Chapter 25

Jaxton stared at the table covered with certificates and resumes, feeling deeply humiliated.

His gaze burned with anger as he locked eyes with Amelia. "You want to work?"

Before Amelia could utter a word, he ripped the resume. "Who told you that you could work,Amelia? Are you trying to disgrace my family?"

Among the wealthy families of Kretol, everyone believed that wives were expected to remain at home, not going out to work.

The idea of Amelia working, risking the Morrison family's reputation, drove Jaxton to tear the resume even more viciously.

When the document was in tatters, he tossed the ruined pieces at Amelia. Shreds of paper fluttered down around her like confetti.

Watching him destroy the resume only made her scowl, but as soon as he reached for her certificates,Amelia moved fast. She pushed him aside and scooped them up,refusing to let him touch them.

She could always print out another resume, but the certificates were irreplaceable.

Everything she had achieved was written in those certificates. She refused to let Jaxton ruin them.

Jaxton stumbled back a few steps from Amelia's push. Regaining his balance, he stared at her. "Amelia, I will never agree to you working!"

"That decision is mine to make. You have no say over my choices, and you can't keep me from working,"Amelia said.

"You..." His face twisted with anger, and his vision seemed to blur, but then, a cold laugh slipped out as he thought of something. "You've spent two years doing nothing since you graduated from college. Do you honestly believe you're still that promising graduate from Kretol University? Even if I let you find a job, what decent work would you get? Or is it cleaning floors you're aiming for now?"

None of his words made her falter. Amelia's expression stayed calm.

After driving Jaxton away, she curled up on the sofa, her eyes filled with exhaustion and a hint of hurt.

What right did Jaxton have to humiliate her like that?

Suddenly,her new phone rang. Seeing the caller's name, she hurriedly grabbed her phone.

Drawing in a deep breath, she pressed the answer button.

"Hello? Do you need something?" Amelia asked.

Amelia tried to hide her emotion, but Wyatt picked up on it immediately.

Hearing the warmth in his voice almost made her lose her composure.

She wanted to ask Wyatt when she could finally be free of Jaxton. She wanted to tell him everything Jaxton had said to her, but she could not force the words out.

They would get married only because of an agreement, wit Wyatt offering her more help than she could ever expect, but he was never obligated to stand up for her.

Silence hung between them for a moment. Wyatt, thinking back to what Marc had said, thought Amelia's troubles came from the Flynn family. He was ready to offer some comforting words, but Amelia spoke up first. "Mr. Stewart, are you free right now? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Tell me when. I'll go see you," he said.

"Is now a convenient time?" she asked.

Checking the time, Wyatt replied, "Give me twenty minutes."

Amelia wanted to meet Wyatt to repay him for Michelle's medical expenses.

Once he agreed, a weight seemed to lift from her shoulders. She then remembered that Wyatt had also called her earlier. "Mr. Stewart, why did you call me earlier?" "There's an auction tonight at Pearl Bay. I want you to join me. We'll sit on the second floor, so you won't be spotted."

This was a simple request,and Amelia immediately agreed.

After ending the call, Wyatt turned to Davin. "Let everyone know I'll be attending the auction tonight."

"If word gets out, the staff at the auction house will probably want to thank Miss Flynn personally,"Davin teased,noticing his boss in a good mood.

Pearl Bay Auction House was a Stewart family business, but there were countless auction houses under the Stewart family name,and Wyatt rarely attended auctions.

Making an appearance there tonight was less about business and more about the opportunity to see Amelia.

Choosing to drive himself, WVyatt left the driver behind and headed straight to Amelia's apartment building.

The moment his message arrived, Amelia grabbed her bag and made her way downstairs. Wyatt had arrived exactly twenty minutes after their call.

When she reached the car, Wyatt stepped out and opened the passenger door for her, which shocked her.

Wyatt,a powerful figure, was treating her with such care that it made her feel shy.

"Mr. Stewart, since it's nearly lunchtime, would you care to join me for a meal before we go?" she said.

Although she had already prepared the bank card, handing it over out of the blue would feel awkward.

A little conversation over lunch would help ease them into the topic of repayment.

Ten minutes later, Wyatt's car stopped at an exclusive restaurant.

Amelia knew this place. It was a members-only restaurant that only served five guests a day.

With practiced ease, Wyatt led her inside, proving that he was familiar with this place.