Chapter 13: Strip Show
Amelia stood a few steps away from her, looking at her with a bright smile.
Her features were striking and delicate, with an outstanding presence.
The aura she naturally exuded came from being pampered and carefully cultivated since childhood.
It radiated from deep within her bones, invisibly creating psychological pressure on Mia, who came from an ordinary family.
Mia's grip on Alice's arm visibly tightened, her smile freezing at the corners of her mouth.
If it was just about looks, she might not lose.
But when it came to presence, she was completely crushed by Amelia.
Alice noticed and discreetly held Mia's hand that was hooked around her wrist, silently offering support.
Though they hadn't met before, Alice could roughly guess the identity of this beautiful woman before her.
With Alice's comfort, Mia's body slowly relaxed, and she greeted Amelia with a natural smile: "Yeah, what a coincidence. Are you out shopping too?"
"No, I just finished dinner with friends and was about to leave when I saw you, so I came over to say hi and extend an invitation."
"Invitation?"
Amelia smiled brightly and spoke with an easy manner: "Yes, inviting you and James. I was planning to call him tonight to mention it, but running into you saves me the phone call."
Those few simple sentences were impeccable, leaving no room for criticism.
After the joke, she got straight to the point: "I'm organizing a gathering on Saturday, inviting people we all know. We're all old friends getting together, so you and James must come."
As she finished speaking, Amelia clearly saw Mia's hand hanging at her side clench tightly into a fist.
She had long known that in four years, James had never brought Mia into his circle.
Not even once.
Well, a woman from Mia's background would only embarrass James in their circle.
Mia should really thank her properly. If it weren't for her generous mercy, someone like Mia would probably never have the chance to meet James's friends in her lifetime.
Mia's hand, which had just relaxed, tensed up again, though her face showed nothing.
Amelia always separated her and James when she spoke.
She found it uncomfortable!
What did she mean by "her and James"!
It was "them"!
Mia smiled sweetly, looking blissful: "Great, we'll definitely be there on time."
Call her petty, but she just couldn't stand Amelia separating them like that.
Whether she meant it or not.
"Okay, it's settled then. See you Saturday."
Amelia nodded perfunctorily at them both and turned to leave.
She couldn't bear to look at Mia's radiantly happy face for even one more second.
Too glaring!
Husband and wife?
What kind of husband and wife were she and James?
Just an unloved tool!
……
After she left, Alice looked at Mia, whose smile had disappeared: "That was Amelia?"
"Yes." Mia responded dully. Around someone she trusted, she lost the spirit she'd just shown.
"She seems like just a regular friend of your husband's. Why are you still upset?"
Alice couldn't help but feel relieved that this woman named Amelia was just a regular friend of James.
If there were any other relationship, she would really worry for her friend.
This woman clearly knew how to handle people and was quite formidable.
Her friend was easygoing and usually didn't like to overthink things. If they were opponents, she worried her friend wouldn't be a match for Amelia.
"Alice, I don't know if I'm overthinking this."
Mia had felt guilty about suspecting James the other day.
She had warned herself not to do it again.
But she didn't know if it was because pregnancy made her sensitive and fragile—she couldn't help overthinking again.
Resting her head lightly on Alice's shoulder, she said glumly: "The people Amelia just mentioned—I don't know any of them. James has never introduced me to them."
So even if Amelia spoke without thinking, as the listener, Mia couldn't help but take it to heart.
"Why can't it be that your husband knows you don't like those gatherings, so he didn't take you before?"
They were friends, and the two of them were actually quite similar.
No matter how confident they appeared on the surface, deep down they were both insecure.
Especially since the men they loved were both so far above them in status.
Even if the other person loved them and treated them well, that insecurity buried in their bones was still hard to control.
Afraid of showing weakness, the more they cared, the more they feared.
That's why she never accompanied James to banquets or business dinners.
James doted on her and never forced her.
She just got by, content to be a good wife and mother.
"Right!" Mia instantly perked up. "Come on, let's keep shopping!"
"Not worried anymore?"
Alice teased, watching Mia's mood swing so quickly.
"What's there to worry about? I'll just ask him tonight and get my answer, right?"
But deep down, she was already leaning toward the possibility Alice had suggested.
After all, James loved her.
……
They shopped for a while longer, then Alice's phone rang. She went out to take the call.
After a moment, she came back.
One look at Alice's expression told Mia everything.
"I know, you're choosing your man over your friend!"
Alice tried to explain.
But Mia was only pretending to be upset. She pushed her toward the exit, telling Alice not to worry about her—she'd take a cab home.
After Alice left, shopping alone wasn't fun anymore, so she took a cab home.
When she got home, it was still early before dinner.
Mia greeted the housekeeper and went straight upstairs to the walk-in closet to put together an outfit for Saturday.
Meeting his friends for the first time, she couldn't embarrass James.
She usually dressed for comfort, but now she pulled out a pile of clothes from the closet and started mixing and matching.
One outfit after another.
After more than an hour of trying, she wasn't satisfied with any of them.
"It's true—a woman's closet is always missing that one perfect outfit."
Mia sighed at her reflection.
Suddenly...
Amelia's outfit flashed through her mind.
She remembered there was a similar style somewhere in the closet.
She hesitated for a few seconds, but couldn't stop her legs from walking to the back of the closet and opening the glass door.
Like a thief, she randomly grabbed an outfit from inside and quickly closed the door.
……
In the evening, James came home from work.
He pushed open the door and walked in, but today there was no soft, warm welcome greeting him.
He changed his shoes and walked in. The housekeeper was preparing dinner in the kitchen. Hearing the sound, she leaned out and greeted him respectfully: "Mr. Smith."
"Where's Mia?"
"Mrs. Smith went upstairs after coming back from shopping."
Seeing James nod, the housekeeper returned to the kitchen to continue cooking.
James took off his jacket and hung it up, then headed upstairs.
He found Mia in the walk-in closet. In front of her was a pile of clothes she'd tried on.
Her head was down, seemingly struggling with something. She was so focused that she didn't notice James appearing at the closet door.
James was about to speak when he saw Mia suddenly start taking off her clothes.
James held his tongue and leaned casually against the doorframe, openly watching Mia put on a strip show right in front of him.