Chapter 5 Her True Identity
"What the heck are you talking about?"
Rachel was stunned, not expecting Amelia to pull such a stunt. She immediately turned to Kevin and the others to explain.
"No, Kevin, I didn't put Amelia's hand on my neck. She tried to strangle me the moment she walked in!"
"If I hadn't fought her off, how would I have scratched her arm like this?"
"Mom, look at my neck. It's all red and swollen from Amelia trying to choke me!"
Rachel's neck did indeed have red marks, and everyone turned to look at Amelia.
"Whatever Rachel says, let it be."
Amelia wiped away her tears, hiding her scratched arm behind her back, as if she didn't want to defend herself anymore.
"You..."
Kevin looked at Amelia, who was trying hard to hold back her tears, clearly pretending to be strong.
He suddenly remembered how happy she had been when he offered to blow-dry her hair, her eyes full of innocence.
How could someone with such a pure look be so vicious as to try to strangle Rachel, whom she had just met?
Moreover, Amelia was even thinner than Rachel. How could she have the strength to overpower Rachel?
But Kevin didn't want to believe Rachel would falsely accuse Amelia either, considering how much he had cared for Rachel over the years.
"Kevin, I want to go back to the countryside," Amelia said, her eyes red as she looked at Kevin. "Can you buy me a ticket and take me to the station?"
"You want to go back to the countryside?" Kevin was taken aback, not expecting Amelia to make such a request.
He had heard that Amelia had only ever been with Rupert all these years, never experiencing any family care.
Moreover, Rupert was now gone. If Amelia went back to the countryside, she would be living alone, with no one to look after her.
As someone who shared half her bloodline, how could Kevin let that happen?
"No way!"
Rachel was surprised to see that the first person to oppose Amelia leaving was Jenny, who had always favored Rachel and disliked Amelia.
"Mom?"
Rachel looked at Jenny in disbelief.
"Tomorrow night is the Williams family's charity banquet. I received an invitation this afternoon. Vaughn personally invited Amelia, saying he wanted to see her."
Jenny's expression remained unchanged as she coldly looked at Amelia. "Even if you want to go back to the countryside, at least wait until after tomorrow's banquet."
Jenny was much more foresighted than Rachel. She knew that the engagement with the Williams family wasn't officially broken off yet, so leaving now was not an option. The Williams family might come looking for them.
Why did Jenny want Amelia to at least attend the banquet? She was certain Amelia would embarrass herself and be rejected by the Williams family.
Vaughn adored Quentin. If he didn't like Amelia, there was no way he would let her become Quentin's fiancée. The engagement would definitely be canceled.
Then, Jenny could kick Amelia out without any guilt.
"Alright," Amelia bit her lip. "Mom also said I should meet Mr. Williams. I'll do my best tomorrow."
Jenny hoped Amelia wouldn't do her best. She wanted Amelia to make a fool of herself at the banquet, the bigger the embarrassment, the better.
After all, Amelia wasn't her daughter and hadn't received any education from the Martinez family. Even if she embarrassed herself, it wouldn't bring shame to the Martinez family.
Rachel was smart. After a moment of confusion, she quickly understood Jenny's intention and grabbed Amelia's hand.
"Today's incident must have been a misunderstanding. I accidentally scratched Amelia. I hope she won't hold it against me."
"Tomorrow's banquet, the Williams family invited me to perform the opening piano piece. I hope Amelia will support me from the audience."
Amelia glanced at Rachel. "Since Rachel didn't do it on purpose, I won't hold it against her."
Rachel's sudden change of attitude was evident. If Rachel wanted to act, Amelia would play along.
Rachel and Amelia's fake politeness was lost on Tobias, who was too straightforward and quick-tempered to keep up.
"Wait, what misunderstanding? Did you or did you not try to strangle Rachel?" Tobias glared at Amelia. "I'm telling you, if you dare bully Rachel, I—"
"Tobias!"
Kevin was still Kevin. One stern look from him, and Tobias immediately clammed up.
Tobias's rebellious eyes showed a hint of discontent as he looked at Rachel with deep concern, as if Rachel, who wasn't even related by blood, was closer to him than Amelia, who shared half his bloodline.
"Alright, it's late. Everyone go back to your rooms and rest."
At Kevin's command, everyone else left the room, leaving Amelia alone.
Amelia looked at her scratched arm and suddenly missed Michael, whom she had met tonight.
If Michael were here, a few seconds of kissing him would heal these minor injuries instantly.
The moonlight streamed through the window as Amelia walked over and opened it, placing her right hand on the windowsill outside.
When she lifted her hand, a crack appeared in the cement windowsill.
A vibrant red rose emerged from the crack, blooming proudly in the moonlight, emitting an unusual, enticing fragrance.
She hoped Shadow would follow her scent and come to her.
Originally a rose demon born in hell, she had lived in a borrowed body for ten years after coming to the human world, only to be hunted by the Demon Hunter clan, forcing her to fake her death.
She had wandered the world for a long time until today when she found Amelia's recently deceased body, which had a 95% compatibility with her soul.
Although the original owner of this body had a tough life, now that she had been reborn with this identity, she wouldn't let herself be wronged again.
To avoid the Demon Hunter, she had moved to a remote mountain a year ago, rarely contacting anyone. Now, no one would know of her death.
Without a death announcement, her previous life's bank account could still be used. She could access the money anytime she needed it.
However, the Demon Hunter might still be monitoring her bank account. Using that money could expose her current whereabouts.
Never mind, the money wasn't going anywhere.
Besides, the connections and relationships she developed using her previous body were more valuable to her current one.
The next day.
In the morning, while the Martinez family was out, Amelia learned from the servants about the family power rankings in River City.
The four major aristocratic families in River City's upper class were the Johnson family, the Williams family, the Blackwood family, and the Gonzalez family. These families were the elite, with the Johnson family being the most powerful.
The Jenkins family was considered second-tier in this circle, and the Martinez family barely made the cut, mainly thanks to their connection with the Jenkins family and their talented children.
The Martinez family had five sons and one daughter, all of whom were exceptionally talented and good-looking, making them popular in high society.
Especially Rachel, who was beautiful, kind, talented, and had good relationships with many aristocrats.
Importantly, the upper class in River City didn't know Rachel was adopted by the Martinez family.
When Jenny adopted Rachel, she claimed Rachel had been sent abroad due to health issues and was brought back at age five.
Tonight's charity banquet hosted by the Williams family was also a family gathering for the aristocrats, making it a grand occasion.
At 3 PM, a servant knocked on Amelia's door.
"Ms. Amelia Martinez, Mrs. Jenny Martinez wants to take you and Ms. Rachel Martinez for makeup and styling. The car is ready outside. Please come out as soon as possible."