Chapter 149 A Heartfelt Gift
Anna came downstairs with a smile on her face.
"What are you guys talking about? You seem so happy?"
Amelia forced a smile.
Happy? Was there any happy atmosphere between her and Samuel?
Samuel's confession didn't even feel like a confession—it was more like a negotiation.
And she just wanted to test how much he knew about her.
"Just chatting," Samuel said, standing up and asking, "What did Mr. Hagen say?"
Anna smiled, "He wants Amelia to go upstairs. He wants to thank her in person. Amelia, he's waiting for you in the second room on the second floor."
"Okay."
Amelia nodded, picked up the gift for Frank, and headed upstairs.
Samuel instinctively wanted to follow.
He was worried Amelia couldn't handle it alone.
And he knew Frank better than Amelia did—he knew what to say.
But Anna stopped him.
"Samuel, I want to talk to you about the house."
Samuel had to sit back down.
Anna said, "This house is nice, but too many people know about it. Frank doesn't like being disturbed, so we're thinking of moving back to the house that was arranged for us. It's smaller, but there are guards at the door. We'd feel more at ease living there."
Samuel nodded.
"I'll send someone over early to help you clean up."
"Thank you so much. We're not familiar with this place—it's good to have your help."
"You're too kind, Anna."
Samuel responded half-heartedly, his mind completely upstairs.
Meanwhile, Amelia had already knocked on Frank's door.
Frank's voice quickly came from inside: "Come in."
Amelia pushed the door open and saw a middle-aged man with sharp features.
Unlike Anna's approachable demeanor, Frank's intensity was written all over his face—a clear "stay away" vibe.
Amelia seemed to understand why Samuel and Frank could be friends.
Their vibes match.
But Anna wasn't just making excuses about Frank's poor health.
Frank's face was slightly pale—he really couldn't adapt to the environment here.
"Ms. Richardson, please have some coffee."
Frank poured Amelia a cup of coffee and gestured for her to sit.
Amelia thanked him, sat down, and took a sip.
It tasted a bit bitter at first, but slowly became sweet.
"Did you make this yourself?"
Frank asked, "Ms. Richardson knows about coffee?"
"Mind if I guess what's in it?"
"Go ahead."
"Cinnamon, clove, rose, and... sorry, I can't figure out the last one."
Frank laughed heartily. "You got the first few right. The last one is dried apple."
Amelia acted pleasantly surprised, even though she'd already tasted the dried apple.
When two people aren't familiar with each other, it's best to hold something back to open up conversation.
Amelia said, "This is my first time hearing about putting dried apple in coffee."
"What do you think of the taste?"
"Very good. I really like it."
Frank looked pleased.
"My wife says this is a cooking disaster. Only one friend agrees with me. I didn't expect to find someone in Goldenvale who gets me."
"I studied traditional medicine, and I like to experiment with flower coffees too. Mr. Hagen, if you don't mind, I'll bring you some of my homemade coffee to try sometime."
"That sounds great. What do you usually like to drink?"
"Same as you—I love coffee."
The conversation opened up from there.
The sharpness on Frank's face gradually faded.
Although Amelia was the Hagen family's benefactor, his position was high. Even though Amelia had done them a favor, he had his pride.
He couldn't be like his wife, setting aside pride to show gratitude to Amelia.
But their shared interest brought them closer.
Finally, Frank mentioned Quinton on his own.
"This case involves a lot of people—not just your father, but many government officials too. Ms. Richardson has done our family a favor, and normally, I should help, but this matter is too serious. I can only help with daily life matters."
Amelia nodded. "I understand your difficulty, Mr. Hagen. But I know my father well—he's not someone who would break the law. I don't understand much, I just hope my father can eat well and stay warm in there. If you can take care of him in daily life, we're already very grateful. As for the rest, we'll leave it to the law."
Frank looked at Amelia deeply.
"Ms. Richardson is so reasonable, it makes me feel ashamed. Don't worry, I'll make sure your father's quality of life in there is taken care of."
Amelia sensed the timing was right and took out the gift she'd brought.
"This is my first time meeting Mr. Hagen. This is a gift—please don't think it's not good enough."
Frank glanced at it but didn't open it.
He'd heard about what happened downstairs. The Richardson family had fallen so far that they could only give a cake as a birthday gift. He figured they couldn't afford anything too expensive.
Besides, he wasn't really into expensive things anyway.
He didn't have high demands for material life.
"You're too kind, Ms. Richardson. You saved Adrian and my wife's lives—I should be giving you a thank-you gift."
Seeing he hadn't opened it, Amelia smiled. "Won't you open it and take a look, Mr. Hagen?"
Since Amelia asked directly, Frank had to open it.
He just wasn't expecting anything.
Until the box was opened.
Inside lay an ancient chess manual called "The Master's Gambit."
Frank's eyes lit up instantly.
More than coffee, what he really loved was chess.
But what he loved even more was chess.
And this "The Master's Gambit" was a precious chess manual. Along with another legendary book, "The King's Legacy," they were considered the two greatest classics in chess history.
Few people knew that "The King's Legacy" was in his possession.
His biggest regret was not being able to collect "The Master's Gambit"—that way, he'd have both legendary chess manuals.
And now, Amelia had brought it to him.
It was like a thirsty person stumbling upon a sweet mountain spring.
Frank held it in his hands, unable to put it down.
This was exactly what Amelia had hoped for and expected.
At first, she didn't rush to bring out the gift, because she could tell Frank was still guarded around her, despite being grateful.
So later, she used "coffee" as a topic to get closer to Frank.
To let Frank know he could talk business with her.
Later, Frank mentioned Quinton unprompted.
But said he would only help Quinton with daily life matters.
His neutral stance hadn't wavered.
Amelia had expected this, too.
If it were that easy to get Frank to side with the Porter family, he wouldn't still be neutral.
So Amelia gave him a gift that matched his interests.
This gift was very precious, and there was only one copy in the world.
Frank stroked the book cover again and again. After a while, he finally put down "The Master's Gambit," his eyes nearly overflowing with joy and curiosity.
"Ms. Richardson."
He tried to steady his voice, but you could still hear it trembling slightly.
"Where—where did you get this 'The Master's Gambit'? As far as I know, 'The Master's Gambit' is in the hands of chess master Albert Sanchez..."
He'd dealt with Albert several times, but the man avoided the topic, clearly treasuring it and not planning to part with it.
Amelia smiled. "I'm friends with Mr. Sanchez."
Not just his friend, but his benefactor.
If not for her, Albert would be dead.
Compared to his life, what was one book?
Besides, Albert called her teacher.
Frank's voice trembled even more.
"I didn't know Ms. Richardson was friends with Mr. Sanchez."
If they weren't friends, Albert wouldn't have given her this book so easily.
Amelia smiled and said, "Unfortunately, I don't know chess. This book is wasted on me—better to give it to someone who needs it more."
Frank really did need this book.
He became an official to fulfill his parents' wishes.
That's why, even though he'd reached this position, he stayed neutral—he didn't want to be tainted by any corruption in politics.
Becoming a professional chess player was his own dream.
He wasn't stupid. Such an expensive gift—Amelia wasn't giving it for nothing.
He really wanted it.
It would bring him one step closer to his dream.
But the price was having to choose between the Porter family and the Hays family.
He didn't want to choose any side. He just wanted to be an honest official and study his hobbies in his free time.
But now he had to make a choice.
Frank quietly clenched his fists.
To maintain his calm appearance, he picked up his coffee cup and took a sip.
After a moment, he looked up, stood, and closed the wooden box lid.
"Ms. Richardson, this gift is too expensive. I need to think about whether I can accept it. Please take it back for now."
He was troubled. At a time like this, he couldn't make a rational choice.
So he needed time to think it through.
Amelia pushed the wooden box forward. "Then until you decide, let's just leave it here with you."
"Aren't you afraid I'll peek and copy what's inside?"
"I only guard against bad people, not gentlemen. Mr. Hagen is a gentleman."
Everyone likes to hear nice things.
The sharpness in Frank's eyes had completely disappeared.
"Please give me one day."
"Okay."
Amelia nodded, stood up, and said, "Then I won't disturb you anymore. I'll wait for your answer."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked Frank for paper and pen.
A moment later, she finished writing a note and handed it to Frank.
"Mr. Hagen, you're not adapting well to the environment here. I recommend some natural herbal supplements that can help with your discomfort."
Frank glanced at it. It listed supplement names such as "Ginger Root, Chamomile, Peppermint, Probiotics," but didn't include specific doses or instructions for taking them.
He understood what Amelia meant.
If he agreed, he'd call and ask Amelia for the specific doses and combinations.
Even if others found out he was in contact with the Richardson family, it would just look like a patient-doctor relationship.
"Thank you, Ms. Richardson. Let me walk you downstairs."
"No need. You rest here. I can go down myself."
Amelia politely declined and quickly left.
As soon as she came downstairs, Samuel stood up from his chair, staring intently at her.