Chapter 480

Chris pulled her into his arms, patting her shoulder as if he were comforting a child. "Amelia, pull yourself together. Greta and Lucius are back, waiting for you outside."

Amelia wiped away her tears, barely managing to regain some composure.

Greta and Lucius's wheelchair appeared at the end of the hospital corridor. Amelia walked over to them.

She was touched that they had come back at a time like this.

"My condolences," Greta sighed. "Mr. Tudor actually held on for a long time. He couldn't bear to leave because of you. We can't let him worry."

Amelia bit her lip, swallowing her tears, and nodded.

She called Sandra to ask about Evelyn's condition.

"Can you... help take care of Mom?" Amelia's voice was hoarse. "I've been pretty busy lately."

Sandra was silent for a moment, then spoke as though they were making a vow: "I'll take good care of her."

On the day of the funeral, fine rain drifted from the sky. Amelia stood at the entrance of the funeral home in black, greeting guests, with Greta and Lucius beside her as they thanks.

Paxton's old friends and industry colleagues arrived one after another, even relatives who hadn't been seen in ages came.

Artists from Amelia's company attended collectively. Estella cried until her eyes were red and swollen. Katelin, Seraphina, and other veteran employees all looked solemn.

Sophia and Ryder brought their child, the family of three presenting flowers for Paxton.

Looking at the tombstone, Amelia's barely held-back tears burst out again.

"Ms. Tudor," Hatty hurried over, lowering her voice. "There are a lot of reporters outside, and some have pretended to be mourners to get in. Should we..."

Amelia wiped away her tears with a tissue: "Handle it. Don't let them disturb Father."

But Amelia underestimated how shameless the paparazzi could be.

When Sandra appeared at the cemetery entrance supporting Evelyn, countless flashbulbs went off, all aimed at Sandra. Everyone was speculating about their relationship with Amelia, since someone had previously photographed Amelia and Evelyn having dinner together.

Evelyn was still wearing a hospital gown with a black coat over it. The doctor said she shouldn't even get out of bed, but she insisted on coming.

"Ms. Sandra King, what would you like to say about this funeral?"

"As far as I know, you and Ms. Tudor are business rivals and have had many conflicts before. Why are you here today?"

"Ms. Sandra King, the lady next to you looks very sad. What's her relationship with the late Mr. Tudor?"

...

The questions got sharper and sharper, even starting to speculate about Evelyn and Paxton's relationship.

"Get away from us!" Sandra held back her anger, protecting Evelyn in her arms.

But someone pushed, and the camera of the person in front fell down, nearly hitting Evelyn.

Amelia's anger exploded instantly.

She strode toward the crowd and snatched the camera from the reporter in front, smashing it on the ground.

"All of you get out!" Her voice trembled with rage. "This is my father's funeral, not your photo shoot!"

The scene fell silent. Even the paparazzi were stunned.

But soon, more flashbulbs were aimed at Amelia's angry face.

After all, no one—that's right, no one—had ever seen Amelia lose her temper like this.

They quickly finished taking photos and disappeared before Chris's people could arrive. Then they immediately posted all those photos and videos, following an unspoken agreement. After all, the law can't punish everyone—no matter how powerful Chris was, he couldn't settle accounts with each of them individually.

"Why did you come?" Amelia had no time to worry about those people. Looking at Evelyn's pale face, she felt terrible.

Evelyn was clearly forcing herself to stay upright. Seeing Amelia so upset, she gripped Amelia's arm. "My condolences."

After the funeral, Amelia was exhausted.

She sat by her father's tombstone, unwilling to leave, letting the fine rain soak her hair and clothes.

"Here."

A dry towel appeared before her eyes.

Amelia looked up to see Chris standing in front of her, also holding a cup of hot cocoa.

Amelia took the towel and wiped her face.

Chris sat down beside her, maintaining a subtle distance between them.

"Ms. King has been sent back to the hospital," he said. "The doctor checked her—she's fine."

Amelia nestled into his arms, tears breaking through again.

It had only been a few days, but her eyes seemed to have run dry.

That evening, "Amelia's Funeral Outburst" became a trending topic.

The comments were polarized—some criticized her for acting like a diva, publicly venting her anger and disrespecting the media.

Others supported her actions to protect her family's privacy.

Amelia turned off her phone, letting the haters attack her like crazy. At this moment, her heart had gone numb.

Even if someone came at her with a knife right now, she probably wouldn't react.

Meanwhile, at Galaxy Entertainment.

Sandra stood before Louis with long flowing hair, wearing a simple white dress, saying words she had considered for a long time.

"Have you thought it through?" Louis's voice came from in front of her, calm as always.

Rather than calm, it was more like indifference, coldness.

"Yes, I've thought it through." Sandra looked at him quietly, as if examining her recent foolishness through the reflection in his pupils. "Our partnership ends here."

She had finally woken up.

She had woken up up the moment her mother came back from the brink of death.

Louis raised an eyebrow: "Because of your adoptive mother? Didn't you say she didn't love you, only loved Amelia and Greta? You told me countless times you wouldn't look back. Are you... having second thoughts now?"

Sandra laughed bitterly, thinking of Evelyn's pale face. "My biggest mistake was not believing she loved me. She raised me all those years. I grew up under her protection, carefree.

She spoiled and indulged me so much. For my sake, she initially didn't even want to acknowledge her two biological daughters. If I hadn't been so self-destructive later, we'd probably still be living carefree in Zephyria. How would any of this terrible stuff have happened?"

Looking back at those foolish actions, she wanted to slap herself.

"Interesting." Louis stood up, methodically adjusting his cuffs. "I thought we were working together quite well."

"Money isn't everything. I'll still work hard in the future, but I'll also listen to Mom."

Yes, neither Evelyn nor Amelia wanted her to get involved with Louis.

Louis suddenly burst out laughing, his laughter echoing through the huge office:

"Sandra, do you know why I appreciate you? It's that fighting spirit of yours."

His smile suddenly vanished. "But now it seems you've disappointed me after all."

"I don't need your appreciation." Sandra took out a document from her bag. "I'll still help you make connections and get my mother's help, but not as your fiancée—only as your subordinate."

For the first time, Louis's expression showed a crack.