Chapter 20

FLASHBACKS

…..

Amelia stared down at the garden below. She had the most beautiful smile to ever grace the earth and it adorned her eyes as she smiled, enhancing her beauty.

Her finger drummed on the couch, following a pace as she hummed a lovely morning sound. Her curly black hair was tied into a messy bun, highlighting the beautiful feature of her pale heart-shaped face. Her pouty beautiful red lips raised into a smile.

As they entered the festive season of the year, the weather turned very cold. The mountains around her house became icy gray and the lake froze. She loved the sight of the ground covered in frost. It took her mind back to when her father was alive.

The door swung open at once. A middle-height, black-haired woman in a red flowing nightgown walked in. She had a very stern face and with one look at her, one would know that she isn't someone to cross.

Amelia frowned softly, wondering when the older woman who just walked in would learn to respect her privacy.

Unfortunately, the woman who just walked in was her mother, and even if the action disturbs her, she can't do anything about it. Silently, Amelia returned her gaze to the view beyond.

Contrary to her mother's stern expression, Amelia, had the lovely face of someone who couldn't hurt a fly. She had the réplica look of an angel. Long wavy black hair, almond-shaped eyes, a pale heart-shaped face, a pointed nose, and pouty red lips all made her look so different from the woman who just walked in.

"Amelia," the woman who just walked in called.

Amelia veered her head towards the sound of the voice. Her actions stopped immediately and she stood straight with deep respect.

Watching her mother walk in, Amelia released a low breath and immediately dropped her curtains to cover the beautiful view she once enjoyed. Her mother hates the sight of her happiness.

The older woman, Rebecca, walked over to the mini glass table in the room and sat on the white fur couch before it.

"Come here, take a seat," she instructed Amelia.

Amelia nodded and walked towards the couch. She sat at the other end, miles away from her mother as she made sure to maintain a large distance between them.

Rebecca placed a series of documents on the table the moment Amelia was seated, and Amelia raised a brow at her.

Rebecca's stern face broke into a smile as she stared at the papers before her with glee in her eyes. She turned to Amelia and placed a hand on her daughter's legs, an act which surprised Amelia, causing her to stiffen.

"We finally made peace,"

Amelia raised a brow at her mother, demanding an explanation from her after hearing her 'incomplete words'. Who are we and what peace was her mother speaking about?

Rebecca withdrew her hand from her daughter's legs and picked up one of the papers on the table, smiling widely.

"Here, read this. Our lives are about to get better," she said gracefully, passing the paper she held over to Amelia.

Amelia stared at the outstretched paper and back at her mother. Hesitantly, she received the paper from her mother. Her brows puckered as she glanced at her mother and back at the paper she held with suspicion.

Returning her gaze to the paper she held to read what it held, her eyes widened in horror. Her whole body turned numb in disbelief.

"You made peace with the Theodore family? How did this happen?" Amelia bombarded her mother with questions as she read through the paper. "How did this happen?" She asked again, finding it so hard to believe.

"Right, how did it happen?" Rebecca questioned indulgently at once. She sounded surprised with a coy smile at the end of her lips.

Amelia, however, had a lot on her mind to notice her mother's suspicious actions. She had a lot of questions to ask about how this worked out, but at the same time, her happiness was over the sky. Her father had always wanted this to happen, even on his deathbed.

Unable to hold her excitement in, Amelia dropped the paper on the table and threw herself into her mother's arms, something she hadn't done in years… as long as she could remember.

Rebecca's jaw tightened in disapproval of the sudden hug. She held both sides of Amelia's shoulders and immediately pulled away from the hug.

"Oh, right. I'm so sorry about that. I was just so excited, causing me to forget how allergic you are to hugs," Amelia apologized timidly and composed herself again.

From what she could remember, she had never hugged her mother. The woman always claimed to be allergic to hugs, which wasn't true because she has always seen her times without numbers hugging her colleagues.

Rebecca rolled her eyes in disgust and dusted her gown, off the invisible dust that came with Amelia's hug.

"I did a lot for that to happen," Rebecca said smoothly, with an air of pride around her. "I've been doing all I could for your late father after all. You, what have you done for him?" she eyed Amelia.

"I'm I_" Amelia began, without any idea what she was going to say. Guilt covered her whole being in an instant, drawing her close to tears.

"That's alright," Rebecca said, seeing how vulnerable her daughter was. Amelia's vulnerable state was the right moment to strike. "Now, you can finally do something for your late father and this is your only chance, so don't mess it up," she added a warning.

"Here," Rebecca passed another paper over to Amelia. Amelia accepted the paper readily, but in the next second, blood drained from her face.

Her eyes rolled with confusion. She started her gaze between the paper and her mother. She saw the whole thing written on the paper as a joke.

Amelia flushed. She stared at the paper with a mixture of shock and amusement.

'Bitch, you better be joking,' Amelia said within her.