Chapter 39
“Don’t…” Elizabeth, still somewhat conscious, grabbed Amelia’s arm and asked, “How are you feeling? Aren’t you feeling hot?”
“Hot? Of course. The wine you have at your place is something else. It feels like my body is on fire. It’s unbearable,” Amelia said, shaking her head. “I just feel like taking my clothes off. Elizabeth, are you hot?”
Hearing that, Elizabeth felt a bit relieved. “Not anymore. I’m cold.”
“Take my jacket then,” Amelia said, dropping her purse on the ground and shrugging off her coat to drape it over Elizabeth’s shoulders. “I’m hot, you’re cold–problem solved.”
Elizabeth was left speechless. She wasn’t cold. She was hot–burning, in fact. The wine tonight was really something else. But to avoid raising Amelia’s suspicions, she kept the jacket on.
“Elizabeth, I’m still so hot,” Amelia murmured, pretending to unbutton her shirt collar.
Seeing this, Elizabeth felt her heart skip a beat with excitement and thought, ‘Come on, take it all off!’
Then, as if struck by a jolt of electricity at the thought of “what might happen next“, a wave of heat surged through her body. She pondered, ‘Oh no, now I’m thinking about it too…’
“Wait here, Elizabeth. I’ll go wash my face and cool down,” Amelia suddenly said, abandoning the idea of undressing and walking away.
Elizabeth wanted to stop her, but her body felt weak and uncooperative. Her muddled mind screamed, ‘It’s so hot. So unbearable… I need…a man.’
In her blurry state, a pair of strong hands suddenly gripped her waist. Without hesitation, she threw her arms around the man and kissed him passionately.
Meanwhile, Amelia hurried away from the sculpture by the pond. Aaron rushed up to her and asked, “Mrs. Kingsley, are you…”
“I’m fine,” she replied, her face pale as she patted her chest, still shaken. “That wine definitely had something in it. Elizabeth’s already feeling it.”
“What happened over there, Mrs. Kingsley?” Aaron asked, having a vague idea but needing confirmation. It puzzled him–this was, after all, a party hosted by the prestigious Young family, yet someone still had the audacity to make a scene.
“I’m not sure if it was Zachary or Henry, but this plan of theirs took effort. We can’t let it go to waste. Get someone over there, quickly,” Amelia urged.
Amelia figured that if someone showed up and exposed the truth–that it wasn’t her but Elizabeth–it would ruin all her carefully laid plans.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this,” Aaron replied, gritting his teeth with a sneer. He signaled to a group of waitstaff. “Mrs. Kingsley’s purse was left by the sculpture near the pond. Go look for it right away.”
“Yes, Sir,” one of the waitstaff replied, unaware of what was really going on. Dutifully, they headed to the sculpture. And once they started searching, they found more than they had bargained for.
Behind the sculpture, Elizabeth was locked in an intense embrace with a young man. Both of them were utterly engrossed, their heavy breath punctuated by muffled moans.
Clothes were scattered all over the ground–jackets, shirts, underwear. The scene was far more vivid than anything one would see in a “movie“.
Meanwhile, the main hall’s drinking session was wrapping up. Henry, accompanied by Devon and others, stepped outside. Seeing them, Amelia quickly hid in the shadows as Aaron called out loudly, “Have you found it yet?”
“Find what?” Henry asked, feigning ignorance.
Aaron’s eyes darted nervously. “Mrs. Kingsley misplaced her purse, and we’re looking for it.”
“Oh? Amelia’s purse is no ordinary purse. Let’s all help look for it,” Henry said, striding purposefully toward the sculpture near the pond.
The guests began speculating that Amelia’s purse might contain confidential information from Kingsley Group. If it was lost, everyone at the party could fall under suspicion. Not wanting to appear guilty, they all followed Henry toward the sculpture.
The group hadn’t even made it to the back of the sculpture when they heard unmistakable moaning sounds. Everyone froze and exchanged awkward glances. One of them wondered, ‘What the hell… Who’s shameless enough to do it out here in broad daylight?’
“There’s someone here.” Henry had already spotted Amelia’s purse. His face lit up, and he darted forward like a sprinter, phone in hand and ready to record. “Who’s there?” he barked, his voice sharp.
Hearing him, the couple having sex finally stopped. The man, who was still in the tight embrace, turned his head, revealing his face.
“Zachary?” Henry shouted, too caught up in the moment to even notice the scattered clothes on the ground. “How dare you touch a woman from the Kingsley family? Let go of Amelia right now.”
“Huh? Are you looking for me, Henry?” Amelia’s calm voice came from behind. She strolled over, perfectly dressed and impeccably made up as if she had just stepped out of a fashion magazine.
Henry was dumbfounded. “You… You’re here? But how?”
“I went to find my purse,” she replied, her face a picture of confusion. “What’s going on over here?”
Henry’s gut churned with unease, and he thought, ‘I watched her and Elizabeth drink that spiked wine. If Amelia’s fine…then who the hell is with Zachary?’
Zachary froze and wondered, ‘Wait… The one I’m with isn’t Amelia? Then…who is it?’ He turned his head, and the sight of a flirtatious older woman’s face sent a shiver down his spine.
Instantly, his body went limp, and he slid off her in horror. He thought, ‘Isn’t this Elizabeth… Oh hell no. It is Elizabeth. I was going all out…with an old woman?’
As soon as Zachary scrambled off, the others finally got a clear view of the woman’s face–it was Elizabeth.
Henry’s face turned every shade of red and green imaginable. Without a word, he rushed forward, grabbed the clothes from the floor, and hurried to drape them over Elizabeth.
Elizabeth’s mind cleared gradually, and the chaotic scene before her made everything obvious–Amelia had tricked her. Rage bubbled up inside her, but Elizabeth forced herself to stay composed, understanding that this wasn’t the right moment to lash out.
‘I’ve been widowed for years–what’s wrong with sleeping with a man? Who does it bother, anyway? Besides…’ Elizabeth pondered as she glanced over at Zachary, whose face was as dark as a thundercloud. A sly smile tugged at her lips as she mused, ‘Young men really do have stamina.’
“Alright, show’s over. Let’s go,” someone murmured, and soon, everyone began to scatter.
Amelia picked up her purse, ready to leave with Aaron. She figured the show had reached its conclusion–everything had gone smoothly, and what happened next had nothing to do with her.
Just then, a sharp slap echoed, followed by Henry’s furious roar. “You bastard…”
Immediately after, Zachary’s panicked defense came. “I didn’t know it was Ms. Young-”
“Are you blind? Can’t you see?” Henry cut him off.
Zachary tried to respond, “I…”
The argument grew more distant as Amelia got into the car, her heart still racing. Only when she sat down did she dare to take deep breaths.
Aaron fumed. “Mr. Henry is way out of line. Teaming up with outsiders to scheme against his own family? Unbelievable.”
Amelia took a sip of water to calm herself, too shaken to speak. She reflected, ‘Good thing I stayed alert today and swapped Elizabeth’s drink with mine. Otherwise, I’d be the one making a fool of myself right now.’
‘As the new Mrs. Kingsley, if I’d been caught having sex with my ex–boyfriend, not only would the Kingsley family have thrown me out, but I’d also become a laughingstock in Norava. And Zachary? He wouldn’t have spared me either.
‘This whole stunt of his–what else could it be but a ploy to force me back to him, bringing the Stonefield land with me?”
Aaron gritted his teeth and said, “Mrs. Kingsley, I’ll make sure to report today’s incident to Mr. Kingsley. He won’t let this slide for you.”
Amelia gulped down half a bottle of water before she finally calmed down. “That won’t be necessary. I don’t want to trouble him with this.”
“But why, Mrs. Kingsley?” Aaron raised an eyebrow.
“This is a personal grudge. I’ll handle it myself,” Amelia replied with a faint smile. “Didn’t I manage pretty well today?”
Aaron glanced at her pale face in the rearview mirror, sighed quietly, and wondered just how much she had been through to be this alert. Still, he didn’t press further and said, “I’ll drive you home then.”
Amelia nodded. “Alright.”
Once they were on the road, she leaned her head against the seat and watched the scenery outside the window.
Today felt like a battlefield, and Amelia had scraped by with a narrow victory. It was satisfying but exhausting. Zachary wasn’t ready to back off, and she knew more trouble would likely follow.
Right now, she could only hope Henry would sever ties with Zachary after he’d slept with his lover. After all, dealing with one angry person was far better than facing an angry mob.
“Aaron, did you get it on video?” Amelia asked suddenly.
Aaron nodded. “Yeah. I managed to film some of it.”
“Send it to me,” Amelia said.
“Sure,” Aaron replied.
Upon receiving the video, Amelia saved it immediately and sent it off to Sandra without hesitation.