Natalie clenched her teeth.
“How do you even know he’s not into me?
His parents really like me!
You’re just finding excuses not to help!”
Eric nodded calmly.
“Then go find him yourself.”
Natalie was momentarily speechless.
If she could do that, would she even be at his office begging for help?
Ever since Alexander returned from abroad, whether on purpose or not, every time she showed up at a place he was supposed to be, he conveniently disappeared.
His phone was always off too, like he was dodging her on purpose.
“Eric, come on, please?
Don’t you want your sister to have a happy relationship?”
He glanced at her.
“He’s seven years older than you.
You two aren’t a match.”
“Well, Amelia was my age when she married you!
Why didn’t you think she was too young back then?
Typical double standard.”
Just hearing Amelia’s name made his headache worse.
It was already pounding from Natalie’s pestering, and now even his stomach twisted.
He handed her his phone, annoyed.
“Just call him and get out.”
Natalie’s eyes lit up as she grabbed the phone and quickly dialed Alexander’s number.
It rang for only a moment before his warm voice sounded.
“Hello.”
“Alex, where have you been?
Why haven’t you been answering me?
You ignored all my texts too.”
Alexander sighed inwardly.
Clearly, Eric didn’t take his warning to heart — actually gave this girl his phone.
“I’ve been swamped lately, probably missed them.
What’s up?”
“Nothing big…
I just wanted to ask about the charity gala this weekend.
Can you take me?
I don’t have an invite.”
Alexander kindly declined.
“You can have your brother bring you.
He’s got a ticket too.”
“My brother?
No way.
He’s already going with someone.”
Eric cast her a scornful look.
Alexander didn’t buy that for a second.
With Eric’s status, bringing another guest to an event like that was no big deal.
He understood where Natalie was coming from, and he knew that unless he said it outright, she’d keep holding on to hope.
After a brief pause, he said gently, “Sorry, I already have a date. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
I really can’t bring you.”
Natalie froze, then her voice rose in disbelief.
“No way!
Are you messing with me?
You just got back!
Even your mom hasn’t lined up blind dates yet.
Where’d this date even come from?
Don’t lie to me!”
Alexander sounded tired.
“Whether you believe it or not, you’ll see for yourself that night.
I’ve got something else to deal with, so I’ll hang up now.”
Without waiting for her reply, he ended the call and turned toward Amelia.
“Where are you headed?
I’ll drop you off.”
Amelia quickly waved him off.
“No need, I already called a ride.
Should be here soon.”
“It’s rush hour.
Won’t be easy to get one.
I actually need to head into the city anyway, so giving you a lift is no hassle.”
The way he put it left her no room to say no without seeming rude.
“Alright then…
I’m going to Green Bamboo Garden.”
On the drive, Alexander chatted with her casually, keeping it perfectly polite and appropriate.
He didn’t ask nosy things like what happened at the police station, or why she’d been at the hospital before.
Instead, he happened to notice an unusual charm on Amelia’s phone case and asked where she got it.
When he found out she’d made it herself, he looked genuinely impressed, giving her a sincere compliment.
That kind of social awareness?
Super pleasant to be around.
She imagined for a second—if Eric were sitting here with her, he’d probably just glance over with that usual sneer and drop a “So ugly” without batting an eye.
Honestly, if the day ever came that Eric said something nice about her, the sun was probably rising in the west.
Eric never loved her, so obviously, he never saw her in that light anyway.
“Is this the place?” Alexander eased up on the gas.
Amelia snapped out of her thoughts, glanced out the window, then nodded.
“Yeah, just drop me off a bit up front.”
Once the car came to a stop, Amelia said, “Wait for me, okay?”
Before Alexander could ask why, she was already out the door.
In the blink of an eye, she darted across the street, weaving past a few cars, till she disappeared from sight.
About ten minutes later, Alexander spotted her again.
This time, she had two coffees in hand, standing at the crosswalk, scanning the road like she was waiting for the right moment to dash across.
Alexander’s gaze locked onto her face—and for some reason, just stayed there.
It wasn’t until she knocked on the car window that he snapped back to reality.
He rolled it down, and Amelia handed him one of the coffees.
Alexander took it, feeling something shift inside him.
Softly, he said, “Name’s Alexander Monroe.
What about you?”
Amelia paused for just a beat, then gave him a smile. Get faster updates on g.com.
“I’m Stella Collins.”
*****
Meanwhile, Natalie had completely lost it after finding out Alexander had someone in his life.
“Eric!
He said he’s got a girlfriend!
Who is she?!”
Eric’ stomach was already bothering him; he didn’t have the energy to deal with her drama.
“How would I know?”
“You’re his best friend, aren’t you?
How could you not know?
Who is she?!”
Eric yanked his phone back from her grip, staring her down.
“Natalie, you pitch another fit and you can get out!”
Natalie clamped her mouth shut.
She only dared to act up when Eric was in a good mood.
Deep down, she was still kind of scared of her brother.
But given how edgy he was today, maybe Amelia had said something to him?
The thought made her a little antsy.
Tentatively, she asked, “Hey, what’d that woman come to the office for earlier?”
Eric shot her a look.
“What did you just call her?”
Grimacing, Natalie muttered, “Fine…
what did your wife come to the office for?”
“What’s it to you?
Go call Lucas in for me.”
Natalie scowled but didn’t dare talk back.
She stomped out to find Lucas, only to be shut out the moment she tried to follow him in.
Weird.
What was going on that she wasn’t allowed to hear?
Lucas wasn’t in there long.
He came out holding two boxes—the same ones Natalie had spotted in Eric’s office earlier.
She had no clue what was in them but something about it felt so secretive.
Lucas didn’t even glance her way as he left.
Got into the car and drove off like something important was going down.
Natalie’s curiosity flared.
She ended up trailing behind, and somehow, the trail led…
home.
She watched as Lucas handed the two boxes over to the housekeeper, said a couple of things, and left.
As soon as the car pulled away, Natalie dashed inside and snatched the boxes from the housekeeper to see what was inside.
She frowned.
“Why’s my brother sending this stuff home?”
The housekeeper explained, “These were gifts from Mr.
Carter for Mrs.
Reeves.”
So Amelia came to the company for this?
The whole family’s just sucking up now, huh?
Natalie threw the boxes down in a rage and stomped on them like they owed her something.