Chapter 424 Smiles And Daggers
The following day, Amelia received a call from a strange number. She did not want to answer it at first, for she had changed her phone number in Beshya and had only given it to a handful of people she knew. The phone number on display seemed somewhat familiar, but she just could not recall who it belonged to.
After some thought, Amelia decided to answer the call anyway. She was dumbfounded when she heard the voice on the phone, for she never expected that Faye would call her. How the heck did she get my number?
“Hello, Mrs. Scott,” greeted Amelia respectfully.
“It’s been two years since we last met, Ms. Winters. I’m glad that you still remember an old lady like me. So I heard from Carter that you’re back. I was wondering if we could meet. Are you available for a cup of coffee right now?” Faye sounded polite but distant, somehow.
Curious, Amelia wondered what Faye could possibly want to talk about with her. Still, she decided to agree to meet Faye anyway since it would be rude to turn the elderly woman down. “Sure. When and where do you want to meet?”
“I’ll send you the time and address to your phone later.”
“Okay.”
“See you later then.”
As soon as Amelia hung up, she received a message from Faye showing the time and location of their meeting, and it was at one o’clock in the afternoon.
Kurt, who was playing hide-and-seek with Tony then, walked over while the boy went to hide. “Who was it?”
“An old friend. She asked me out for a cup of coffee later, so could you look after Tony for me while I’m out?” requested Amelia with a smile after putting her phone away.
“Sure. Do you want Tony and me to go with you?”
“No, she might feel uncomfortable with you around. You should just stay home with Tony. If you’re busy, I can have Molly over. I think Tony’s okay with her too.”
“It’s fine. I haven’t accepted any job in the past few days. I actually have a lot of time on my hands since Boss only wanted me to protect you and Tony.”
Without saying anything else, Amelia nodded in appreciation at the man.
When it was almost to meet Faye, Amelia drove to the location and noticed that the woman had not arrived yet.
She then ordered a cup of latte and sat down at a table in the corner to enjoy the city view.
Faye finally appeared after Amelia had waited for almost twenty minutes. “Sorry. The traffic was a nightmare.”
In response, Amelia chuckled politely. “It’s fine, Mrs. Scott. I just got here too.”
“What would you like to order, ma’am?” inquired one of the waiters.
“A cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain with ice, please.”
“Sure. It’s coming right up.”
After the waiter had left, Faye shifted her attention to Amelia. “You look even more beautiful now than I last remembered, Ms. Winters.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Scott. You’re doing pretty well yourself. I don’t think anyone will believe me if I tell them that you’re over fifty.” Amelia put on a less-than-sincere smile before continuing, “And you can just call me Amelia. I think we’re close enough, don’t you? So is there a reason why you wanted to meet me? And how did you get my new phone number?”
Forcing a smile herself, Faye answered, “Oh, I just guessed that Mrs. Clinton would know your number since you’re back, so I called her and asked for it.”
Amelia nodded before getting back to her first question. “So why did you want to meet me? Is there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Scott?”
“Have you and Carter met yet?”
At that moment, Amelia instantly had a realization, and all her questions were suddenly answered. Carter had always been at the center of everything that happened between Amelia and Faye. Seven years ago, Amelia almost got arrested because Faye wanted her to leave Carter. Naturally, it was for the same reason that Faye wanted to talk to Amelia in person then.
“I happened to bump into him and Ms. Larson when I took my son shopping yesterday. Even though things between him and me didn’t work out, we’re still friends, so we sat down for a cup of coffee. Just like what you and I are doing right now. Ms. Larson was with us too. You’re not upset that I had coffee with your son, are you, Mrs. Scott?”
Faye adjusted the shawl on her and chuckled unconvincingly. “Of course not. I was just glad to hear from Carter that you’re back after disappearing for two years. I thought maybe we could catch up.”
In response to that, Amelia only smiled while a waiter served up their coffee.
“Enjoy your coffee.” With that, the waiter naturally took his leave and left the two alone once more.
Faye picked up her cup and swirled her coffee for a bit before gracefully taking a sip like royalty. “The coffee here is not bad. Go ahead. Try it.”
“You’re right,” stated Amelia after tasting hers.
There was awkwardness in the air for a while when the two stayed quiet.
Only after two or three minutes did Faye intentionally clear her throat to break the ice. “Amelia, you know that Carter and Jennifer are seeing each other, right?” questioned Faye as she picked up her spoon to stir her coffee.
“Really? Then, you have to congratulate Carter for me. After two years, they’re finally together. I asked him about it yesterday, but I guess he was too shy to admit it. This is wonderful news. He’s got quite a catch, and I’m truly happy for him.”
Faye stared curiously at Amelia and wondered if the woman actually meant those words. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
Further widening her smile, Amelia never expected that she could fake a smile like that. In truth, Amelia had always known how to plaster on a smile; she was just unwilling to do it. Even though she hated insincere social interactions, she understood that they were unavoidable sometimes.
“Mrs. Scott, Carter and I are just friends. I don’t deny the fact that I did fall in love with him seven years ago. Back then, I’ve even imagined how happy I would be if were to marry him. But that was all in the past. Now I have a husband who loves me and a beautiful boy. That’s why I truly hope that Carter finds happiness as well, and I think that he and Ms. Larson make a fine match,” explained Amelia earnestly.
Only then did Faye’s smile become a little more sincere.
“Amelia, you have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that. I’m sorry if my words just now have offended you. The only reason I met with you today is that I wanted to ask you to keep your distance from Carter. You know how much he cares for you, and I’d rather not have him change his mind about marrying Jennifer because of you. You understand, right?” requested Faye with a look that showed how worried she was for her son. “If you had not returned, I believe that Carter would’ve gotten over you by now. However, fate loves its sick jokes. Not only did you return, but you also happened to bump into him. Please, Amelia. Do this for me. Cut all ties with Carter so that he doesn’t harbor any hope for you.”
Amelia’s smile remained unchanged. It was as though the expression had been perfectly chiseled onto her face.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Scott. I’ll do whatever I can to distance myself from Carter.” Even though Amelia behaved respectfully toward Faye, she despised the elderly woman for the selfishness she displayed. All she can think about is what she wants. She doesn’t care about Carter’s feelings at all. Sometimes I wonder if he would consider himself lucky to be her son.
Smiling from ear to ear, Faye grabbed hold of Amelia’s hands tightly. “Excellent! With your promise, I’m sure I’ll have grandchildren soon. Please forgive me for what I’ve done, Amelia. I know I’ve caused you a great deal of suffering, but because of that, you were able to marry into the Clintons, weren’t you? I’m glad things eventually ended well for you. What do you say we call it even?”
Amelia could not believe just how shameless the elderly woman was, but still, she decided to play along. “I’m not even sure what you’re talking about, Mrs. Scott. As far as I’m concerned, nothing happened between us.”
Noticing how much Amelia had changed, Faye gave the young woman a curious look. I see that she’s learned a lot over the past two years. I guess it’s not all bad. Things will be easier for me if she just plays along.
“I always knew that you were a smart girl. As long as you stay away from Carter, I believe we can get along just fine.”
In response to that, Amelia plastered on another smile.
