Chapter 118 Comparison

The weekend finally rolled around. Amelia, clutching her replica of Serena Blackwood's famous painting "Majestic Grace," headed over to Royce's estate with Ryan in tow.

She couldn't help but remember the times when Carl used to take her to a horse ranch as a kid. They'd spend hours there, sketching horses over and over until she could capture their essence just right.

The painting she brought for Royce showed a majestic black horse moving gracefully through the morning mist. It was almost an exact copy of the original, except for her own signature.

Ryan had a box of truffles for Royce, the kind so rare that no amount of money could easily buy them.

When they got to Royce's place, he opened up Amelia's replica of "Majestic Grace" and couldn't stop gushing over it.

In contrast, he barely gave the expensive truffles Ryan brought a second glance.

As guests started to arrive, Royce eagerly showed off the painting. "Check out this horse my student painted," he said. "It's so lifelike, it almost jumps off the canvas!"

The guests were just as impressed. "Did your student learn directly from Serena? The horse's form and spirit are captured perfectly. It's truly a remarkable piece."

Before long, everyone knew Royce had a student who was exceptionally talented at painting horses.

Beaming with pride, Royce had a servant bring out a glass sculpture Amelia had restored. "Amelia fixed this in just two months," he said. "It was shattered into seventeen pieces, and she put it back together so well you can't see a single crack."

Hearing this, the guests looked at Amelia with newfound admiration. They had thought she was just a pretty face, but now they saw she was both beautiful and talented.

Amelia knew Royce was helping to build her reputation.

When Sophia and Jessa arrived, they heard everyone talking about how lucky Royce was to have such a talented student in his old age.

Sophia, hearing the praise, was so angry her hands shook. The more outstanding Amelia was, the more she felt overshadowed.

She remembered past birthdays at Royce's house when she was the center of attention. Now, Amelia had taken that spot.

Carrying a cake, Sophia stormed over to Royce and slammed it onto the table. "Grandpa, I made this cake for you myself!"

Royce's smile faltered slightly at Sophia's angry demeanor.

He quickly gave her a thumbs-up and said, "Sophia, this cake is wonderful!"

In reality, the cake had been made by the household chef, but Sophia wanted to compete with Amelia. She raised an eyebrow and said, "So, which is better: my cake or Amelia's painting?"

In front of the guests, Royce could only diplomatically say, "You're both wonderful!"

Yet everyone knew that a cake and a horse painting were incomparable. Baking a cake might take just a few weeks of practice, but mastering the art of painting a horse could take years, if not decades, of dedicated skill.

It was Royce's birthday, and there were many guests. Amelia didn't want to argue with Sophia, so she said, "Mr. Greer, I'll take a walk outside."Knowing the two weren't exactly best friends, Royce gently suggested, "Why don't you take a stroll in the garden? Check out the lotus leaves floating in the pond. And don't forget to come back soon for dinner." Amelia felt a warmth in her heart at Royce's kindness, causing her nose to tingle. "Alright, Mr. Greer," she replied softly.

She scanned the crowd for Ryan and spotted him chatting with Alan in the southwest corner of the living room. Not wanting to interrupt, she headed outside to see the lotus pond Royce had mentioned.

Sure enough, one side of the estate had a lotus pond, filled with green leaves, though the flowers hadn't bloomed yet.

Amelia walked over, gazing at the lush green leaves, and thought of the lotus pond by the broken bridge near Carl's house in the summer.

She suddenly missed Carl, Elara, and Christopher deeply.

But the dead couldn't come back to life.

As she was lost in her memories, a shrill, domineering voice came from behind her. "You really have no shame. Stealing Ryan wasn't enough for you; now you're trying to take my grandpa too. Why do you always want to claim what's mine?"

Amelia knew Sophia was at it again. She turned to see Sophia, dressed to the nines.

Standing tall, Amelia coldly said, "Ms. Brown, let's get this straight. Mr. Greer insisted on taking me as his student, and I paid a million dollars in tuition. As for Ryan, he's my lawful husband. You're the one who came between us. Don't twist the facts."

Sophia suppressed her anger and smiled sweetly. "Don't be fooled by Grandpa's constant praise. I'm still his favorite."

Amelia found competing for affection childish and turned away indifferently to continue admiring the lotus.

Sophia was furious but had no outlet for her anger, feeling utterly frustrated.

Just then, she saw Royce walking towards the front gate, likely to greet an important guest. An idea sparked in her mind.

"Let's see who Grandpa loves more!" she said, suddenly pushing Amelia hard from behind.

With a loud splash, Amelia fell into the pond.

The water was cold, and Amelia's body tensed up. She couldn't swim and instinctively flailed her arms, struggling to stay afloat.

Another splash followed as Sophia jumped in.

Grabbing Amelia's arm, Sophia pushed her down while shouting, "Grandpa, help! I'm drowning!"

Royce, who had been hurrying to the gate, turned at the cries for help and saw both Sophia and Amelia in the pond, their heads barely above water.

He was horrified and shouted, "Someone help! They're drowning!"

But there was no one around to help.

Seeing the girls' heads starting to sink, Royce was beside himself with worry.

At that critical moment, two tall figures jumped into the water.

Christopher instinctively swam to Amelia, reaching out to grab her hand.

Seeing this, Ryan quickly swam over, hooked his arm around Amelia's waist, and pulled her away from Christopher. Holding her tightly, he swiftly swam to the shore with incredible speed.

"Ryan, save me!" Sophia called out weakly, flailing in the water.

Christopher, annoyed by her, wanted to kick her away.

Seeing Amelia was safe, Christopher grabbed Sophia's arm and swam to the shore.