When I Was A Wallflower

Chapter 208

smile on Toby’s face slowly vanished as his features contorted in pain. His long sleeves kept his clenched fists hidden from sight. It had taken him all the self-restraint he had to not blurt out the last thing he wanted to say.He didn’t tell Amelie that he discovered her secret an hour ago. In the past, he suspected that she was Big Eyes, and now, he had been proven correct.He didn’t go to Leo with this information right away. Instead, he came to look for Amelie first, but he had no idea why he did that.For some reason, his chest was killing him. It felt as if someone had stabbed a dagger right through his heart.When he thought about everything Amelie had to suffer throughout her marriage while staying with the Alstons, the pain he felt became so excruciating that he almost gasped for air. What was it like to cling to hope in the middle of despair? How did she survive those times? It’s Amelie’s business, so why does my heart hurt so badly?Toby pressed his fist against his chest. Deep down inside, he knew why, but he dared not say it. If he did, Amelie would stay away from him. He even had to use the excuse of being drunk just to see her.Toby went back to Prix Bar. He owned the establishment, so no one stopped him along the way. Once he got back to the private room, he lay down on a couch and covered his head.“What’s up with you?” When Leo came in, he was surprised to find Toby in this state.Leo was used to being stern and indifferent. He rarely showed any emotions in his expression, but he still knew how to express concern for others.Toby’s hand moved away slightly as he turned to look at Leo.Soon, he started laughing.Leo was even more puzzled by the laughter. He walked over to the other side, bent down, and poured himself a drink.Leo was in a bit of a funk as well because of Amelie. She didn’t even want to listen to my explanation. It’s clear she doesn’t care about me anymore.This was what he wanted all along, but now that his wish came true, his mood was sour. It felt as if his chest had been replaced by an empty cavern—a hollowed-out hole.All of a sudden, Leo’s phone rang. It was a call from Eugene.“Mr. Alston, someone took a photo of you and Miss Clayton together. Everyone’s saying that the wedding will happen soon. Shall I attend to it?”Leo frowned. He removed his phone from his ear and started tapping. True enough, he saw a photo of him and Elyse going viral on social media. In the photo, he was tending to the garden while Elyse was sitting in the wheelchair looking on with a loving expression. It had been taken at Joie Nursing Home.Many comments had been left under the original post. Most of them said the two were a match made in heaven.The further Leo scrolled, the tighter his grip became, and the darker his expression.“Why are you only reporting this to me now?” His tone became a lot harsher.Eugene shuddered at the iciness in Leo’s tone before answering, “I just received the news from Miss Harris…”After Eugene’s return, Laura had been reassigned to the communication department.“She’s only reporting it now when it happened an hour ago?” Leo’s voice became even colder. “Fire her.”Eugene was stunned into silence. All this while, he could tell that Leo was far more lenient on Laura than he was on anyone else. Laura had committed several mistakes even graver than this, but she had never been punished for them. Yet, now…Eugene glanced at the news with a thoughtful look in his eyes. He sighed to himself as he replied, “Yes, Mr. Alston.”“There’s one more thing I want you to do,” Leo instructed just as Eugene was about to end the call. Eugene listened dutifully, but his eyes progressively widened as he heard Leo’s command. “Yes, Mr. Alston,” Eugene said at last. After finishing the call, Leo was in no mood to sit around and drink anymore. He got to his feet.“Leo,” Toby called out to stop him.Toby had a perceptive look in his eyes as he asked, “Why are you treating Elyse like that?”He heard the call between Leo and Eugene.Leo simply looked right back at Toby without saying anything. He didn’t plan on answering the question.Toby chuckled. “Is it because of Amelie?” His fingers dug into the couch under him.“You’re mistaken,” Leo refuted coolly.Toby started laughing again. It was a mocking laughter that Toby had never used with Leo in the past. Leo frowned.All of a sudden, he felt a grip on his shoulder. It was Toby who grabbed him.Toby didn’t say anything. Instead, he swung his fist right at Leo.Leo was caught off-guard and took a punch to the face. A bruise blossomed on his handsome face as blood trickled out of the corner of his lips. “Toby! Have you gone mad?” Leo snarled as he wiped the blood off.Toby didn’t answer. He swung his fist again.Leo’s guard was up this time. He dodged Toby’s fists as he raised his own, and the two began pummeling each other…Amelie woke up with a start. Her eyes were still a little droopy, but she saw Brianna sitting on the bed and staring at her with a phone held up.Brianna’s eyes were bright and clear.“What is it?” Amelie asked puzzledly as she stroked Brianna’s cheek.“Ma’s calling you.” Brianna passed the phone to Amelie.It was only then that Amelie realized the phone was ringing. She quickly answered the call. “Why are you calling me this late, Julia? Did something happen?”“I’ve got the most shocking news to tell you!” Julia screeched so loudly that Amelie’s eardrum nearly burst.“What’s going on?” Julia’s tone was so emphatic that Amelie’s heart stopped for a moment as she thought, Did something happen to the company?She grabbed her tablet to check for herself.“What happened to Leo? Why did he suddenly stop lavishing his affections on Elyse?” Julia cried out. “At 8.00PM today, Elyse did her usual b*tchy thing of posting a photo of her and Leo tending to the garden together, and the Internet went wild with praise. Everyone said the wedding bells were ringing soon enough. Quite a number of production companies tried to get her onboard for their projects when they heard about this.”“Uh huh,” Amelie hummed noncommittedly.“But doesn’t that prove his affection for her?” Amelie couldn’t help but recall what happened earlier today. She felt a slight twang in her heart. No wonder they took so long. They were busy showing off their relationship. He shouldn’t have done it during Bria’s event. He went too far.“That’s not all, of course!” Julia raced to finish sharing, “Here comes the twist. At midnight, Leo personally made an announcement saying that the so-called gardening date was just a coincidental encounter.”Amelie was taken aback. “A coincidental encounter?”“Not only that, but Leo even said that Elyse wants to focus on her career and has decided to go back to being just friends with him. He said that from now on, the two of them are just friends