWhat can I do?â William said gently, âCome here, be closer to me.â
Amelia Smith got up, walked around the desk, and stood beside him.
William put his arm around her waist, made her sit on his lap, and kissed her on the cheek, âNow that youâve given me the money, do you still have any for yourself?â
âI⦠I kept some for myself.â Amelia Smith said, âBesides, I donât need to spend any money now since everything I eat, live, and wear are yours.â
âNot mine, but ours. Everything now belongs to both of us,â William said, âSo is the money you kept for yourself intended for buying medicine for your mother later on?â
Amelia Smith nodded.
âSilly girl.â William pinched her face.
Amelia Smithâs hands rested on her lap, slowly clasping her fingers together, âI donât know what other people would do in the face of such a family situation, how they would deal with it. But for me, thatâs the only way I can feel at ease. It doesnât seem to matter whether Iâm kind or not, but when theyâre in trouble, I really canât just stand by and watch.â
âYeah, I understand,â William said, âAs long as youâre happy, Iâll support whatever you do. The premise is to protect yourself and not let yourself be wronged.â
âYes.â Amelia Smith turned her head to look at William, then embraced his neck and leaned on his shoulder.
William stroked her head, âYou can keep the money for now. When you have enough money to buy medicine later on, you can give it back to me.â
Regarding this matter, William did not want to oppose Amelia Smith.
He understood her pride and stubbornness. So he agreed to her request in this matter.
âItâs not possible.â Amelia Smith leaned on his shoulder and said, âI have to pay back some first. Otherwise, the interest will be too much, so itâs not cost-effective.â
William was dumbfounded for a moment before laughing softly, âYouâre a sly one.â
Amelia Smith smiled.
âSleepy?â William asked.
âNo.â Amelia Smith got up, âYou go on with your work. Iâll go back to my room.â
William held her waist and didnât let her go Iâm almost done. Just stay here with me for a while.â
âMy legs will numb,â Amelia Smith said.
âNo, they wonât,â William said, âYouâre light. Stay with me for a while.â
âAlright.â
â¦
William accepted Amelia Smithâs 20,000, and three days later, he gave her another card.
He told Amelia, âUse it for emergencies and thenâ¦give me some pocket money.â
âYou donât need pocket money from me,â Amelia Smith said, biting an apple.
âYes, I do,â William said, âItâs especially nice when itâs given by my lady.â
Amelia Smith looked at him but didnât respond.
William said, âTake it. You decide how to use it. Iâll ask you if I need money.â
Amelia took the card, but she didnât use any of the money on it, only used it to give William money.
William always had money, but whenever he needed to use it, he had to ask Amelia Smith first.
Even later when he collaborated with Kevin Clark on a project, they had almost reached an agreement, but in the end, William said, âI have no issue, but I need to consult my lady regarding the funds.â
After hearing this, Kevin Clark blacklisted all his contact information and ignored him for a week.
â¦
After living in the Lane family for two weeks, due to Williamâs ulterior motives, one night after Amelia Smith finished her evening classes at school, he took her back to his villa.
The whole Lane family, with Charlotte Lane and Kevin Clark coming back with their children every few days, was always lively.
But after returning to the villa, it felt especially quiet.
Amelia Smith stood in the entranceway, looking at the deserted living room, and didnât want to go in.
âWhatâs wrong? Donât recognize our home?â William squatted down to change her shoes.
Amelia Smith quickly squatted down as well, but William didnât let her help.
Amelia Smith asked, âWhy did we suddenly come back?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYou donât seem very happy about it,â William said.
âA little,â Amelia Smith admitted.
William smiled but didnât say anything.
Amelia Smith had a late class that lasted until over nine oâclock, so when they got home, it was already past ten oâclock. The two went straight upstairs to rest after coming back.
Amelia Smith went to the master bedroom to take a bath, while William went straight to the guest room.
However, by the time Amelia Smith came out of the bath, William had already finished and was waiting for her at the bathroom door.
Amelia Smith was startled when she opened the door, âWhat are you doing here?â
William smiled warmly, then held her horizontally in his arms and walked into the bedroom, saying at the same time, âTo answer the question you asked after coming home, why did we suddenly come back? Because I had ulterior motives and wanted to do something bad.â
Amelia Smithâs eyes widened, looking at him in surprise and anxiety.
Williamâs mouth curled up in a smile, âOf course, if you feel we can do it in the old mansion, we donât have to come here.â
âNo, we canât! I canât!â Amelia Smith gripped Williamâs bathrobe, her demeanor and strength as if she were about to fight him.
William smiled, âAlright, I understand.â