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Chapter 9 Forced Toughness

The others sauntered over, smirking with that smug look, like they were staring at a toy they could mess with anytime.

"Ace, looks like she's playing the piano here. I heard a bunch of foreigners come to listen and tip her well," someone chimed in.

Ace Hall burst out laughing. "Wow, Amelia, what happened to you? You used to be the lady of a rich family. How did you end up working in a place like this? Doesn't anyone care about you anymore?"

"No wonder she's Mr. Spencer's wife; she's pretty hot. Come on, play us a tune, just for us."

"Don't be ridiculous. Does she even deserve the title of Mrs. Spencer? Chris never acknowledged her. For a woman who made him a joke, he's kind enough not to kill her. If it were up to me... I'd let the guys have some fun with her; it'd be a waste not to."

The group laughed crudely, their eyes glued to Amelia.

Amelia swallowed her anger, staying calm as she played some soothing music.

There were bodyguards around; they wouldn't just let these jerks act up. Sure enough, within minutes, a few bodyguards came over and shoved them out.

Amelia let out a sigh of relief. After her shift, she was trying to catch a cab when those guys cornered her again.

Ace stood in front of her, looking cold. "Amelia, why didn't you say hi? We know each other, right? We could at least be called friends."

As he spoke, his hand reached out to touch her face.

Amelia's face turned icy, and she slapped him hard. "Get lost!"

The slap echoed loudly, leaving everyone stunned. A red handprint appeared on Ace's face.

Amelia glared at him, unafraid. "You jerk who only bullies women, go back to where you came from!"

She had no one to rely on now; she couldn't back down!

Ace's face twisted with anger. He raised his hand, ready to hit her.

Amelia lifted her chin, fearless, as if indicating, "Go ahead, hit me if you dare."

Her hand was clenched in her sleeve, cold sweat dripping, but she looked inexplicably strong.

Maybe her gaze was too intense, and Ace hesitated, his hand frozen in mid-air.

She was Chris's wife, after all. Even if Chris wanted a divorce, Amelia would still be his ex-wife. He had to think about Chris. They had been nasty before, but it was all talk; they never dared to actually hit her.

"Ace, hit her! This woman is too much!"

"Yeah, how dare a lowly woman like her slap you?"

"Ace, if you don't hit her, I will."

Ace's face darkened as he yelled, "Everyone, get out!"

Then, he stepped closer, gritting his teeth. "Amelia, just you wait. I'll remember this slap."

"You did it for Leila, didn't you?" Amelia smiled faintly, her expression indifferent. "But don't you know that the person you like is head over heels for Chris?"

"That's nonsense!" Ace growled.

Amelia crossed her arms, "Leila neither initiates nor rejects you. She keeps stringing you along without responding, all the while openly professing her love for Chris. Then, with just the slightest hint, you get all worked up and keep harassing me because of her. Aren't you being incredibly foolish?"

Ace was stunned. "You..."

His eyes widened, realizing for the first time how sharp-tongued Amelia could be.

Amelia shot back, "You do realize I'm just the so-called Mrs. Spencer, right? I don't have any real power or Chris's heart. And you can't control Leila either. You're just another guy chasing after her."

She felt a sudden rush of satisfaction, like she finally got to vent her anger.

She used to be terrified of these people because no one had her back. Out in the world, anyone in their circle could insult her without facing any consequences.

She never dared to fight back because she didn't want to cause trouble for Chris. She always felt like their marriage was a debt she owed him. Since she loved him so much, she was willing to endure all the insults quietly. But the more she put up with it, the more they looked down on her.

Now, she was divorced. She wasn't afraid of being bullied ouside or humilated by the Spencer family. Giving up the title of Chris's wife, she realized she could stand up for herself. Over the years, she had even picked up some of Chris's intimidating mannerisms, which scared this group of people.

"Amelia!" Ace was fuming. "If you say another word, I'll personally..."

Before he could finish, Amelia pulled out her phone from behind her back; it was recording.

"Go on," she said calmly. "You can stay quiet, but anything you say will be used against you in this circle."

Ace gritted his teeth, glaring at her with pure hatred and frustration.

It wasn't until the cab arrived that Amelia finally relaxed. Once she got into the car, tears streamed down her face.

She felt a sense of survive, like she had narrowly escaped a disaster.

But she didn't notice a car parked quietly by the roadside.

Shawn rolled down the window after seeing the enraged Ace punch his own car twice and drive off in anger.

To be honest, he wasn't surprised. The sharp-tongued, fierce Amelia he had just seen was someone he had encountered more than once before because that was her true self. The weak person who had been bullied a few days ago was probably just her after losing herself over the years. Amelia was supposed to be strong.

Shawn took out a photo pieced together from two separate images, carefully caressing it.

In the photo, there was a boy and a girl standing side by side. At first glance, there was nothing unusual, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the figures had been cut out from different places. The two people were from a graduation group photo; one was him, and the other was Amelia.

"All these years, we don't even have a single photo together. What a pity," he murmured to himself, his thoughts drifting back to their student days as he gazed out the car window.

...

"You just stood up to Ace?" Hearing about Amelia's recent experience, Sophia was both shocked and scared. "Aren't you afraid he'll come after you again?"

Amelia waved her hand. "I can't worry about that now. Besides, I have nothing to lose. If he has the guts, we can both go down together."

Sophia sighed deeply, her heart aching. "What kind of fate is this, forcing someone as gentle as you into such a state?"

Amelia gave a bitter smile. At least this way, she wouldn't be at the mercy of others anymore.

"What should we do next? Tomorrow is the final deadline," Sophia muttered to herself. "Why didn't you take a few pieces of jewelry that could be sold when you divorced? All you took were a few paintings, and they can't be sold."

Hearing about the paintings, Amelia's eyes lit up. "Yes, I brought several paintings with me!"

Back in college, Nina always took the living expenses Paxton sent her. At that time, she, an art student, had gained the admiration of her mentor, then she was allowed to display her works in an art exhibition and sold them at a good price.

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