Chapter 3 Do You Like Them

"You've been through so much, Amelia. I'm truly sorry."

The moment Amelia entered the living room, Laura reached for her hand with gentle urgency and spoke up.

Not a single year seemed to touch Laura's appearance; though she was well into her fifties, she could easily pass for forty, thanks to her careful self-care.

Right now, her usually composed features overflowed with genuine concern.

For as long as Amelia could remember, Laura had always shown her kindness. Every time Jaxton stepped out of line, Laura was there to defend her and scold him.

Yet, Laura's idea of discipline was just some mild reprimand. It hardly made any difference.

Today was no different.

Laura fixed her son with a piercing look. "Apologize to Amelia right now."

Normally, Amelia would have brushed off the matter, saying it was no big deal.

But this time, she suddenly felt tired of it all. Before Jaxton could open his mouth, she said, "Laura, I've got a bit of a headache. I'm going to lie down upstairs."

One look at Amelia's pale cheeks was all Laura needed. "Of course, get some rest. I'll have someone inform you when dinner is ready."

With a slight nod, Amelia quietly went upstairs.

As soon as Amelia vanished from sight, Laura's patience snapped. She turned to Jaxton and said, "Have you lost your mind? Why are you involved with Ricky's illegitimate daughter?"

"Mom, illegitimate or not, she is Ricky's daughter. And besides, Janessa knew Ricky first. What they had was true love."

"You..."

Anger hit Laura so hard that she had to steady herself as dizziness washed over her.

Taking a deep breath, Laura forced herself to calm down.

Looking at her son with a composed expression, she said, "Whatever you do with Dayna is your business. But remember this-Amelia is your fiancée. She's the only one who will ever be accepted into this family as your wife."

This wasn't the first time Laura had said this. Jaxton had heard these words countless times.

This time, though, he asked her, "Mom, do you want Amelia as a daughter-in-law because of Katrina, or is it because of the sixty percent of shares she owns?"

Profit always came first for businesspeople.

Laura was no exception to the rule.

Her agreement to this engagement was never just because of her friendship with Katrina; Amelia's shares in the company weighed heavily in the balance.

Katrina had built the Flynn Group herself. Even after her early death, she had left Amelia with sixty percent of the company's shares.

Laura said, "Since you know that Amelia holds sixty percent of the company shares, you should treat her right. Jaxton, I'm doing all this for your own good. A marriage with Amelia sets you up for success. Dayna can't match her looks or her capabilities. If you keep involving yourself with Dayna, it'll only end up hurting Amelia and making her feel disappointed in you. One day, you'll regret it. You-"

"Stop, Mom. That's enough. I never said I wouldn't go through with marrying Amelia." Clearly annoyed, Jaxton cut Laura off and stormed upstairs.

Inside her room on the second floor, Amelia sat on the sofa near the window, quietly observing the fountain's gentle spray in the garden below.

Just then, her phone suddenly buzzed with a message.

Her eyes grew wide as she saw the photo she had just received.

In the photo were two silver wedding rings, elegant in their simplicity-exactly her taste.

"Do you like them?"

Wyatt's message appeared beneath the photo, and Amelia wasted no time replying, "What are these?"

"Do you like them?" Wyatt just repeated the question.

She took a breath, hesitated, and finally replied, "Yes, I do."

Once the message was sent, nothing but silence followed from Wyatt's end.

Unknown to Amelia, when Wyatt saw her response, a subtle smile played on his face.

That unusual expression did not go unnoticed by the man beside Wyatt. "Are you actually smiling? Who are you, and what have you done to the real Wyatt?"

Wyatt's smile vanished instantly when he heard his friend's teasing words.

Wyatt's change of expression was so sudden that Marc almost thought he had just imagined his smile earlier.

"How's Mrs. Davis holding up?"

Wyatt was talking about Amelia's grandmother.

Marc's tone grew somber as he answered, "Nothing has improved. Her heart is getting weaker. Even if I try my best to treat her, I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left."

"So you are not so skilled as a doctor after all."

Doctors hated to hear doubt cast on their expertise, and Marc was no exception, especially since he was an internationally renowned physician.

Marc bristled. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. Speaking of Mrs. Davis, there's something I don't understand. You asked me to treat her, but why do it by having me agree to the Morrison family's offer?"

That arrangement made him appear as though he was in it for the money.

Rather than explain himself, Wyatt turned his focus to a set of sketches scattered across the table.

Drawn on the page was the design for a set of wedding rings-the very ones he had just shown to Amelia.