In the room.
Marsh Smith posed with the gentle, refined demeanor that Amelia Wright liked the most.
"Amelia, I know about the substitute marriage, and I also know you like me. I'm here today to tell you that since you helped Ava, I'm willing to give you a chance."
Marsh Smith finished speaking and waited, expecting Amelia's grateful surprise.
Once, Amelia was indeed surprised, humble and foolishly devoted.
However, now, Amelia lazily leaned against the back of the chair, her eyes slightly raised with a bewitching allure, "Oh? What kind of chance?"
Facing such a gaze, Marsh only felt his heart race a little.
Thinking about Amelia's compliance to him, his ego unconsciously swelled.
He said naturally, "Once you're divorced, I'll make you my girlfriend. Regarding the substitute marriage, your attitude made Ava sad. You must apologize to Ava together with me later, understood?"
The more Amelia listened, the more disgusted she felt. She was the one forced into the substitute marriage, yet she still had to apologize to Ava Wright.
In their hearts, Ava Wright would forever be the high and mighty princess, while her own ignoble life served as Ava's stepping stone, as if it was always meant to be.
But now, her life was about coming back for revenge.
Amelia's eyes harbored a hidden bloodlust, lazily and mockingly said, "Marsh Smith, I believe I've never done anything to wrong you over the years, don't you think?"
Marsh stiffened, but remembering Ava's pleas, he remained composed and said, "Amelia, it's just an apology. Don't make me unhappy, and don't try to rival Ava's place in my heart. Come to my side!"
Amelia stood up and seemed obedient as she moved toward Marsh Smith.
If she calculated correctly, the police should nearly be here by now.
In a breezy tone, she said, "Marsh Smith, when repaying a kindness, you better recognize your benefactor. Hopefully, you won't regret it in this lifetime."
Marsh frowned, what did she mean by that?
His benefactor was Ava; Ava saved his life. Everything Ava wanted, he would help her with, including plotting against Amelia. Failing Ava and seeing her aggrieved would make him regret it.
He reached out, intending to wrap his arms around Amelia's waist and perform some intimate act to be captured by the pinhole camera in the corner.
However, in the next moment.
"Bang!"
Amelia picked up a vase from the table and smashed it onto Marsh Smith's head with a backhand swing.
Marsh Smith became dazed and fell to the ground with a head full of blood.
Seeing the blood, all of Amelia's suppressed malice erupted. Before Marsh Smith could get up, she picked up a shard of the vase and fiercely aimed it at Marsh's eyes.
Her expression was both crazed and vicious!
Marsh finally reacted, only to see the sharp shard over his eye, breaking into cold sweat, panicking, "Amelia! What... what are you doing!"
Amelia gripped the shard tightly, wanting to stab it heedlessly.
The slight pain in her palm brought her some calmness, causing the stabbing shard to miss.
Marsh, terrified, closed his eyes and felt a sharp pain near his face.
Instead, Amelia seemed like a bullied, pitiful girl. Her voice trembled as she said, "Marsh Smith, I... I'm already married, you can't touch me."
Now Marsh understood the reason for the beating, instantly anger boiling over. He had always known Amelia was conservative, but hadn't expected her to be to this extent. Meeting Amelia's eyes earlier, he even felt a momentary fear; this illusion almost embarrassed him.
Angrily, he said, "I'm not touching you, now move away quickly!"
Only then did Amelia weakly retreat, lowering her head, reluctantly dropping the shard in her hand.
Marsh, holding his head, sat up and was dumbfounded.
"Is... is it on fire???"
Amelia's room was full of paintings.
With dry paper, the flames spread in an instant, quickly engulfing half the room.
Those paintings were Amelia's life over the past twenty years, things she once couldn't part with.
Yet now, when she threw the lit scented candle over, she didn't hesitate for a moment, as if she was burning away her past life.
Having been reborn, she knew early on, painting couldn't save her.
Rather than leaving these paintings for Ava to use, she might as well burn them all.
Marsh, no longer caring about anything else, shouted in a sweat-drenched panic, "Amelia, what the hell did you just do!"