Chapter 10 What's the Plan Next

Amelia found out the box she had brought along and opened it, revealing a bunch of carefully framed paintings.

Seeing those paintings, Amelia went quiet.

"Why are all your paintings of Chris?" Sophia asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Amelia plopped down on the sofa, frustrated.

How stupid she had been. When she left Spencer Villa, she thought these paintings were priceless and non-replaceable. They were all portraits of Chris. Not that anyone would dare to buy them, but even if they did, Chris would definitely notice and might accuse her of something.

"I think this one could work," Sophia said, picking up a painting of a back view. "You can't really tell who it is from this."

Amelia felt a flicker of hope and looked over. This painting was different, showing only a cold, stern back.

"That's it," Amelia said. She contacted a high-end gallery anonymously, quickly negotiated the terms, and arranged for a courier to transport the painting.

To her surprise, less than an hour later, the gallery called to inform her that the painting had already been sold.

Amelia's voice shook. "How much did it sell for?"

The staff was cheerful and couldn't hide their excitement. "Five million dollars. Ms. Tudor, you're a genius. This is the highest-priced painting we've ever sold since our gallery opened. Do you have any other paintings?"

Amelia was about to say no, but then she thought she could keep painting. She had studied art since she was a kid; she never planned to make a living from it, but now she had no choice.

She said softly, "Yes, but it'll take some time."

The next morning, the gallery took their cut, and $2.5 million was transferred to her account.

With that, Amelia went straight to the hospital, paid off all of Paxton's expenses in one go, and transferred him to a hospital she had arranged in advance, hiring a caregiver to look after him.

After doing all this, she felt a huge weight lift off her chest, leaving her feeling completely at ease. Maybe it was because she felt less indebted to Chris.

Ever since she decided to divorce, she didn't want to owe Chris any favors. The two billion dollars Nina swindled at the wedding was impossible for her to repay in this lifetime, so she could only try to compensate him as much as possible.

Meanwhile, at a private golf course in the suburbs, Chris swung his club hard, and the white ball shot out, making several arcs in the air before disappearing into the distance.

A waiter brought over a drink, but he waved him away impatiently, sitting down on a lounge chair and glancing at his phone.

He received nothing but a number of junk messages. A strange sense of irritation crossed Chris's chest. What was he expecting?

"Chris, there you are. I've been looking for you everywhere," a sweet voice called out. Chris instinctively turned his head, seeing Leila elegantly walking over in high heels.

"Look what I got," Leila said, showing him a painting like it was a treasure. "I bought this painting while shopping last night. I think the person in the painting looks a lot like you, and the artist's talent is incredible. They handled the light and shadow effects so well, and look..."

Before she could finish, Chris's indifferent gaze suddenly changed.

He stood up, snatched the painting, and stared at it intently, as if trying to see through the painting and its artist.

"What's wrong?" Leila was startled by his sudden action, puzzled. "Chris, why are you..."

Before she could finish, he had already turned coldly and quickly walked towards his car.

On the other side, Amelia and Sophia had just finished dinner and were leisurely walking along the street.

Amelia had been living under immense pressure lately, with few moments of such leisure; a gentle smile perpetually graced her lips.

"Amelia, what are your plans next?" Sophia asked.

Lowering her eyes in contemplation for a moment, Amelia said, "I have signed a one-year contract with Sapphire. If I leave now, I would have to pay triple the penalty fee. Therefore, I must work there this year. I plan to use this time to nurse my father's health back to good condition and deal with future matters later."

She pressed her lips together, not wanting to think about why the mention of leaving made her feel empty inside.

"Aren't you afraid that your mom will come after you again? If she finds out you divorced Chris, she will go crazy." Sophia looked worried.

Amelia's expression was firm. "I can't back down anymore, and I can't be controlled by fear. I have my own life."

She looked up at the sky, just in time to see two birds flying into the horizon, chirping excitedly.

Suddenly, a black sports car stopped in front of them, the screeching brakes deafening.

Amelia was startled. Looking closely, she saw the handsome face and deep brown eyes of the man through the car window.

Chris? She didn't have time to think, grabbed Sophia, and turned to run.

Sophia panted. "Didn't you say you weren't afraid of him anymore?"

"It's different; his appearance surely spells trouble." Amelia moved toward a flower shop by the roadside, intending to shake off Chris.

The next second, a large hand grabbed her by the back of her neck, holding her in place.

Amelia's body stiffened. After being controlled by this invisible suffocating feeling for three years, she couldn't even react to escape. She stood frozen, like a lifeless puppet.

Sophia turned back and saw Chris easily holding Amelia. Their size difference was too great; Amelia even had no chance of fighting back, let alone escaping.

"You go first." Amelia finally regained her composure and urgently said to her in a low voice.

Sophia clenched her teeth, then turned and ran to seek assistance.

"Where did you intend to run?" Chris's cold, hoarse voice came.

The strength of his grip made Amelia uncomfortable, and the heat from his touch made her body tremble.

Amelia took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart, and said coldly, "None of your business."

As soon as she spoke, Chris had already turned her head towards him.

Their eyes met, and Chris's stern face was terrifying, his deep eyes filled with cold fury.

Amelia's heart trembled, instinctively wanting to retreat, but she forced herself to look at him calmly.

"Got some guts now? Speak!" Chris's patience was exhausted. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and dragged her towards his car.

Amelia shouted, "Let go of me, you lunatic. What are you doing?"

Amelia was a bit scared. Where was he taking her? Chris was truly out of his mind. In broad daylight, wasn't he afraid of being photographed and criticized for his actions?

Chris sneered and opened the car door, throwing her into the passenger seat.

Although Amelia was tall, she was slender. Curled up in the passenger seat, she appeared pitiable, yet her eyes burned with a fierce intensity as she glared at him.

Chris was suddenly amused by her look, his hand pausing for a moment as he closed the door.

In that moment, Amelia quickly opened the car door to run.