Chapter 46 On the Verge of An Outbreak
Seeing Amelia's calm demeanor, without a hint of the winner's joy, Nicole raised an eyebrow.
"Aren't you happy? You defeated her without even showing up."
Amelia's expression remained unchanged.
"I don't feel anything."
In this complicated web of emotions, she was not the victor.
She had been secretly in love with Frederick for years, and they had been married for three. But she had never truly captured Frederick's heart.
How could she consider herself a winner?
Nicole paused, then asked, "Is there really no way to continue your marriage with him?"
Amelia nodded.
Entering the elevator, Nicole fell silent.
Amelia did not speak either.
The events that had unfolded in the hospital the night before were too sensational.
Whether in the patient rooms or the doctor's offices, there were discussions everywhere.
As Brittany's god-granddaughter, everyone wanted to get some information from Amelia.
But Amelia consistently stated that she didn't know anything about it.
At the end of the workday, colleagues still approached her out of curiosity.
Everyone was fascinated by the Hastings family, a family of such prominence.
"I really don't know about Mr. Hastings and Ms. Roberts's situation. I'm not close with Mr. Hastings."
No sooner had she finished speaking than she felt the temperature in the room drop slightly.
The colleague also noticed something was off and turned to look at the office entrance, finding Frederick standing there coldly.
She paused, embarrassed.
Now that Amber was discharged, it was clear Frederick had come for Amelia. She turned to Amelia, her eyes seemingly asking, "You two aren't close?"
If they weren't close, why did Frederick come to the hospital to see her?
Frederick spoke calmly, "I hope I'm not interrupting your conversation."
Her colleague quickly shook her head, "Not at all. I have to run, anyway." She swiftly exited Amelia's office after speaking.
Amelia shut down her computer and looked composedly at Frederick as he entered her office. "Mr. Hastings, can I help you with something?"
She sat in her chair while Frederick stood in front of her desk. He was already quite tall, and now he towered over her, his gaze fixed on her. The intense feeling of being overpowered made Amelia uncomfortable.
"Aren't we close?" he asked.
They had been married for three years.
Yet Amelia had told her colleague that they weren't close.
Amelia paused for a moment, staring at Frederick's cold yet handsome face for a long time. "Mr. Hastings, are you criticizing me for not acknowledging our relationship in front of my colleague?"
Frederick's gaze turned icy. "Grandma asked me to pick you up for dinner at the Hastings Manor."
"Okay," Amelia agreed.
Frederick looked at her meaningfully. "I'll wait for you downstairs."
He left after speaking, and Amelia didn't respond. She stood up and went to the storage room to change out of her work clothes.
Nicole arrived at the storage room just as Frederick left. "He was here for you?"
Amelia nodded, "Yes."
Nicole whispered, "That's odd. If he used to come to the hospital for Amber, and now that Amber has been discharged, why does he still come here? Could it be..."
Amelia cut her off, "Grandma sent him to take me back to the Hastings Manor for dinner."
Nicole nodded in understanding, remembering how Brittany came to the hospital last night to scold Amber. Although Brittany had prevailed, she was, of course, older and must have been quite annoyed.
After changing, Amelia left the hospital.
Downstairs, Frederick had his car parked at the front door. Amelia walked over, opened the backseat door, and got inside.
Nicole came out in time to see Amelia get into Frederick's car. But Amelia sat in the backseat, a physical distance away from Frederick's driver's seat that seemed to mirror the distance in their relationship.
Neither Frederick nor Amelia spoke on the way.
At the Hastings Manor, Brittany waited in the living room for Frederick and Amelia. Upon seeing the two walk in together, Brittany waved at Amelia.
"Amelia, come sit next to me," Brittany beckoned.
Amelia nodded and walked over to sit beside Brittany. As all the servants of Hastings Manor gathered in the living room, Frederick's gaze hardened with seriousness.
"Do you have some major announcement?" he inquired, fixing his probing eyes on Brittany.
Brittany ignored him, turning her attention to Amelia. "Amelia, did you bring the agreement?"
Amelia nodded, pulled out the divorce papers from her bag, and handed them to Brittany.
Frederick's intense gaze turned chilly as he saw Amelia retrieve a document from her bag. He looked at Amelia sternly, but she avoided eye contact and softly said to Brittany, "Grandma, please review the terms of the agreement."
Brittany didn't peruse the contents of the agreement but instead placed it in front of Frederick. "Sign it."
Frederick let out a sarcastic chuckle, adjusting his tie while his icy stare masked his irritability. "You've always refused to divorce, why the sudden change of heart?"
Amelia smiled, "Isn't this the outcome you've wanted?"
At her words, Frederick was at a loss for a response. He coldly picked up the agreement and started scrutinizing every clause, his expression growing ever more frigid.
The servants around were so tense they barely dared to breathe, all bowing their heads.
"2 billion dollars?" he asked.
"Yes," Amelia confirmed with a nod.
Frederick scoffed derisively, "You're not going after 10 billion dollars anymore?"
Her voice steady, Amelia replied, "That amount is too high. it would prolong the divorce proceedings. I'd like to end this marriage as soon as possible."
Frederick asked coldly, "Why? Have you already found someone else to marry?"
Amelia remained silent.
Persistent, Frederick continued his interrogation, "Who is it? Daniel? Or a colleague from your hospital?"
Brittany, witnessing his apparently excessive attitude, tapped her cane on the floor in disapproval. "Enough! Even if Amelia has found someone else to marry, what's it to you? You've been the one unwilling to sign. Don't you want to divorce anymore?"
A flicker of surprise flashed in Frederick's eyes, but it was swiftly diluted by dismissive laughter. "Of course not. 2 billion is too little. To avoid any regrets later, I'll give you 4 billion dollars." He said this as he slammed the divorce agreement onto the table and picked up his coat from the chair next to him.
The agreement had some loopholes. He was concerned that after the divorce, she might sue him again for a share of the assets acquired post-marriage. "Once the Hastings Group's lawyers have filled in the gaps, I'll give you the agreement to sign. Take this one with you for now."
He stood up briskly, glancing at Brittany. "There's still business to attend to at the office. I won't be staying to have dinner with you tonight."
Amelia paused, watching Frederick's retreating figure for a long time before she could snap back to reality.
Brittany frowned, flipping through the document on the table.
The agreement clearly stated that Amelia was entitled to two billion dollars and would no longer lay claim to any post-marital wealth. But Frederick refused to sign.
Brittany read over the agreement for a long time, a knowing smile eventually playing on her lips.
"Don't worry, Amelia. I'll make sure the lawyers draft the agreement quickly for you to sign," she reassured.
Was he having second thoughts about the divorce?
That was out of the question.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
