When I Was A Wallflower

When I Was A Wallflower Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Framed

The news shocked Elyse to her core.

She came all the way here for Leo, and she wasn’t despair even when faced with that kind of attitude from Leo.

However, he was now explicitly suggesting to revoke his divorce with Amelie.

As expected, it was all because of Amelie.

She silently clenched her hands into fists. Her fingernails dug into her palm, causing blood to seep out.

Intense hatred filled her beautiful face.

“Four years ago, Leo and I broke up because of you, Amelie. Now, you are back again with this.”

She had spoken so softly that one might have thought it was nothing important, yet the cold tilt of her lips would have made anyone who saw her shiver in fear.

She then walked to her computer and looked up an email that had been sitting in her inbox for several days. After swiftly skimming through it, she clicked on one of the links attached.

…

While Amelie had yet to set office hours at Starlight Media, she still had to pop in since she was the boss.

Dressed in an all-white and sexy outfit, Julia glanced at her, snapped her fingers, and smiled brightly. “Major headline related to your ex-husband. Interested?”

“Not at all.” Amelie languidly looked up from her document.

Julia let out a tsk and sat down in front of her.

Then, ignoring Amelie’s reply, she began to tell Amelie all she knew. “Last night, a certain assh*le’s computer was hit by a virus, leading to a lot of stuff being leaked.”

“Apparently,” she continued, “dual contracts were involved. There is an uproar about it. If the dual contracts truly exist, it might all be over for Elyse.”

Dual contracts existed mainly for tax evasion. There had been many incidents of famous celebrities caught with tax evasion, and all of them were faced with the same punishment. All of their careers died.

That was certainly major news.

Even though Amelie could not care less about it, she was still stunned upon hearing it that she forgot to keep her eyes trained on her document.

“Does it not feel amazing?” Julia pumped her fist as though revenge had been served. “The wicked will not go unpunished. If not for you, her career would have been destroyed back then.”

“She was ungrateful enough to ruin your marriage in return,” continued Julia. “Serves her right!”

“Justice may be late but never absent!” she then exclaimed.

All her indignant exclamations only got her a soft hum from Amelie.

Amelie’s divorce did not hinge on Elyse’s return. Instead, it was because Leo did not love her.

Elyse’s return had merely accelerated the death of their marriage.

“The only person I wanted to save back then was Leo. Elyse was not even in the equation,” Amelie honestly said.

“Even so, she could not have easily gotten away if you had not told the reporter they had broken up a long time ago, and that you and Leo were considering marriage. Could she have spent the last four years in bliss?”

Four years ago, she somehow had a one-night stand with Leo. They were just leaving their room after the issue was resolved when they bumped into Elyse.

She had been caught having sex by some reporters. It was so awkward back then. She was half- dressed and the other party was hiding under the blanket.

“Everyone had known back then that Elyse and that b*stard were engaged! You are in the industry too. Have you ever seen a celebrity’s career survive after they were caught cheating?” asked Julia.

“While you were being bullied and mocked by the Alstons, she was living a grand life abroad,” she continued. “Her reputation was impeccable, allowing her to work and mingle. Not only has she never thanked you for what you had done, but she also kept playing the victim. Have you ever seen anyone so shameless?”

“Thank you, my friend,” Amelie said, leaning over to hug Julia. She knew Julia said all that for Amelie’s sake.

“Is that all the thanks I get? I want a celebration. I want a grand barbecue feast with the best seasoning!” Julia shot back, seizing her chance to take advantage of Amelie’s guilt.

“Okay. We will have a barbecue feast with the best seasoning.” Amelie immediately pulled out her phone and searched for nearby barbecue restaurants.

Just then, the phone rang.

It was a call from the kindergarten.

She quickly answered the call. “Ms. Lowe, why are you calling at this hour? Is Bria sick?”

“No,” Ms. Lowe hesitantly replied. “It is just that… Bria’s father is here and asking to take her home. Can you come over?”

Amelie was shocked to hear Leo wanted to take Bria home from kindergarten.

Should he not be busy handling Elyse’s mess with the dual contracts?

What did he want with Bria?

She did not want to ponder any further. After briefly telling Julia what was going on, she rushed over to the kindergarten.

When she arrived, she did not see Bria.

Ms. Lowe helplessly hung her head. “Bria’s father insisted on taking her. He… He is not someone the kindergarten can afford to make an enemy of, so…”

Amelie had told the kindergarten only she and Julia were allowed to pick up Bria because she had been worried the Alstons would do this.

In the end…

She did not get it. After all that she had said, what gave him the audacity to take her child away once more?

“I will handle this myself.” She knew Ms. Lowe had tried her best, so she did not linger any longer at the kindergarten.

She hopped into her car and sped toward the Alston Residence.

The Alston Residence was a grand and traditional abode that represented the generations of prosperity in the family. It was the paradise that many craved.

Amelie did not find the place beautiful at all. Instead, it was rather oppressive.

If not for Bria, she would never have taken another step into this place.

When the butler saw her, he shot her a questioning look. “M-Miss Dillon, why are you here?”

“Mr. Cooper, I wish to talk to Leo,” she politely answered.

While the owners of the house did not welcome her, the servants had always been kind to her.

“The young sir has ordered us not to let you in,” he said, helplessly shaking his head.

“Please pass a message to him then,” she said, deciding against forcing her way in. “If I call the police or reporters and blow up this incident, the entire family will look bad. He does not want the Alston Family business to appear in the news, right?”

Perhaps her declaration had the effect she wanted.

Either way, a few minutes later, Leo appeared.

He was dressed entirely in black.

It emphasized the dark and unfriendly look on his face.

Not wanting to waste any more time on him, she quickly walked over. “Where is Bria? Why…”

“Do not ever talk to Bria again,” he coldly interrupted before she could finish speaking. “She does not need an immodest mother.”

His voice rang with disgust and hatred.

“Immodest?” She was confused. “We cleared up everything that needed clearing up, right?”

“Throw her out!” he ordered.

“If she forces her way in again, call the police.”

He did not wish to say another word to her, so he turned and barked out several orders to Mr. Cooper. © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Then, he turned and walked back into the house.

His heart was twisted in a painful knot.

For the past few days, she had been berating him for his actions and inactions. She made herself seem so high and mighty.

However, behind his back, she had already sullied herself.

In the end, one could not teach an old dog new tricks.

Now that he thought about it, the guilt he felt over the past few days had been over nothing.

Mr. Cooper did not want to throw Amelie out, but he had to call for the guards to chase her away.

Amelie was not happy. She had been inexplicably robbed of her daughter and labeled “immodest”.

Despite her feelings, she was unable to fight against the guards.

She was left outside the gates.

Bang!

The gates slammed shut right before her eyes.

That set of gates cut her off from a world with Bria.

She was feeling excruciatingly anxious. When she thought about how Bria would be afraid upon realizing she was in the Alston Residence, her eyes went red.

“Mr. Cooper, do you know what happened?” She pushed aside her worries and focused on her only avenue of help.