A Marriage Without Touch, A Goodbye Without Tears (Amelia and Ethan) novel Chapter 266

Chapter 266 The Pink Bag

46

Finished

Ethan forced down the anger burning in his chest and lowered his voice as he said to Amelia, “Come with me. Let’s find a place to talk, just the two of us.”

But Amelia only shot him a cold glance. Her eyes immediately drifted to Hannah, who was hovering behind him like a shadow.

The way she looked at her—every inch of her posture screamed that she was the rightful woman by Ethan’s side, as if she were about to hold up a giant sign to announce it to the world.

A sly, mocking smile tugged at Amelia’s lips. She refused in a cool, even tone, “No need. Whatever you want to say, we can talk after the party. After all…

“We work for different companies now, representing our own interests. It’s better not to exchange too much, or it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

Her words drew a clean, unbreakable line between them: strictly business, nothing personal.

Ethan was left speechless, his face darkening with frustration.

Just then, Hannah–always playing the innocent act–suddenly perked up like she’d just had an idea. She said, “Amelia, I get it! You probably knew I’d be representing the Rowe Group in this design competition, right? That’s why you signed up too, hoping to compete against me?”

Amelia actually laughed.

She took her time looking at Hannah’s face and then, to everyone’s surprise, nodded slowly.

“Yeah,” she admitted bluntly. “I’m in.”

Hannah’s eyes lit up with triumph until Amelia’s next words crushed that spark instantly.

“But…” Amelia’s gaze drifted over her lightly, sharp and superior. “As for competing, I don’t think you’re ready yet.”

With that, she no longer bothered to look at them and motioned to Amanda. “Let’s go.”

Amanda understood immediately and gently supported her, guiding her toward the lounge area on the other side of the room.

Tim followed behind. As they passed Ethan, whose expression had turned ugly with anger, Tim paused on purpose. He plastered a flawless business smile on his face and said in a fake–but- polite tone, “Mr. Rowe, don’t get upset. It doesn’t look good. We’re all well–known here— creating a scene won’t help anyone, right?”

1/3

18:08 Wed, Jan 7

Chapter 266 The Pink Bag

:.

46

Finished

Ethan could only watch Amelia’s back vanish into the crowd, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked. He looked like a volcano about to erupt.

The tension in the room hit an all–time high.

Just then, Nichole Libron appeared, dressed in a black velvet skirt suit, carrying champagne.

“It’s been a while, Mr. Rowe.”

In her hand, she casually carried a pink handbag from the latest collection.

Ethan’s eyes snapped to it at once.

He recognized it almost instantly. It was the bag he had bought for Amelia–the one that had mysteriously disappeared from her room.

His pupils shrank. He stared hard at the bag, his voice tightening without him noticing. “Ms. Libron, where did you get this bag?”

Nichole seemed completely unaware of the change in his tone. She chuckled softly instead, her eyes flicking toward Hannah, who was standing beside him, frozen stiff.

“Oh, this?” Nichole lifted the bag slightly and said in a relaxed tone, “Well, I really have to thank Ms. Gray. I love it. The design is very special.”

After that, she gave Ethan—whose face was tight with anger–and Hannah–who looked like she could barely stand–a meaningful glance. With a small smile, she turned and walked away, blending back into the crowd.

Boom. It felt like a bolt of lightning went off in Ethan’s head.

So that was it.

Amelia’s missing bag hadn’t been stolen by Elodie at all. Hannah had taken it herself and used it as a favor–to please a judge.

He spun around, dropping all pretense. He grabbed Hannah by the wrist and, ignoring her startled cry, dragged her straight out of the ballroom to an empty terrace.

“Tell me,” he demanded. “What is going on?”

His face was dark with rage, his words forced out through clenched teeth.

“S–sob…” Hannah was terrified.

1

She cried softly, putting on a helpless, wronged look. “Ethan, it was Edison. She said she’d introduce me to some seniors in the field, that it would help me in the competition… She even

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify