Thinking about it made him uncomfortable. Despite his efforts to treat Ella as a sister, the uncontrollable feelings surged like madness, completely beyond his ability to restrain them.
"Father, I’m heading out now. I have some things to handle," Luke announced as he stood abruptly, striding quickly toward the door.
Lucas nodded, his gaze following Luke’s retreating figure. The stillness of the room enveloped him, making him seem like a statue. After a long silence, he let out a soft sigh.
Luke was his adopted son, someone Lucas relied on deeply in his later years, but he couldn’t allow the young man to fall for his biological daughter. It was an impossibility that would only lead to pain.
The next morning, Eric confiscated Ella’s phone, asserting that as a pregnant woman, she should avoid devices like phones and computers due to their radiation.
Ella sighed in defeat, resigning herself to a completely "analog" lifestyle for the time being.
By midday, Amelia, Chloe, and a few other friends came to visit her. Upon hearing about her pregnancy, they were all overjoyed.
"Ella, I’m claiming dibs as the baby’s godmother!" Chloe teased. "Amelia, you can’t steal this from me!"
Amelia playfully jabbed Chloe in the forehead. "Why not? Can’t little Ella have more than one godmother?"
"Amelia, stop poking me with your dagger-like nails! That hurts!" Chloe complained, rubbing her head.
The two friends broke into cheerful banter, sparking laughter all around. Ella, seated on the edge of her bed, couldn’t help but smile. Although she still felt physically fatigued, her spirits were much brighter.
"Amelia, when are you and Richard getting married? Why not join us for a double wedding?" Ella joked.
Amelia gave a dismissive huff, her expression dimming. "Richard’s been so busy... Ella, I think he might be losing interest in me."
Both Ella and Chloe were taken aback. Amelia and Richard had been together since high school, their relationship seemed unshakable.
"What’s going on? Are you being too forceful?" Ella probed.
Amelia’s frustration boiled over. "Not me! It’s him! I went out for dinner with a male colleague, and he accused me of leading him on. Meanwhile, he’s cozying up to all these actresses without a hint of guilt!"
Ella furrowed her brow. She couldn’t believe Richard was behaving so irresponsibly. "What’s your plan now?"
Chloe patted Ella’s back soothingly. "Don’t stress, Amelia always has a plan."
Amelia smirked coldly. "Don’t worry about me, Ella. Focus on your baby. You’ll see—Richard will come crawling back to apologize soon enough."
Ella nodded. Amelia was a shrewd woman, not one to be easily deceived. Hopefully, Richard would indeed come to his senses and make amends.
In truth, Amelia already had a strategy in mind. She acknowledged that her dependence on Richard had fueled his jealousy. Yet, his own susceptibility to flirtation with other women needed addressing. His emotional nature often left him vulnerable to manipulation, as seen when he initially believed Rachel’s false claims about Ella.
Amelia resolved to step back from Richard, forcing him to reevaluate their relationship. Remaining in close proximity would only exacerbate their issues. However, she knew she wouldn’t make her point without a little assistance—a "male decoy" or two might come in handy.
To keep Ella relaxed, Amelia and Chloe shifted the conversation away from Richard, chatting instead about the joys and challenges of raising children.
The afternoon passed quickly with laughter and lighthearted anecdotes. When it was time to leave, Amelia and Chloe bid Ella goodbye, reminding her to get plenty of rest.
Sitting in the car, Chloe was casually scrolling through Twitter when her eyes widened at a trending post shared by their school alumni. The shocking news made her gasp and scream, "No way! Tiffany isn’t dead? What’s going on? That witch is deliberately redirecting all the blame onto Ella!"
Hearing Chloe’s exclamation, Amelia didn’t even bother starting the car. Instead, she snatched the phone from Chloe’s hand and quickly scanned the posts on Twitter. Several threads had gone viral, filled with shock, curiosity, and speculation.
The original post was from Tiffany herself:
Tiffany:Can someone explain what’s going on? Why am I supposedly dead? I’m very much alive, thank you! Who’s impersonating me?
The tweet had taken social media by storm. Tiffany, the celebrated actress whose sudden death had shocked fans, was now apparently alive. This unprecedented turn of events ignited widespread frenzy, with countless fans reposting the message.
Many alumni and fans alike expressed disbelief, while others resorted to outright conjecture and controversy:
"Did Tiffany offend someone powerful? Why was she declared dead?"
"Poor Tiffany, someone even dared to impersonate her!"
"OMG, I can’t believe this. I really thought Tiffany left us forever!"
"This has Ella written all over it. Jealous much?!"
"Ella’s disgusting. Tiffany forever!"
"Tiffany, who spread this death rumor? Why didn’t you speak up sooner?"
Five minutes later, Tiffany posted another response addressing the chaos:
Tiffany:It’s true I was in a car accident while in Country W, and after that, I was taken and held captive by some people. I managed to escape but found all my belongings had been taken when I returned to my hotel. It took me an immense effort to return to Country S safely. I didn’t clarify sooner because of security concerns, but now I want to set the record straight: I am alive. Please disregard the previous false reports of my death!
This revelation caused an uproar, sending shockwaves across social media. Fans were in a frenzy, while speculation about the circumstances of her supposed death reached new heights.
Chloe and Amelia exchanged a stunned look. Amelia’s face darkened as she said gravely, "I remember Ella attended her memorial service in Country W... and now Tiffany’s fans are spreading rumors that Ella orchestrated this because she was jealous of Tiffany’s talent. They even claim she sidelined Tiffany to promote Amanda!"
Chloe clenched her fists, her voice rising in indignation. "What kind of garbage is that? Ella? Jealous of Tiffany? They’ve really lost their minds!"
Amelia exhaled sharply, her expression filled with disdain. "Don’t worry. Eric will handle this. These vultures are taking advantage of Ella’s pregnancy to stir up trouble. Under no circumstances should Ella find out about this!"
Chloe nodded in agreement, her tone firm. "You’re right. I won’t let her hear a word about it."
Amelia’s eyes narrowed as she muttered, "The lengths some actresses will go to for fame... It’s despicable."
Chloe agreed, but her worry for Ella lingered. "Let’s hope Eric acts fast and shuts this circus down."