Chapter 400
Chapter 400
CHAPTER 400 SHE’S NOT MY SISTER-IN-LAW
The shareholders no longer continued kicking up a fuss after they heard what Amelie had to say. Amelie cleared her throat after the shareholders were silenced. "If you wish to further understand my skills, you may look up Starlight Media, Knowlit, and the live stream sessions with my ID, Foxy."
"What? You're in charge of Starlight Media?"
"Did you say that you're the boss of Knowlit as well?"
"And you're Foxy?"
The shareholders were frequent travelers, and they were typically out in search of new businesses or leisure activities. It was rare for them to keep up with things in the entertainment industry. So, even if they had heard of Foxy, they had no idea that Amelie was the one behind the name. Starlight Media's boss had always been anonymous, so no one could've known that it was Amelie, either. Knowlit, on the other hand, had received a lot more attention in recent years, and Amelie had shown up at its events. However, most people assumed that she was working for someone, and they never considered other possibilities.
It was, therefore, a huge shock for everyone to learn that Amelie was the sole person in charge of these three ventures. Even the shareholders, who were experienced figures in the industry, couldn't imagine themselves generating as much wealth within such a short period of time. The shareholders no longer held the same judgments about Amelie's skills after that.
Amelie continued to speak calmly. "You won't have to worry about my loyalty toward Genesis as well. My daughter is Leo's only real child. If Leo never wakes up, I'll have to protect Genesis to ensure that
my daughter inherits a profitable business in the future." Amelie felt a sharp ache in her chest after finishing her words.
The shareholders no longer made any protests after that. They simply made a few neutral remarks before they found some excuse to leave the office. Eugene felt like he was finally able to breathe normally after they sent the last shareholder out of the office. "Phew." Eugene had been genuinely worried for Amelie earlier.
"I was dripping with cold sweat after you suggested that the shareholders retract their investments earlier, Miss Dillon. How were you so sure that they wouldn't do it?" Eugene was eager to learn a thing or two from her. He wouldn't have been worried about the investors retracting their funds if Leo had been around. However, after Melissa handled the company for that period of time, the entire system turned into a huge mess, and they had just managed to settle things a while ago. If the investors retracted their funds right then, Genesis would've been in huge trouble. They would've lost their biggest support.
Amelie smiled as she lowered her head to collect the shareholders' cups on the table. "Well, if I started off by telling them about my skills, they would've thought of me as a cocky person. If I offered for them to retract their investments first, then they would think that the company isn't lacking in funds. I only shared my personal achievements after that as a cherry on top. The shareholders would have no reason to worry after hearing my words."
"Impressive!" Eugene cried. It was then that he realized how Amelie's successes were never due to pure luck but genuine ability. Amelie responded with a bashful smile as she took her laptop and stepped out of the office. "Don't we have a meeting at 9.00AM? We're just on time." She strode out after that.
When Amelie stepped out of the room, she realized that Darren was still standing in the well-lit corridor outside. He seemed to be admiring the potted plants on the walkway. It only took Amelie one glance to know that Darren probably had more to talk to her about. So, she handed her laptop to Eugene and gestured for him to go ahead and host the meeting first. Then, Amelie walked over to Darren. "Are you checking the plants out, Mr. Langston? Do you fancy any of these? I can get someone to send you a few plants if you want them," Amelie offered. She knew that Darren was a fan of arranging flowers.
"No, no. It's fine," he uttered while holding his hand up. Despite claiming that he wasn't interested, he continued to gaze at one particular plant. He rested his hands behind his back and bent down as if to observe every detail of the plant. Amelie stood around and kept quiet for a while. Darren stared at the plants for nearly five minutes before he turned his attention back to Amelie. He pushed his glasses up his nose while staring at her. Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.
"I'm curious, Miss Dillon. Since you're such a capable woman, why did you insist on being so secretive? I've always wanted to invest in Starlight Media, yet I couldn't find the owner's identity even after asking around in the industry. Starlight Media is a good company, and it seems to be profiting well. We should all share this profit, don't you think?"
Amelie knew that he was kidding, so she simply chuckled without responding to his statement. Meanwhile, Darren flicked the leaves of the plant. "You sure are a smart woman, Miss Dillon. You told us the truth right after we showed up and asked about Mr. Alston's whereabouts. Frankly speaking, whatever you said would've been pointless if you hadn't told the truth from the start."
Amelie pressed her lips together. "Well, you and the rest of the shareholders are here to gain benefits for yourselves as well. I wouldn't lie to you," she uttered.
Darren responded with a satisfied nod. "Well, I'm sure you already knew something from the moment you saw the shareholders, right, Miss Dillon?"
She smiled this time. "Yeah. You are all busy people, so you wouldn't just show up at the company if you were utterly clueless."
"That's smart!" Darren stuck his thumb up. "Don't you want to know who leaked such information to them?" he asked.
Amelie pressed her lips together without responding. Darren's gaze was filled with admiration when he saw how unintrigued Amelie seemed. Finally, he clenched his fist before clearing his throat. "You're a smart woman, Miss Dillon. I'm sure you're good at managing companies. However, I'd like to remind you not to neglect family time in the process," he uttered before turning around and walking off.
Amelie stared at his figure for a long while before she, too, turned and headed toward the meeting room. Later that night, Amelie showed up at Alston Residence. "Elie." Melissa beamed the moment she saw Amelie. "Have you thought things through? Did you decide to move in?" she asked excitedly.
Amelie didn't seem too pleased, but she still gave Melissa a polite nod. "Where's Miss Jodie?" she asked.
"Jodie?" Melissa raised an eyebrow. "Do you need anything from her?" Melissa had every right to be surprised—after all, Amelie rarely ever showed up at Alston Residence unless she was invited to go over. Furthermore, Amelie never once spoke to Jodie while she was there.
"Yeah," Amelie replied without explaining.
Melissa decided to get the housekeeper to bring Jodie over. "Hurry up and get Miss Jodie to come here!" Soon enough, the sound of a wheelchair's rollers moved closer to them, followed by Jodie's agitated voice. "Don't you hear what I'm saying? I said I don't want to go to the living room. Can't you hear me?" She was clearly speaking to the housekeeper. Before Jodie could protest any further, the housekeeper had already pushed her into the living room.
Jodie shot Melissa a look of displeasure. "What is it, Mom? Can you stop torturing me? Why don't you give me some peace?" Jodie always had a bad temper, but her temperament only grew worse after she injured her leg. She showed zero patience whenever she was talking to others.
"I'm not the one who asked for you. Your sister-in-law is the one who wants to see you," Melissa uttered while pointing at Amelie. Amelie had been standing behind Melissa, so Jodie didn't notice Amelie from where she was until she heard her mother. "Hah! My sister-in-law, huh? How could you be so careless with that term, Mom? Do you think any random woman has the right to be my sister-in- law?" Jodie scoffed.
Melissa's face turned sour when she heard Jodie's sharp and hurtful words. "Why are you talking that way?" Melissa growled as her face darkened.
"What else do you want me to say?" Jodie talked back to her mother. "She's just someone my brother dumped. She might even be the family's enemy in some ways. She's the reason Leo is the way he is now!" Jodie cried.
"Shut up!" Melissa rushed over and slapped Jodie on her face. The whole Alston Family was dependent on Amelie at that point, and Melissa had no choice but to punish Jodie because of her reckless behavior. Jodie felt as if her cheek was deformed after receiving Melissa's firm and hard slap.
Melissa pressed her palms together as well—she knew that she had used a little too much strength, and she felt both angry and sorry for Jodie. "H-How dare you hit me?" Jodie only reached out to touch her cheek moments after she was slapped. Then, Jodie turned to glare at Amelie before she started screaming at her. "Are you happy now? You broke my legs, and you made my mother hate me… This is the outcome you were waiting for, right? You're such a malicious woman, Amelie!"
Amelie shifted her icy gaze to look at Jodie. "You're not in the right mind now. I think your mom was being nice by only slapping you once." Jodie was speechless after that. She hadn't expected Amelie to utter such a thing in front of Melissa.
"Did you hear that, Mom? She's just trying to hurt me!" Jodie immediately started complaining to Melissa. "She's trying to tear our family apart, and she's trying to ruin us. She's doing it to me now, but you'll be her next target!" Jodie cried.
Melissa shuddered as a rather fearful expression formed on her face. It wasn't clear if she was furious at Jodie for going overboard or if she was simply too shocked. Amelie didn't have the time to mess around with Jodie anymore, so she got straight to her point. "I have some questions. Let's go to your room," she told Jodie.
"Hah! Are you going to beat me up behind closed doors? I'm not going to leave. If you have the guts to do it, why don't you hit me here, in front of my mother and the housekeeper? I want all of you to stay. You guys can be my witness!" Jodie cried.
Amelie had no choice but to change her plans when she saw how dramatic Jodie was acting. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!"
"Fine," Amelie replied.