Chapter 137 Too Stunning to Stand
Amelia caught the shift in Anna's expression instantly—the flare of temper, the humiliation burning at the edges. It was the kind of anger that swells until it spills over, and Anna was seconds away from snapping back at Sophie.
So Amelia spoke before the storm could break, her tone unhurried, almost conversational, as if they were discussing the weather. "Oh, there's no need to apologize. I just think… Ms. Williams's menopause seems to have arrived a little earlier than expected."
The words landed harder than anything Sophie had said. Sharper. Crueler.
Early-onset menopause?
It was as if someone had driven a fist straight into Anna's chest. Rage detonated inside her.
She was twenty-three. Twenty-three. And this illegitimate girl had just implied she was already sliding into menopause?
Anna's age and appearance were the things she guarded most fiercely. In her mind, she was young, beautiful, capable—a woman who could hold her own against anyone. Even Sophie. Yes, Sophie was more accomplished in business, but Sophie was in her thirties, nearly a decade older. No matter how impressive she was, wasn't she still just an older woman? What was there to be proud of?
Now, with one sentence, Amelia had taken that smug certainty and torn it to shreds.
The crowd had already been watching. Moments ago, Anna had held the upper hand, and people had been waiting to see her crush Amelia.
Instead, Sophie's precise rebukes followed by Amelia's scalpel-sharp insult had ended the confrontation in an instant—Anna pinned down, stripped of any chance to strike back.
Worse still, if she lashed out now, she would only prove Amelia right—look exactly like an unbalanced woman in the throes of premature menopause, lacking all composure expected of a socialite.
"Anna!" Rachel hurried forward, grabbing her hand. "Don't be upset. Amelia hasn't had much education, and she speaks without thinking. I'll apologize on her behalf."
Rachel had thought she could seize the moment to put Amelia in her place. She hadn't expected the scene to flip so fast. Now she was scrambling to smooth things over, afraid Anna might storm off entirely. She played the peacemaker, all the while slipping in a dig—uneducated.
The irony was rich. In the entrance exams for Prestige High School, Amelia had scored perfect marks in every subject except language arts, easily outclassing Rachel. No one here knew that. They saw only Rachel playing the gracious friend, defusing tension.
Amelia had no interest in watching Rachel perform. Just then, the school gates swung open and people began streaming inside. She slipped her arm through Sophie's and walked away.
Once they were clear of the crowd, Amelia thanked Sophie. Sophie explained she needed to meet with Prestige High School's senior staff first, but promised she would visit their shop afterward.
Prestige High School sprawled across a vast campus, flush with funding. After a week of preparation by all the teams, the grounds had transformed into something between a carnival and a festival—part marketplace, part amusement park, part food street. The air was rich with the scent of fried dough and grilled meat, laughter echoing through the open spaces.
Stalls and pop-up shops lined the athletic field, the front of the teaching buildings, and the corridors. Bright streamers and banners hung overhead, splashing the campus with color. Students in flamboyant or wildly creative costumes called out to passersby, some even using megaphones to draw attention.
It was lively without being chaotic, pulsing with youthful energy.
Amelia and Belle wandered for a long time, winding through the maze of stalls before finally finding their shop.
Space allocation had been first come, first served. Amelia could have chosen her spot last Friday, but thanks to someone stealing her idea, she had been forced to wait until Monday. By then, all the prime locations were gone. Only the old physical testing room in the northwest corner of the athletic field remained—so tucked away that without a guide, no one would stumble upon it.
Still, the spot had its advantages: plenty of space, enough to convert into a dessert café without building extra structures; and no neighboring stalls, which meant peace and quiet.
Inside, the place was already set up. Four boys stepped out from the back, having just changed into their outfits.
Dorian let out a delighted cry the moment she saw them. "Amelia, look! I never thought guys could look this good in pink… I'm literally weak in the knees!"
Amelia lifted her gaze. Four strikingly different men stood before her—and Dorian wasn't exaggerating.
Asher was tall, his red hair vivid against a pink suit jacket and crisp shirt. His tie was embroidered with Hello Kitty, and a fluffy headband perched on his hair, giving him a playful charm.
Leroy had the preppy look—shirt, vest, bow tie, and a suit jacket with three Hello Kitty buttons. He was lean, composed, though there was a hint of awkwardness in his stance.
Tobias wore a sharply tailored pink suit, a Hello Kitty metal clasp and silver chain at his waist. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his tie loose, his whole demeanor effortlessly cool.
Zander, Tobias's identical twin, had his hair slicked back and wore a double-breasted white suit jacket with a Hello Kitty plush pinned to the chest. His bearing was cold, aristocratic.
"They're definitely handsome," Amelia said thoughtfully, resting her chin in her hand. "With them standing out front, even if we made the ugliest cookies imaginable, people would still buy them. That takes a lot of pressure off me."
Dorian laughed, then adopted a mock-serious tone. "Please. Can you at least have a little faith in our cooking skills? And even if we mess up, we've got Belle!"
"I'll do my best!" Belle said quickly, her doll-like beauty matched with a determined expression, as if she had just accepted a critical mission.
Sophie's staff arrived with drinks, and the boys stepped outside to arrange things while the three girls baked their first batch of cookies and egg tarts. Then they went to change into their own costumes.
When Amelia emerged with her hair in a bun and wearing pink bunny overalls, Tobias let out a cheer and scooped her up. The outfit was almost too cute to handle.
By the time she was set back down, it was already ten-thirty.
Not a single customer had come to their shop. Outside, the quiet was so complete it felt like the place had been abandoned.
Meanwhile, in the most prominent spot on the plaza, Rachel's Doraemon Café was packed to bursting, the crowd spilling out the door.