When I Was a Wallflower (Leo and Amelie) novel Chapter 12

“Thanks, but no thanks.” She avoided Leo’s check coldly. “I only have myself to blame for everything in the past. Since I delayed some of your good years as well, you can just think of it as if I have taken the money and given it back to you as your emotional damage compensation. From now on, we don’t owe each other anything.” After she said that, she tilted her head and looked at Leo with a carefree smile. Her cool reaction surprised Leo. In his opinion, she married into the Alston Family because of money. But now, she refused the money that he gave to her freely? However, when he thought of the various things that happened, his surprise was immediately replaced by irony. Leo’s face darkened. “Think carefully before you speak. This is my last offer to you! Keep pretending, and you won’t get a penny in the future!” Ha! He thinks I’m pretentious. The moment Amelie heard Leo’s words, her heart turned stone cold. “Don’t worry, Mr. Alston. I will live a happy life without you, and my time is worth more than getting into petty fights with you,” she mocked contemptuously. After she finished speaking, she hailed a taxi and got into it without a single hesitation. As the car moved away, the frigid expression on her face slowly dissipated, leaving only a resigned smile. She had lived with the Alston Family for four years and had never overstepped her boundaries. So when had she ever tried anything when it came to Leo? Julia soon learned about Leo forcing money on Amelie instead of apologizing for his wrongdoings. She was so pissed that she held nothing back as she insulted him mercilessly. “What a b*stard! He thinks that he is the only one with money in the world. Amelie, you must attend the Starlight Media charity auction and make him jealous!” Julia had always been efficient; within a minute, she told her staff that Amelie would appear on stage. At the same time, she also had Amelie’s outfit and her male companion ready. “The male companion will pose as your boyfriend. Don’t worry, the companion I found will definitely make Leo so jealous that he will cry and faint in the toilet!” When Amelie finally saw the ‘boyfriend’ Julia talked about at the entrance of the auction venue, her head filled with white noise. The first thought she had was she would definitely get photographed fainting in the toilet instead of Leo because the ‘boyfriend’ was none other than Blake. If Blake’s fans knew that the gorgeous man was tainted by a ‘harlot’ like her, they might actually attempt to shoot her. He was wearing a white shirt and a dark blue suit. He looked more handsome than ever, like a noble prince right out of fairy tales. Regardless, he had a bashful smile when he came over and handed a bunch of flowers to Amelie. “Hey, Amelie.” “H-Hi, Blakey.” Amelie had difficulty speaking as she felt a migraine building. Could she just change the ‘boyfriend’ before it was too late? The truth was that it was indeed too late. On the opposite side, Leo and Elyse could be seen entering the venue and were surrounded by reporters. Elyse intentionally stopped in front of Amelie and Blake when she saw them standing together. “Mr. Gareth, will you not introduce me to this lady here? Last time, I remember seeing you both skating together on the ice rink. There was good chemistry.” F*ck! If no one had previously known about the skating incident, it was no longer the case! Elyse had just announced it to the world. “She’s my girlfriend,” Blake answered promptly. He had probably received Julia’s instructions as he smiled shyly. “Girlfriend?” Elyse looked surprised. “How come? That day, I also saw…” She did not finish her sentence, although her eyes went between Amelie and Blake, and it was self-evident what was left unspoken; Amelie had a child, so how could she be in a relationship with Blake? Nonetheless, he remained calm. “Yes, everything is just as what you had seen.” After he spoke, he nodded to Elyse and then looked at Amelie with a gentle gaze. “Let’s go in.” “Sure.” Although he was only a figure skater, he was very famous. Coupled with his outstanding appearance and legendary performance in the past two years, he had fans worldwide. The reporters initially interviewing Elyse swarmed around Blake and Amelie when he revealed such big news. “Mr. Gareth, can you tell us how you both met?” “You two seem to be a good match. Do you plan to get married in the near future?” “Mr. Gareth, you’re only 23 years old. Aren’t you worried that your fans won’t be able to bear it if you open up about your relationship so early?” “Mr. Gareth…” “She is not from the industry. Please don’t scare her off.” Blake was not annoyed even though he was surrounded by all sides. He just reminded them to be gentle and ensured that Amelie was safe by his side. Amelie immediately lowered her head cooperatively upon hearing his reply. She played along by revealing a nervous look on her and tried to hide her face in the crook of his arms so that no one could see her. Nevertheless, she caught sight of Leo out of her peripheral vision, who was standing not far away. He was also looking at her, and his expression was no longer indifferent—there were signs of obvious derision when he curled his lips. He was sneering at her because she was wheeling the same old trick. The so-called living a better life without him was actually her seducing another man. Even though she had decided to ignore him completely, she was still very uncomfortable at the thought of him looking down on her, and her heart twisted in discomfort. Perhaps Blake gave everyone such a good impression that the reporters stopped bothering them. But it was not until entering the venue that Amelie dared to heave a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, Blakey. I did not expect Julia to arrange you as my boyfriend. Don’t worry. I will have Julia clarify everything as soon as possible after we return.” Amelie felt extremely guilty for involving such a beautiful and innocent Blake in her mess. She only dared to say these words out loud because the reporters were not allowed in the venue. “It’s okay,” he answered and smiled warmly. “I’m honored to be your boyfriend. Though, I know I’m not good enough for you.” “No, no, no. You’re worthy. Of course, you’re worthy of me.” He was being so kind. Obviously, she was robbing the cradle, but he still insisted that he was not worthy of her. He cared so much that he did not want to hurt her feelings. Amelie was busy thinking about how kind he was in her heart that she did not notice the sincerity and disappointment that flashed across his face when he said that. Well, she didn’t see it, but someone else definitely did. Leo was only a few steps behind them. Even though their intended destinations differed, he still could not help but follow the pair. He was hiding in a corner where she could not see. So naturally, he also overheard the conversation between the two. It turned out it was not Amelie who seduced the man half her age. Instead, it was Blake, and he liked her? Leo felt that the turn of events was incredible. At the same time, he thought Blake had an incredibly terrible taste that he would develop feelings for a woman like her. After this thought appeared in his mind, he felt his heart constrict in discomfort and felt somewhat suffocated, though. The only thing he could think of was how gentle Blake was when he gazed at her. In addition to being a figure skating champion, Blake was also the most popular male anchor of Starlight Media. Nobody had a second thought when he appeared at the auction site because everyone only regarded him as representing Starlight Media. No one dug deep into Amelie’s identity. Although her name trended on Twitter once, her face was blurred out. Also, since she seldom went out after her marriage with Leo, almost no one recognized her. Only Blake’s name was written on the seat, but not hers. She was not sure whether it was another one of Julia’s machinations. Not long after he sat down, he was temporarily called away. Hence, she lowered her head to check what the auction items were. “Just how much do you want to nab a rich man? This is the auction house, for God’s sake!” She suddenly heard an unpleasant voice ringing right next to her.