Chapter 2 Let's Start Capturing Kevin
The phone rang a few times before Amelia finally answered. “Hello, who’s this?”
“Didn't save my number?” Kevin Martinez’s voice was icy. “It’s Kevin.”
“Oh, Kevin,” Amelia replied, her voice small. “Sorry, I forgot to save your number.”
“Alright,” Kevin’s patience was clearly running out. “The driver I sent to pick you up said he couldn’t find you, and your phone was off. Where are you?”
“My phone died earlier,” Amelia said softly. “I thought the driver didn’t show, so I left the station on my own.”
“What?” Kevin’s voice was sharp with irritation. “You don’t know anyone in River City. Why are you wandering around alone? Where are you now?”
Amelia glanced at a street sign across the road and told him the name. Kevin told her to wait there before abruptly hanging up.
So cold.
But it made sense. To the Martinez family, her arrival in River City was a threat to Rachel’s relationship and a potential scandal.
The Martinez family’s rise to success began when Robert Martinez left Amelia’s mother, Rupert Morgan, to marry Jenny Jenkins from the influential Jenkins family.
For years, Bobby Jenkins funneled all the Jenkins family’s resources into supporting his only daughter Jenny’s husband, Robert, which led to the Martinez family’s current wealth and status.
Jenny bore Robert five sons and then desperately wanted a daughter. She searched all the orphanages in River City and adopted the most promising five-year-old girl, naming her Rachel Martinez.
Eighteen years ago, Robert had once sought out Rupert, who had moved back to her rural hometown in despair. That night, he forced himself on her.
Robert thought this secret would die with Rupert, who passed away last month, but things didn’t go as he planned.
Before she died, Rupert called Robert and revealed that she had become pregnant after that night and had given birth to a daughter named Amelia.
Rupert also mentioned that her mother, Cecilia Thorne, had once helped Vaughn from the influential Williams family in River City, leading to an engagement between Amelia and Vaughn’s grandson, Quentin Williams.
Robert was stunned by this revelation.
He hadn’t taken precautions that night, so it was possible he had a child with Rupert. But how could someone from the countryside like Rupert have any connection with someone as prestigious as Vaughn?
And the engagement between Quentin and Amelia—everyone in River City knew Quentin was dating Rachel. Wouldn’t this engagement embarrass the Jenkins family?
Yet, Vaughn had indeed arranged the engagement.
Expensive engagement gifts flowed into the Martinez household, and Jenny, thinking they were for Rachel, was overjoyed. Robert had no choice but to reveal the truth.
Bringing up the old affair, Jenny was furious upon learning that Robert had cheated with his ex-wife Rupert and stormed back to the Jenkins Mansion.
Eventually, Jenny returned after Robert’s daily pleas and considering the family’s reputation and their children. But the news of Amelia, the illegitimate daughter raised in the countryside, spread through River City’s elite circles.
With Rupert gone, someone had to take care of the underage Amelia. Given her known existence and Vaughn’s constant pressure, Robert had no choice but to bring Amelia to River City.
The original Amelia had arrived but hadn’t been in the city for an hour before she was strangled and left in an alley.
Besides Jenny and Rachel, Amelia couldn’t think of anyone else who would have such intense hatred and motivation against her, someone they hadn’t even met.
Just then, a sleek black sports car pulled up in front of Amelia, who was sitting by the roadside.
The window rolled down, and Kevin glanced at her with barely concealed disdain.
“Kevin?” Amelia’s eyes lit up with surprise as she stood up.
Kevin, the eldest son of Robert and Jenny, and the current CEO of the Martinez Group, was impeccably dressed in an expensive suit, exuding a cold, handsome demeanor. Despite Robert’s irresponsibility in relationships, his genes were undeniably good.
At this moment, Kevin felt a wave of nausea.
He had expected Amelia, raised in the countryside, to be at most rustic and unattractive.
But the Amelia before him was beyond recognition, covered in dirt. Sitting casually by the roadside, she showed no manners.
Though they shared half the same blood, Amelia didn’t even compare to Rachel or the Martinez family’s servants in cleanliness and appearance.
Kevin’s temples throbbed, and he rubbed his nose in frustration.
Fine.
With the Martinez Group’s subsidiary about to go public, he couldn’t afford to offend Vaughn. No matter how much he disliked Amelia, he had to tolerate her for now.
“What’s wrong, Kevin? Are you feeling unwell?” Amelia asked with feigned concern.
“No, just get in the car,” Kevin replied curtly, eager to fulfill his duty as her brother by bringing her back to the Martinez house.
The drive was silent.
Kevin had no interest in Amelia, the sister raised in the countryside, and didn’t want to know anything about her.
He even seemed to think she smelled, rolling down the car windows.
Amelia noticed everything, gently rubbing her fingers.
She needed human affection and admiration to nourish her soul. Since Kevin despised her so much now, she decided to start winning him over.
The Martinez Mansion was a standalone villa in a wealthy neighborhood.
As the car approached, the gate opened slowly. When they entered the house, the staff lined up at the door to greet them.
Kevin immediately began introducing the household to Amelia.
“Chris and Ryan are busy and don’t live here.”
“Zander is abroad for a math competition and won’t be back for a while.”
“Mom, Dad, and Tobias went to Rachel’s piano competition and will be back in about an hour.”
Kevin frowned at Amelia’s dirty clothes. “Use this time to take a shower. I’ll have a maid show you to the guest bathroom. You can wear Rachel’s clothes for now.”
“Okay, I understand, Kevin.”
Amelia was more obedient than Kevin had expected. She didn’t look around curiously and seemed very compliant.
Seeing the maid lead Amelia away, Kevin felt a sense of relief. He loosened his tie and sat down on the living room sofa, browsing the stock market on his phone.
About twenty minutes later, he heard Amelia call his name. Habitually frowning, he looked up and was stunned.