Chapter 2

Amelia's POV

My arm was sliced open, a four-inch gash oozing blood that dripped steadily onto the floor.

But the fiancé I had nearly died saving didn't care. The moment he opened his eyes, his only concern was whether Hailey Sterling was scared.

Inside the VIP conference room of the Cole building, the silence was suffocating.

Last night, a massive display shelf in the exhibition hall had collapsed. I had shoved Julian out of the way, but my own arm was ripped open by a jagged, rusty metal bracket.

Now, Julian walked in with a small bandage on his forehead. He walked right past me, bleeding and pale, and wrapped his arms around Hailey, who was sobbing softly.

"Don't cry, Hailey. I remember you."

Hailey clung to his chest, her voice trembling. "Julian, I thought you forgot about me."

Julian's mother smiled nervously at me. "Amelia, sweetie, Julian bumped his head last night. His memory is just a bit scrambled. You two grew up together, so I'm sure you'll wait for him to recover, right?"

I stared at the hugging couple. My wound felt freezing cold, matching the ice in my chest.

Right then, a familiar, furious voice echoed in my head.

"That pathetic jerk is faking amnesia! In your last life, he used this exact trick to manipulate you. He drained our family's fortune to climb to the top while keeping Hailey safe. You died alone in a hospital bed because of them! I am still so angry!"

My pupils shrunk. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.

It was my Grandma Martha's voice. She had died seven years ago! This was a wake-up call. Julian was faking amnesia just to back out of our engagement without looking like the bad guy.

My grandfather, Arthur Cole, tapped his cane heavily against the floor. He signaled his assistant to lay out the marriage contracts.

"Amelia, whoever you choose will get the Cole Group's ten-billion-dollar project. I'm only asking you once. Have you made up your mind?"

The Carter family's proposal sat right in the middle. The very last one belonged to Greyson Vance.

He was the sole heir of the Vance Group. We had been rivals since childhood, arguing every single time we met.

Grandma's voice screamed in my head. "Pick Greyson! In your past life, after the Carters threw you out, he was the only one who searched for you in the pouring rain and took you in. He has a sarcastic mouth, but his heart is pure gold! Amelia, trust me!"

Julian finally deigned to look at me. "I will still marry you, Amelia. But Hailey is fragile. I love her now, so you have to promise not to bully her."

Hailey peeked from behind his back. "Amelia, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to be the only one Julian remembers."

In the past, if Julian even frowned, I would blame myself.

But now, looking at his lying, smug face, I just felt sick.

I didn't hesitate. I reached past the Carter family's folder and grabbed the last proposal.

"Grandpa, I choose Greyson Vance."

"I'll marry him."

The room erupted into chaos.

The calm mask on Julian's face shattered. He stared at me in pure disbelief. "Amelia, are you insane? You're throwing away our future and choosing an enemy just to throw a tantrum?!"

I didn't even look at him.

In front of everyone, I ripped off the promise bracelet I had worn for ten years and threw it onto the Carter family's folder like trash.

"It's not a tantrum. You simply don't deserve me."

In my head, Grandma cheered. "Yes! That's my girl! If a man is trash, throw him in the dumpster!"

As soon as the meeting ended, Julian and his friends blocked my path in the hallway.

His friend, Tyler Brooks, sneered immediately. "Amelia, are you serious about Greyson? Come on, everyone knows you've been obsessed with Julian for years. He just has temporary memory loss, he's not dead. Who are you trying to put a show for?"

Hearing this, Julian's expression softened, his ego returning.

He looked down at me. "I know you're just angry. I'll still marry you. But Hailey just got back to the country. Don't go around bothering her."

Grandma spat in my mind. "The nerve of this guy! Who does he think he is?"

I scoffed. "And how exactly did I bother her?"

Before the words fully left my mouth, Hailey pushed a heavy metal cart loaded with files right toward me. She acted like she didn't see me, ramming it straight into my injured arm.

My wound tore open again. Fresh blood soaked through my bandage instantly.

Yet, Hailey cried louder than me. "Amelia! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! Please don't hate me!" She sobbed, shrinking behind Julian.

Julian didn't even look at my bleeding arm. He shielded Hailey protectively. "Amelia! It was an accident! She apologized, what more do you want?!"

Hailey raised her hand. "Maybe I should slap myself... if that makes Amelia feel better..."

Julian grabbed her wrist, glaring at me. "Are you happy now? Do you have to use your status as the Cole heiress to bully people?"

If this were the past, I would have desperately explained that I didn't do anything.

But today, I realized trying to reason with an idiot was pointless. It was better to just hit them.

I stepped forward, raising my uninjured right hand.

Smack!

A loud, solid slap landed squarely on Hailey's face.

The hallway went dead silent. Hailey touched her swelling cheek, her eyes wide with shock.

"That," I said coldly, "is what using my status to bully someone actually looks like."

Julian lost his mind. "Amelia! How dare you!"

Smack!

I swung back and slapped Julian right across his face.

"And that is what bullying looks like. Got it?" I shook my numb hand, looking at them like they were bugs.

Julian had been pampered his entire life. This slap completely shattered his pride.

Rage burned in his eyes. "Amelia! If you walk away today, I swear, even if you beg me on your knees, I will never look at you again!"

"Then you better sew your eyes shut."

I pressed the elevator button. As the doors slid open, I left him with one last line: "Because no one is going to wait for you by the trash can."

As the doors closed, Grandma laughed hysterically in my head. "Incredible! That's how you teach them a lesson! Don't be afraid, Amelia, I've got your back!"