Chapter 169 The Next Veil Falls from Amelia
The moment Amelia spoke, the room seemed to hold its breath.
For several seconds, there was only silence, as if the words had stunned the air itself.
Wait… what had she just said?
She claimed that the marble rose vase Anna had gifted Vaughn—the one supposedly carved by Ivan—was a fake. And that the genuine piece was in her possession.
Impossible.
She was a girl who had grown up in a remote town, a child born without privilege, without wealth. The genuine vase had been known to circulate only overseas, its value estimated at no less than a hundred million dollars. How could she possibly have obtained it? Let alone afford it?
If she truly owned such a piece, it would mean her net worth was in the billions.
And yet… she had shown up to Vaughn's birthday with nothing more than an ordinary cup as a gift?
Her claim was so outrageous that no one in their right mind could believe it.
Predictably, Anna reacted as if she had just heard the funniest joke in the world. A sharp, derisive laugh escaped her lips.
"Amelia, you really need to know your limits when it comes to making things up. The genuine vase in your hands? Where would you even get it? How much did you pay?"
"The real piece has been abroad all this time. Before you came to River City, you hadn't even left your little hometown, let alone traveled overseas."
"Do you have any idea what it takes to buy the genuine article? At least one hundred million dollars. Do you even know how many zeros that is?"
"I think you're daydreaming, and now you're saying it out loud."
The fact that she had failed to get the guards to drag that man out was bad enough. Worse, four muscular men had been taken down by Amelia in under a minute. It was humiliation on display.
Anna's eyes burned with fury, as if she could tear Amelia apart just by looking at her.
Tonight's birthday celebration was on the Williams family's turf. Michael wasn't here. Sophie wasn't here. No one from the Martinez family was here either. There was no one to shield Amelia.
Anna was simply waiting to watch this girl—who had just made the most absurd claim imaginable—fall flat on her face.
But before Amelia could respond, the man who had nearly been thrown out suddenly froze, as if a realization had struck him.
His eyes widened, disbelief flashing across his face. Then he blurted out, almost shouting, "Is it you? Bald Eagle?!"
"Rocco." Amelia turned to look at him, a trace of warmth in her gaze—the kind reserved for old friends. "It's been two years."
"It really is you!" Rocco's voice trembled with excitement, his entire body jolting as if hit by a wave of joy.
"At first, I thought you looked like Bald Eagle, but they told me you were from the Martinez family, so I assumed I was mistaken."
"But then you stepped in to save me. You took down those men in seconds. Your fighting style… I know it too well. I recognized it instantly!"
"And now you're saying the genuine Ivan vase is in your possession… so you've kept it all this time."
Rocco's words were breathless, overflowing with emotion. But the rest of the room was filled with confusion.
What on earth was happening?
So the man's name was Rocco? And why was he calling Amelia "Bald Eagle"?
He said he had seen the genuine vase two years ago at a friend's place. Did that mean it had been in Amelia's hands all along?
If that were true… then she really did own the genuine piece.
Some people looked utterly lost, unfamiliar with the name Bald Eagle.
But it was clear that many in the room did know it.
And when they connected that name to the girl standing before them, their eyes went wide.
"Oh my God… no way!"
"This Martinez family illegitimate daughter, Amelia, is the underground fighting champion Bald Eagle?!"
The ones who didn't know the name grew restless.
"Wait, can someone explain who Bald Eagle is?"
The room erupted into noise.
Some spoke in awe of the past. Others whispered to their neighbors. Several pulled out their phones to search for the name. A few began explaining Bald Eagle's legend to those who didn't know.
One quick-thinking guest even started a livestream, titling it boldly:
"Bald Eagle is right here beside me! Come see the face of the fighter who shook the world!"
Within minutes, nearly everyone in the venue knew exactly who Amelia was.
Two years ago, in the globally watched Abyss Underground Fights, a slender young woman wearing a mask had stepped into the ring.
It was the purest form of underground combat—fighters signed death waivers before entering. Without real skill, stepping into that arena meant grave injury… or worse.
In her first match, she had knocked out a two-hundred-pound opponent in just thirty seconds, leaving him unconscious on the spot.
For the next seven consecutive nights, not a single fighter lasted more than five minutes against her.
She was like an unstoppable storm, tearing through the competition, becoming the year's dark horse champion and sparking a worldwide sensation.
It was, and still remains, the most-watched season in Abyss history.
Some called her a combat prodigy with extraordinary strength. Her fans spanned continents.
On the night she claimed the championship, Bald Eagle removed her mask. On her chest was the emblem of her hometown. She stood on the podium, raising the cultural relic that had once been stolen and was now awarded as the champion's prize.
In a hall filled with foreigners, she spoke clearly and firmly:
"This belongs to my country."
"I came to bring it home."
For a moment, the entire arena was silent.
When the footage reached her homeland, viewers saw her face and heard her words. Many were moved to tears.
She became a national hero in the eyes of countless people.
And sure enough, not long after, the relic was brought back to the country by Emory's grandson, Rocco, who announced that it had been donated without charge by a patriotic citizen.
Wait… Rocco?
What had Amelia just called this ordinary-looking man with glasses?