Chapter 295: Beg Her
Julia caught Victor's glare and felt totally innocent.
She had done exactly what Victor told her to do.
That bracelet was firmly secured on Amelia's wrist.
But who could have predicted that Lucy would suddenly jump out and ruin the the whole plan?
Good thing Madeline cared about her reputation and understood what really mattered, she offered up the building to appease Amelia..
Otherwise, Julia might have ended up in jail today.
She was still scared out of her wits!
Instead of comforting her, Victor was glaring at her!
Did she really ruined the plan?
It was clearly Lucy's fault!
If she had known would turn out like this, she would never have let Lucy come today..
Across the room, Reid also shot Iris a sharp look.
He already knew that Harper had offended Amelia.
They needed Amelia's help to get things done, and now what should have been a sure thing was completely uncertain.
All he could do now was try even harder to please her.
For a moment, Amelia's status seemed even more prestigious than Madeline's.
Madeline was starting to feel irritated.
No matter how noble a junior might be, they shouldn't be placed above her.
She spoke expressionlessly, interrupting Reid and Victor's attempts to please Amelia. "It's about time. Let's have dinner."
The two had to stop talking and move to the dining room.
Even the seating at the dining table followed a strict hierarchy.
The head seat naturally belonged to Madeline. Her chair was an antique wooden chair, different from everyone else's.
Amelia wanted to sit with Lucy, but Victor led her to sit next to Madeline.
She didn't care where she sat, but Reid scoffed, saying, "Victor, you've certainly made some progress over the years."
His words dripped with sarcasm.
Victor acted as if he didn't understand and simply smiled. "Life is like rowing a boat against the current, if you don't push forward, the water will push you back. Reid, you'd better step it up, or you'll still be just a GS-7 when you retire."
Reid's cheek twitched hard.
Reid and Victor - one in politics, one in business.
Reid went into politics, but unfortunately the Wood family's money wasn't nearly enough to pave his way, and he didn't have much talent, so after all these years, he was still stuck at the GS-7 level.
Reid wanted to snap back, to ask how someone as clever as Victor had managed to let the family textile factory lose money year after year.
But Madeline interrupted them.
She tapped her glass. "No talking during meals. Have you forgotten even the most basic rules?"
The two had to call a temporary truce.
After that, no one spoke at the table. Only occasionally could you hear the sound of spoons hitting the edges of bowls.
Lucy was making these sounds.
Their family had long since moved out of The Wood Villa, and without so many rules at home, she had naturally gotten rusty with the etiquette.
This made Madeline frown with displeasure, and her gaze inevitably fell on Amelia.
She had thought Amelia, having grown up in the countryside, would be the one with the worst manners, but surprisingly she couldn't find a single fault.
Someone raised in the countryside should have had all kinds of bad habits.
So why did Amelia carry herself like someone who had received a strict upbringing since childhood?
Madeline kept her doubts to herself, her face revealing nothing.
Finally finishing the main course, the servants began serving dessert.
Today's dessert was pudding.
During dessert, talking was allowed.
Amelia casually stirred the pudding in her bowl, waiting for them to speak.
Madeline spoke first.
"Amelia, your mother didn't come today, so I'll say some things to you instead. You can pass along my words to her when you get back."
Amelia nodded with a smile. "Okay."
She had been all smiles and agreeable the entire time.
So Madeline continued, "Back then, when your mother insisted on leaving home, I was furious and planned to never have anything to do with her again. But that's only what I said out loud. In my heart, it was different. How could a mother bear to abandon her daughter? I've always hoped your mother would come home. Even if just to have a meal with me."
Getting emotional, Madeline shed tears.
Amelia knew very well those were crocodile tears.
If she really couldn't let go, why wait until now to say these things?
How many years had passed since Natalie left home?
Amelia thought this but showed nothing on her face, continuing to quietly listen to Madeline's nonsense.
Finally, after expressing her feelings, Madeline got to the point.
"The Wood family is now facing a critical moment of survival, so I hope, Amelia, that you can help us out."
Amelia looked confused.
"Grandma, what problem have you encountered? How can I help you?"
She was playing dumb, which made Madeline want to cough up blood.
She took several deep breaths to maintain her expression before saying, "It's about Reid and Victor."
She glanced at Reid and Victor.
The two weren't fighting now, modestly letting the other speak first.
In the end, Reid spoke first. "Amelia, I heard your father has a good relationship with The Porter family?"
Without waiting for Amelia to respond, Reid continued, "If possible, could you connect us so I could invite Mr. Porter to dinner?"
Amelia smiled. "Mr. Porter is very busy right now. Forget about you, my dad has been in Thornfield for several days and hasn't seen him either."
This was obviously a lie.
The first night the Richardson family arrived, Micah came to their villa.
It's just that night, Samuel was drugged, so she didn't see Micah with her own eyes.
If she didn't see him with her own eyes, then she didn't see him.
So she said it very calmly.
Reid didn't give up. "Mr. Porter is busy, it's normal he has no time to see me. What about his son James?"
"James is equally busy."
Reid's expression stiffened.
Madeline also frowned.
She was about to speak when Amelia spoke again. "But I can call and ask when I get back, see if he can spare time for a meal."
Everyone's expressions eased.
Victor immediately said, "Amelia, I also have a favor to ask."
Amelia looked very surprised.
"Everyone's run into trouble?"
Everyone nearly lost control of their expressions, all feeling embarrassed.
Fortunately, Victor recovered quickly. He forced a smile and said, "It's not that we've run into trouble, it's that I'm too useless!I'd like you to introduce me to your fiancé."
"Fiancé? You mean Samuel?"
"That's right."
Amelia said apologetically, "Then I'm afraid I can't help."
"Why not?"
"Because our engagement was canceled long ago."
She seriously lied, saying Samuel didn't like her, and Stanley liked her even less.
The only reason they hadn't publicly announced the engagement was canceled was because they feared public criticism.
In a few days, they would have her take the initiative to call off the engagement.
"That's not right." Julia spoke up at this moment. "I heard you and Samuel have a great relationship. Amelia, you're not just making this up because you don't want to help, are you?"