Chapter 140 Heartbreak-like Feeling
York and Jeremy were both a bit excited.
Yosef was the second son of the Dobbins family and a good friend of Samuel's.
During Samuel's darkest and most depressing years, it was Yosef's companionship that helped him gradually pull through.
Wherever he was, the atmosphere would never go cold.
Though Yosef appeared carefree and seemed good for nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun, that was just his disguise.
Everyone thought the eldest son of the Dobbins family was young and promising, but in reality, Yosef was even more outstanding than his brother.
He was Samuel's secret weapon, hidden in plain sight.
Over the past few months, it was precisely with Yosef's help that Samuel successfully won people over at the Crawford Group headquarters in such a short time.
This trip abroad was for Yosef to negotiate an overseas project for Samuel.
But publicly, he said he was going on vacation.
And coincidentally, he "returned from his vacation" today.
On the other side, as soon as Natalie returned to the living room, she called Amelia over.
"Amelia, what's going on?"
Amelia pretended not to understand.
"What do you mean?"
Natalie's lips moved. She had a lot to say, but the words stuck in her throat.
When Stanley had brought up this arranged marriage before, Natalie had worried that Samuel wouldn't like Amelia.
She never expected the reality to be the opposite.
She really didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
But in the end, she chose to respect Amelia's own wishes. She understood that forced marriages don't bring happiness.
So she swallowed her words.
"Never mind, it's nothing. I'm a bit tired, I'm going upstairs to rest."
Amelia nodded and watched Natalie go upstairs.
The moment Natalie left, Grant came over.
"Amelia, you and Samuel, are you two really..."
"We're just friends."
One sentence made Amelia's position clear.
Grant felt somewhat disappointed.
He thought only someone like Samuel was worthy of his Amelia.
Grant was still feeling regretful when Lucas came downstairs.
He was wearing a baseball cap that covered almost his entire face.
Ever since joining Aurevia Studio, his fame had skyrocketed, and he could be recognized when going out.
He just still lacked one good work.
"Lucas, are you going out?" Amelia asked.
Lucas nodded and said, "The company recommended a good production to me. I'm going for a screen test today. If everything goes well, I can lock it in."
"Is it a male lead role?" Grant asked.
Lucas nodded excitedly, "Yes!"
This was his first time playing a male lead in a big-budget film.
"Go for it, Lucas. You'll succeed." Amelia's tone was very certain.
Because the entire production team was made up of her people.
Though Lucas was going for a screen test, it was just going through the motions.
Even the script had been personally selected by Amelia for Lucas.
Lucas fit the male lead's character perfectly, both in appearance and personality. Plus, Lucas was willing to work hard, so action scenes weren't a problem for him.
So she could foresee that once this movie was released, with Lucas's abilities, it would definitely be a huge hit.
She was helping Lucas, but at the same time, helping herself.
Despite Aurevia Studio's rapid rise and its lineup of artists with big fan bases, it's still waiting for a breakout star with both real talent and mass appeal.
Lucas's emergence could expand Aurevia Studio's influence.
The entertainment industry wasn't the most profitable part of Amelia's assets, but controlling the entertainment industry meant controlling public opinion, which would be very beneficial for the Shadow Operations Division's future public acceptance.
Shadow Operations Division couldn't stay hidden forever.
Aurevia Studio was paving the way for the Shadow Operations Division to go public.
Amelia didn't do unprofitable business. Her relationship with Lucas was mutually beneficial.
Lucas just didn't know that Amelia was his benefactor.
In the blink of an eye, the sunset faded, and the sky darkened.
After treating Liam, Amelia returned to her room to shower and sleep.
But somehow, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Everything was going so smoothly.
Liam's legs were getting better day by day;
Mason's project was progressing smoothly;
Lucas's career was going more and more smoothly;
Even Grant, the most unassuming of them, had become the chief exterior designer for the Crawford Group's second-generation new-energy vehicles.
But she just inexplicably couldn't feel happy.
What was going on?
The night grew deeper and deeper.
Amelia still couldn't sleep, so she put on a jacket and decided to go downstairs for a walk.
But as she passed Natalie's room, she heard voices coming from inside.
It was already past eleven. Natalie usually went to bed early. Why wasn't she asleep yet?
Who was she talking to?
Amelia's footsteps unconsciously stopped.
Because the door was slightly ajar, Amelia could clearly hear the voices inside.
She also saw that only Natalie was in the room. She was on the phone.
She heard her say, "Mr. Porter, how is Quinton doing lately?"
Amelia's delicate eyebrows drew together slightly.
Mr. Porter?
This surname wasn't common. Amelia could only think of one person.
And that person was in Thornfield.
She heard the faint voice of a middle-aged man coming from inside.
"He's doing fine. It's just that there's increased scrutiny, so you can't visit him for now."
"I know... I'm not in a hurry, but I want him to meet Amelia. Amelia has been back for over a month and still hasn't seen her father..."
"I understand. I'll arrange it as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Mr. Porter."
"We're all on the same side, no need for thanks. He went in to help me, so I'm the one who owes you."
Natalie asked, "You're calling me so late, is there something you need?"
The other person paused, then said, "There's one thing I need your help with."
"Go ahead."
"For some reason, Marlon has withdrawn from Quinton's case review, so they'll assign a new person to participate in his hearing. This person is neutral and will arrive in Goldenvale tomorrow."
"What do you need me to do?"
"He has a son whose birthday is tomorrow. I'll help connect you. You'll deliver a birthday gift for me and feel out his attitude. I'll send you the address in a bit."
"Okay."
"Alright, that's it then."
The call ended, and there were no more voices inside.
Amelia quietly left and returned to her own room.
The conversation she'd heard today contained a huge amount of information that could help her confirm several things.
First, Quinton had indeed gone in deliberately. This was a setup by the Richardson family.
Second, the Richardson family was allied with the Porter family.
There was only one person involved in this matter and addressed as Mr. Porter.
That was the Porter family in Thornfield, currently locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Hays family.
The Hays family and the Porter family had been fighting for a long time. Next year was an election year, and their relationship had entered its most intense phase.
Quinton went in to protect himself.
To avoid being targeted by others while outside.
Quinton was safer inside than outside.
But Quinton couldn't actually let the Hays family find any evidence against him, so the person responsible for the review was crucial.
He could be neutral, but absolutely couldn't side with the Hays family.
Then, Amelia thought of another matter.
The Crawford family.
The Richardson family now appeared to outsiders as no longer wealthy, yet Stanley had still privately brought up her arranged marriage with Samuel to Natalie.
Stanley was also on the Porter family's side.
After figuring this out, Amelia understood why Samuel had been so enthusiastic today.
He might have some feelings for her, but it was more about interests.
The Richardson family and the Porter family were close, and Quinton had even gone to prison for the Porter family.
Once the Porter family won, the Richardson family would naturally rise with them.
The Crawford family was taking a gamble.
Samuel was too.
Amelia's eyes gradually grew cold.
She knew why she'd been unhappy today—because after actively pushing Samuel away, she felt guilty.
During this time, she'd gotten used to accepting Samuel's help and had also gotten used to helping Samuel.
The cooling of their relationship made her uncomfortable.
But after understanding the relationships between the Porter family, the Hays family, and the Richardson family, her heart suddenly didn't hurt anymore.
It was all about interests to begin with. Why should she give her sincerity and feel sad about it?
Besides, their relationship had never involved any promises.
After sorting out the messy emotions in her mind, Amelia quickly fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Samuel didn't sleep all night.
Amelia's resistance and coldness put him in a very bad mood.
He wanted to ask why, but didn't know where to start.
He wanted to ignore these feelings, but couldn't.
In all his years, he'd experienced all kinds of relationships, but having such complicated feelings like tonight was a first.
Oh no, to be precise, it was the second time.
The first time was the day he learned he wasn't an illegitimate child, but a legitimate child.
That night, Samuel drank a lot.
But his alcohol tolerance was too good—he couldn't get himself drunk.
When Jeremy pushed the door open the next day and saw Samuel still sitting by the window drinking, he was shocked.
"Mr. Crawford, didn't you sleep last night?"
"No," Samuel responded flatly, his voice slightly hoarse.
He'd inherited Stanley's good looks from his youth. Even after staying up all night, he still looked sharp, with only a trace of bloodshot in his eyes.
Jeremy carefully chose his words, "Mr. Crawford, do you want to rest this morning? Should I cancel your morning schedule?"
"No need."
Samuel stood up from the leather chair.
"You can go. I'll take a shower and head to the office. At noon, stick to the original schedule and visit the Hagen family."
After a pause, he added, "Go pick out a gift that a boy around ten years old would like."
"Is it for Mr. Hagen?"
"Yes."
"Okay, I'll bring it for your approval after I pick it out."
"No need. I know nothing about kids that age. If you think it's good, it's good."
With that, Samuel went straight into the bathroom.
Jeremy didn't linger and turned to leave the room.
He happened to run into York, who was hurrying to go out.
"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked.
York curled his lip, looking very annoyed, "To pick up Julie. Her flight to Goldenvale was delayed because of the typhoon. Now that the typhoon has passed, I have to go to the airport to pick her up."