132 Brunch
Amelie fidgeted with a rectangular glossy envelope in her hands, still reluctant to open it.
It was delivered to her by a private delivery service this morning and she instantly knew what was inside wedding invitation. Richard’s wedding.
a
‘I can’t believe he had the nerve to invite both Liam
and me. Shameless. And his wedding is in Paris on top of everything. His childish attempts to sting me only continue to disappoint me more.”
She let out a sigh, furrowed her brows, and finally opened the envelope, retrieving a shiny white piece of plastic, beautifully decorated with elegant white lace and powdered white miniature pearls arranged in little flower patterns.
‘Pearls,‘ a bitter thought flashed through her mind, I thought that woman would force him to cover it with diamonds instead. After all, it seemed like the definition of her taste was ‘money“”
Amelie’s eyes scanned the cursive letters on the invitation and the moment they stopped at the final
11:49
1.G
132 Brunch
word, she couldn’t help but stretch her lips into a grin.
‘He really wants to go all out with this one; even promises private jets to all the guests… Does he truly love that woman so much? What is really there that I
am not able to see?‘
Tossing the piece of plastic and the envelope aside, she slumped into the chair in her study and massaged her temples.
‘Liam said he didn’t mind accepting the invitation. If I have to be honest with myself, I don’t mind going to his wedding too. I want people to see that I don’t have an issue with Richard getting married to his mistress. I can even say that I no longer care about him. Unlike the two of them, I am genuinely happy and I want
everyone to see it too.‘
Her musings were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Carla stepped in, a smile of excitement on her youthful face as she announced.
“Mrs. Bennett, Miss Angelina Castillo is here to see
you.”
Amelie instantly rose from her seat and fixed her
11:49 —
2/15
132 Brunch
appearance. She had been waiting for this meeting since last night.
When Angelina canceled their brunch at a restaurant,
Amelie thought that it was because of Vanessa. It wasn’t really surprising that she would not want to cross Vanessa before she was sure that it was the right
time, but Amelie, too, had no time to waste.
Thus, when Angelina’s assistant notified her that the brunch was canceled because Angelina “was not in the mood to be around many people“, Amelie took a stand
and invited her to the Bennett mansion instead.
Thankfully, Angelina agreed and now she was sitting right next to Amelie, a small porcelain cup of tea in her elegant pale hands.
“I am really happy that you accepted my invitation today, Miss Castillo. I have been meaning to get to know you better since the first time we met.”
Angelina set the cup aside with a faint smile and
nodded. “Yes, we should have met like this a long time
ago, Mrs. Bennett. And please, call me Angelina. May I call you Amelie as well?”
“Yes, definitely.”
11:45
34
132 Brunch
Amelie felt relieved; calling each other by the first names meant that Angelina indeed wanted to be on her side but it also meant that she had her own agenda
for it too.
And, as expected, a smart woman like her didn’t wait
for Amelie to take the lead.
“So, Amelie… I assume you wanted to meet me because you need a favor from me, right? Elizabeth made a lot of effort to talk you up in front of me but I didn’t really need to hear her praise you that much. Someone who is trying to go against Vanessa Bennett is automatically my ally.”
Amelie smirked. Indeed, it was already working out well for her. “Yes, you are right. I want your social connections, Angelina. I want your friends to come to my side and support me instead of Vanessa.”
Angelina looked into her companion’s eyes and her lips curved into a friendly smile that successfully hid the true emotions behind it.
“Then, I suppose, you already know that the rumors. about my social circle are partially true. Yes, Vanessa thinks that all is forgiven and I am her dearest friend
11:49
4/6
132 Brunch
but it is actually far from reality. Of course, some people genuinely like her and treat her as their friend, but this is only because they still don’t know what a scheming snake she truly is.”
Although Amelie liked to see Angelina’s true colors, especially since they matched her own, she was rather surprised to hear such bitterness in her voice. Angelina moved a little closer to Amelie and added,
“I want Vanessa out of here. She was not supposed to come back in the first place, Oscar Bennett was too soft on her simply because she made a tragic scene of missing her diseased husband. But we both know what the real reason for her following Liam here was,
Amelie.”
Amelie raised her eyebrows, genuinely not catching the meaning behind the woman’s words. Angelina sighed.
“She wants the power that comes with being an active member of the Bennett family. As a widow, all she has is a bunch of the company shares, their mansion abroad, and some money left to her by Noah in his will. It wasn’t her to begin with but she is still not satisfied with it regardless. Once she got married to
11.400
56
132 Brunch.
Noah Bennett, her family moved her to the end of the inheritance line which means she can no longer claim a part in her family business as well.
She doesn’t like the quiet life of a wealthy widow, Amelie. She likes to have power; she likes to feel important.”
Amelie narrowed her eyes slightly. “Everything you have just said implies that I am the person she wants to get rid of. I know you have a bitter past with her because of your brother, but why do you want to get rid of her so badly?”