Chapter 36 Her Confidence
When they reached the restaurant, Felix parked at the entrance. A respectful doorman came over to open the door for Amelia, who stepped out and gave the attendant her private room number. The staff member politely escorted Amelia to her private dining area.
The door to the private room was ajar, so Amelia could hear the banter inside from her spot not too far away.
"Mr. Hastings is taking time out of his busy schedule to pick up Amber. Must be true love," someone teased within.
Frederick's voice was cool and detached. "It's just on my way."
The hostess walking in front of Amelia stopped abruptly as Amelia pulled her aside and gestured for her to leave.
Heeding the signal, the hostess didn't continue forward.
The voices from the room persistently carried on.
"The relationship between Mr. Hastings and Amber is such a pity."
"If Mrs. Brittany hadn't objected back then, you and Amber would surely be a loving couple."
Amelia paused mid-step, curious about how Frederick would respond.
However, no sound came from him. Instead, Amber's gentle voice said, "Let it be, that's all in the past now. Frederick is married, so please stop joking about me and him. If his wife comes by and hears this talk, she might get angry."
Amber's voice carried a note of conciliation.
Perhaps because Frederick didn't take a stance, his former classmates grew bolder in their comments.
"What are you afraid of, Amber? Everyone knows Mr. Hastings was forced to marry her."
"You are the one Mr. Hastings truly loves. Isn't that right?"
Hearing this exchange, a hint of mockery flickered in Amelia's eyes as she turned on her heel and strode away from the private room.
After parking the car, Felix entered the restaurant and brushed past Amelia. Before he could react, she had already stepped into a taxi and departed.
Slightly bewildered, Felix quickly headed towards the private room.
Inside, the atmosphere was strange.
Frederick sat with a detached air while Amber was pale-faced to one side.
Her classmates were all silent as if they had done something wrong.
Felix knocked and stepped inside.
Upon seeing Felix alone, Frederick's expression was unchanged as he asked, "Where is she?"
Felix bowed his head and whispered, "Didn't Mrs. Hastings come into the room just now?"
At this, Frederick felt a surge of irritation.
Just moments before, they were teasing him about his past feelings for Amber.
These people showed no mercy, bluntly ridiculing Amelia in front of him, which he found exceedingly unpleasant.
Upon hearing Felix mention that Amelia had stopped by earlier, Frederick's gaze grew even darker and more brooding. He glanced at everyone present, then stood up.
Seeing this, Amber quickly reached out and grabbed Frederick's arm.
"Frederick, where are you heading?"
Frederick coldly removed Amber's hand from his arm.
"If my mother knew the kind of students she cultivated turned out to lack such refinement, she'd likely disdain my associating with you all."
With that, he walked out of the private room.
Felix hurried after him.
Amber stood there, somewhat in disbelief.
The man who just spoke had panic written all over his face and quickly said, "Amber, what's gotten into Mr. Hastings?"
Amber's face turned pale, and with a hint of resentment, she glanced at him.
"Regardless, she's Frederick's wife. Even if there's no love between Frederick and her, he would never tolerate you all insulting her.
"What you said just now was indeed too much."
Everyone fell silent.
After Frederick's departure, a few classmates who were not particularly close to Amber also left.
The remaining students had a better personal relationship with Amber.
Amelia didn't head back to Spring Villa after leaving the restaurant. Even though Frederick had moved all his belongings out of Spring Villa, they were still not divorced, so Frederick could return whenever he wished, and Mary wouldn't stop him.
She got into her car and headed straight for Rachel's private residence at Cakeel Apartment.
Amelia dared not go back to the Davis Manor.
Vincent's mood had only recently gotten better, and she didn't want to worry him.
Near Cakeel Apartment, Amelia waited at the entrance for quite a while but saw no sign of Rachel. So she called Rachel.
Amelia rarely visited Rachel's place, so she didn't know the passcode.
"Rachel, are you coming back to Cakeel Apartment tonight?
"I'd like to stay over for a bit," she said, gripping her phone tight, fearing Rachel might refuse.
Then, a cool voice came through the phone with a string of numbers.
Amelia tried the numbers on the keypad, and the door popped open.
After giving out the code, Rachel hung up.
Amelia pursed her lips and entered the apartment.
She had just sat down on the couch when Frederick's call came through. She stared at the phone screen for a while but ultimately chose not to answer.
Frederick only called once, and she didn't answer, but her phone never rang again.
After attending a party, Rachel immediately returned to the Cakeel Apartment, bringing some food back for Amelia.
Throughout the evening, she never asked Amelia what had happened between her and Frederick.
Amelia didn't know how to broach the subject, so they both avoided talking about Frederick.
They chatted for a long time. The phone rang with Mary on the other end, causing Rachel to rise from the couch and say leisurely, "You take the call, I'm going to head to my room and rest."
Amelia nodded and answered Mary's call.
As the phone connected, Mary's concerned voice came through. "Mrs. Hastings, the party is still not over?"
Amelia replied calmly, "I'm at Rachel's place. I won't be coming back for a few days."
There was a pause before Mary spoke again, "Are you planning to stay at Ms. Rachel Davis's for an extended period?"
"It's not permanent," Amelia assured her, "I'll return after a while."
Amelia wanted some distance from Frederick because of the tension she felt due to Amber, which made her feel especially oppressed around him.
She certainly intended to return to Spring Villa since it belonged to her, and she was accustomed to living there.
Mary didn't press further. Instead, she simply said, "Then you should rest early. I won't keep you any longer."
"Alright."
With that, Amelia hung up the phone and walked towards the guest room.
Once inside, she discovered that Rachel had already prepared all the daily necessities for her. The wardrobe was filled with clothes chosen according to her style.
Rachel must have anticipated Amelia's departure from Spring Villa and prepared accordingly.
Amelia felt touched by this realization. Rachel seemed like her safeguard, always there to offer protection, no matter the circumstance.
Back at Spring Villa, Mary put away the phone and cautiously spoke to the man sitting on the couch, "Mr. Hastings, Mrs. Hastings says she'll be staying at Ms. Rachel Davis's place for a while."
Frederick's face showed little emotion as he nodded slightly, "I'm aware."
His voice was remarkably calm, as if where Amelia stayed or whether she returned at all had nothing to do with him.
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