Amelia apologized to the security guard who had just been knocked to the ground.
"No problem, no problem. We didn't know the specifics today. Next time we see him, we won't let him get near the studio," the guard reassured.
"Okay, thank you," Amelia replied, exhausted from the ordeal as she returned to her workstation, where Zoe approached her with concern.
"Amelia, what happened? The commotion outside was so loud. Did you run into any trouble?" Zoe asked.
"It's nothing, I've handled it. It was my adoptive father coming to ask for money. He's a scumbag who caused a scene outside, but I've sent him away," Amelia explained.
"You gave him money? People like him never get satisfied; they just become more and more greedy," Zoe remarked.
"It's fine, I gave him a card with only two thousand on it, considering it as an advance on next month's alimony," Amelia said.
"That's good. You can't go soft on people like that. Next time he shows up, I'll chase him away," Zoe declared.
Amelia's heart, once barren, felt more fertile because of Zoe's small act of kindness. "Thank you, Zoe," Amelia said, worn out as she nestled into Zoe's embrace, and Zoe held her back, the simplicity of girlhood friendship at its finest.
On the other side, Zachary went to the bank with the bank card, only to find that it contained only two thousand dollars. Realizing he had been tricked, he was furious and wanted to go back to the studio to cause more trouble. However, the security guards had expanded their patrol range, and he was blacklisted, unable to get close.
"This wretched girl, she dared to deceive me!" he fumed, but his gambling addiction had taken over, and he had no energy left to confront Amelia. Instead, he called Chloe.
The studio's address was given to him by Chloe, who was getting her hair done and saw Zachary's call. Without a doubt, she knew it was about money.
Deciding not to answer, Chloe believed in paying the right price for using someone as a tool. Chloe transferred ten thousand to Zachary, who then went straight to the casino, hoping to make a big score but ended up losing continuously.
Amelia cleared her mind, forcing herself not to dwell on the chaos and to focus on work. She had yet to deal with Chloe, and Zachary would have to wait.
Emotional adjustment plus hard work, before I knew it, it was time to get off work.
The studio's staff gradually left, and Amelia also prepared to go home, having worked hard all day and deserving a good rest.
Taking a taxi back to the villa, as soon as she entered, Zachary's call came in again. With the ten thousand dollars, Zachary's bad luck saw him lose it all within two or three hours. The casino staff mocked him for pretending to be something he wasn't, telling him not to gamble without money and demanding he pay back his debts, even beating him up as interest for the debt.
With a bruised face, Zachary left the casino, blaming everything on Amelia. Out of money and hungry, he called Amelia to vent his anger. As soon as the call connected, he started swearing:
"You wretched girl, you think two thousand dollars will get rid of me?! I tell you, no way! You'd better give me the money today, or else you'll be sorry!"
Amelia held the phone away from her ear; Zachary's shouting was truly grating. After a long day at work, with a buzzing head, and now having to listen to Zachary's nonsense, Amelia was in no mood for pleasantries.
"Don't push your luck. I've said it before, money, no way! You won't get a penny from me!"
"If you don't give it, then?! I'll kill you and that old hag! That old hag isn't by your side; you better watch out! I, a convict, can do it! If you want to live, give me money! Today, give me one hundred thousand! Not a cent less, transfer it to my card."
Amelia's tough stance crumbled when it came to her grandmother's safety. This scum was using her grandmother to threaten her, leaving her with no choice.
She couldn't be with her grandmother all the time, and Zachary's ability to cause a scene at her studio was likely instigated by someone else. If her grandmother was really in danger, she would regret it forever.
Without waiting for her response, Zachary hung up the phone, confident that Amelia would send him money because she was his weak spot.
Feeling lifeless, Amelia slumped into the house and fell into the sofa, but this small sanctuary could not truly alleviate her psychological distress.
She hadn't had dinner yet and just sat on the sofa doing nothing for several hours, until the evening.
Her stomach growled, prompting her to get up, but she had no mood or appetite for anything; a heap of troubles had already filled her up.
Why did life play such tricks on her? Weren't her days filled with enough tears? Misfortunes always target the weak, and fate seemed to have a penchant for joking with Amelia.
Having taken away her grandmother's health and being unable to shake off a scumbag father like a dog skin plaster, she was also involved in a maintenance relationship, and her work was not going well.
The accumulation of hardships was gradually breaking down Amelia's mental defenses.
Thinking about these issues made her head hot, and she wanted to calm down.
Sitting numbly on the sofa, Amelia tried to clear her mind, sensing that the string in her head might snap at any moment.
She couldn't gamble; she had her grandmother to take care of, her career, everything she loved, and Oliver.
She felt like swimming; the cold pool water might cool her down.
Without bothering to change into her swimsuit, she stripped off her outerwear and shoes and plunged into the water.
Oliver returned home from work, scanned the area but didn't find Amelia. However, he saw Amelia's bag on the coffee table; she was back, but where was she?
Asking the butler, he didn't know either, until a servant mentioned:
"I just saw Miss Amelia heading towards the pool."
Oliver remarked,
"Does she like swimming at night? How strange."
Nevertheless, he found himself walking towards the pool.
Amelia swam frantically, but soon, not having eaten dinner, her energy waned, and she sank.
It was for the best; let the water engulf her, live or die, she didn't want to live this bitter life anymore.
Oliver saw Amelia splashing in the water from a distance but then saw her sink to the bottom and become still.
He quickly jumped in, pulled her out, and since she wasn't responding, performed CPR until she came to.
"You're not thinking of your life!"
"I don't want to live? Uuu... But what about my grandmother? What will happen to her if I die... Uuu..."
Seeing her cry so painfully, the words of blame on the tip of Oliver's tongue were swallowed; instead, he just held her tightly, hoping to alleviate her pain.