03

Amelia looked all innocent. "Stella, you look like a drowned rat."

Stella, who had just calmed down, immediately got furious. "You..."

"What happened?" Hayden's voice boomed from behind.

Stella quickly changed her expression, turning around with tears streaming down her face. "Mom, Dad, don't blame Amelia. She's not all there, you know."

Seeing Stella's pitiful state, Ava, who had come along, got instantly mad and hugged her. "Poor Stella, you always let Amelia off the hook, but she treats you like this! Just because she's not right in the head doesn't mean she can bully you!"

These two really knew how to stir the pot, making Hayden's already grim face even scarier. He raised his hand, ready to slap Amelia.

Amelia flinched and dodged the slap, looking all innocent. "Shouldn't you let Stella change her clothes? She'll catch a cold."

Early autumn in Emerald City was still pretty chilly.

"Yeah, Stella, go change your clothes," Ava finally realized and hurriedly pulled Stella inside. "Call the family doctor to check on her."

"Call the family doctor to check on her," Hayden echoed with concern.

Watching her father still circling around her and leaving Amelia aside, Stella's eyes, which had been filled with disappointment because Amelia wasn't hit, instantly gleamed with triumph. 'Just a fool, how could she compete with me?' she thought.

By the time the chaos in the Johnson Villa had settled and everyone had gathered in the living room, half an hour had passed.

During this time, Amelia sat in the living room, taking in this "home" she hadn't seen much of.

"You ungrateful daughter! You haven't come home in years, and once you do, you bully Stella!" Hayden came downstairs with Ava and Stella, already scolding Amelia before he even reached her.

"Dad, did you call me back for something?" Not wanting to argue, Amelia cut him off.

Hayden's eyes flashed with a hint of unease. "I heard from Stella that you brought your daughter back with you? Why didn't you bring her here?"

Seeing his guilty expression, Amelia narrowed her eyes slightly, wondering what Hayden was planning for Elsie. She stayed silent, watching him continue.

"I know a rich man whose wife can't have kids and wants to adopt a daughter. I think Elsie would be perfect," Hayden said.

Hearing this, Amelia immediately understood his intentions, her anger flaring up. She slammed the table and stood up. "What do you mean? That's my daughter and your granddaughter!"

Hayden was startled by Amelia's outburst and immediately got mad too, pointing at her and yelling, "You say you're my daughter, and I still can't control you? You're an unmarried woman with a child. Who would want to marry you? If Mr. Jones and Mrs. Jones are willing to adopt Elsie, it would be a blessing for you both."

He got more and more self-righteous. "Our family isn't as prestigious as the Smith family. With Mr. Jones' help, wouldn't Stella have more leverage when she marries into the Smith family? Mr. Jones is someone even the Smith family has to curry favor with!"

Amelia, extremely angry, became calm instead, coldly exposing him. "You're not thinking about us; you're just paving the way for yourself."

Seemingly snapped back to reality by Amelia's gaze, Hayden suddenly realized something. He looked surprised, "Have you recovered?"

Sitting beside Hayden, Ava had long noticed something off about Amelia and thought, 'What kind of fool is so sharp-tongued? She must have come back this time because she's already recovered and is pretending to be foolish to lower our guard.'

Ava grabbed Hayden and immediately put on a kind face, saying, "It's great that Amelia has recovered. But I'm sure she had her reasons for not telling us." She then looked at Amelia, "Your dad is just thinking about what's best for you. After all, you have no source of income. Instead of carrying a burden, it's better to send her away so you can find a good husband."

Amelia sneered, "You don't need to worry about Elsie and me. You left us abroad to fend for ourselves, so spare me your hypocrisy. And when did I say I hadn't recovered? You were merely self-centered and oblivious to the changes within me."

Stella, still holding a grudge from being tricked by Amelia, was almost exploding with anger. She said sarcastically, "Now that your mind is clear, you should think about your daughter. You won't get another chance. Besides, with her being an illegitimate child with an unknown father, what right does she have to be Mr. Jones' daughter if not for her good looks?"

A sharp slap interrupted Stella's foul mouth. Amelia leaned in close, her eyes burning with anger. "If you call Elsie a bastard one more time, I won't hesitate to tear your mouth apart."

Amelia kicked over the table in front of her, sending glass shards flying onto Hayden and Ava. Her gaze slowly and threateningly swept over their faces as she said, "Selling a granddaughter is worse than selling a daughter. I think Stella would make a good mistress for Mr. Jones."

"Who do you think you are, daring to scheme against me!" Stella was shaking with rage.

Amelia slapped her left cheek again. She pulled out a smile, looking stunningly beautiful, but Stella felt a chill from the bottom of her heart.

"I have nothing to fear now. If you dare hurt Elsie, I will destroy the Johnson family." With that, Amelia turned without hesitation, staring at Ava. "Also, return my mother's belongings to me. If you don't, it doesn't matter; I'll take them back myself." Her aura stunned everyone for a moment.

It wasn't until Amelia walked out of the Johnson Villa that Hayden came to his senses, cursing from afar. "She's turned against us, daring to act wild at home! She's never allowed to step into the Johnson Villa again."

Amelia completely dismissed his words. Hayden was worried about losing the family assets. The Johnson family's modest fortune held no allure for Amelia, but she would never allow her mother's heirlooms to fall into their hands.

Inside the villa, Stella stomped her foot in anger. "Mom, you mustn't give Amelia's mother's things to her. They're all mine."

Ava comforted her. "I know; no one can take your things, including the agreement with the Smith family. As an unwed mother who had been abandoned, her arrogance won't last long."

After Amelia left the Johnson Villa, Stella's vicious words echoed in her mind, making her feel uncomfortable.

Although Elsie was affectionate with Matthew every day, and Matthew did give Elsie some fatherly love, he wasn't her biological father.

Back then, Amelia was in a daze in the countryside and didn't know who Elsie's father was.

Even after her memory slowly returned, Amelia's mind was still blank about the origins of the two children.

With these thoughts in her mind, she was slightly delayed in reacting when the driver behind her honked to overtake. By the time she reacted, the slight bump from the car reminded her—Her car collided with another vehicle.

Seeing the driver in a suit get out of the black Bentley that had stopped ahead, Amelia frowned. She opened the door and got out, knocking on the window of the luxury car's back seat. "Sir, isn't the car owner going to show up?"