Chapter 16: Humiliation
Mia wasn't sure if she was being too sensitive, but every time Amelia talked to her, she felt uncomfortable.
It was like that when they ran into each other at the mall.
And it was the same now.
Every sentence felt loaded with hidden meaning, like soft daggers being thrown at her.
...
Mia took a subtle deep breath and turned to look.
Amelia was coming from the elevator, walking toward her.
Her haute couture outfit made her look even more elegant and distinguished.
Her flawless makeup highlighted her features, making them look even more refined and striking.
Every move she made radiated charm.
The moment she appeared, she became the center of attention.
Mia clearly noticed that everyone coming and going had their eyes on Amelia.
But Amelia herself showed no sign of it on her face.
You could tell she was used to being the center of attention like this, walking toward her in high heels with confident, graceful steps.
Each step felt like it was pressing into the depths of Mia's heart, bringing out the insecurity she'd been trying so hard to hide in the corner.
As Amelia got closer, it started running out beyond her control.
Mia clenched her hands tightly in her pockets, constantly using James's words to encourage herself.
James said what mattered was that she felt comfortable, not what others thought.
James had just said she looked good without makeup.
As long as James thought it was fine, then it was fine.
No matter how excellent or perfect Amelia was, the person James loved was her.
James was Mia's confidence.
She didn't let herself show weakness in front of Amelia. She lifted the corners of her lips, smiled, and bravely faced the dazzling Amelia. "Sorry about that, Amelia. I'm so late."
As she spoke, Mia caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the wall.
Her smile was perfect.
All that practice at home for several days had paid off.
"Actually, it's all James's fault. We went to bed late last night. I was worried about being late so I set an alarm for eight, but he wanted to let me sleep in, so he sneakily turned off my alarm and didn't wake me up. I ended up sleeping until ten! I was so mad that the moment I woke up, I got into a fight with him."
Mia said they had a fight, but her words were full of the sweetness of being spoiled.
After she finished speaking, she saw Amelia's perfect smile clearly stiffen for a moment.
"Amelia, I'm really sorry. I'm treating you too much like one of us. My mouth just runs and I say everything. Hope you don't mind."
Three strikes and you're out.
Amelia's words had made her uncomfortable again and again.
She wasn't a pushover either.
Her social circle was simple, and the people close to her were all trustworthy.
She was used to being straightforward and didn't need to play these games.
Passive-aggressive comments? She could do that too!
...
Amelia's hand in her pocket suddenly clenched tight.
The long nails she kept to make her hands look longer dug straight into the tender flesh of her palm.
The moment they pierced in, it was like they turned into thorns, stabbing into her heart.
She had wanted to use her dazzling presence to make Mia look dull by comparison, to pressure her and make her feel insecure and show weakness.
To give her a warning shot first.
But she hadn't expected Mia to turn it around and stab her with words instead.
Who was she to show off her relationship with James in front of her?
Once they got upstairs and she learned the truth, how would Mia be able to show off then?
Amelia quickly adjusted her emotions, not wanting to stay downstairs any longer.
She naturally glanced around, acting as if she hadn't caught the hidden meaning in Mia's words, and asked naturally, "Where's James?"
Mia wasn't the aggressive type to begin with. Seeing Amelia change the subject, she didn't push it and went along with her. "James is outside on a call."
Amelia looked outside following her gaze but didn't see James.
Even God was helping her.
She raised her hand and enthusiastically linked arms with Mia. "That James, really. Making a pregnant woman stand here waiting for him. He doesn't even know how to take care of his wife. I'll help you tell him off later."
Mia frowned slightly at this. Amelia didn't give her a chance to speak and continued, "Let's go into the private room first and sit comfortably while we wait."
Amelia didn't give Mia any chance to refuse. As she spoke, she was already half-pulling her inside.
The elevator doors just happened to open. The two entered the elevator and went straight to the eighth floor.
This floor only had three private rooms, all VIP rooms.
Amelia led her directly to the largest one.
"Mia, this is it. Go on in, I need to return a call and I'll be right there."
She pushed Mia to the door, then turned and walked toward the emergency exit, phone to her ear.
After a few steps, she looked back and saw her still standing at the door. She smiled and gestured with her lips for her to go in.
Mia really wanted to wait for James before going in. She didn't know anyone inside.
Her circle was small, just James and Alice.
In her comfort zone, she was cheerful, lively, and at ease.
But once she entered an unfamiliar circle, she didn't know how to handle it.
Her heart would panic, she would feel timid.
Without James by her side, the fear in her heart was infinitely magnified.
But...
Even though she was very nervous and scared inside, she didn't want to show it in front of Amelia.
She had held it together downstairs just now, and she could do the same now.
Mia quietly took a deep breath, kept encouraging herself internally, then gathered her courage and raised her hand to push open the private room door.
...
This was Luxe Hideaway's largest and best private room, able to accommodate over a hundred people.
The interior was luxuriously decorated with complete entertainment facilities.
Most people had arrived, about twenty or thirty of them.
Most were gathered in the sofa area, sitting together in small groups of three to five, chatting and drinking.
Louis and his group's status in Imperial City was far higher than the group of people sitting by the sofas.
Although they were in the same private room, there was clearly a divide, separating those people from their small circle.
Now they were just waiting for James.
Just then, the private room door suddenly pushed open from outside. Everyone in the room thought it was him.
Louis Cox was sitting in a position where he could see the door with just a slight turn of his head.
He looked over and saw it wasn't James, but a woman, so he looked away.
He played a card and joked, "Married men really are different."
"If you're so envious, why don't you get married?" Bruce Howard, sitting across from him, put down two cards he'd drawn and played another.
"You want me to give up so many women for one woman? Maybe in my next life." Louis raised an eyebrow, declining the suggestion.
"That's probably the only time you could anyway." Carl Ward said flatly.
With Louis changing girlfriends 366 times in 365 days.
What good woman would want to marry him?
The three chatted while playing cards, paying no attention to the person at the door.
None of the women Amelia had invited today had pure intentions.
The way they looked at the three of them made their thoughts obvious.
Each one was dressed up like a peacock, constantly trying to get their attention, hoping to be chosen so they could marry into wealth and bring their families into high society.
Even Louis looked down on these types of women, let alone the others.
...
On the sofa area side, Imperial City's most famous playboy Ernest Torres spoke first.
He was famously bad, relying on his powerful connections. Every time something happened, someone would fix it for him, making him increasingly lawless.
If Louis's many women were about mutual benefit and consent,
Ernest was about taking by force, whether you were willing or not.
"Is this another one of Amelia's friends?"
His gaze fell on Mia, no makeup, sweet smile.
He hadn't played with this type yet.
She looked very innocent but somehow gave off a subtle mature woman's charm.
You could tell she'd been well developed by a man.
But she still had that innocent face.
Mabel leaned back on the sofa, shifting her gaze from the WhatsApp message Amelia had just sent.
She turned her attention to Mia, who stood at the door looking completely out of place, carrying out the task Amelia had given her.
Humiliating Mia - she'd been looking forward to this for a long time.