"You're back?" Patrick, who was waiting for the return of his prey behind the door, glared at Amelia's nervous side profile and greeted her with a jumble of joy and anger.
Amelia turned her stiff neck toward Patrick and gave him a greeting out of guilt. "Hi... you are still not asleep yet?"
Patrick leaned against the door frame and looked down at her. "I can't sleep when you aren't home."
"Oh! I'm so touched!" Amelia pretended to wipe tears away from the corners of her eyes. How she hoped she could squeeze out some drops of tears to better suit the situation right now!
Scanning at her neat clothes and radiant face, Patrick ruled out the possibility that she was bullied or taken advantage of outside. Then he asked coldly, "Don't be moved yet. Where have you gone so late at night?"
Amelia answered casually, "Nothing much. I just went to the hospital."
Patrick stepped forward, snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. He brushed her face with his cold breath and said, "You're still lying
to me?"
"I'm not lying to you." Amelia added frantically, "If you don't believe me, you can ask Huxton."
"Why should I ask him about you?"
"Didn't he install a listening bug on me?"
"He's already asleep. And he doesn't care about what happened to you at all!"
She had been mentioning Huxton more and more in front of Patrick recently, so often that he was feeling vaguely unpleasant about it.
"Then how are you so sure that I lied to you? Wait, I shouldn't have said that. It sounds like I really did lie to you..." The second half of the sentence seemed to be aimed at herself.
"Are you an idiot?" On the topic of her situation outside, Patrick pinched her chin hard and grumbled angrily, "No matter what your answer is, it doesn't change the fact that you just lied to me!"
Amelia was enraged by his scolding. She immediately put out a hand in front of him and said, "Okay then, you said I lied to you. Show me the evidence!"
She could not figure it out. Why was Patrick saying she had lied to him for telling him she came back from the hospital?
Patrick snorted, "I wanted to give you a chance to confess, but you don't seem to appreciate it!"
Amelia raised her eyebrow in confusion. "I..."
Patrick interrupted her with an air of impassivity. "My men told me you went to the police station where Daniel was at! It feels good to sneak out and meet your former lover without telling me, doesn't it? And weren't you so happy that you even forgot to go home?"
Amelia was caught by surprise and asked, "Just how many men do you have? How can you find me whenever no matter where I am?"
Patrick was looking so bleak that he was frightening. "Don't change the topic! Tell me! Did you act so out of character tonight because of Daniel?"
She had lied to him, telling him she did not know how to match her outfits for spring when he asked her why she was sitting and dazing by the window. What infuriated him the most was that he had actually gobbled up the childish reason she gave him!
How could he have believed in a lie so simple that it was just crude?
It was all because she had him wrapped about her finger, so he did not even think about scrutinizing the truth in her words.
Patrick peered at her and said with disdain, "It's either you did it, or you did not. Plus, you have to be either testing me or did out of guilt to ask a question like that."
Amelia said helplessly, "Well, it makes sense too." Staying 'neutral' never worked on Patrick. What he wanted was the 'absolute'!
Patrick cast her a thoughtful look, "So, are you guilty, or...?"
Amelia laughed out loud as if he had just cracked a joke. "What's there to be guilty about when I went to see Daniel's so frankly and righteously?"
Patrick said again, earnestly and tiringly, "You're still trying to defend your stance even at this point?
Admit it, you only left to see Daniel..."
Amelia, on the other hand, figured out his ulterior motives. "Is it fun for you to brainwash
me repeatedly? Are you trying to trick me into saying something wrong and then find a reason to punish me? I'm sorry... I'm afraid I'll disappoint you this time. I said I didn't, which means I didn't. I went to find Daniel purely on the request of someone else, no selfish intention at all!"
Amelia looked at the uncertain look from Patrick and said, "I don't think you really want to listen to my explanation. After all, in your eyes, I'm just a woman who likes to get myself involved with men. It's okay, you can think whatever you want. As you've said, as long as you're happy. It's very late now, and we have work tomorrow. We should go and rest."
"Amelia Ramsay!" Patrick ordered with a stern look on his face. "Stop right there!"
He had not even finished what he had to say. Why was she leaving?
Amelia had already turned to leave for her room, but she regained her footing at the sound of his shout.
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