Chapter 182 Does It Hurt?
Amelia said a name almost without thinking.
"Piper?"
Samuel was slightly stunned, then smiled.
"Are you a fortune teller?"
Amelia shook her head.
She just happened to talk to Maeve about Piper and Isaac today.
Plus, when Samuel mentioned an old lady waiting at the company entrance, she automatically thought of Piper.
Although Piper was only five or six years older than Natalie, she looked like an old lady because of years of hard labor and the fact that one's appearance reflects their heart - she was very mean-spirited.
So at first glance, she looked like an old lady.
"Did you arrest her?" Amelia asked.
Samuel said, "Not yet. Today she tried to follow my car, but she was riding an electric scooter and couldn't keep up."
Amelia thought for a moment and said, "She's not trying to watch you; she wants to watch me. Isaac still doesn't know I'm Ms. Richardson from the Richardson family, but he ran into me in your company lobby. He knows I know you, but doesn't know our exact relationship. Don't worry about her for now, just act like you haven't noticed her."
Samuel fell silent.
Amelia asked, "What's wrong?"
"That Isaac... do you have feelings for him?"
Because he investigated Piper, he learned that Amelia used to be Isaac's child bride.
Amelia was stunned.
She never expected that after all that silence, Samuel would only ask about this.
Could it be that he was blinded by love?
But that didn't seem like Samuel at all?
Amelia said helplessly, "I left the Reynolds family when I was a teenager. I didn't understand love back then. Isaac and I only met again this year, where would feelings come from?"
She couldn't even hate him enough.
"The information I found shows he's pretty good-looking."
That was true.
Isaac's biggest advantage was his decent looks.
Piper was average-looking, but Amelia remembered that Piper's husband was quite handsome, though he died early.
Amelia smiled and said, "He used to be pretty handsome, but you haven't seen what he looks like now."
"Is he ugly now?"
"If you saw him, you wouldn't just use 'ugly' to describe him."
After a pause, she added, "I used drugs to ruin his face."
Samuel's eyes suddenly lit up.
"That's good then."
Amelia shook her head helplessly.
"Someone like you would actually see Isaac as a threat?"
"Any man related to you, I see as a threat."
Samuel asked again, "So what are you planning to do?"
"I met with Maeve today to discuss how to deal with that mother and son."
Samuel nodded, then took the initiative to explain, "I didn't deliberately investigate your relationship with Isaac. I found out by accident while checking on Piper."
Amelia said, "I know."
But she was surprised inside that he actually listened to her and didn't investigate her.
His heart warmed inexplicably.
She looked away, gazing out the car window. "Do you still remember that I'm afraid of dogs?"
Samuel said, "I remember. That day I brought Lyric to your house, you got scared, so I took him back."
Amelia then explained why she was afraid of dogs.
Samuel's dark eyes suddenly deepened and grew cold.
"Damn Isaac!"
He asked her, "Did it hurt?"
Amelia wanted to laugh a little.
"How many years has it been? How could it still hurt? It's not like I had a leg bitten off."
Samuel was silent for a second, then said, "I'm asking if it hurt back then."
Amelia's nose suddenly felt a bit sour.
Her throat moved up and down.
Back when that black dog bit her, no one asked if it hurt...
When Piper found out, she only said, "Good thing you didn't get a leg bitten off. If you'd been crippled, I would've raised you for nothing."
And now, Samuel, after so many years, was asking her if it hurt.
She felt like crying.
She pretended to rub her eyes casually.
"Amelia..." Samuel said again, "In front of me, you can show your true self."
But Amelia still forced the tears back.
She said, "That mother and son both deserve to die. Everyone in their village is a human trafficker. Even those who aren't traffickers are accomplices. There are quite a few women in the village who were all trafficked from outside."
"Do you need me to help rescue them?"
Amelia said, "Their village has a lot of people. If we send people, we'll be at a disadvantage. We might not catch them all. So... I want to use this opportunity to get the police involved."
Amelia had long wanted to rescue them.
But because of the Shadow Operations Division's special situation, and the village's large population.
If the Shadow Operations Division sent many people together, it would give the police an excuse to eliminate them too.
But if the police intervened in human trafficking, then the Shadow Operations Division wouldn't need to get involved.
Samuel said, "I'll do whatever you say. Whenever you need my help, just ask. We don't need to be polite with each other."
Amelia smiled slightly.
"Okay."
This time, she really did need Samuel's help.
Amelia suddenly spoke up, "Samuel, I have a lot of blood on my hands. If I can save them this time, when I go to hell later, should it reduce my sins a little?"
Samuel frowned tightly.
"Amelia, you won't go to hell. If someone really has to go to hell, I'll go in your place."
Amelia slowly clenched her hands, but quickly relaxed them again.
"Okay, then it's settled. If I really go to hell later, you'll go in my place."
"Okay."
The two smiled at each other, and in both their eyes, more things were taking root and sprouting.
They soon arrived at Rosevale Manor.
Samuel had hired someone special to feed Lyric.
Lyric didn't eat dog food, only meat.
And it ate raw beef.
So in less than half a month, it had doubled in size, no longer looking like the puppy it was before. All four legs had grown considerably.
Its fur was also shiny and smooth, gleaming golden in the sunlight.
Samuel said, "If I had known what happened to you, I shouldn't have gotten a golden retriever. I should've gotten a pit bull. Pit bulls don't let go once they bite down - not unless you beat them to death."
Amelia glanced at him.
"Didn't you say you found it? How did it become bought?"
Samuel shrugged.
"Oops, I let it slip."
But there was no panic in his eyes at all.
Amelia shook her head helplessly.
This man was sometimes really shameless, and she had no way to deal with him.
"Do you want to pet it?" Samuel grabbed Lyric by the scruff of its neck, and all four of Lyric's feet lifted up, staying still, exposing its round pink belly.
Amelia's fingers moved, but the childhood shadow still made her shake her head.
"Maybe later, when it's a bit bigger."
Samuel didn't insist, saying, "Then let's check out the recent training results."
As he spoke, he put Lyric down.
"Lyric! Shake!"
It actually lifted its paw.
The small, fluffy paw placed in Samuel's large, rough palm gave Amelia a soft feeling in her heart.
It was also the first time she felt something other than fear toward a dog.
Samuel gave another command.
"Lyric, spin!"
The puppy slowly started spinning, but after its eyes met Amelia's curious gaze, its dog eyes suddenly lit up, and it trotted happily toward Amelia.
Samuel was startled, afraid it would scare Amelia, and quickly reached to grab the puppy's tail.
But the puppy's tail slipped through Samuel's palm, and its head had already reached Amelia's feet.
Samuel was alarmed and hurried toward Amelia.
"It's okay..." Amelia said.
Although her body was a bit stiff, she still gathered her courage and reached out her hand.
She didn't touch the dog's head.
Because the puppy raised its head and licked her palm.
Amelia felt only a warm sensation in her palm, her whole body frozen, becoming even stiffer.
Samuel asked nervously, "Are you okay?"
Amelia shook her head.
"I don't seem to be as afraid of dogs anymore."
Samuel breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He glanced at the puppy and said, "Lyric seems to really like you."
Amelia looked at the puppy again.
The puppy's eyes were moist and looked very pure.
She encouraged herself mentally and reached out again.
This time, she finally touched the puppy's head.
Fluffy, like a stuffed toy, but softer than a stuffed toy.
She couldn't describe the exact feeling, but something in her heart seemed to soften along with it.
The puppy seemed to enjoy her touch, wagging its tail happily.
"You don't need to rush. Take it step by step. Next time, you can try holding it," Samuel said.
Amelia didn't refuse.
Most of the shadow dogs that had cast over her heart were already gone.
After staying for another half hour, Amelia was ready to go back.
"I'll take you."
Amelia nodded.
On the road, Samuel suddenly said, "I really envy Lyric."
Amelia glanced at him.
"The head of Crawford Group, jealous of a dog? Are you flexing on me right now?"
"Flexing? I only know the Palace of Versailles."
"You could try going online once in a while, or you'll sound like a boomer."
Samuel said, "Okay."
He asked again, "Do you know why I envy it?"
Amelia instinctively felt it wasn't anything good and shook her head directly. "I don't know, and I don't want to know."
But Samuel spoke anyway.
"I envy it because you can gather your courage to get close to it and overcome your fear. But with me, you haven't gathered that courage yet."
"But it's okay, I'm not in a hurry. We'll take it step by step. Next time, you can try touching my head. My hair is very soft too."
The car soon arrived at the Richardson Manor.
Samuel had other things to handle, so he didn't deliberately delay on the road.
When getting out, Amelia didn't immediately close the door. Instead, she held onto it and asked, "Samuel, what kind of food do you like?"
Samuel was stunned, joy in his eyes.
"You're going to cook for me?"
"Just answer my question."
"As long as you make it, I'll like it."
"Be serious. If you don't say, I won't cook."
Samuel quickly said, "I like spicy food. But not super spicy, just a little bit spicy is best."
Amelia nodded.
"Okay, got it."
"When will you cook for me?"
But Amelia didn't answer. She just closed the car door and walked toward the house.