Chapter 23: Preparing Both Hands, Filing for Divorce
Amelia's statement was released in the afternoon.
Using an account that hadn't been active for a long time.
The content of the statement was simple.
Amelia: The online speculation about the love triangle between William, Isabella, and myself has continued to escalate. Currently, William and I are still legally married. I'm making this statement specifically to ask that this whole circus stop. As for everything else, the truth will come out in time.
As soon as it was posted, the negative comments came flooding in right on schedule.
"What do you mean stop? What do you mean the truth will come out? Just get divorced already!"
"Yeah, exactly. Isabella's practically dying, can't you be kind and divorce him yourself?"
"Emphasizing that you're still married? We all know what you're thinking."
"I hate people like this the most. Isabella was completely open about liking William."
"Right, and Isabella and William haven't even done anything. Isabella just picked William up for work. Based on the photos and timeline from reporters, Isabella only went up there for a bit..."
...
All kinds of negative comments came in waves. Jeffrey, watching from the hospital room, looked at Amelia with a conflicted expression.
He said, "Aren't you just giving them an outlet to attack you?"
Amelia put down her phone and said calmly, "Even if they don't comment here, they'll comment on other videos. It's the same, no difference."
Jeffrey frowned slightly. "I don't understand. This statement is so mild, not even a lawyer's letter. Why bother posting it?"
Amelia looked up at Jeffrey. "That's exactly the effect I want."
"It's just a statement."
"It doesn't serve any other purpose, just leaves a record."
Jeffrey still didn't understand, but he trusted Amelia. If she was confident about it, she should do it. This statement wouldn't affect the company anyway.
After all, the company had contracts with "Quiana" and "Lika," not Amelia.
Amelia put down her phone and focused on preparing songs for the first live broadcast of "Voice of Heaven."
Amelia didn't tell Jeffrey that she was preparing a backup plan.
This statement at least represented:
First, Amelia knew about the love triangle drama all over the internet and had seen the massive amount of negative comments.
Second, Amelia had made a statement, giving William and Isabella a reminder and warning about their behavior.
Third, the more negative comments under this post, the greater the harm she suffered, making the evidence of their broken relationship more complete.
If they could divorce smoothly after the 30-day cooling-off period, that would be best.
If not, Amelia was prepared to file for divorce.
She was determined to leave William!
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
At the Brown Group, someone knocked on the CEO's office door.
William looked up and saw Rhys.
"What is it?"
Rhys walked over and handed William a tablet.
Rhys said, "Mr. William Brown, Mrs. Amelia Brown posted a statement from her personal account."
Knowing it was her account, his brow furrowed.
After they got married, he had already discussed with Amelia that any posts from her account needed to be discussed with him first, because she wasn't just Amelia anymore, she was also his wife. But now...
William checked his phone. She still hadn't sent him any messages.
So she had acted on her own.
William reached out to take the tablet and looked at the statement.
He clicked on the comments below and saw the negative remarks.
The company's PR department usually handled online matters, so he normally didn't pay much attention to these things. This was the first time he carefully looked at what netizens were actually saying.
His first reaction: this was definitely posted by her, which meant she was fine after falling down the stairs.
His second reaction: she was clearly making a scene.
She wouldn't send him messages, but used this account to tell him, emphasizing that they weren't divorced yet.
She clearly knew that as long as she posted from this account, he would definitely find out.
"Mr. William Brown, should we contact Mrs. Amelia Brown to coordinate some PR?" Rhys asked from the side.
William placed the tablet on the desk.
"No need to bother."
Rhys picked up the tablet and nodded. "Then about Ms. Taylor..."
William's left hand tapped lightly on the desk. "I'll handle it."
After a slight pause, he glanced at Rhys. "What's Louis Cox doing now?"
Rhys was momentarily stunned, then realized. He unconsciously lowered his voice. "He went back to his hometown. With your orders, he doesn't dare return to Shadow City."
Rhys glanced at William again and continued, "With your instructions, he won't have it easy anywhere."
William acknowledged with a sound.
Rhys left with the tablet. William looked up thoughtfully toward the view outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows.
Even from the top floor of the Brown Group, he could still feel the wind howling past outside.
The wind in Shadow City was still strong.
This windstorm sweeping across half the country still hadn't stopped.
The city was still running at high speed, everyone following different paths.
Even on this windy day, every building was still bustling with people.
The flowers that had just bloomed in April were blown off by the strong wind and swept up, the sky full of flower petals looking both romantic and desolate.
But eventually the wind stopped.
Three days passed quickly.
Although Amelia's body hadn't fully recovered, it was much better. The dizziness from the mild concussion had improved significantly.
During these three days, she prepared content for the first performance of "Voice of Heaven" and finalized her costume and makeup.
Because she had just had a miscarriage, she couldn't be exposed to wind or cold water, and couldn't eat spicy or cold foods. So even though the weather was getting warmer, she still had to wear long sleeves and pants.
For these three days, Amelia stayed in bed, and also gave a statement to the police.
She provided relevant information, hoping the police could solve the case quickly.
Everything seemed to be getting better, like the gradually warming weather after the strong winds.
She would get better.
On the sixth day of the divorce cooling-off period, which was also the day of the first live broadcast of "Voice of Heaven," Amelia got up, washed, and walked to the mirror.
On the rack beside her was the performance outfit that had been rushed to completion—a passionate red dress piled with layer upon layer of roses. The unique and exquisite design made these roses cluster together into a flame of rebirth.
Carefully stored next to the dress was a mask.
Matching the dress, the mask was decorated with dramatic rose elements, looking both beautiful and dangerous.
All of this formed a stark contrast with the pale and thin Amelia standing beside it.
In just a few days, she had lost 10 pounds.
Making her already thin frame look even more like paper.
Putting on the red dress and the matching dramatic rose tassel earrings, finally, Amelia reached out and picked up the mask.
Without hesitation, she put the mask on.
The mask fit perfectly, hiding Amelia's face behind it.
Looking up again, standing in the mirror was a different person.
Lika.