MasukLucas’ gaze dropped slightly, hiding the flicker of disappointment behind his lashes.“Alright." He'd braced himself for rejection, but it still hit harder than he'd expected.In the corner, the two girls exchanged stunned looks, momentarily speechless.Lucas had just been turned down. It made sense, of course, but watching his hope dissolve like that left them feeling a little sorry for him. Getting shut down right after mustering the courage had to sting.Amelia had intended to walk away, but when she noticed the faint shadow darkening Lucas’ expression, her brows furrowed slightly. Was he truly disheartened because she hadn't agreed to be his date? Could her refusal have affected him so deeply?Still, Amelia found herself explaining, "I never said I wouldn't go. I'm just not sure what my schedule looks like next month. If I happen to be free, I might come."In reality, she had no intention of attending Margot's birthday celebration. She didn't belong to the Sullivan family's circle.
The passage of time had written itself into Howard’s features, silvering his once ebony locks, but he still carried himself with grace and timeless elegance.Amelia wished she could bottle this moment, hold it still, and never have to face the sorrow of parting.Elsewhere, when Eve, Sophia, and Damian stepped into the living room, Martha wasted no time, she looked up from the couch and asked, "Did Howard agree?"“No," Damian muttered darkly, his face clouded with frustration.“What?" Martha’s eyes flew open in disbelief. "Why is she being so stubborn? We're not even asking for a favor, we're offering to buy the painting!"Grabbing Damian’s arm, she asked pointedly, "Did you offer Amelia extra money? I can't believe she wouldn't budge if you raised the price."“I did, but she flat-out refused. Said she wouldn't sell it for any amount. If only the auction house had taken collateral at the time…" Damian’s voice was tight with anger, the memory still a bitter pill to swallow.According to
Howard swept his eyes over his grandchildren and Sophia with a chilly stare, curling his lips in contempt. "Amelia is no outsider, and I was simply showing preference, not intentionally humiliating anyone. You're the ones assigning blame, accusing me of trying to degrade Sophia. What's next? You want me to pretend to like someone I clearly don't? If that's the rule, why don't you ever show Amelia the same courtesy?" Pausing for breath, Howard added, "Funny how you all excuse your own behavior but nitpick everyone else's. If you can't meet your own standards, stop demanding them from others."Eve fumed in silence. Her grandfather was being ridiculous, backing someone who wasn't even family. And now the Wright estate had already been handed to Amelia, which made her blood boil even more.With that thought, Eve turned her glare on Amelia, her eyes filled with fury. She couldn't understand how Amelia had convinced Howard to part with the Wright estate. But whatever trick it was, she had to
He trailed off, glancing warily toward the door. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he asked, "Do you know what he was up to last night?"“I do. He told me he'd captured that wretched woman's friend and was planning to lure her out and make her pay." Alexa's voice quivered, tears threatening to spill. "I didn't think he'd suffer any real losses, so I didn't call him again. But when I tried reaching him this morning, his phone was turned off…"She'd placed her trust in the dozen elite mercenaries Ford had hired. Surely, they could've taken down Amelia with ease. Yet, her chest tightened with dread, after that call yesterday, she hadn't been able to reach Ford again. Now, he had vanished without a trace.“Do you know where he went last night? Did you go look for him?" Moss questioned grimly, unease creeping into his voice. He feared something terrible had happened to his son.“I did. I went looking, but he was nowhere to be found. The place looked undisturbed, not even a drop of blood. Do
It had been ages since Xavier had come across such a formidable opponent.Amelia’s chess prowess never failed to astonish him, and more often than not, she ended up winning. Such brilliance at such a young age was nothing short of extraordinary.Xavier held her in high esteem and often found himself wishing she'd one day become part of the Miller family. But, much to his dismay, he'd slowly come to the conclusion that his own grandson simply wasn't good enough for her.“Grandpa." Desmond’s voice pulled their attention toward him.Xavier’s face, once alive with smiles, instantly hardened at the sight of his disappointing grandson.“You're finally awake, you lazy sloth. The sun's about to set," Xavier grumbled, firing off a cold glare.“It's not even noon yet! How is the sun setting?" Desmond shot back, rolling his eyes.“Amelia’s our guest, and you haven't even given her a tour. Is this how you treat guests?" Xavier barked with irritation.Xavier was frustrated. The perfect opportunity
The pain hit him like lightning, searing straight through to the bone. The veins on his forehead bulged as if they'd rip through his skull.Agony! Blistering, soul-shredding agony!This woman was a monster in human skin, worse than any demon he could've imagined.Ford cursed the moment he'd decided to kidnap Jessica. He was being torn apart from the inside out, tortured to the edge of death, and then dragged back just to suffer more. The sensation was unbearable, like being carved up, piece by piece, while still alive. It was like being fed to a wild beast, one slow bite at a time.He wanted to die more than anything. And the regret consumed him. If he could turn back time, he wouldn't have dared to cross this horrifying woman.Ford had no idea how much time had passed. He hovered on the edge of death, his body broken, his spirit shattered beyond repair.Time dragged on, each second stretching into eternity. The pain Amelia inflicted on him tortured him with its cruel, relentless pace.
If Celine turned cold toward her now, the doors of the Miller family would slam shut.And with them, so would her family's future.Celine shot a frosty look at the head of security. He caught the message instantly, stepped forward without a word, and carefully retrieved the battered invitation from
Not everyone in the room knew this, but the true guests of honor received invitations handwritten by Xavier himself. Outwardly, all the invites looked identical, except for that small detail.Amelia didn't argue. She simply reached into her purse and handed over her invitation.Before the head of se
That certainty brought Layla a grim sense of peace.“Celine…" Lorraine choked out, her voice ragged, tears spilling freely now.“Lorraine," Celine said gently, yet with unmistakable weight, "when you make a mistake, you apologize. It takes strength to admit when you're wrong. Owning your actions and
“It's worth it." Desmond spoke with conviction, his voice even and his eyes locked in place.Amelia shot him a look of disbelief.“Have you completely lost it, Desmond Miller?" Ford snapped, jabbing a finger at him. "The moment your grandfather catches wind that you're tossing everything aside becau







