Chapter 9

Amelia's temple twitched hard.

If she didn't have to rely on this jerk today, she'd have tossed him out of the car already. Why did some people look decent but open their mouths and ruin it?

She took a deep breath and told herself to ignore him—just pretend he was barking.

Without sparing another glance at the man beside her who couldn't keep his mouth shut, Amelia sent her edited message to Lucas. She added, "You can try that store on GH Road. They've got all kinds of incense, so you should be able to get everything in one go."

"Got it, thanks, ma'am."

Eric, not getting any reaction from her, lost interest and kept quiet after that.

Roughly twenty minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the restaurant.

Just as Amelia reached for the door to get out, Eric suddenly grabbed her wrist. Her first instinct was to yank it away.

"Don't move."

His grip was strong—she couldn't break free. Before she could even ask what he was doing, a cool sensation wrapped around her ring finger. A diamond ring.

She froze.

It was their wedding ring, the one she'd left behind when she moved out of the Villa Celestia. It was the first time he'd ever put it on her himself.

On their wedding day, Chloe had shown up halfway through the ceremony, and Eric had left without finishing it. She'd ended up slipping the ring on by herself.

"I just don't want Mom asking questions. Don't read too much into it," Eric said coolly, letting go of her hand and snapping her out of her thoughts.

Amelia pulled her hand back, lips tightening. "No worries, Mr. Reeves. I know where I stand."

Then she pushed the car door open and stepped out first.

Eric's brows drew together, and with a grim look, he followed after her.

Eric had a younger sister, Natalie Reeves, who just graduated from college. Two months ago, she'd gone backpacking with her classmates and only got back yesterday.

Being the baby of the family and losing their dad shortly after she was born, she'd grown up spoiled by the elders and had a bratty streak to show for it.

Back when Amelia had first married into the family, she'd genuinely wanted to get along with her new sister-in-law—bending over backwards to figure out what she liked and trying to close the distance.

But Natalie couldn't care less.

In front of the elders, she put on a decent act. Alone with Amelia, she'd be a completely different person.

Over the years, things hadn't improved—they'd only gone downhill. Eric doted on his sister, so guess who always had to just suck it up?

Thinking about it now, Amelia figured even if Chloe had never existed, she and Eric probably still wouldn't have made it to the end. From their backgrounds, upbringing, and even values, they didn't match at all.

Led by the waiter, they soon arrived at the private dining room they had reserved.

When the door opened, Natalie was mid-conversation with Margaret. The mother and daughter duo shared some resemblance—five or six tenths, maybe—but Margaret carried an air of elegance shaped by age, every bit of her radiating class. Natalie, on the other hand, still looked a bit green.

As soon as Natalie caught sight of Amelia, her expression soured. But when her eyes shifted to Eric, she instantly lit up with a grin and said in a whiny tone, "Eric! I'm starving! Mom insisted we wait for you before eating. What took you so long?"

Eric shot her a look. "You've got grease on your lips. Maybe wipe that off before trying to sound convincing."

Natalie pouted. "You're so annoying! I even thought of you while I was out and brought a gift back."

The two bickered for a moment before Margaret cut in, "Alright you two, that's enough. Sit down first."

Then she glanced at Amelia. "Amelia, let the waiter know we can start serving."

Honestly, all she really needed to do was call out—the servers could hear—but making Amelia get up was just another habit, as if bossing her around was second nature.

Back when they had family dinners at the old house, Amelia was always seated at the edge—easier for her to get up and help with things.

She was used to it by now. Without a word, she turned to leave, but Eric grabbed her wrist.

He didn't even look at her, just said to Natalie, "Natalie, you go. And ask them to bring a bottle of red wine while you're at it."

Natalie's face dropped, clearly annoyed. "Wasn't Amelia about to go already?"

Eric replied flatly, "She doesn't know what kind Mom likes."

But Amelia wasn't having it. She pulled her wrist back and said, "I do. Margaret likes Château Gruaud Larose, right?"

Margaret nodded slightly.

Amelia turned and left. She didn't need to look to know Eric's face must have turned ugly behind her.

On her way back after giving the instructions, she paused just outside the door. Inside, Natalie's voice was loud and clear.

"Eric, you really need to keep an eye on your wife. She's got all of Mom's preferences down, even Grandma's. Can't tell if she's just super good at sucking up or desperate to climb the social ladder. I still can't figure out why Grandma agreed to this marriage. You'd have been better off with Chloe."

Amelia froze, hand on the door.

Then came Eric's cold reply, "Wouldn't have made a difference who I married."