The Heiress With Seven Secret Identies (Stella Shaw) novel Chapter 437

Nicole couldn't help but laugh. "Go on, finish your breakfast. You have school."

"Okay!"

The boys finally relaxed, their worries forgotten. Once they had headed out, Nicole went back up to her room. She opened her laptop and began studying the market positions of the Shaw and Moore corporations, meticulously analyzing the situation between the two companies.

*****

When Amelia arrived at the Wellington estate, the tension in Nathaniel's face finally began to ease.

"Amelia, thank you for coming," he said, his brow furrowed with worry. "I'm so glad you're here to see Jaron."

Nathaniel was at a loss. He never expected Jaron to drink himself into a hospital bed, and in his desperation, he had turned to his son's friend for help.

"Mr. Wellington, I'll go check on him now."

"Go ahead, please."

Amelia made her way to Jaron's room. Having visited many times before, the layout was familiar to her, but the sight of Jaron—reeking of alcohol—still came as a shock.

Jaron glanced up. Seeing her, he scrambled to his feet in a daze. "You... what are you doing here?"

He hadn't expected to ever see her alone again, let alone have her come visit him like this.

"I came to see how you were doing," Amelia replied.

"Give me a second." He reached for the bottle of wine Tiffany had given him. "Go wait for me in the study. I don't want the smell of booze to bother you. I... I need to take a shower first."

"It's alright," she said softly. "Mr. Wellington asked me to come talk to you."

At those words, the spark of excitement in Jaron's chest vanished.

So, she hadn't come on her own.

A bitter smile played on his lips. "I'm fine. Really."

"Jaron, it was an accident," Amelia said. "It wasn't your fault."

Jaron gave a slight nod. He knew it was an accident, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was responsible for Tiffany's death. He had asked for a breakup, and he was convinced that his rejection had stripped her of the will to live. If things had been different, she might have fought harder to escape. Instead, she had remained trapped in that room, dying from smoke inhalation before the flames even reached her.

"Amelia... am I a piece of work?"

"Don't beat yourself up," she said, dodging the question. "We can't bring back the dead. Those of us still here shouldn't spend the rest of our lives drowning in pain."

"Amelia, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Did you... Was there ever a moment when you actually liked me?"

Amelia's eyes flickered, and she felt a sharp pang in her chest. She couldn't believe she was still this weak—that after all this time, it could still hurt.

"No," she said.

Jaron laughed, though the sound was heavy with grief.

She knew that was the bottle Tiffany had given him.

Tiffany had never liked her; drinking the wine she had gifted Jaron felt like a slight against her memory.

"Fair enough," he replied.

Jaron began to drink, glass after glass, pouring his heart out about what a mess he'd been. Amelia sat with him, drinking her beer and just listening. Perhaps it was the slight haze of the alcohol, but for a moment, things felt the way they used to. They were at ease.

*****

Nicole stretched her limbs, glancing at the clock. She decided it was time to head over to the Wellingtons'. She had meant to go yesterday, but things had gotten in the way. Knowing Jaron had managed to drink himself into a hospital bed made her more than a little uneasy.

She tried calling Amelia, but the phone just rang and rang. She tried Jaron next, but there was no answer there either. Shrugging it off, she picked up some fruit and flowers and drove over herself. She considered calling Jasper to join her, but knowing how busy he was, she decided against it.

"Ms. Shaw, welcome," Winston, the butler, greeted her with his usual kindly smile.

Nicole returned the smile with a nod. "Hi, Winston. I'm here to see Jaron."

"He's in the study with Amelia."

"Mind if I head up?"

"Right this way." Winston had watched them all grow up together; he knew Jaron didn't keep secrets from this group, so he let her go up without a second thought.

Navigating the familiar halls, Nicole reached the study door. "Amelia? Jaron? I'm here!"

She knocked, but there was no reply.

"Amelia? You guys in there?" Nicole frowned, a sense of confusion creeping in. "Amelia, Jaron, I'm coming in, okay?"