Chapter 12

Damien Taylor approached Amelia and extended a hand. "I believe this is yours." In it was her forgotten invitation. "Thank you," Amelia said, accepting it, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. She hadn't expected him to be so observant. He didn't linger. Seemingly aware she wouldn't want their connection made public, he simply turned and disappeared into the main hall without another word. "Wait… was that Damien Taylor?" Chloe Hughes stammered, staring after him, utterly dumbfounded. "It certainly was," Sabrina Johnson replied, her voice tight. Even someone of her status had only seen the elusive billionaire in person once before. Ethan Collins looked equally shocked. "Indeed. He rarely makes appearances at these kinds of events." Judging by Amelia's clueless reaction, she clearly didn't know him. Emboldened, Chloe snatched the invitation back from Amelia's hand. "This has to be a fake. I'm impressed—you came prepared to crash, didn't you?" Amelia didn't bother with anger. She merely shot Chloe a cool, dismissive glance and walked past her into the banquet hall without a word. Flustered, Chloe whirled to a nearby staff member. "She's crashing! Aren't you going to stop her?" The staff member remained impassive. "The invitation was vouched for by Mr. Taylor himself. We have no grounds to refuse entry." Interfere?, he thought, That's a quick way to get fired. "Let it go, let's just go in," Sabrina said, maintaining a calm exterior despite the fury simmering inside. Her plan to humiliate Amelia had backfired spectacularly, all because Damien Taylor had inexplicably stepped in. No matter. Sabrina was convinced Amelia's ignorance would lead to a blunder sooner or later. "Ethan," Sabrina said softly, tugging his sleeve, "with so many important people here tonight… you know how Amelia was raised in the countryside. I'm worried she'll do something foolish again. Perhaps you could persuade her to leave?" Ethan nodded; the thought had already occurred to him. Amelia was a liability. Any misstep would reflect poorly on both the Johnson and Collins families. Meanwhile, Amelia had found a quiet corner and was contentedly enjoying a slice of tiramisu when a familiar, condescending voice interrupted her. "Amelia," Ethan said, now standing over her. "Come on. I'll have my driver take you home." She looked up at him, unfazed. "Why? The evening has just begun." He spoke as if to a child. "If it's dessert you want, I'll have some sent to the house. You can enjoy it there. Alright?" Amelia simply stared at him, her silence more powerful than any retort. Ethan's frown deepened. "What? Cat got your tongue?" He used to find her tolerable, but over the past five years, his opinion had only soured. Compared to Sabrina's polished grace, Amelia was an unrefined embarrassment. How were they even sisters? Amelia blinked her large, innocent-looking eyes. "Shouldn't you be with Sabrina? I'm not in your way here." "Enough," Ethan's tone turned sharp. "Stop eating and leave. Now. Or I'll call your father." "I get hypoglycemic. I need to keep my blood sugar up," she stated flatly. The fact that after five years he didn't know this basic detail about her was, frankly, pathetic. Just then, a deep, magnetic voice cut through the tension from behind her. "Would you do me the honor of being my companion for the evening?"