hapter 227
Chapter 227
“Sorry, I thought you were the Price family’s boy.”
Amelia’s words sounded polite, but her tone betrayed a flicker of sarcasm.
Talia felt a flicker of irritation but kept her expression perfectly calm.
She gestured for the servant to bring some coffee, but Amelia waved it off.
“No need. Coffee keeps me up at night. I’m only here to say a few things.”
Jocelyn quickly poured a glass of water and set it in front of Amelia with polite care.
Amelia gave her a glance, then turned to Talia. “So, I heard you volunteered yourself for the position. Think you’re a better fit to be my son’s wife?*
A glint flickered in Talia’s eyes. Her hand, hanging loosely by her side, tapped twice against her pocket, a signal she and Jocelyn had agreed on
beforehand.
The two had just been speculating if Yann was really married to Audrey, or if he hired her as a high–paid actress to play the role.
Jocelyn firmly believed Audrey wasn’t some delicate flower. She wouldn’t act sweet and submissive just to please a man. If she had, her marriage with Clayton wouldn’t have ended, and Valerie wouldn’t have had the chance to swoop in.
At Stride Commerce, Audrey had endured being pushed around by Edana and Serena, stayed silent, quietly gained ground, and ultimately became the company’s largest shareholder. That said everything about her strength and her edge.
Sure, Yann’s support helped.
But after what Talia saw on the 16th, it was clear. He gave Audrey a place to stay and arranged a maid, but beyond that, not much care or attention.
Their relationship was clearly transactional. Yann helped Audrey rise, and Audrey helped him keep certain things under wraps.
Now that Amelia had shown up in person, it was obvious that she knew what had gone down today.
“Ms. Smollett,” Talia said, her tone respectful but confident, “My father favors my younger brother as the family heir, but honestly, he’s not up to the task.
“My grandfather, on the other hand, believes in me. He’s willing to support me as long as I marry Mr. Winifred. That would give me access to his entire
network.
“I’m not claiming I could help Mr. Winifred build an empire from scratch, but I could absolutely…”
“Spare me the flattery,” Amelia interrupted coolly.
‘My son doesn’t need any of that!‘ she thought.
At the end of the day, Talia just wanted to hitch herself to a stronger horse, hoping that would force her father to hand over the reins of the family business.
Whether Edmund truly doted on his granddaughter or was just trying to use her to spur his grandson into shape, it was hard to say.
People who build empires don’t get there by being naive.
Better the grandson runs things into the ground slowly than let Talia’s future husband swallow the entire Price Group in one bite.
But none of that mattered to Amelia. What mattered was that her son had made his choice, and it was Audrey. And she liked the girl, too. No matter how powerful the Price family was, Talia could never replace Audrey.
Chapter 227
Amelia’s eyes wandered around the room, taking in the details.
Talia had clearly spared no expense. Every tile, painting, chandelier, and furniture had been chosen with care.
Talia followed her gaze, the smile on her lips growing more pronounced.
1
“Ms. Smollett, I know I’m not the perfect daughter–in–law you had in mind. But I am still a better match than Audrey. Let’s set aside ambition and ability for a moment. Just the fact that she’s been married before makes her a stain on Mr. Winifred’s image.”
Amelia turned sharply, eyes narrowing as they locked on Talia.
The chill in her gaze made Talia falter.
Then Amelia gave a cold smile. “By that logic, I was a stain on Richard tob, since I divorced before marrying him.”
Talia froze.
Only now did she realize her mistake. Amelia had been married before, and she’d completely overlooked that.
Trying to win her over had backfired spectacularly. She’d offended the very person she was trying to impress.
Cold sweat prickled down her back. In a panic, she subtly signaled Jocelyn with their agreed gesture to help her.
Amelia’s tone stayed calm, but her words were razor–sharp. “You don’t have to understand what another woman’s been through. But looking down on a divorced woman? You really think your own marriage is going to be perfect forever? No bumps? No chance it ends like mine?”
“Ms. Smollett, that’s not what Talia meant,” Jocelyn jumped in quickly, voice syrup–sweet with urgency. “You and Mr. Winifred divorced peacefully. Neither of you ever said a bad word about the other. You even praised each other publicly. It was just personality differences. Nothing ugly.
“But Audrey’s ex–husband is a problem. A shady lawyer with lawsuits up to his neck. He’s not going to let her go easily.
“And Mr. Winifred is running Darkshell, barely sleeping as it is. The last thing he needs is to get dragged into her baggage. If that can be avoided, isn’t that just practical?”
Jocelyn glanced at Talia.
“Exactly,” Talia echoed, forcing a nod. “That’s what I was trying to say.”
Amelia’s eyes flicked between the two women. “Are you seriously blaming the victim here? Her ex–husband’s a total loser. Says a lot about him, not her. If he keeps bothering her, that’s on him. What exactly did Audrey do wrong?”
Talia pressed her lips together. From the sarcastic tone in Amelia’s voice, it was obvious she was standing up for Audrey.
She knew Amelia didn’t want to offend Audrey because she was planning to marry Yann for personal gain.
But Amelia clearly hadn’t come with good intentions, and Talia wasn’t about to keep being polite to someone who obviously didn’t like her.
“Ms. Smollett, may I ask… why are you here today?”
“I just wanted to see for myself who had the nerve to claim they were better than my son’s wife.” Amelia glanced at her watch before turn
Talia.
.ck to
“You don’t beat her in looks or charm, and when it comes to character and values, you’re worlds apart. So tell me, where’d you get the confidence to try and take her place?”
“And you?” Amelia turned to Jocelyn.
Jocelyn’s smile faltered. The muscles in her cheeks twitched as she struggled to keep her expression steady.
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Chapter 227
Without another word, Amelia started walking out. “If you make things hard for Audrey, you’re making things hard for me. Think long and hard before you do something your family might not be able to handle.”
She didn’t even look back as she left.
Talia stood frozen for a long moment, like her feet were stuck to the ground. Then suddenly she snapped out of it, grabbed a cup, and threw it to the
floor.
“Why did she even come here? Just to humiliate me?”
Jocelyn looked tense too, but she kept her voice calm. “Don’t lose it.”
“I’m trying, but StellarCore needs tech support. If Grandpa doesn’t see Yann at the birthday banquet, he won’t help me win Randy over. I can’t afford for this project to fail!”
Jocelyn was silent for a beat. Then she glanced up at the ceiling camera.
“I’ve got an idea.”
She planned to edit the security footage from Amelia’s visit and send it to Edmund, making it look like Amelia had dropped by and was impressed with
Talia.
If they could convince Edmund, he might help get Randy into the company. They could figure out the rest later.
Meanwhile, Amelia was strolling down a garden path, pulling out her phone as she walked.
“I’ll send you the layout in a bit,” she said into the phone. “I want a proper design. Good materials, nothing cheap.
“It’s for young people, so it needs to be stylish and modern. Don’t worry about the cost. Come up with a few options, and I’ll choose one.”
She stepped inside while still on the call and gave Felicity, who was waiting expectantly, an okay gesture.
Felicity lit up with a big smile.
Amelia was about to head upstairs when she paused and turned back. “Did Audrey say when she’d be home? And where’s Yann? He didn’t even go pick her up?”
She muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs.
‘Seriously? His wife isn’t even back yet and he’s already showered and in bed?‘ she thought.
Felicity hurried after her. “Oh. Mrs. Winifred is already home! She and Mr. Winifred went to bed early.”
Amelia missed a step and nearly face–planted on the stairs.
