Chapter 145 Amelia Got Mad
After returning home, Zoey put on a normal facade to keep her parents from worrying.
"Did you see the bridal suite?" Mrs. Turner asked.
Zoey smiled. "I did. It's nicely decorated. Seems like Charles really cares about the wedding."
"That's good then."
Before heading to her room, Zoey suddenly turned back to ask her mother, "Mom, if I didn't get married, would it affect you and Dad? What would you think?"
Mrs. Turner asked in confusion, "Why would you think that? Hasn't marrying Charles been your dream this past year?"
Zoey smiled. In that instant, she seemed to mature considerably, learning to mask her emotions.
Mrs. Turner seemed to sense something. She called out to stop Zoey. "Zoey, if you really don't want to get married, then don't. It's not like we can't support you. Even if you never marry, you'll always be our precious daughter."
Zoey smiled. "I know, Mom. I'm tired today. I'm going upstairs to sleep."
"Alright, get some rest early." Mrs. Turner watched Zoey go upstairs.
A trace of doubt lingered in her mind—Zoey had probably experienced something. But she couldn't keep pressing. Though her daughter was a romantic, she had good judgment on major matters and wouldn't do anything to hurt herself. So whatever happened, she'd have to bring it up on her own.
...
Zoey didn't sleep all night. She kept staring at her phone.
She'd said she was giving Charles the night to think—he had to give her an answer.
But her phone stayed silent.
She scrolled through videos, watched late-night livestreams, even got up and sang two songs. All the way until 6 AM, Charles hadn't sent a message.
She was finally exhausted from tossing and turning, and drifted into a fitful sleep.
She woke abruptly at 10 AM, then instinctively grabbed her phone.
There was one message from Charles. Just four words: Wedding continues.
Zoey was confused. Had he slept last night? Had he thought about it all night?
She picked up her phone and typed out a message: But I don't want to be a substitute. If I'm just a replacement, then I won't marry you.
Before sending, she suddenly deleted it.
She typed again: Charles, you better be sure. Once we're married, there's no divorce.
Still didn't send. Deleted again.
After editing for ages, she finally just replied with one word: Okay.
This past year, she'd been the one chasing him. Except for that one night, he'd barely responded. He didn't like her that much—she knew that.
But she liked him.
So substitute or not, what did it matter?
She already had his body. Could his heart be far behind?
Zoey decided to go through with the wedding.
...
"What? He bought a villa worth hundreds of millions of dollars? And put it in Matilda's name?"
Hearing this news, Amelia was absolutely livid.
Her assistant Linda stood before her reporting, "Yesterday, hundreds of millions of dollars were suddenly withdrawn from Mr. Wentworth Gonzaga's account. After investigation, it was transferred to a real estate company. They purchased a villa in Phoenix Bay."
Amelia was so angry her temples throbbed. She nearly collapsed from dizziness.
"Go ask the real estate company if the contract can be cancelled. I'll cover the losses."
Linda said, "Already asked. It can't be reversed unless Matilda sues for breach of contract, but she obviously won't do that."
Amelia sank onto the sofa, fuming. "That son of mine is going to be the death of me. His major life decisions, his career—has he ever asked my opinion on anything? Everything decided privately behind my back!"
Linda stayed silent. She had a son herself. As long as he didn't go down the wrong path, there really wasn't much need to interfere. Too much control only backfired.
But Linda didn't dare voice her opinion. Many things could only be understood through personal experience. One day when the realization hit, that would be liberation.
That afternoon, Amelia went to Phoenix Bay to see the villa Matilda had bought.
The villas here were all newly built. These years, land prices had skyrocketed, so the villa lots weren't huge—not like the Gonzaga family estate with its sprawling grounds.
But Matilda's villa was already one of the finest in Phoenix City.
Thinking about how Matilda came from an ordinary family and landed such a luxurious villa thanks to her son made Amelia's teeth itch with resentment.
...
Today was Juliana's official first day at the Gonzaga Group.
She'd chosen the marketing department, taking a position as supervisor of one of the divisions. Since the previous supervisor had resigned, the division was currently leaderless.
A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier. Naturally, these would-be leaders wanted the supervisor position too. Some were veteran employees who'd worked diligently in the department for over a decade. Others were prestigious school graduates who'd already achieved some success in the department.
Now some supervisor was being parachuted in—and such a young one at that. The staff naturally weren't having it.
So the moment Juliana arrived at the office, she felt the employees' hostility.
She didn't rush to prove herself or call a meeting to establish authority. She simply went to her office, carefully reviewed all the department's recent files, then went through her subordinates' personnel records.
The employees noticed she stayed quiet. After her self-introduction on her first day, she hadn't even called a meeting.
So they started gossiping behind her back.
"I heard she's related to the chairman—got in through connections."
"So that's it. No wonder. Look at her—two days here and not a peep. Obviously has no real skills."
"If this company keeps stuffing people in like this, it'll go under sooner or later!"
"..."
Finally, on the third day, Juliana emerged from her office.
She clapped her hands a few times, then said to the employees in their cubicles, "Everyone, please put aside what you're working on for a moment. Let's have a meeting now."
The employees were surprised. Oh, so she finally remembered she's the supervisor?
What's the point of a meeting? Everyone's busy.
The subordinates reluctantly filed into the conference room.
Once everyone was seated, Juliana began the meeting. She didn't waste words—barely any fluff. She got right to it. "Currently, our department has ten outstanding projects to resolve. Let me share my thoughts. First, the case Raymond is handling..."
Raymond's name was called. His expression was initially dismissive. He'd been on this case for two weeks—nobody knew it better than him.
Juliana looked at him. "Your proposal is pretty well planned so far, but there are still quite a few issues. I've summarized a few points..."
Juliana didn't use a critical tone. She very objectively stated her views.
And listening, Raymond's expression shifted from disdain to surprise, then to delight.
No wonder he'd felt something was off about his proposal all along. Hearing Juliana's comments, everything suddenly became clear.