Chapter 90
"He's over there." Amelia jerked her chin in James's direction.
The girl saw James's tall, lean figure from behind and gently nudged Amelia with her elbow.
"You're pretty amazing, landing such a high-quality man."
Amelia smiled, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks. "We're childhood sweethearts. We were meant to be together."
"Oh, I see. I'm so jealous."
A smug look spread across Amelia's face.
Her eyes flickered as she glanced toward James, then swiftly looked away.
They weren't keeping their voices down at all—I heard everything.
Watching Amelia's shy act, I curled my lip. What a performance.
The girl continued asking, "What does your boyfriend do? What should we call him?"
Amelia lowered her head shyly, acting coy. "Have you guys heard the name James Smith?"
The girl shouted, "Your boyfriend isn't Mr. Smith, is he?"
Amelia responded softly.
"You're incredible! To land someone like that."
One of the guys questioned, "But I think I heard that Mr. Smith has a wife."
Amelia sighed. "He is married, but he and his wife only got married because their families arranged it. He doesn't like his wife."
"And they're getting divorced, so that's why we're together again."
As if worried people would misunderstand, she quickly explained.
The girl covered her mouth and laughed. "How bad must that woman be for Mr. Smith to divorce her even if it means going against his family's wishes?"
Amelia shook her head. "Don't talk about others like that. It's not nice."
The girl shut her mouth.
I sat to the side "watching the show" while eating dessert. The cake tasted better and better.
"Mrs. Smith, what are you doing here?"
I'd wanted to quietly eat something, but was interrupted by a sudden voice.
I sighed, put down my food, and stood up. "Hello."
"I never expected to run into you here. I'm Harry Brooks from Skyline Architecture." Harry spoke while hurriedly pulling out his business card from his pocket.
I knew exactly what he wanted—to contact James through me.
I don't want to accept this business card.
But as they say, you don't slap a smiling face.
"Mrs. Smith, I hope you can introduce me to Mr. Smith."
I'd told James I didn't want to come to this party, and now here I was. I was too lazy to explain and didn't want to go over to James.
I made an excuse. "Today is the Schmidt family's event. It doesn't seem right to talk about other things."
He looked disappointed, but quickly switched back to a smile. "No problem, later works too. Whenever it's convenient for you."
I nodded.
He didn't say anything more, thanked me, and left.
When I turned back to look at Amelia's side, she was staring straight at me, and the people around her were looking at me curiously.
The girl linked arms with Amelia and said without any hesitation, right in front of me, "Amelia, is this Mr. Smith's wife? So pretty and still rejected by Mr. Smith. How sad."
Amelia didn't look the least bit guilty when I caught her lying. Her tone was casual. "A marriage without feelings is just torture. Better to separate early."
She walked over and asked me, "Sophia, didn't you say you weren't coming? Why did you change your mind?"
"You don't understand anything. Coming here is useless, and we'll have to worry about looking after you." Her eyes were full of contempt.
"Of course, I'm not saying you can't come. Please don't misunderstand."
"That's Mr. Smith's wife?"
The girl in the dark blue dress lowered her voice, her tone full of curiosity. "I've heard about her before. Apparently, she has no education. What's she doing here?"
"Who knows?" The man in the silver suit sneered. "Probably here for free food and drinks, and to keep an eye on her husband so he doesn't get stolen."
"If you ask me, what's the point of a marriage with no common ground where one person just clings desperately?" Another girl in a pink dress curled her lip. "Someone like Mr. Smith isn't for just any woman."
These people put James on a pedestal while trampling me into the mud.
And Amelia just made a show of saying a couple of things. "You guys shouldn't say that. She can hear you."
I speared a piece of mango pudding and put it in my mouth, letting the sweet flavor melt on my tongue. I ate the whole piece slowly.
"Look at the way she eats, like she's never had anything good." The girl close to Amelia covered her mouth and laughed. "How does she have the nerve to come out and embarrass herself?"
Amelia sighed as if helpless. "Gwyneth, Sophia... came from a modest background and hasn't seen much of the world. Everyone, please be patient and don't hold it against her."
I told myself to be patient, but these people kept talking, and the noise was getting on my nerves.
I got up and walked over to them. "What were you all just saying? You seemed to find it funny. Why don't you say it again for me? I'll record it so my husband can hear it too."
They went quiet, but the challenge in their eyes was completely undisguised.
Amelia walked over to me with a gentle, proper smile on her face. "Sophia, they're just joking. Please don't be angry."
"Why would I be angry at a bunch of trash?" I asked calmly.
Gwyneth and the group of friends close to Amelia got angry.
"Ms. Brown, do you think that because you married a good husband and have a high status, you look down on us and think we're trash?" The man in the silver suit said sarcastically.
I looked up at him. "Sir, do we know each other?"
The man froze, his expression changing slightly. "So what if we didn't know each other before?"
"If we don't know each other, don't casually judge others." My tone was flat but carried an undeniable coldness. "Talking behind people's backs shows no manners. Gossiping in front of the person is just stupid."
"Mr. Schmidt's birthday party is for people who know how to behave, not animals that only know how to bark."
"You—" The man's face flushed with anger.
Amelia quickly tried to smooth things over. "Sophia, they don't mean any harm. They're just a bit blunt. Everyone's friends here, just joking around. Don't take it so seriously."
"I'm not friends with them." I was blunt. "So I don't like this joke."
The atmosphere became tense.
The man in the silver suit looked me up and down, his gaze flippant. "Mrs. Smith has quite a temper."
"But I guess that makes sense. Considering you've managed to connect with the Smith family, you do have the right to lose your temper. I just wonder how much longer you'll be able to keep losing it."
The implication in his words couldn't be clearer.
I met his gaze and suddenly smiled. "What's your name?"
"Leroy Hamilton."
"How can you talk more than a woman?" My eyes swept meaningfully over his lower body. "Don't tell me you have erectile dysfunction, and actually, your sexual orientation is the same as mine?"
A few suppressed laughs came from around us.