Chapter 275 Reunion
Natalie had prepared gifts not just for Amelia, but for everyone else too.
So when the two of them came downstairs, their hands were full of stuff.
The gifts were handed out one by one, and everyone was happy.
Liam also pulled out gifts from his pocket and gave them to his younger brothers and sisters, even Faith got one.
"I didn't expect to get a gift too," Faith said.
Amelia smiled and said, "Because we're family."
Faith's eyes got a little red.
She thought of her own parents.
Her relationship with them was distant.
This whole year, the three of them hadn't even seen each other once.
Her mother was in Teryndor, her father in Mirellia, each running their own food business.
If it weren't for her grandfather Octavius who loved her, she would feel like an orphan.
"My parents might get divorced this year," Faith said quietly to her.
Amelia was slightly surprised, but not very shocked.
The reason Faith's relationship with her parents was so distant was because her parents didn't get along.
When a couple doesn't get along, how could their family of three be like a normal family?
Amelia didn't say meaningless things like telling her to look on the bright side. She just said, "My parents are your parents, and also, now you have one more person who loves you."
Faith nodded and said, "Yes! When Byron and I have a child, I'll definitely treat her really well. And then have a few more, so she won't be like me, an only child, all alone. I want to be like you, let the kids have lots of brothers and sisters."
Amelia laughed, "Let's wait until you have your first one. What if after having one, you're so annoyed you don't want any more?"
"True."
As they chatted, Faith relaxed.
Over there, Samuel had played several rounds of Bridge, leaving Grant frustrated from losing.
"I've lost all my money."
Samuel's lips curved slightly. He came over to Amelia and openly stuffed all his winnings into her hands.
Amelia didn't refuse. She smiled as she took it and even waved it at Grant.
Grant was so angry he gritted his teeth, but there wasn't a trace of real anger in his eyes.
"Keep going!" He wasn't ready to give up.
Samuel said, "I'm going to smoke first, take a break. Later I'll have Amelia play."
Then he said, "Amelia, come outside with me while I smoke?"
Amelia nodded.
The two of them put on their coats and went outside.
But Samuel didn't smoke. He just asked her, "What did Mrs. Richardson say to you?"
"Nothing."
Amelia felt a bit guilty for a moment.
Samuel looked at her steadily.
Amelia had to tell the truth, "Mom asked if I wanted to take medicine."
Samuel looked confused, "What medicine?"
Amelia's face turned red, and she stammered, "Just, just birth control pills."
Samuel's eyes flickered slightly.
Amelia was afraid he'd misunderstand, so she explained, "My mom doesn't dislike you, she's just worried about my reputation."
Even though they were already engaged, getting pregnant before marriage would still invite gossip.
Especially in their circle, people loved to talk about this kind of thing.
And this kind of thing was usually worse for the woman.
But Samuel smiled and said, "Don't worry, I didn't misunderstand, it's just..."
When he didn't continue, Amelia got a bit anxious and asked, "Just what?"
"Actually yesterday,"
He leaned down and whispered in Amelia's ear.
After hearing it, Amelia's face instantly turned as red as if it had been burned.
It turned out that at the last moment, Samuel hadn't finished inside.
No wonder she felt sticky on her legs at the time.
"So, don't worry. And tell Mrs. Richardson not to worry either."
He wouldn't let her bear the stigma of getting pregnant before marriage.
And he wouldn't give anyone a chance to say that Amelia only married into the Crawford family because of a pregnancy.
Amelia nodded with a red face.
Just then, Liam came out with a serious expression.
"Samuel, Amelia, have you seen the news online?"
Amelia and Samuel hadn't looked at the news online.
First, they had already guessed what would happen.
Second, they didn't have the time to go online - they were busy rushing over to see everyone.
Hearing Liam say this, Amelia took out her phone.
Sure enough, they saw several long trending topics that had just jumped to the top.
"Stanley critically ill, suspected foul play."
"Zachary returns home to visit, blocked at airport for over 48 hours."
Several topics, directly or indirectly, pointed to Stanley's critical condition being Samuel's doing.
And Zachary being blocked at the airport was also Samuel's work.
Amelia handed her phone to Samuel and said to Liam, "Liam, don't worry, this is all part of our plan."
She only said it was part of the plan, not the specific details.
Liam had nothing to do with this matter. She didn't want to drag him in, but she also didn't want him to worry.
Hearing this, Liam understood what she meant. His expression eased a bit, and he said, "Then I'll write a program so the family can't see these topics."
"Good."
That way everyone at home wouldn't worry about them.
And it would be troublesome to explain later.
Besides, things would be resolved soon anyway.
The three of them went back inside, and Liam went off to work on his "program."
Creating a program to prevent the family from seeing these topics would only take him an hour.
Not difficult.
Just a bit of a hassle.
Meanwhile, Amelia was called over to the table by Grant.
"Come quick! I want to win back what I lost."
Amelia said with a smile, "Then I'm afraid you'll regret calling me over."
"We haven't even started yet, you're talking too soon."
Before long, Jeremy arrived too.
He brought a trunk full of gifts.
Samuel had been in a hurry to bring Amelia over this morning and came empty-handed, so he had Jeremy go buy gifts.
Everyone got two gifts.
Grant got a pen and a tie.
The pen wasn't an ordinary pen - it had diamonds on the cap and was worth two hundred and eighty thousand dollars.
If even Grant got such an expensive gift, what about Natalie and Quinton?
Natalie told Samuel not to buy such expensive gifts in the future, but Quinton said, "He's marrying our daughter, no gift is too expensive."
Quinton's words were half joking, half serious.
At first, his feelings for Amelia were actually more unfamiliar than anything else.
Men can't be like women - they haven't experienced pregnancy, so they don't naturally come with that love.
Their feelings for their children have to be built up.
But during the time after his surgery when he was conscious, his feelings for Amelia gradually deepened.
Now he was already reluctant to let Amelia get married.
He was someone who seemed rigid but was actually very emotional.
He was afraid he would cry at the wedding.
Last night he even discussed with Natalie all evening whether he could skip the wedding.
Natalie of course said no and gave him an eye roll.
So today when he saw Samuel, Quinton wasn't very happy.
Samuel very obediently said, "Yes, I'm marrying your daughter, no matter how expensive the gifts are, I'm the one who's gained."
Seeing him being "sensible," Quinton's expression softened a bit.
"We're going out to buy groceries. You know this area well, so you drive," Quinton told Samuel.
Samuel immediately nodded, "Okay, I'll bring the car around. You all come out later, so you don't have to stand in the wind."
He couldn't wait to show off a bit more.
Amelia used to worry that Samuel would be arrogant in front of her family, but she never expected it would be like this.
She stopped worrying about Samuel and focused on playing cards with Grant.
At the same table were Byron and Lucas.
Lucas was someone with very good card manners - whether he won or lost, he was always smiling.
Byron cared even less about winning or losing.
Only Grant had a strong desire to win.
So when Amelia won a lot of points in the first round, Grant jumped up and called Mason for help.
Mason, being a businessman, had quick thinking and could count cards, helping Grant win some back.
But as soon as he gave his seat back to Grant, Grant quickly lost it all again.
By the time lunch was ready, the only loser was Grant.
"You're all bullying me."
Grant wiped his non-existent tears, then turned and handed Amelia a gift box.
"What is it?"
"Open it and see."
Amelia opened the box and found a pair of beautiful jeweled earrings.
They were set with many gemstones and clearly very valuable.
"Grant, you're so sweet."
Grant lifted his chin, "I asked everyone - except for what Mom gave you, mine is the most expensive gift. So when you get married, you have to let me be the MC."
So that's what he was after.
She agreed.
It would save them money on an MC anyway.
After lunch, Amelia and Samuel got up to leave.
They had to go to the hospital to take care of "business."
The public opinion hadn't fermented enough yet - they needed to push it along a bit more.
"Will you be back for dinner?" Natalie asked her.
Amelia said, "Yes, I'll stay here tonight."
After all, they weren't married yet, so it wouldn't be good to stay at Samuel's place.
Samuel's eyes darkened slightly, but he quickly smiled.
"I'll definitely bring Amelia back before dinner."
Natalie nodded and watched them leave.
"They really look good together," Liam said.
Natalie glanced at him and said, "You're not young anymore either. Are there any girls the right age at your new workplace?"
Liam's back stiffened slightly. He shook his head and said, "No."
But Natalie clearly sensed something.
"You're not telling the truth!"
"Alright, I won't push you. Just know what you're doing. Family background doesn't matter - good character is most important. If she has good character, bring her home so we can meet her."
Liam didn't respond to this and quietly walked away.
Actually, his situation wasn't settled yet.
The girl at work was his college classmate.
They'd had some contact before because of club activities, but after he returned to Goldenvale, they lost touch.
This time when they met, they recognized each other.
Plus they were both new to the workplace, so they interacted more than with other colleagues.
They'd even gone out to eat together.
But neither of them had brought up that topic yet - they only talked about work.
He wasn't sure if she liked him.
And he himself was a bit afraid to take that step.
The thing with Tessa had left him with a big emotional shadow.
He still needed some time.