Chapter 367 Too Friendly
Eleanor’s other daughter held her arm and grumbled cutely, “Oh, you and your sudden humor again, Mom. We don’t mind it at home, but please don’t do that here. We don’t want to make a scene in Amy’s house.”
Eleanor calmed down a little and realized her earlier request might come off as something weird to the other Amelia. “Amelia, can I call you Lia? You look so much like my daughter, so I can’t help but think of you as my own. Please don’t take my request to heart, all right?”
Amelia heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s all right, Mrs. Hutton,” she replied with a smile.
Crouching, Eleanor looked Anthony in the eye, smiling gently. “And you must be Tony, correct?”
The boy looked just like his mother, and that was especially true for her eyes. For some reason, he just felt a surge of affection for this woman he had just met, and he greeted her sweetly, “Hello, pretty lady! I’m Clinton. Anthony Clinton. But my friends and family call me Tony.”
Never letting go of her smile, Eleanor touched her grandson’s adorable little face. “Oh, I’m not as young as I used to be. In fact, I’m old enough to be your grandmother. If you don’t mind, you can call me ‘Grandma.’ Your mother and my daughter are sisters now, aren’t they? That means I’m her godmother, so it’s fine if you call me ‘Grandma.’“
Even though Anthony was a smart little boy, he still could not process the intricacies of adult relationships. “Grandma?” Anthony looked at his mother. “Mom, can I call this pretty lady ‘Grandma?’“
Amelia took some time to ponder about it. She might be sisters with the other Amelia, but she never wanted to get any of their parents involved in the matter.
She extended her hand, and Anthony put his little hand in her palm. “You may, Tony.”
Tony greeted her politely once more, “Hello, Grandma.” Getting closer to the elder woman, he kissed her cheeks. “You look so much like my mommy, Grandma. I like you a lot, and this is the proof!” he exclaimed sweetly.
Eleanor’s heart melted right at that moment. Hugging Anthony, she started tearing up. Oh, my. This kid right here is my grandson. He’s so handsome, and such a sweet talker too. On top of that, he’s such a good boy as well. She could feel her cold, broken heart healing up right that instant.
“Oh, Tony, my adorable grandson. Grandma loves you, yes I do.” Eleanor sobbed.
Anthony was almost scared by how friendly Eleanor was. After all, he was not a child who would get along with anyone that easily. He only got along with people he liked, but he was always on guard around anyone else, including those who were overly friendly. Case in point, Eleanor.
Forcing a smile at Tiffany, the other Amelia stated, “Don’t take it the wrong way, Tiffany, Amy. My mom just really loves kids, and she’s friendly to everyone.”
Amelia and Tiffany thought Eleanor was a bit too friendly, but since she was their elder, they were not in the position to say anything.
“You guys just got off the plane, right?” Amelia asked. “Are you hungry? We can eat together.”
They took their seats, but Eleanor still would not take her eyes off Amelia. Once the nanny and Kurt served the food, she suddenly speared a chicken drumstick and gave it to Amelia. “Lia, when you were lit— I mean, this drumstick looks tasty.”
Amelia was stunned for a moment, while Tiffany and the other Amelia looked at Eleanor.
Biting her silverware, the other Amelia forced a smile yet again. “Amy doesn’t like drumsticks, Mom. She prefers wings.”
Learning that, Eleanor was starting to panic, and she quickly took the drumstick back, only to replace it with a chicken wing. “I’m so sorry, Lia. What a blunder. Have a wing. I hope it tastes great. If it’s not, I’ll make it for you some other day. I’m a great cook despite how I might look. Tell me whatever you want, and I’ll cook it up.”
Amelia was starting to look awkward. She tugged on her mother’s hem, telling her she was starting to toe the line of personal space.
Eleanor pulled her hand back, albeit reluctantly. “Dig in, Lia. I’ll… I’ll just watch.”
Amelia’s smile was starting to get really stiff. Though she could not see anything, she could imagine how friendly Eleanor must be. Fanatical, even.
It was a quiet dinner, where everyone was thinking about a million things at once. After they were done, Amelia stood up. “Amy, Tiffany, Kurt, thanks for having us. We just got off the plane, and it’s starting to catch up with us. We’ll be retiring for the night. See you around!”
The other Amelia smiled. “Sure. Bye, Mrs. Hutton. Do come if you’re free.”
However, it was as if Eleanor’s feet were glued to the ground. She kept staring at Amelia as if she wanted to gobble her up, and no matter how her other daughter tried to drag her, she just would not budge.
The hunger and desire in Eleanor’s sight did not escape Tiffany, who was standing beside Amelia, and obviously, it was shocking to her.
Standing in front of her friend, Tiffany said formally, “You seem exhausted, Mrs. Hutton. I think you should retire for the night. Amelia will always be here, but you might scare her if you’re being overly friendly.”
Eleanor finally snapped out of it, but only slightly. She craned her neck to glance at Amelia, who was behind Tiffany, and she smiled awkwardly. “We’ll be going then,” she replied, playing with her hair. “See you at dinner. I’ll cook up something nice for you.”
And that was the cue for Amelia to drag her mother away from the messy scene she had just caused for everyone.
Once they got back to their place, she scowled at her mother. “Mom, do you want everyone to know Amelia Winters is your daughter? Is that what’ll make you happy?” she hissed.
Eleanor stared at her darkly. “I don’t recall ever teaching you to speak to me that way, Amelia.”
Amelia quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean it, but you were being too friendly to them. It was almost terrifying to look at. Not saying you look like a wolf who saw its prey, but you really have to rein it in. You don’t even care that much for your own daughter, but you act so nice to someone you barely met. Anyone would be suspicious if they saw that.”
“She’s not someone I barely met, Amelia. She’s your sister.”
“Yes, and I know that as a fact very well, Mom. But notice how I did not include anyone else in that statement? Because they don’t know. If you make this knowledge public, you’ll be giving Daddy another excuse to chase her off to the other end of the country, or worse, the world.”
Eleanor finally kept quiet after that fact sank in, while Amelia heaved a sigh and tried to keep herself calm.
“You seem tired to me, Mom. Just get some sleep for the time being.”
With that, Eleanor went into her room quietly, while Amelia pushed the luggage into hers.
At the same time, Tiffany requested, “I need you to look into the Huttons. That Mrs. Hutton was too friendly to Amelia. They might have an ulterior motive, and I want to know what it is.”
Amelia—who was on the sofa, holding Anthony in her arms—did not object to that request.
Kurt gave it some thought before answering, “Very well, then.”
Tiffany was quiet for a moment, then she added, “And Kurt, see if that lady’s sick in the…” She pointed at the side of her head. “She looked like she wanted to gobble Amelia up earlier. It was horrifying. If they’re trying to get close to Amelia for their own benefit, we’re not going to let it slide that easily.”
The crimson flash of murder glinted within Kurt’s eyes. “I will never let anyone or anything hurt Amelia.”
Hearing that, Amelia chuckled. “All right, Tiff. Stop with the conspiracy theories.”
Even though she thought it was a joke, Eleanor’s overt fervor still scared Amelia. After all, they had just met for the first time, and Amelia thought it was too overbearing.
