Chapter 249 Rather Trust Outsiders
"Did you catch the person?" Samuel held Amelia's hand, interlacing their fingers before asking.
Amelia lifted her chin toward the standalone building by the artificial lake where Alice had lived.
"York is interrogating them. It should be done soon."
As soon as she finished speaking, York was already walking quickly toward them from the lakeside.
"Mr. Crawford," he greeted respectfully.
Samuel nodded and asked, "Amelia had you interrogate them. Did you get anything?"
York nodded.
The three of them moved into the living room to talk.
York didn’t bother with small talk. "Evelyn struck a deal with Mr. Stanley Crawford. She promised to locate the Miracle Physician from Shadow Operations Division for him. As long as she finds the Miracle Physician and the surgery is successful, Mr. Stanley Crawford will accept her as his daughter-in-law."
Amelia's eyes widened suddenly.
She already knew from Finn that Evelyn was searching for her.
But she had never imagined this was Evelyn’s actual motive.
The thing they'd been investigating for so long turned out to be this.
How could such a ridiculous situation exist in reality?
York shot Amelia a glance, clearly sharing the same sentiment.
Stanley probably had no idea that the "Miracle Physician" he was trading favors to find was the woman Samuel loved, and also the very Amelia that Stanley had originally wanted Samuel to marry.
Even Samuel showed a flash of rare surprise.
"So that's what this whole thing was about."
He'd been investigating for so long, putting all his effort toward The Hays family, never expecting that he'd been going in the wrong direction from the start.
Amelia couldn't help but laugh.
"Is this what you'd call a cognitive disconnect?"
Samuel didn't answer her. His brow was furrowed, looking quite unhappy.
Amelia didn't understand.
She was very happy.
Now that they knew the reason, and the reason involved her, this matter would be incredibly easy to resolve.
Getting Stanley to accept her had become very simple.
But why wasn't Samuel happy?
Amelia gave York a look, indicating she had something to discuss with Samuel alone.
Though York was simple, he wasn't truly dumb. He was good at reading the room, so he immediately understood what Amelia meant.
"Mr. Crawford, I'll go send that person back first."
Samuel responded, "No. Keep them there. And make sure they stay alive."
"Yes."
When York left, the living room grew quiet, leaving only the two of them behind.
Amelia asked bluntly, "We finally got the truth. Why do you look even more upset now?"
Their earlier assumption was that Stanley intended to ally with the Hays family.
And the Russell family was part of the orthodox Hays family faction.
Leonard had no daughter, so letting his son marry into the Russell line would solidify that stance.
But it turned out to be completely different.
And in this way, things turned out better than expected.
Once Stanley learned that she was the Miracle Physician Evelyn had been searching for, he would have no reason to oppose her anymore.
So Amelia didn't understand why Samuel was unhappy.
"I'm happy," Samuel said, then repeated, "I'm not unhappy."
"Then why are you frowning?"
Amelia reached out and touched his brow.
Samuel's brow immediately relaxed.
"I just think I'm really stupid."
Amelia remained silent for a moment before saying, "You’re not stupid. We just went in the wrong direction."
"It's not about that." Samuel sighed. "Before, when I saw you treating Roman, I told my father about your excellent medical skills."
Amelia nodded, waiting for him to continue.
Samuel said, "He refused, saying he didn't want to struggle anymore and had accepted his fate. I believed him, so I never brought up having you treat him again."
He paused, then continued, "Only today did I learn that he didn't want to struggle—he was afraid I would harm him. He doesn't trust me. He's afraid he'll die at my hands."
Samuel looked at Amelia seriously, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes.
"Amelia, he trusts Evelyn more than me. Don't you think that's laughable?"
Amelia now understood why he was unhappy.
Stanley would rather trust an outsider than trust Samuel.
Outwardly, after confirming Samuel was his legitimate son, Stanley had immediately removed the "illegitimate child" label.
He offered Samuel proper acknowledgment and support.
Samuel’s rapid rise in the Crawford Group was, in part, thanks to Stanley’s silent backing.
Even Samuel himself believed that Stanley truly cared about him.
But today, the truth had crushed that belief.
Samuel wasn't a fragile person—otherwise the "illegitimate child" label would have crushed him long ago. He had endured it, which showed how strong he was.
His current state stemmed from his conviction that Stanley had given him genuine care, and he had returned that care in kind.
When genuine feelings are betrayed, of course it hurts.
"He's willing to use my marriage to buy himself a few more years of life. And I had no idea. I searched everywhere for doctors for him and tried every way to convince him to accept your treatment. Amelia, I'm pretty ridiculous, aren't I?"
Without thinking, Amelia stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Such a big man, yet in her arms, he seemed like a wounded fawn.
She held him tightly, her voice warm and gentle.
"You’re not the fool, Samuel. Stanley is."
"Samuel, we'll have our own family in the future. My mom, my brothers—they all see you as family. You'll receive much more love than you have now."
He had grown up enduring humiliation. What he wanted wasn't to be the head of the Crawford Group—he simply wanted to receive fair love.
Samuel listened.
He was someone who processed emotions very quickly, and in a moment he regained his composure.
He straightened up and took Amelia's hand.
"Was I not man enough just now? Are you laughing at me inside?"
"Laughing at you for what? For wanting your father's love? Samuel, we're the same. We both grew up without love. I understand everything you feel because I've experienced it all. I'm just a bit luckier than you, but what right does that give me to mock you? Don't overthink it."
Samuel nodded.
"At first I didn't want to tell you these things because I was afraid you'd laugh at me. Now I feel better."
"I didn't realize you were under such heavy psychological pressure?"
"Being afraid of being looked down on by your own woman—is that really psychological pressure?"
He spoke of Amelia as his woman so naturally, yet Amelia's cheeks flushed red.
Samuel loved seeing her blush.
Because she only showed this side to him—no one else had ever seen it.
After joking around for a bit, Amelia became serious again and asked, "So what do you plan to do next? Will you talk to Stanley directly?"
"No need." Samuel's expression suddenly became somewhat cold.
"What do you mean?"
"I won't explain. Amelia, he doesn't trust me, and he won't trust you either. Even if you stood in front of him, he wouldn't believe you're that Miracle Physician. You understand?"
"Then what should I do?"
"You don't need to do anything. I'll help you suppress the news about you treating Roman. When Evelyn can't find you, she'll definitely get anxious. And in this world, besides you, the real Miracle Physician, there are many people seeking fame and fortune. Maybe a fake Miracle Physician will suddenly appear."
"How could anyone be bold enough to impersonate me?"
"Money makes people brave. If you don't expose them, then that person isn't impersonating anyone."
"You want me not to expose them?"
"Yes."
Amelia fell silent. She believed that Samuel's heart ached too.
But they weren't an ordinary father and son.
Stanley didn't trust him.
No matter how hard he tried, it would have no effect.
Two days later, somehow, many people learned that Evelyn was looking for the Miracle Physician from Shadow Operations Division.
At the same time, something happened to the Russell family.
Evelyn's father was reported for taking bribes.
Evelyn was already uneasy because one of her subordinates had suddenly disappeared.
When her father's incident happened, she became even more anxious.
She wanted to rush back to Thornfield but also wanted to stay and find the Miracle Physician.
Just then, a woman appeared, claiming to be that Miracle Physician.
Evelyn was overjoyed and didn't even have time to carefully verify the woman's identity before taking her to Thornfield.
Soon after, Evelyn's father was released.
The bribery charge was false, and the anonymous tip was determined to be slander.
York had been monitoring developments in Thornfield and quickly reported to Samuel, "Evelyn brought a 'Miracle Physician' to Stanley's home."
Samuel nodded and told York not to interfere, just keep people watching.
...
One day, the weather was beautiful.
Amelia received a phone call.
"Ms. Richardson, do you remember me?"
Amelia had saved the contact and knew this was Leo.
However, he had given himself the alias Levi.
Amelia had also saved him as Levi to avoid forgetting Leo's fake name.
"Levi, of course I remember," Amelia replied smoothly. "I was actually thinking about treating you to dinner to thank you for helping the other day."
Amelia's tone wasn't sincere, but it was enough to placate a fool like Leo.
If it had been Francis, Amelia would have been on full alert the moment she answered the call.
Sure enough, this tone was enough to excite Leo.
"You still remember me—that's wonderful. But there's no need for you to take me to dinner. How could I let a woman pay?"
"Then what did you have in mind?" she asked.
"I recently invested in a high-tech building project. All the equipment inside is the most advanced on the market. It’ll be completed tomorrow, so I’d like to invite you for a private tour personally."
Amelia asked, "A high-tech building? Is it that newly built one called 'Infinite Cube'?"
"You know about it too?"
"Yes, I saw it online. They said it's very impressive. I didn't realize you invested in it."
"Then you must come."
Amelia pretended to hesitate.
"Won’t it be too forward if I show up?"
"How could it be? Ms. Richardson, your status is special. I only learned in the past few days that you're actually Mr. Crawford's fiancée. It would be my honor to have you come."
Leo's tone was full of flattery, his manner deliberately humble.
He had done Amelia a favor, and now he was clearly trying to curry favor with her. Since Amelia was interested in the Infinite Cube, he was certain she would come.
Sure enough, Amelia said, "Alright, I'll definitely be there tomorrow."