Chapter 16
Elias didn’t think much about it at first-he simply walked into the room. However, he then noticed that Amanda seemed to have fallen asleep on the bed. Did she really fall asleep here? No wonder she’s been gone for so long. Elias walked over to glance at the sleeping woman, and he realized how her cheeks seemed rather flushed. She was mumbling something in her sleep…
“Amanda? Wake up,” he called. Amanda still seemed rather drowsy as she mumbled a few words. “Switch on the air-conditioning. It’s too hot…” Hot? Elias looked around the room to realize that he was in a presidential suite. Grandpa put in this much effort, huh? The man patted the woman on her cheeks as he gave her orders in a stern voice. “Wake up right now!”
Amanda seemed to sober up a little after that. She weakly pushed herself into a sitting position before she took a good glance at the man before her eyes. “When did you come in?” she gasped.
“I came to check on you because I was afraid that you might sleep through the night here.” The man’s tone was harsh, and his demeanor was as cold as ever. All of a sudden, Elias realized how warm the room was. He loosened his tie with a frustrated sigh before he turned to leave the room. He wanted to step out for some fresh air. However, when he got to the door, he realized that the door had been locked from the outside. This is a hotel, so for the door to be locked from the outside… It has to be one of the staff members who did it. Does this mean that all of this is… part of Grandpa’s plan?
At that thought, Elias couldn’t help but curse to himself. “F*ck!”
Amanda dragged herself over to the man before she addressed him in a weak voice. “Is it locked from the outside? I couldn’t get out earlier-that’s why I was so surprised when I saw you in the
room.”
Elias was speechless for a while. It seems like Grandpa planned this whole thing out. Elias sensed that there was something wrong with the way his body felt, and he then recalled the glass of red wine he drank in the hall earlier. Could Grandpa have drugged us? The man lost his temper immediately. How could Grandpa drug his own grandchild? He sure is a reckless man!
“Open the door. Open the door now!” Elias kicked the door hard, but the guards outside didn’t respond to his protests at all. Amanda only realized what was going on then. Was this all part of Grandpa’s plan? “Is Grandpa the one who locked us in?” she asked.
Elias tried his best to contain what he was feeling. “He even drugged us!” he hissed through gritted teeth.
What?! Amanda widened her eyes in shock before she stumbled a few steps backward. She couldn’t believe that Howard would do such a thing to them. He’s really trying to get us back together! That explains why I’ve been feeling so dizzy and uneasy. I can’t even describe how I feel now. “I’m warning you, Elias! Don’t you dare come near me! You can take a cold shower if you feel unwell. Just don’t touch me!” she cried.
Then, Amanda took a pillow and held it in front of her chest as if it would shield her from the man. The man turned around with a dark gaze in his eyes. A look of disdain formed in his
expression when he saw how cautious and alert Amanda seemed. “I never laid a finger on you, even when you were my wife. What makes you think that I would touch you now? You think too highly of yourself?” he hissed.
“Have you forgotten how you bit me like a wild animal back when we were in the meeting room?” she snapped.
A wild animal? Elias felt rage building up in his chest as he stormed over and reduced the gap between Amanda and him. “How dare you call me a wild animal, Amanda? You sure gained some courage, huh!” The more he looked at the woman’s pink cheeks and her moist, soft lips; the more he felt like kissing her.
Eventually, he pushed her back down to sit on the bed. She figured that it was best if she kept her lips sealed. Elias had also been drugged, after all-Amanda knew that she would be no match for him if he were to lose his cool and succumb to the effects of the drug.
Grace was beyond puzzled when she returned to the dinner party. Where did both Amanda and Elias go? Did they just disappear while I went to the toilet? Grace started feeling rather anxious after waiting around for a while more. She called Elias, but she couldn’t get through to him at all.
“Where did Elias go, Old Mr. Winters? Did he have something to do?” she asked Howard with an awkward smile on her face. Howard felt annoyed just at the sight of the helpless and meek look on the woman’s face. “Do you expect him to stay by your side all the time? He’s a man, and he’s the heir of Winters Enterprise!” Howard replied sternly.
“I’m sorry, Grandpa. I was just curious,” Grace muttered. She had intended to ask about Amanda’s whereabouts as well, but she stopped herself after seeing the way Howard responded to her. She had no choice but to continue calling Elias. However, her call still didn’t get through, and even when it did, no one picked up the call. What is Elias up to? Why isn’t he picking up his phone?
The guests began to leave after the party ended, but even then. Elias and Amanda were still nowhere to be seen. Grace was close to panicking at this point, and she couldn’t contain her worry for much longer. “Why isn’t Elias back, Old Mr. Winters? Everyone’s about to leave. Also, where’s Amanda? Has she left?” Grace asked Howard.
“Perhaps they’re handling some business,” Howard replied with a serious tone. However, a rather sinister smirk then formed on his wrinkled face. Judging by how long they took, I’m sure they’re feeling the effects of the medication, he thought. Grace froze upon hearing the old man’s words. “What do you mean? What business do they have to deal with?”
“You should give up on your dreams of marrying Elias. You won’t get to do that as long as I’m around. I’ve already arranged for Elias and Amanda to share a room tonight, and I want them to give me a grandchild before remarrying each other.” Howard was transparent with his wishes. He no longer felt the need to hide anything-he wanted to make it clear that he didn’t like Grace.
Grace felt as if an explosion had just gone off in her head. She looked shocked and felt her legs. turning weak. They… They’re sharing a room… Amanda and Elias?!
Tears started gushing down Grace’s cheeks as she wailed. “How could you do such a thing. Grandpa? I’m the one that Elias loves! Why would you force him to marry a woman he doesn’t like? Why would you force him to have a child with someone he doesn’t love?” Upon finishing her sentence, Grace turned and hurried off. She had to find Elias-she didn’t want him in the same room as Amanda.
“Stop her and send her home! I don’t want her to roam around!” Howard gave orders to his bodyguards. The two bodyguards immediately rushed over to hold Grace back. She couldn’t escape their grip, so all she could do was cry and wail frantically. “This is unfair, Grandpa! How dare you ruin my relationship with Elias? How could Amanda do this? Elias doesn’t even love her! Elias belongs to me! I’m the one he should marry!”
“Stop dreaming. I’d never let some actress like you into the Winters Family.” Howard could no longer be bothered to deal with Grace, so he simply turned to leave the hall. The bodyguards hauled Grace out of the hall, and she couldn’t free herself no matter how hard she tried. Hatred surfaced in her eyes as she stared at the old man and her cheeks were stained with tears. That damned old man! I won’t be able to enter the Winters Family as long as he’s around. What if I kill him? A sinister idea began to form in her mind.
