Chapter 143 012
AMELIA stood at the head of the long conference table, her voice steady as she guided the room through projected figures and timelines. The boardroom was quiet and the people sat attentive, executives seated, notebooks open, eyes trained on her. This was her element. Calm. Controlled. Commanding.
Mid-sentence, her phone lit up on the table beside her laptop.
The vibration caught her eye.
She didn’t falter. Without missing a word, she reached for the phone, glanced at the caller ID, and subtly gestured to Ryan. He understood immediately. Stepping forward, he took the phone from her hand as she continued speaking, unbothered, unfazed.
Ryan excused himself quietly and slipped out of the room, lifting the phone to his ear.
The meeting went on.
Amelia concluded her presentation minutes later, answered a few questions, and returned to her seat with a polite nod. As another executive rose to take the floor, Ryan reentered the room.
Amelia saw his face. The color had drained from it. His steps were hurried, his jaw tense.
Something was wrong.
Keeping her expression neutral, she waited for the presenter to begin, then raised her hand slightly.
“If you will excuse me,” she said softly. “I will be right back.”
She stood and walked out, heels clicking briskly against the polished floor. Ryan followed closely behind, pulling the door shut once they were outside.
“What is wrong?” she asked at once.
“The boys’ school just called,” Ryan whispered. “Gabriel was involved in an accident.”
Amelia’s heart lurched violently in her chest.
“What?” Her eyes widened, breath catching.
“Hey— calm down, please,” Ryan said quickly. “It is a minor accident. Just a cut on his left hand.”
She exhaled sharply, her gaze darting back to the boardroom door.
“Oh God.” She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to steady herself.
“They have taken care of it already,” Ryan continued. “He is fine now. But they want you to come take him home. He can’t continue classes in that state.”
Her eyes widened again.
“Why didn’t they call his father?”
“They actually did—”
“Yes?” she cut in, hope flickering.
“But he reported out of town,” Ryan said gently. “He is not in the city at the moment. So he told them to contact you.”
Amelia’s shoulders sagged.
“Oh God… I can’t leave now, Ryan. What am I going to do?” Her voice trembled as she glanced back toward the meeting room.
“Call Charles,” Ryan said immediately. “If he is not busy.”
Her face brightened instantly, like light breaking through clouds.
“Oh— yes.” She nodded rapidly. “Yes, of course. Place the call immediately. I don’t think he will be that busy.”
Ryan didn’t hesitate. He scrolled through her contacts, stopped, and tapped the call button.
The line rang once.
Then twice.
They stood there, side by side, waiting for him to pick up.
He picked up after a few rings, and Amelia didn’t wait for Ryan to say a word. She snatched the phone from his hand and pressed it to her ear.
“Babe?” she called, her voice already strained.
“Hey, baby,” Charles replied. “You good? You sound panicked.”
She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“You aren’t far from the truth. I need you to help me run something right now— like, now, please. Are you that busy?”
“No, honey,” he said almost instantly, without hesitation, without thinking it.
Relief flooded her chest.
“Thank God.”
“What is wrong?”
“Gabriel was involved in an accident at school—”
“What—” he interrupted sharply.
“A minor accident,” she rushed to clarify. “A cut on his hand. The school has taken care of it already, but they want him taken home. I’m in the middle of something very important, Charles. I’m in a meeting. Can you please do this for me?”
Silence.
Not the reassuring kind.
Amelia’s brows knitted as she stared at the blank wall in front of her. Ryan stood close, watching her face carefully, already sensing the shift.
“Charles?” she called softly. “Are you there?”
“Oh— yes. Yes, I’m here,” he said at last. “Sorry about that.”
She waited.
“Well…” he continued, his tone changing, growing hesitant. “Can’t you send one of your sales reps? Or better still, that assistant of yours, Ryan, right? I’m actually busy. I didn’t realize on time.”
The words landed like a slap.
“What?” Amelia gasped.
Her head snapped toward Ryan, who stared back at her, equally stunned.
“Charles?” she called again, disbelief creeping into her voice.
“I mean, it is not like it’s anything serious,” he added quickly. “It’s just a cut, right? The school already handled it. I have something important too, Amelia. I can’t just drop everything.”
Her throat tightened.
Ryan shifted uncomfortably.
“Ma’am—” he began quietly.
Amelia raised a hand to silence him, her eyes still fixed on the phone.
“You said you weren’t busy,” she said slowly, carefully. “You said that.”
“I know,” Charles replied. “But something just came up. You understand, right?”
She didn’t answer immediately.
Her fingers curled tighter around the phone, her knuckles whitening. In her chest, something small but sharp twisted painfully.
“It’s my son we are talking about here, Charles,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper. “He is scared. He is hurt.”
Another pause.
“I get that,” Charles said, but his voice lacked urgency. “I really do. But I don’t see why this has to be me.”
The words echoed.
Ryan looked away.
“Charles?” She was forced to call in alarm.