Chương 10: Brunch, Ruined

The Bennett family was famous not only within the country but all over the world.

Their business started with Oscar Bennett, a skilled software engineer eager to explore the intricacies of the fast-growing tech world. He created a small start-up with two of his university friends. The trio wrote a program designed to enhance the security of passcode locks, which were becoming increasingly popular and rapidly replacing traditional locks.

The program quickly became in high demand. After multiple adjustments and updates, it evolved into a comprehensive smart home security system used by every major development company and dominated the international market.

Over time, Oscar's company grew into a large conglomerate called "Diamond Group," encompassing a family of businesses. Their shares were coveted by many wealthy individuals, and receiving Diamond Group's investments or financial support guaranteed instant popularity and success.

Unfortunately, the Bennett family's success came at a price.

Soon after the birth of his son Evan, Oscar's wife, Marianne, died of cancer, leaving him alone to raise their child. He didn't remarry, as his grief prevented him from focusing on anything other than his son and the company.

Evan was a smart kid who quickly became a valuable helper to his dad. He began working for the main company at only fourteen years old and helped the business reach new heights with his skills and business acumen.

He, too, had a price to pay for his achievements.

Not long after Evan and his wife, Jennifer, had their second son, Liam, they died in a plane crash while returning from a business trip on their private jet. The tragedy shook the business world, but it affected Oscar the most.

Once again, he lost beloved members of his family. Once again, he was left alone to act as a capable parent to the young Bennett brothers.

And their tragedies were still not over.

***

"We have sent the invitations to the entire family, but we only received one response. One of my assistants is handling the guests, so I'm still not sure who is going to attend the benefit."

Amelie took a moment to recall the last time she reviewed the guest list. No, she had made no mistake; all they had indicated was that only one "Mr. Bennett" would attend. There were no first names.

Elizabeth glanced at something on her phone and answered in a somewhat careless tone, "Hmm... I don't think it will be Grandpa Bennett. It's hunting season now, and he is known to hunt a lot. His older grandson is in the hospital somewhere in Europe and is too sick to fly, so this leaves us with only one possible candidate... the infamous Liam Bennett, the youngest heir to the Diamond Group!"

Liam Bennett indeed had a controversial reputation. He was famous for being just as talented as his father while also infamous for his scandalous social life. In short, Liam was known as a womanizer who was said to sleep around a lot.

The bad rumors about him, however, never prevented women of all ages from swooning over him. Liam was one of the most handsome bachelors and was desired by many.

"This makes me very excited!" Lizzy exclaimed. "The youngest heir of Diamond Group is making his first official public appearance at our benefit. I can't wait to see his gorgeous face in person!"

Her dreamy remark made Amelie laugh. While she, too, was curious to see him in person, she was barely interested in his looks.

Suddenly, Elizabeth fell silent, and her excited expression was replaced by a deep frown as she fixed her eyes on something behind Amelie. Concerned about such a drastic change in her expression, Amelie turned around and saw the source of her friend's distress.

It was Samantha.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Lizzy's cold voice echoed in Amelie's head. She narrowed her eyes, silently sharing her friend's irritation.

She took a closer look at that woman. Although Samantha was now dressed in famous brands, her appearance lacked any real fashion sense. It seemed as though she simply wanted to drape herself in expensive clothes to show the world that "she" could afford them.

Samantha finally noticed the two women looking at her. She stretched her mouth into a wide smile and waved her freshly manicured hand at them.

"Amelie!"

Without invitation or hesitation, she briskly walked to their table. Lizzy's frown deepened as she groaned, "Oh God, she even has the nerve to come to us?!"

As Samantha approached their table, it became clear she had just returned from a trip to a beauty salon and a department store. The number of glossy shopping bags hanging from her left arm was overwhelming.

"Oh, Amelie, I had no idea you liked this restaurant!"

Amelie arched her eyebrows upon hearing Samantha call her by her first name. Samantha continued, "Richard recommended this restaurant because the chef here is someone he knows. He said I could just pop in any time and get the best service if I mention his name! Having connections is amazing. Can I join you two for brunch? Running around that department store was so exhausting!"

"No." Amelie's answer was firm and cold. She looked at her friend, and Lizzy supported her rejection with a nod. "In case you failed to notice, we are two best friends having a nice brunch together while sharing a pleasant and stimulating conversation. I don't think you can contribute to this."

Samantha's lips curled down, clearly offended by Elizabeth's harsh words. She remained quiet, and Amelie finally noticed it—Samantha was on the verge of tears.

'This is becoming scary. Such a quick change of expressions requires some good acting. Who is she trying to fool here?'

Lizzy's eyes traveled over the shopping bags on Samantha's arm. Most of the items were either from skincare or makeup stores, with only one glossy black shopping bag from a famous brand's boutique. Elizabeth scoffed.

"It looks like there was still one brand you didn't manage to put on when you left the department store."

Samantha ignored her sarcasm and smiled. "Oh, this? It's a dress for the upcoming benefit."

The women's eyes widened in shock, both of them couldn't believe what they had just heard.

"The benefit?"

Samantha's grin widened as she nodded. "Yes, Richard invited me too. It's a pity I can't join you for brunch, but I'll make sure to join you for evening drinks there."

Her voice sounded sweet and kind, but with each word that left her mouth, Amelie felt as if she were being splashed with ice-cold water.

This woman was slowly making her way into every single aspect of Amelie's life.

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Chương 11: An Old Mobile Phone

Seeing Samantha and learning that she, too, was going to attend this year's benefit left Amelie feeling restless and confused. Once again, she found herself unable to return to her own house, so she opted to stay at the Emerald Hotel tonight.

As she stepped out of the elevator and walked toward her suite, she noticed an old mobile phone model lying right at the door. It was a perplexing sight.

"Wow, I haven't seen one of these phones in ages. It still has buttons."

Amelie took a closer look at the phone; it resembled one of the earliest mobile phone models, the kind she remembered from middle school. It was smaller than an average smartphone, with peculiar round edges, a full set of buttons, and a relatively small screen. It was a popular yet inexpensive model that many of her classmates owned back then.

"Who would still own something this ancient? And why is it in front of my door?" she wondered aloud.

Amelie looked around the hallway. There were only two penthouse suites on this floor, which meant two possibilities: either the phone was left by the other guest or by someone from the staff, which seemed more plausible to her.

"I guess I'll just take it to the reception desk and ask them to find its owner," she thought.

She bent down to pick up the phone, and the moment her hand touched it, it vibrated with an incoming call from an unknown number.

At first, Amelie was confused and unsure of what to do, but then it hit her—what if the owner was calling to find the phone? She had to answer it.

"Hello?" A male voice greeted her before she could even say anything. Amelie cleared her throat and responded, "Hello?"

"Who is this?" The male voice sounded rather urgent.

"Do you know the owner of this phone?" Amelie asked hopefully.

"I do know the owner of this phone, it's me! I'm holding my phone in my hands right now! Hahaha!"

Amelie raised her eyebrows; this phone conversation was already getting frustrating, especially since the man on the other end was clearly drunk.

"Excuse me, I found this phone in the hallway of the Emerald Hotel. Do you know its owner?"

"Emerald Hotel? But I'm at the Emerald Hotel right now! Whoa, this is spooky!"

"Oh my God..." Amelie found the situation ridiculous. With a sigh, she pinched the skin between her eyebrows to stop herself from frowning and replied in a serious voice, "Alright, I am taking this phone down to the reception desk. Please tell the owner—or yourself, when you sober up—that you can find it there. Have a good night."

She hung up and walked back to the elevators, mumbling, "What a weirdo."

***

The next morning, as Amelie was getting ready for work, her routine was interrupted by a light knock on the door. She looked at her watch and tried to remember if she had ordered room service last night.

"No, I don't think I'm expecting anything... What could be the matter?"

Slightly confused, she opened the door only to find no one there. Now, she was seriously questioning her own sanity. However, before she could brand herself as slightly insane, Amelie looked down and widened her eyes.

"What in the world...?"

In the same spot where she had found the old mobile phone last night, there was now a modest bouquet of pink tulips and a small glossy paper bag with a white post-it note in the middle of it. She looked around just as she had done last time, but once again, the hallway was empty.

Shrugging her shoulders, Amelie looked inside the paper bag and saw the same phone she had taken to the reception desk last night. She peeled off the post-it and began to read:

"To the beautiful lady in suite 2101,

I am sorry for troubling you with my call last night. I was drunk and had no idea what I was doing. Thank you for taking care of the phone. The thing is, it is very important to me, and I'd hate to lose it again, so… would it trouble you to keep it with you for the time being? I promise there is nothing suspicious about it, but if you feel uneasy, you can put it back into the bag and leave it outside your door. I will take it back later.

Thank you. Your troublesome neighbor who rarely drinks. That is a fact."

Somehow, the note put a smile on Amelie's face. She still found it odd and slightly suspicious that a total stranger would ask her to do something like that, but since it was a guest staying in the most expensive room, she knew whom to look for if anything went wrong.

"Alright, let's write a response then," Amelie thought to herself.

She went back into her room and found a pen. Turning the post-it over, she wrote her message in her usual beautiful handwriting:

"To the troublesome person in suite 2102, who, as they are convinced, rarely drinks,

I will keep this phone with me since I, too, harbor value for things that have meaning. However, if you try anything funny with it, I will take it back to the receptionist and have you leave this hotel.

With regards, the beautiful and considerate lady."

Satisfied with her note, Amelie took the phone from the bag and replaced it with the post-it. She then looked at the flowers and smiled.

"This is a scene straight from a cheap, clichéd romantic comedy," she mused.

She took the flowers inside the room and closed the door. Her own remark began to bother her.

"I wonder... If I open the door right now, will that paper bag still be there?"

Suddenly, her body started acting on its own. Dropping the tulips on her bed, she rushed to the door and swung it open, only to find that there was nothing outside her room anymore. She couldn't help but chuckle.

"What a ridiculous movie this is!"

Still smiling, Amelie was brought back to her room by the ringing sound of her own phone. She looked at the screen and saw a message from Elizabeth.

"Check the latest post in our gossip feed. Right. Now."

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