Chapter 5

Amelia's POV

As the banquet drew to a close, Julian cornered me in a quiet hallway like a desperate dog.

His eyes were bloodshot. "Amelia, you win! You got your revenge, and you dragged my family's name through the mud! If you call off this fake engagement right now, I will take you to get our marriage license tomorrow!"

Even now, he still thought I was playing hard to get.

I looked at his face, a face I used to love, and found it pathetic.

"Julian, do you have trouble understanding English?"

I looked at him coldly.

"I didn't do this to win."

"I did this because you genuinely disgust me."

I shoved past his shoulder and walked away.

At the end of the hallway, I let out a long breath.

Greyson handed me a glass of warm water, smirking. "You looked so tough back there, but now your legs are shaking?"

I took the glass and glared at him. "Would you die if you stopped teasing me for one second?"

"Probably." Greyson looked at me, a rare warmth in his dark eyes. "But honestly, Amelia, you did great tonight."

My eyes welled up with tears.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the restroom.

Hailey was sitting on the wet floor, her dress ruined, clutching a broken bracelet, sobbing. She claimed she only wanted to look at my engagement bracelet, but I pushed her.

By the time I arrived, Julian had already helped her up.

His first words to me were a demand. "Why did you push her?"

I looked at the broken bracelet in Hailey's hand.

It wasn't my engagement bracelet. Mine was still securely on my wrist. The fake one Hailey held was cheap and dull. But because she was crying so hard, the onlookers were already whispering about my "terrible temper."

Grandma cursed in my head.

"Again with this trick! In your past life, she broke your jewelry and cried, making you look like the bad guy! Don't let her get away with it!"

I didn't rush to defend myself. I walked up to Hailey, kneeled down, and asked calmly, "You say I pushed you?"

Hailey flinched, shrinking into Julian's arms. "Amelia, I don't blame you. You're just stressed today. I know you didn't mean it."

"So you're saying I did."

I nodded, grabbed Hailey's wrist, and took the broken bracelet from her hand.

Hailey shrieked, "What are you doing?!"

I held the broken bracelet up to the light for everyone to see. "The diamonds on my bracelet are custom-cut, and there is a Cole family crest engraved on the inner band. Many people here have seen it. This cheap plastic piece in your hand doesn't have the crest."

Julian's face changed.

Hailey stopped crying for a second, then quickly stammered, "I... I don't know about jewelry. I just saw yours and wanted to look..."

Greyson walked through the crowd, his voice chilling. "You don't know about jewelry, but you certainly know how to pick a restroom with no cameras to stage a fall."

Hailey looked at him with teary eyes. "Mr. Vance, why do you keep targeting me?"

"Because your acting is terrible." Greyson turned to the staff. "Check who entered the restroom. There are too many eyes at this party. Crying loud doesn't make you right."

A young waitress stepped forward, hesitating. "I... I saw this lady squatting by the door by herself. She was holding something the whole time. Miss Cole only walked in after she was already on the floor."

Hailey's face drained of color.

Julian tried to find an excuse. "Maybe she was just confused because she was scared."

I looked at him, the last trace of warmth in my heart freezing over.

"Julian, you will always find an excuse for her."

Julian opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Hailey sobbed, shaking her head. "No, Amelia, I really didn't mean to hurt you. I was just afraid you hated me..."

I tossed the fake bracelet into the trash can.

"What you're afraid of is none of my business. Next time you want to put on a show, use something cheap. You are not worthy of touching anything related to my family."

I turned and walked away.

Greyson followed me, draping his jacket over my shoulders.

"Thank you," I murmured.

"For what?" Greyson's tone was still teasing. "If you had started explaining yourself back there, I would have really lost respect for you."

I glared at him.

Grandma laughed in my head. "Good glare. In a marriage, you can't let the man always have the upper hand."

My ears turned red.

We weren't even married yet, and Grandma was already calling it a marriage.

Greyson noticed my red ears. "Are you cursing at me in your head?"

"What?" I gasped.

"Whenever you curse at me, your face gives it away."

Feeling guilty, I snapped, "You think too much."

Greyson didn't push. He adjusted the jacket around my shoulders. "Let's go. Your grandfather is looking for you. You did great tonight, don't ruin it by catching a cold."

Hearing him say "fiancée" made my heart skip a beat.

When Julian said it, it felt like a chore. But when Greyson said it, it felt safe.

Grandma whispered, "Amelia, is your heart fluttering?"

I replied internally, "No."

Grandma smirked. "Sure, honey. I'm not blind."

Greyson drove me back to the Cole estate.

As I reached for the door handle, he stopped me. "Are you free tomorrow?"

I looked at him warily. "Why?"

"My grandmother wants to meet you," he said. "If you don't want to go, I'll tell her no."

I blinked in surprise.

I thought he would just demand I go, but he actually asked for my consent first.

Grandma murmured, "He has manners."

I thought about it. "I'll go. Since we are engaged, it's only right to meet your family."

Greyson nodded, adding, "My grandmother's name is Evelyn. She's very direct. If she says something you don't like, just argue back. No one in the Vance family will make you swallow your pride."

I couldn't help but smile. "Is that how your family teaches you to treat guests?"

"Our family doesn't teach people to take insult."