Chapter 226 Mia, James Had a Car Accident
Amidst Amelia's piercing screams, Uri acted as if he heard nothing. Expressionless, he continued turning his wheelchair, rolling right over Amelia's hand.
"Uri—"
Amelia twitched in pain, her face deathly pale, tears streaming down as she looked at Uri through blurred vision.
She was completely stunned.
Everything happening before her eyes seemed so unreal.
The joy she felt seeing Uri appear was now matched by her complete devastation.
If not for the pain in her face and hand, Amelia would never have believe that Uri, who loved her so deeply, could treat her this way.
"Why are you doing this to me? You love me so much, how can you bear to do this?"
Amelia's body ached terribly as she murmured in pain.
Why treat her like this?
Didn't he love her deeply?
Uri let out a cold laugh.
"Amelia, do you really think the one I love is you?"
Amelia instinctively asked back, "Isn't it?"
Uri loved her!
Wasn't that something everyone knew?
Uri looked at Amelia with mockery in his eyes, saying with extreme disdain, "Amelia, are you even worthy?"
He found her disgusting.
He lifted his foot, using his toe to hook her chin up—an extremely humiliating gesture.
Someone like her, worthy of his love?
No!
Impossible!
Uri must be angry with her because of what James exposed.
He'd loved her since childhood—how could he not love her?
Amelia couldn't accept it. Having already lost everything, she now had to face the fact that even Uri, who she thought loved her most, had never actually loved her.
Seeing Amelia like this, Uri's eyes grew colder, his smile extremely callous.
"Amelia, if James hadn't been blind enough to like you, do you think I would've given you a second glance?"
From beginning to end, she had never caught his eye.
"I let others misunderstand my relationship with you only because I didn't want James to have it easy."
"From the moment I woke up and learned you meant nothing to James, you lost all value to me."
"No..."
Amelia had already forgotten the pain in her hand.
Her eyes were full of rejection.
She kept shaking her head, refusing Uri's words.
"I'd rather touch a woman like Orla than touch you even once. Because that look on your face—like you think all men in the world would fall at your feet—it's truly disgusting."
Uri wasn't just tormenting her body; he was humiliating her dignity.
He was tearing apart everything Amelia took pride in.
He knew exactly how to make her suffer.
"You're lying, you're lying to me—"
Amelia looked at Uri in a complete breakdown, desperately searching for evidence that he loved her.
She was supposed to be irresistible. James said he got it wrong, that she wasn't the one he loved.
And now Uri was saying he'd never loved her either.
"If you don't love me, why did you make me return to Imperial City? Why did you publicly announce I was your fiancée—"
"What do you think?"
Uri asked back with a cold laugh.
His toe kicked at her chin. "Amelia, don't you pride yourself on being smart? How come you can't figure out something so obvious?"
Amelia's pupils shrank violently!
He did it on purpose!
He knew James wouldn't let her go. At the party where she was completely humiliated—he was the one behind it all...
If it was him!
Then her HIV status being exposed.
And even her ruined private parts and face—
Could it all have been him?
The more Amelia thought about it, the more chilled she felt.
She looked at Uri with terrified eyes, and from his expression, she understood that all her guesses were true.
It really was him.
At this moment, Amelia no longer had any illusions about Uri.
She just felt he was terrifying!
So, from the moment he woke up and saw her, what she thought was her chance to turn things around—from beginning to end, she was just a pawn in his hands!
His tenderness was all an act.
Just to make her believe he still loved her.
"Uri, why do this to me? How have I wronged you that you'd be so ruthless?"
Amelia was too shocked. She didn't know where she found the strength, but she pushed away his toe that was humiliating her.
Getting up, she screamed and lunged at Uri.
She wanted to kill him.
Amelia, lunging forward, was kicked away by Uri again.
Two men in black who had been standing silently behind him stepped forward and twisted her arms behind her back.
The force was so strong, her bones felt like they'd dislocate.
Amelia broke out in cold sweat from the pain, her body struggling desperately, her eyes filled with hatred as she looked at Uri.
"Why! Why!"
Unwilling to accept it, she kept asking why.
"Why?"
Uri's eyes became incredibly cold.
"Amelia, for what you did to Mia, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough to vent my anger."
"You dared to touch the person I like?"
Amelia suddenly stopped struggling.
His words just now sounded like fantasy.
He said Mia was the person he liked.
He plotted against her, made her this miserable, all to avenge Mia.
How ridiculous!
"Hahahaha—"
Amelia laughed crazily!
Like she'd gone mad!
Uri couldn't be bothered to look at Amelia anymore. "Do it."
Hearing "do it," Amelia's laughter stopped abruptly.
"What else do you want to do?"
She was already this miserable—wasn't that enough?
"Amelia, you dared to hit Mia with your car. Did you think I'd let you off easily?"
Uri looked at Amelia coldly.
Why did she think he brought her from Imperial City to Marigoldia?
Anyone who dared hurt Mia, he wouldn't let off easily.
She should be grateful that in the end, it was James who got hurt and not Mia.
Otherwise—
Her fate would be even more miserable than what she was about to face.
"What is that? No—"
Amelia saw one of the men in black approaching her with a syringe. Instinctively afraid, she tried to shrink back, wanting to avoid the needle.
But she couldn't move at all, couldn't break free.
The needle pierced her arm, the liquid inside injecting into her.
"Take her away."
Amelia cursed but was gagged.
She was dragged out and stuffed into a car.
The car drove for a long time before stopping.
When the door opened and Amelia saw what was before her, she struggled desperately. "No, I won't get out! I want to see Uri! I want to see Uri—"
She was kicked directly out of the car.
Thrown onto the darkest street in Marigoldia.
This place was filled with evil everywhere.
All kinds of bad people were here.
Women here had no dignity at all.
Before the car drove away, the man who kicked her out told a man there, "Don't let her die too quickly."
If she didn't suffer enough, Mr. Smith wouldn't be happy.
"Don't worry."
The other party took the money and agreed.
Amelia was dragged inside.
...
Imperial City, Silver Oak Manor
Because James had said "let's end this here," when Mia returned home and sat on the sofa, her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the kitchen.
Today was Saturday. Except for special circumstances, James would pick her up from work on Friday evenings.
They'd go to the supermarket together, then come home.
She'd sit on the sofa reading while he'd put on an apron and go to the kitchen to make her dinner.
When she realized this habitual action, Mia's heart ached sharply.
Turns out, without her noticing, he'd infiltrated her life again.
Silently making her used to his presence.
Just as she was feeling down and wanting a drink, she received a call from Benjamin. "Come out and have a few drinks with me?"
"Okay."
After hanging up, Mia took a cab to the bar to meet Benjamin.
When she arrived, Benjamin had already opened a bottle of whiskey and just finished one glass.
In the semi-private booth, he was leaning lazily on the sofa holding an empty glass. Seeing her, he gestured with his eyes for her to sit.
Mia walked over. As soon as she sat down, Benjamin pressed the service bell.
A server came quickly, and Benjamin ordered a cocktail for her.
Mia, who was reaching for the whiskey bottle to pour herself a glass, was very confused.
Though she didn't say anything, her face clearly read: You called me out to drink, but you're making me drink cocktails with less than ten percent alcohol?
"What are you looking at?"
Benjamin glanced at Mia, whose face was full of protest, and leaned forward to take the whiskey from her hand, pouring himself half a glass.
"Don't you know your own alcohol tolerance? Are you sure you want to drink whiskey with me?"
"I'm afraid you'll pass out before finishing one glass."
The server brought the drinks quickly.
Benjamin told the server to set it down, and after he left, opened a bottle for Mia himself and poured it into her glass.
He added bluntly, "Plus, your drinking behavior is terrible."
Mia was speechless.
But she knew Benjamin was telling the truth.
Her alcohol tolerance really wasn't great.
She could have practiced at business dinners, but when attending them with Benjamin, he never let her drink.
So her tolerance stayed the same.
Benjamin poured himself a drink and picked up Mia's glass to hand to her.
Watching her reach out to take it, he clinked it against the rim of her glass.
Ever since that night downstairs at the hospital when Mia laid things out clearly about their relationship—
During work hours they were boss and subordinate; after work, good friends.
In his world, it was rare to have someone he could speak truthfully to.
Mia became that listener.
She knew boundaries and when to advance or retreat.
She wouldn't slack off at work or ask for special treatment because of their private relationship.
She worked seriously and hard.
She kept the promise she made—not making him regret it.
Mia sipped her drink and glanced up at Benjamin.
She knew why Benjamin had asked her out for drinks.
Now, the whole company was spreading news that Benjamin and Saskia were about to get engaged.
Neither Benjamin nor Saskia had denied this news, so it was probably close to the truth.
Before long, this news would be released.
Benjamin himself knew very well that he couldn't make his own decisions about marriage.
Back then, precisely because he understood this, he pulled himself out of his feelings for her in time.
Very decisively choosing his predetermined path.
So now—
"Drink."
Benjamin caught the meaning in Mia's eyes and avoided it, tilting his head back to down the liquid in his glass in one gulp.
Even he didn't know why, today at the White Villa, when the engagement was mentioned, he suddenly became so irritable.
In his mind, a small face involuntarily appeared.
He'd just roughly had her last night.
But—
Seeing he didn't want to talk about it, Mia didn't ask more.
She just quietly drank with him.
After Benjamin had drunk most of the bottle, he suddenly put down his glass. "I'll take you home."
The more he drank, the clearer that small face became in his mind.
He just suddenly really wanted to see her.
...
Mia didn't let Benjamin take her home and went back alone.
Actually, cocktails don't make you drunk, but she didn't know if it was because she drank a few too many bottles—she suddenly felt really uncomfortable.
She picked up her phone and called Alice.
"How come you have time to call me on a Saturday? Isn't James clinging to you?"
Alice answered Mia's call with a teasing laugh.
Now every weekend, James stuck to Mia, making it hard to even make plans with her.
Mia's nose stung as she choked out, "James and I are over."
Half an hour later, Alice hung up the phone.
Mia was her best friend. Recently, she'd seen Mia and James getting along better and better.
Mia was becoming happier too, and she was happy for her.
How long had it been, and James hurt Mia again?
Seeing Mia sad made her even sadder.
She was angry and took it out on Ivan, not wanting to let him off easy.
Who told James to hurt Mia again!
He actually had the nerve to be the one to say "let's end this" to Mia first.
Back when he came to her, swearing how much he loved Mia.
This was his so-called love?
She went upstairs toward Ivan's study.
The study door was slightly ajar—she hadn't closed it properly when she came out to take Mia's call.
Just as she was about to push the door open angrily, she heard Ivan on the phone inside.
After hearing the content, Alice pushed the door open directly.
Seeing this, Ivan hung up.
But Alice had already heard. "What did you just say?"
Ivan wanted to cover for James.
But he couldn't withstand Alice's persistent coaxing.
When threats didn't work, she used seduction.
He couldn't resist and told Alice.
As soon as he finished, Alice immediately forgot her promise and ran out to call Mia. "Mia, James was in a car accident—"