By the time the housemaid reacted and rushed over, it was already too late.
Staring at the smashed mess on the floor, she panicked.
“Miss!
Why would you step on it like that?!”
Natalie let out a cold snort.
“What junk from the Carter family could possibly be worth anything?
My mom wouldn’t take it anyway.”
“But even so, you can’t just smash it!
How am I supposed to explain this to madam?
Mr.
Reeves specifically told me to hand it over to her in person!
If he finds out it’s destroyed, what do I tell him?”
“If my brother asks, just say you gave it to my mom.
How would he know otherwise?”
“But…”
Natalie shot her a glare.
“No ‘but’!
If something happens, I’ll take the hit.
Now hurry and toss that crap out.
Just looking at it pisses me off!”
The maid didn’t dare say more and started cleaning in silence.
*****
The moment Amelia walked through the door, Samantha noticed the bandage on her neck.
After some pressing, she finally got the lowdown on Amelia’s rough day.
“That lunatic!
She’s not even worried about stressing out her own baby!” Samantha huffed in outrage, then shifted gears.
“And that Bentley guy who helped you—you only treated him to coffee?”
“What else was I supposed to do?”
Smacking her thigh, Samantha exclaimed, “You should’ve invited the man for dinner at least!
Just coffee?
That’s so low-effort!”
“I’ve only met him twice.
Isn’t dinner a bit too forward?”
“Forward?
Please!
Times have changed, girl.
People go straight to dinner on first meets!
You’ve seen him twice in three days—that’s basically a cosmic nudge!
So, come on, how old is Bentley guy?
Is he handsome?”
Amelia squinted at her, clearly suspicious.
“What’s going through your head?”
“Nothing!” Samantha said quickly.
Worth keeping around.”
Amelia tossed a pillow at her.
“Cut it out!
I’m married, remember?”
Clutching the pillow, Samantha grinned.
“Barely!
Aren’t you about to get divorced?
Nothing wrong with scouting early.
Speaking of which, didn’t you go see Eric today to talk about it?
How’d it go?
When can you get the papers done?”
Amelia’s expression instantly dimmed.
“Don’t even bring it up.
He kicked me out of his office.”
“What?
What happened?
Spill the tea.”
So Amelia recounted what went down at Jeson Group earlier, conveniently skipping over the part where she signed him up for a urology appointment.
Samantha listened intently, looking puzzled by the end.
“Why do I get the feeling that every time you bring up divorce, Eric just gets irritated?”
Amelia shrugged.
“He never had much patience for anything related to me.”
“Seriously?
If that’s true, wouldn’t he want to get it over with?
I don’t know, seems like he’s not too keen on the whole divorce idea.”
Amelia paused, a bit surprised, then shook her head.
“You don’t understand Eric.
It’s not about not wanting the divorce.
He just hates the idea of losing control.
I was the bird in his gilded cage—me leaving on my terms?
That’s what he can’t stand.”
“Right…
and what was that big thing you said you had to tell me?”
“Oh, your bag!
Remember you asked me to post it online?
Well, it’s getting a ton of interest.”
Amelia raised an eyebrow.
“A ton?
Since when did everyone suddenly have designer-level spending power?”
“What?
Just a bunch of people trying to hitch a free ride.
No one’s dared to carry this bag out yet.
A few wannabe influencers messaged me, hoping to borrow it just for some photos.”
Amelia waved her hand.
“I’m selling, not renting.”
“I told them that, filtered through the messages, and finally found someone who seems serious.
Been DM’ing for three days straight, asked for tons of detailed pics, then wanted to meet in person to check the item and negotiate the price.
I went ahead and said okay for you.”
“You know who it is?”
“Doesn’t seem like someone from your usual ladies circle.
She picked a secondhand luxury store for the meet—kind of place where lower-tier celebs without brand deals hang around.
A few fake heiress types love it too.”
Amelia nodded.
“Alright, I’ll check it out tomorrow.”
“And now for the biggest update today,” Samantha hooked her arm around Amelia’s shoulder, “Director Adam Reed’s new drama ‘Luminary Saga’ is casting!
Lead’s already taken, but his shows are all about female ensembles.
Even supporting roles get tons of buzz if you can act.
They’re holding auditions at the Hilton this Friday, and I already slipped your info in through a contact.”
Amelia was stunned.
“I don’t even have a single acting credit—how’d you pull that off?”
“Girl, I’ve been in this business a while.
Got a few strings I can still pull!
I put myself down as your agent for now—you can change it later if you sign with a firm,” Samantha said, then looked at her seriously.
“So, you in?”
“Of course!
You put in all that effort—I can’t just back out now.”
Samantha cleared her throat.
“But two things I need to be upfront about.
One: this role’s only the fourth female lead, so screen time may be limited.
Two: the main lead on the show is Chloe.”
Samantha watched her expression carefully.
“If you’re uncomfortable, then forget it.
Plenty of other opportunities out there—I can find something else.”
Amelia was quiet for just two seconds before replying, “I’m doing it.”
“You sure?” Taking on your real-life rival on set sounds brutal.
“No need to push yourself if you’re not ready…”
Amelia gave a small smile.
“If I can’t even stomach this, might as well go back to being Eric’ caged canary.
Life after the Reeves family?
It’s gonna be a hell of a lot tougher.”
*****
The next day, Amelia showed up at the secondhand luxury store as planned, bag in hand.
The shop owner welcomed her and led her upstairs to a private room.
Inside, a faint incense smell lingered—something like pinewood with a trace of sage.
It was soft and calming, with a peaceful vibe.
Intrigued, Amelia turned to ask, “What’s this scent you’re using?”
The owner answered, “A friend made it himself.
No idea what’s in it exactly.
You like it?”
“It smells nice.”
Just then, the brass bell downstairs rang out twice.
The owner excused himself with a quick, “Be right back.”
A few moments later, the door creaked open and a woman walked in, wrapped in layers and hiding behind oversized sunglasses.
Her perfume hit instantly and completely overpowered the room’s subtle fragrance.
“You the one selling the bag?”