"Sure," Amelie agreed. "Do what you feel is right," she asserted.
"Thanks for trusting me," Gabriel said. "Do you want to rest more?"
Amelie shook her head. "You need not to worry for me. You saved me before anything could happen. Oh, did you have lunch?" she asked, "I suddenly crave for noodles."
Gabriel could see her hands were still trembling in fear, but doing her best to pretend she was fine.
"I didn’t have lunch," Gabriel replied. "I’ll ask the cook to prepare noodles for you and something light for me," he added.
"Why light? Eat your full meal. You are an alpha. Your diet intake is more," Amelie stated.
"I don’t have much appetite," Gabriel reasoned. The tense expression on his face made Amelie sense that he was still upset about everything that happened. He was too concerned for her.
Gabriel left her side. "I’ll return shortly," he said and walked out of the room.
Amelie got down from bed and went to the washroom to freshen up. She splashed the cold water on her face a few times before closing the tap. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she began talking with herself. "I thought if I would run away everything would turn fine. There would be no one to haunt me, but I was wrong."
A sigh escaped her mouth and she took the towel from the cupboard to dry her face. "If Flora did it, then she must bear the consequences," Amelie muttered before exiting the washroom.
"Amelie!" Katelyn stood up from the edge of the bed the moment she saw her. Without hesitation, she rushed forward and pulled Amelie into a warm embrace. "I’m so relieved nothing happened to you, or your pup. You suddenly ran off, and before I could catch up, the elevator doors had already closed."
As she pulled away, Katelyn gently held Amelie’s hands, her eyes scanning her face with concern.
"I’m fine now," Amelie said. "Sorry for worrying you, Kate."
"You didn’t trouble me," Katelyn reassured her. "But... why did you leave like that? You looked so upset." Her brows furrowed as she searched Amelie’s eyes for answers.
Amelie hesitated to reply. Was this the same Katelyn she thought she knew? Or had she never truly seen her at all? Part of her wanted to speak about what Jodie had said, but another part wasn’t certain if it would do more harm than good.
At that moment, the door creaked open, and Gabriel stepped in, catching the tail end of their conversation.
"Did Jodie say something to you?" His voice reached their ears.
Amelie turned to him slowly. Katelyn’s eyes also shifted toward her brother, her face suddenly tense with anticipation.
"Tell me," Gabriel said.
Amelie wondered why he suddenly turned furious.
"Kate, can you give us some privacy?" Gabriel asked gently but firmly.
Katelyn gave Amelie one last concerned glance before quietly leaving the room. Gabriel walked over and locked the door behind her.
"Now," he said, turning back to Amelie, "tell me—what exactly did Jodie say to you?"
"She said I shouldn’t be with you. That I don’t belong by your side. She claimed no one wants us together and that my haters are everywhere," Amelie replied. "But before I walked away, I gave her a reply she won’t forget."
Gabriel’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening. "She crossed a line," he muttered, already planning to summon Jodie and deal with her.
"I heard you two had a passionate relationship," Amelie added with a hint of sarcasm, unable to suppress the bitterness.
"Never," Gabriel said coldly. "She’s an obsessive bitch. It was a mistake to even entertain the idea of being with her."
"She said she has a bracelet of yours and wanted to return it through me," Amelie continued with her folded arms.
"Then she must’ve stolen it," he replied bluntly.
"Hm," Amelie hummed, brushing past him to head toward the door.
"Are you upset with me?" Gabriel asked, his voice softer now.
"No," she answered, not meeting his eyes.
"You are," he said, suddenly stepping in front of her, blocking her path. "Look, I’ve had casual flings in the past, yes, but they never meant anything. Jodie was just one of them. If I’d known Kate was taking you to her, I’d have stopped it. I swear I would’ve."
"I’m not upset with you," Amelie stated. "You don’t need to explain yourself. I was just going downstairs to check if the cook has prepared lunch for you, and noodles for me."
"Albus will send the meals and noodles once they’re ready," Gabriel informed her.
"Okay," Amelie nodded.
Just then, her phone began to ring. She walked over to the bedside table and picked it up. The screen displayed an unknown number. Her brows furrowed slightly. Could it be from her home? Without answering, she rejected the call and set the phone down.
But the phone buzzed again.
Gabriel stepped closer, his gaze narrowing. "Who is it?"
"I don’t know. It’s an unknown number," Amelie replied.
Gabriel gently took the phone from her hand and answered it, switching to speaker mode.
"Hey, Amelie. Jodie this side!" came the overly sweet voice.
Both Amelie and Gabriel exchanged glances.
"Why are you calling me?" Amelie asked, speaking before Gabriel could.
"I told you I had to return Gabriel’s bracelet. Let’s meet tomorrow if you are free," Jodie said with a hopeful tone.
"Why don’t you come here and return the bracelet yourself?" Amelie suggested. "If not, then you can throw it away. I don’t think Gabriel will want such a bracelet, which he doesn’t even remember," she asserted.
Gabriel smiled, hearing the befitting reply Amelie gave to Jodie.
"And one more thing, Jodie, whoever gave you this number tell them not to underestimate me. I may look an easy target, but I am not naive. Don’t ever bother me again," Amelie warned and hung up the call without listening the other party.
"That was such a wonderful conversation!" Gabriel mused, feeling proud how she shut off Jodie.