Finished
Chapter 481 Tears That Don’t Smudge
The humiliation was unbearable.
Clara’s performance was so over–the–top that even the air itself seemed to cringe with embarrassment.
But no matter how much Amelia’s insidęs recoiled, Clara still carried the title of her adoptive mother. They shared no blood, but they shared a last name. In everyone’s eyes, they were family.
If Amelia ignored her, she’d only come off as the heartless, ungrateful daughter.
Amelia took a deep breath, swallowed the irritation and the shame, and walked over quickly.
“Mom, please, don’t do this. Get up. Fiona wouldn’t want to see you like this, even from heaven.” She crouched down, trying to pull Clara off the floor.
Clara latched onto her hand like a lifeline and cried even harder, tears and snot smeared across her face- yet somehow not a single drop touched her perfectly applied makeup.
It was as if she’d completely forgotten the decade–plus of coldness and cruelty she’d shown her adopted daughter. Instead, she choked out in a motherly tone, “Amelia … my sweet girl, Fiona is gone. What’s going to happen to you now?”
The sudden display of affection made Amelia’s entire body go rigid, goosebumps prickling across her skin.
It took real effort to finally hoist that woman to her feet.
The luncheon that followed was its own kind of torture.
As was customary, the funeral reception served meals in rotating shifts, with guests dining in waves.
But Clara insisted on dragging Amelia to sit at her table with Beatrice.
Amelia, come, sit here with me. It’s been so long since the three of us have had a nice chat together.” Clara beckoned warmly, as if they were some picture–perfect portrait of a loving family,
Amelia looked at Beatrice’s smirking face and felt her stomach turn.
She sat down reluctantly, and while the rest of the table was still empty, she decided she was done with the
harade. She cut straight to the point. “Just say it. What do you two actually want?”
The grief vanished from Clara’s face in an instant. She glanced around cautiously, and once she was sure no one was paying attention, she leaned in and lowered her voice. “Amelia, be honest with me. You came back for Fiona’s funeral–does this mean you and Ethan are getting back together? Are you two remarrying?”
So that’s what this was about.
Amelia laughed coldly to herself, though her expression stayed perfectly flat. “No. I came purely out of respect for Fiona. To say my final goodbye. That’s it.”
The answer clearly disappointed Clara, but her eyes darted around as she recalculated.
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Chapter 481 Tears That Don’t Smudge
Finished
“Well then… is it true that Fiona left you an estate before she passed? That one out in the suburbs that is worth over 100 million?” Greed sparked to life in her eyes like a lit fuse.
Amelia had never breathed a word of this to anyone in the Harlows.
Her brow furrowed sharply, and her gaze cut toward Clara like a blade. “How do you know about that?”
As far as she knew, only the core members of the Rowes and the attorney were supposed to have that information.
Before Clara could answer, Beatrice couldn’t help herself, her voice dripping with jealousy barely disguised as sarcasm. “What, were you planning to keep it hidden from us and hog it all for yourself? Wow, Amelia, real classy. Something this big and you don’t even tell your own family?”
‘Family?” Amelia repeated, as if she’d just heard the punchline of the century. She turned her head slowly, looked at Beatrice’s twisted expression with an eerily calm gaze, and responded with precision.
‘Fiona’s will was crystal clear. The estate was gifted to me alone. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Harlows. And if I remember correctly, you cut ties with me a long time ago. I haven’t been one of ‘your people‘ in years.
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