Chapter 418 Brainwashing
Meeting Tobias's cold, stern gaze, Amelia's heart skipped a beat.
She stammered in reply, "Dad, I didn't go anywhere."
Seeing her refuse to tell the truth, Tobias grew even more furious.
"You're still trying to deceive me! You haven't been home all this time, and now you come back looking like this."
"Tell me the truth - where have you been these past few days?"
Amelia already felt guilty, and now she was scared into trembling. "I, I just stayed at a friend's place for a few days."
In reality, she'd been staying in a bar's private room all this time.
Ever since Benjamin came back, she couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning in bed.
Even when she did fall asleep, she had constant nightmares.
Now that Dashiell had left, she hadn't been receiving psychological treatment lately.
Her mind was actually clearer than before.
But it was precisely this clarity that brought her tremendous pain.
In the thirty years of marriage to Magnus, she had always refused to admit that she'd done many things wrong.
Magnus said she was being unreasonable, but wasn't all of this caused by him not giving her enough security?
Preston said he resented Benjamin, even wished he would die.
But if she hadn't gotten pregnant with Benjamin, would Magnus have looked for other women?
Wasn't Benjamin hateful?
Why was everyone blaming her?
When she questioned all of this, it was Dashiell who kept helping her.
Dashiell told her she wasn't wrong - everyone else was wrong.
The world was too unfair to her, and everything was everyone else's fault.
From beginning to end, she was the most innocent one!
She used to firmly believe this.
But after Dashiell left, her mind became chaotic, as if two little people were living in her brain.
One said she did nothing wrong, the other said she'd been completely wrong all these years.
They argued endlessly in her head, giving her no peace.
A few days ago, she said she wasn't feeling well and wanted the household staff to call a doctor.
But the servants thought she was making things difficult for them like before.
She went to complain to Tobias, but he wouldn't even listen. He clutched his head saying it hurt and told her to talk about it later.
Everyone treated her like she was invisible, no longer believing what she said.
So in a fit of anger, she ran away from home, hoping to get her family's attention.
But Tobias immediately questioned her, his icy tone making her extremely uncomfortable.
She couldn't help but feel wronged.
Then she noticed that Sophia and Benjamin were also there, watching her calmly.
Tobias was scolding her in front of Sophia and Benjamin!
Amelia felt her face burning with shame and wanted to turn around and leave immediately.
But Tobias scolded her again: "Didn't I tell you to reflect on yourself at home? Can't you be more sensible? You're already in your forties, not a child anymore."
Dealing with his only daughter, Tobias felt a terrible headache.
Why did he end up with a daughter like this?
Amelia was actually acting like a child, running away from home!
Fortunately, he had sent people to secretly protect her and report on her situation.
Otherwise, he wouldn't know where to find her now.
And that wasn't all - Amelia even dared to lie to him!
These past few days, she wasn't at a friend's place at all - she'd been staying at a bar the whole time!
However, given that many guests were coming today, and with Sophia and Benjamin present, he didn't criticize Amelia too harshly.
He waved at her wearily, saying, "Go change your clothes first. The guests will be arriving soon - what would they think seeing you dressed like this?"
Amelia felt like she'd been granted a reprieve. She didn't even spare a glance at Sophia and Benjamin and immediately left.
Preston also felt conflicted - Amelia's condition was getting worse and worse.
Amelia used to be fine, but somehow she'd become like this.
He comforted Tobias: "Tobias, don't worry too much. Take care of your own health."
Tobias waved his hand and couldn't help but sigh, "Actually, I just hope she can behave herself. If I pass away, what will happen to her!"
Tobias's son had died of cancer years ago, and his daughter-in-law had started a new family with another man.
If he died, only Adelaide would be left to support the family.
Although Adelaide had a good personality, people's patience was limited.
When Adelaide eventually started her own family with a husband and children, would she still care about Amelia?
He was afraid he wouldn't be able to rest in peace!
"Tobias, today is your birthday party - how can you say such unlucky things!"
Sophia walked over and sat beside him, gently comforting him.
Having spent so many years in the business world, Tobias naturally wasn't superstitious.
But seeing Sophia's sincere expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"You really know how to please people. No wonder Preston and Benjamin both like you so much."
Hearing Tobias's praise, Sophia raised her chin without any modesty, "Of course! I'm so adorable, how could anyone not like me?"
As she spoke, she cupped her own face with her hands, her eyes curved in a smile that looked cute and endearing.
Tobias's cold heart finally warmed up a bit, and he laughed helplessly: "Who praises themselves like that?"
If only Amelia were half as sensible as Sophia...
No, even a third as sensible - he'd be satisfied with that.
Sophia laughed along, her dark grape-like eyes rolling as she tentatively asked, "Tobias, did you find a psychologist for Amelia like I asked you to?"
Hearing "Amelia's" name, Tobias's eyelid twitched hard.
And Sophia just blinked, looking playful yet innocent.
Forgive Sophia for really not being able to call Amelia "mom."
So she had to call her by name instead.
Benjamin and Preston's expressions were also normal, as if this way of addressing her wasn't wrong at all.
Tobias sighed silently. It seemed Amelia was even less welcome in the White family than he'd imagined!
However, he wasn't angry.
After all, he knew better than anyone what Amelia had done.
Any other family would have kicked her out twenty-some years ago.
The White family had already done more than enough for her.
He sighed: "I did, but she refuses treatment. She says she'll only accept treatment from that Dr. Blackwell from before."
He had no idea what kind of spell that Dashiell had cast on her to make her so dependent.
Sophia and Benjamin weren't surprised though. Dashiell's hypnosis skills were very advanced - getting someone to let down their guard was easy for him.
Besides, he'd been treating Amelia for over twenty years.
Over these years, what he'd done to Amelia probably couldn't just be described as hypnosis anymore.
More accurately, it should be called brainwashing.