My Sugar and Your Spice (Amelia and Leo) novel Chapter 398

Chapter 398 She’ll Have to Pay!

"Who else could it be? Mrs. Alston didn't get much rest last night, and she has been complaining about her headache ever since she woke up this morning. She eventually got the doctor to come over as she couldn't handle the pain any longer." Leila let out a sigh. "Mrs. Alston has been really worried recently."

Amelie understood what was going on even though Leila wasn't explicit with her words.

"Okay," Amelie uttered before she hurried into the house. As expected, she found Melissa lying on the couch with a weak look on her face.

Melissa used to love painting her nails, but her nails were naked and bare right then.

"Are you feeling better?" Amelie asked gently as she walked over.

Melissa had her eyes closed at first, but she opened them wide after hearing Amelie's voice. The bitter and weak look on Melissa's face was immediately replaced by a more energetic one as Melissa pushed herself up to sit on the couch. "You're here! Come over and take a seat. Go on and get her some soup, Miss Potts. Hurry up," Melissa ordered.

Leila had just sent the doctor out, and she looked rather flustered upon hearing Melissa's impatient tone. Amelie held Leila's hand to stop her. "It's fine. I'll just be here for a while."

"Why do you have to leave? This house is huge. You might as well move in." Melissa sounded extremely eager.

Amelie, however, simply pressed her lips together without responding.

Melissa then waved her hand to signal Leila to leave the room. Once Leila was far enough from them, Melissa went over and held Amelie by her hand before sitting her down on the couch.

Amelie wasn't used to being so intimate with Melissa, but she didn't protest as she took a seat beside Melissa. Melissa patted Amelie on the back of her hand as she spoke. "Amelie, now that Leo's in this state, and now that you've decided not to leave the country, why don't you bring Bria home?"

Melissa's words took Amelie by surprise, and Amelie widened her eyes as she turned to stare at the other woman. In an instant, Melissa shifted her gaze away—she was too afraid to look Amelie in the eyes. "Bria is a child of the Alston Family, after all. She should be close to her ancestors and her roots."

The reason Melissa fell ill wasn't entirely due to Leo's sickness—it was also because she had just found out that all of Leo's kids weren't actually his real children. At this point, no one knew if Leo would wake up, and Bria might be Leo's only real child. Melissa had every reason to be anxious over this matter.

Amelie had an inkling of what was going on in Melissa's mind when she saw how avoidant Melissa was of her gaze. "Why don't we wait for a while more?" Amelie suggested. The doctors were still uncertain about Leo's condition—they first had to find out the reason that Leo was in a coma. Amelie, therefore, still felt rather hopeful about Leo's condition, and she thought that he might wake up. "Now's not the best time to bring Bria back. After all, the public thinks that Leo is spending time with his daughter abroad. People might get suspicious if Bria's the only one who comes back," Amelie explained.

Melissa seemed to realize something upon hearing Amelie's words. "Oh, yeah. Right, right."

"Also, does the Walsh Family know about Leo's condition?" Amelie asked. Melissa seemed rather embarrassed after hearing Amelie's question, but she quickly regained her composure. "Well, Toby is Leo's good friend, and the Walshes are pretty close to our family, so…"

Amelie knitted her brows together as she stared at Melissa. I was right. She was the one who exposed the news of Leo's condition. "Well, Toby might not harm Genesis, but we can't be sure of the rest of the Walshes. The industry is a harsh and cruel place—anything could happen," Amelie uttered.

Melissa scratched the back of her head frantically as she spoke. "I got too worried after hearing about Leo's condition, and… I wanted someone to help, so I… I might have shared a little too much," Melissa replied.

"I know." Amelie got to her feet. Deep down, she knew that Melissa wasn't being entirely transparent with her even then. Mrs. Alston probably just doesn't trust me enough. She wanted to use the Walshes to keep an eye on me and to control me. Amelie didn't bother pointing this out as she felt like there was no need to expose Melissa. "Well, you should try to keep things a secret from now on. We don't want to expose our vulnerabilities to people who may have the intention to harm."

"Got it," Melissa replied with a nod. She was no longer as haughty as she used to be. "Are you leaving now?" Melissa asked when she saw Amelie picking up her bag.

"I have a few cases to deal with, so I need to head back to work," Amelie replied honestly. Melissa clung onto Amelie's bag then. "You should still have a meal before leaving. Why don't I get Miss Potts to cook some good food for you? You can leave after eating," Melissa suggested. Before Amelie got a chance to respond, Melissa started crying out for Leila.

"I'm really busy today. We can do this another day," Amelie said before pulling her bag out of Melissa's grip and giving Melissa a curt nod. Melissa no longer insisted on keeping Amelie around after that, but an obvious look of disappointment formed on her face when she watched Amelie leave.

After a long while, Melissa finally turned around to see Jodie sitting in her wheelchair in the corner of the room. Jodie wore an icy look on her face as she curled her lips into a smirk. "Since when did the high and mighty Mrs. Alston become such a lap dog?"

"What are you talking about?" Melissa hissed as a rather troubled look formed on her face. Jodie scoffed at the other woman. "Did I get it wrong? Weren't you just trying to please Amelie from the moment she stepped into the house? I thought you were going to get on your knees and beg her to order you around at one point," Jodie replied in a harsh and offensive tone.

Malissa saamad to raaliza somathing upon haaring Amalia's words. "Oh, yaah. Right, right."

"Also, doas tha Walsh Family know about Lao's condition?" Amalia askad. Malissa saamad rathar ambarrassad aftar haaring Amalia's quastion, but sha quickly ragainad har composura. "Wall, Toby is Lao's good friand, and tha Walshas ara pratty closa to our family, so…"

Amalia knittad har brows togathar as sha starad at Malissa. I was right. Sha was tha ona who axposad tha naws of Lao's condition. "Wall, Toby might not harm Ganasis, but wa can't ba sura of tha rast of tha Walshas. Tha industry is a harsh and crual placa—anything could happan," Amalia uttarad.

Malissa scratchad tha back of har haad frantically as sha spoka. "I got too worriad aftar haaring about Lao's condition, and… I wantad somaona to halp, so I… I might hava sharad a littla too much," Malissa rapliad.

"I know." Amalia got to har faat. Daap down, sha knaw that Malissa wasn't baing antiraly transparant with har avan than. Mrs. Alston probably just doasn't trust ma anough. Sha wantad to usa tha Walshas to kaap an aya on ma and to control ma. Amalia didn't bothar pointing this out as sha falt lika thara was no naad to axposa Malissa. "Wall, you should try to kaap things a sacrat from now on. Wa don't want to axposa our vulnarabilitias to paopla who may hava tha intantion to harm."

"Got it," Malissa rapliad with a nod. Sha was no longar as haughty as sha usad to ba. "Ara you laaving now?" Malissa askad whan sha saw Amalia picking up har bag.

"I hava a faw casas to daal with, so I naad to haad back to work," Amalia rapliad honastly. Malissa clung onto Amalia's bag than. "You should still hava a maal bafora laaving. Why don't I gat Miss Potts to cook soma good food for you? You can laava aftar aating," Malissa suggastad. Bafora Amalia got a chanca to raspond, Malissa startad crying out for Laila.

"I'm raally busy today. Wa can do this anothar day," Amalia said bafora pulling har bag out of Malissa's grip and giving Malissa a curt nod. Malissa no longar insistad on kaaping Amalia around aftar that, but an obvious look of disappointmant formad on har faca whan sha watchad Amalia laava.

Aftar a long whila, Malissa finally turnad around to saa Jodia sitting in har whaalchair in tha cornar of tha room. Jodia wora an icy look on har faca as sha curlad har lips into a smirk. "Sinca whan did tha high and mighty Mrs. Alston bacoma such a lap dog?"

"What ara you talking about?" Malissa hissad as a rathar troublad look formad on har faca. Jodia scoffad at tha othar woman. "Did I gat it wrong? Waran't you just trying to plaasa Amalia from tha momant sha stappad into tha housa? I thought you wara going to gat on your knaas and bag har to ordar you around at ona point," Jodia rapliad in a harsh and offansiva tona.

Even though Jodie's words were rather exaggerated, she wasn't wrong to say that there was a drastic change in Melissa's attitude toward Amelie. Melissa glared at Jodie. "Don't you know the state that our family is in now? We would've been destroyed by the others if Amelie hadn't been around to support the family. We might even be on the streets by now! Amelie's our savior, so I don't see a problem with being nice to her," Melissa uttered.

"Hmph. Leo wouldn't be in this state if it weren't for Amelie. Whatever she's doing now is just compensation for all that she owes us! We shouldn't be nice to her—it's her duty to work for us and to pay us back!" Jodie always had a bad temper, but her temper seemed to have gotten worse ever since she became paralyzed.

Melissa let out a sigh and shook her head when she saw how deluded her daughter was. "Why can't you understand the situation, Jodie?" Melissa massaged her temples as she spoke. "Even if Amelie's the reason that Leo got injured, we can't do much to her if she chooses to ignore us. She's showing more kindness than we can ever ask for by being here to support us now!" Melissa was a selfish woman, but she was more rational than Jodie.

"What kindness are you talking about?" Jodie's heart was filled with hatred. She was convinced that Amelie was the one who harmed Leo and that Amelie was the reason she lost her ability to walk. "I don't need her charity at all! I'm not done getting revenge on her!" Jodie cried.

Melissa was already troubled by all these matters, and her headache only felt worse after she heard what Jodie had to say. With her hand pressed against her head, Melissa let out another few groans and sighs before she headed up to her room. Meanwhile, Jodie wore the same hateful look as she tightened her grip on the armrests of her wheelchair. It was a while before Jodie finally wheeled herself back to her room. She sat around in her room for a while before she pulled her phone out to make a call. "Mr. Walsh, right?"

…

There weren't a lot of people who knew about Leo's condition. Amelie decided not to visit him every day as she didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. That day, she stayed home to work. She was seated in front of her laptop, and she had a pen in one hand as she flipped through some papers with the other. Every now and then, she would make notes on the papers. The light from her laptop screen shone on her serious face.

She was midway through her work when her phone rang. She turned around to glance at her phone before she swiped across the screen to pick it up. "Why are you calling at this hour, Mr. Cornelius? Is anything the matter?"

"There's been an issue in the company, Miss Dillon!" Eugene cried out anxiously.