"Owen, come here," Sophia urged, trying to pull Owen away.But he stood firm,his voice cold. "Mom, Aunt Bella's been a big help to us.I like her,and I'm not gonna let anyone treat her badly."

"Come with me," Amelia said, worried Chris might catch on. She dragged him outside and slammed the door shut.

Chris sneered down at her, "What, too crowded in there? You want a private chat?"

Amelia glared at him, her words biting, "What are you trying to pull?Today was supposed to be your engagement day with Leila. She even sent out the invites. And you missed your engagement to come here and be with your sex partner? What's your deal?"

"I never agreed to the engagement. If she wants to get engaged, she can do it herself," Chris said, gripping her shoulders a bit tightly. "Besides, I never saw you as just a sex partner."

"But to me, that's all you are," Amelia snapped back, her anger making her words sting. "We have no real relationship. If you keep hanging around me, people will think I seduced you!"

She was truly furious.

Chris, however,just looked at her quietly, finding her anger and frustration oddly charming.

He was completely smitten.

"You've been seducing me all along," he said, pulling her into his arms. "You can't deny it."

Crazy!

"Chris," a soft voice called out just as the elevator doors opened.

Amelia stiffened and looked over to see Leila.

Leila was dressed in a stunning red mermaid gown, adorned with expensive jewelry, looking perfect from head to toe.

But her eyes were filled with deep sorrow and pain.

"Chris, please come back with me. Every guest was there. If you don't come back. I'll be the laughingstock of the whole Pinecrest. Don't you care at all about how people will see me?"

Leila's tears were heart-wrenching.

She was truly a master of her craft, every cell in her body exuding top-notch acting skills.

But to Amelia, the scene was nothing but ironic.

Her heart felt heavy, and her nose stung with an inexplicable ache.

"I told you, if you want to get engaged, that's your business. I won't stop you,but I won't be there either," Chris said, his voice as cold as ever.

"What? How can that be? Everyone is waiting. I even invited friends from the entertainment industry. They're all waiting for you..."

"That's your problem," Chris said, turning away with a cold expression,unwilling to show her any kindness.

Leila's tears flowed freely, "Chris, you can't be so cruel to me.You know how long I've waited for this day. I can't live without you."

Chris remained unmoved.

Leila then turned her gaze to Amelia.

"Ms. White, I'm begging you. Please help me convince Chris. Today is our engagement day. I've staked all my dignity on this. If he doesn't come,I'll be humiliated to death."

At that moment, Leila's desperate plea reminded Amelia of herself years ago, begging her father in the rain not to plead with Chris.

But back then, Chris cared about Leila.

How had things changed so much in just a few years?

Amelia's feelings were a tangled mess.

But she had no reason to sympathize with Leila.

She didn't want to play the saint.

"Both of you, please leave," Amelia said, taking a deep breath and opening the door to go back inside.

But Chris grabbed her hand, his gaze intense, as if silently asking, "Are you really going to leave me?"

"Chris, can you stop being so irresponsible? You promised her an engagement, to give her a status. Today is the day to fulfill that promise.I have no interest in being a stepping stone in your relationship," Amelia said, unable to hold back any longer. She glared at him and yanked her hand away.

She decided to change the locks later.

"What do you mean by that?" Chris suddenly erupted in anger,staring straight into her eyes. "Are you saying you don't care about me? Then why did you come back to save me?"

Amelia was momentarily speechless.

At that time, she must have been crazy.

He had let her leave first, staying behind to cover their retreat, so she had softened.

Or maybe she hadn't completely forgotten him and couldn't bear to watch him die?

Her mind was a chaotic mess, and she couldn't sort it out.

"Answer me!" Chris demanded, gripping her shoulders, his teeth clenched.

Amelia, being pushed to her limit, blurted out, "Because I didn't want to owe you anything. I didn't want you to cling to me!"

In the end, Chris left with Leila.

That night, rumors spread that they had successfully completed their engagement ceremony.

And Amelia became part of the gossip, with many people saying she was an unworthy mistress, that her ex-boyfriend was Lucius, but for some reason, she insisted on being with Chris.

Amelia felt no emotional response to such trivial talk.

She didn't care.

However, the incident did affect her gallery, with fewer and fewer visitors,

and no customers for three to five days.

Amelia wasn't worried. She simply stayed at home, occasionally cooking a meal with Sophia and Owen, enjoying their time together.

One weekend, Sophia had something to do and left Owen with Amelía to take care of.

Coincidentally, Shawn was also there.

Shawn had just returned from abroad, bringing some photos of Olivia.

He had heard about Chris and Leila's engagement and was quite surprised.

"Didn't you come back to win him over? How did you let Leila get engaged to him?"

Amelia couldn't take her eyes off her daughter's photos, reluctant to put them down. "It's good that they're engaged. I was worried he'd keep bothering me."

Shawn raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Well, it's the weekend. Let's take Owen to the amusement park my family just opened, and it's got a lot of fun attractions."

Amelia looked at Owen,who shyly nodded.

So they all went out to have some fun.

After a joyful time at the amusement park, Amelia picked up Wendy,and they all went to a mall for dinner.

"The dishes here are mostly spicy. We should order a few mild ones for Owen," Wendy suggested with a smile.

"Thank you, Ms. Brown," Owen said, his lips pressed together like a little adult.

A table full of exquisite dishes was soon served. Amelia ate quite a bit and had a couple of drinks, getting a litle tipsy.

"I heard you've been having a rough time lately," Shawn said quietly,watching her and sighing.

Amelia's smile froze, and she waved her hand, "Isn't that normal? I'm not a lucky person. It's always like this."

Shawn's eyes showed a hint of pity.

Amelia downed another glass, but in her haste, she choked and started coughing.

"Alright, that's enough," Shawn said, quickly getting up to pat her back.