Marsh Smith hadn’t had a chance to speak. Amelia Wright coldly shook off Marsh Smith’s hand, "Young Master Smith, please have some self-respect." Seeing Amelia so beautiful, Marsh had an urge to hide her away so no one else could see her. But in such a public setting, Marsh knew it was best to keep his thoughts to himself. He would need to find a chance for a private conversation later. Amelia seemed oblivious to what Marsh was thinking and walked toward the main hall, ignoring him. Upon her entrance, she instantly became the center of attention at the venue. Even without mentioning her prestigious background, her sheer beauty was enough. It seemed she looked more stunning with every meeting. Amelia, unfazed by everyone’s stares, found a seat by the edge and sat down. Amelia now possessed more than just beauty. First place at the national traditional painting exhibition. Design director at Cloudglow. Most importantly, Cloudglow’s recent product launches had made many realize that she single-handedly led the high-end jewelry custom market trend in Riverwood City. Even if they lagged behind Oliver Wright in catching on, everyone in this circle understood what this meant. Besides, to them, Amelia now seemed like an unaffiliated talent. Previously marrying into the Shaw family made her position at Cloudglow seem natural. Or being an adopted daughter of the Wright family made her role at Wright Corporation unsurprising. But now, she divorced Young Master Shaw and cut ties with the Wright family. For such talent, isn’t she just a free agent? She could join any company, and many began plotting. Facing these fervent gazes, Amelia just sat quietly. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel[f]ire.net On stage, Alvin Smith was speaking. "Thank you all for attending my birthday banquet. It’s been a long time since it was this lively. I’d like to take this opportunity to announce something: my son Marsh Smith and Ava Wright from the Wright family are announcing their engagement today." The good relationship between the Smith and Wright families made this news not so surprising. Immediate congratulations came from all directions. "Congratulations, congratulations." "A perfect match, made in heaven." Since Ava wasn’t present, Oliver Wright said a few words, "My daughter Ava is abroad; she’ll be back in a while. Meanwhile, I’d like to thank everyone here on her behalf for your congratulations." While everyone was congratulating on the engagement, a young man in a suit approached Amelia, "Pardon my intrusion; Miss Wright, do you mind if I sit here?" Amelia replied warmly, "I don’t mind." Why would she mind? The opportunity she had been waiting for had arrived. The young man sat opposite Amelia and got straight to the point, "Miss Wright, here is my business card. I’m a board member of YS Group. If you’re considering a job change, you might want to consider us; you name your terms." Amelia reached out to take the card. Her hand, pale and delicate like jade, took the black card with a sense of elegance. Many people noticed Amelia and silently cursed the man for taking the lead in recruiting her. Immediately, a few others gathered around. Amelia welcomed all who came, allowing these people to sit around her. Interestingly, those who gathered were all young, talented individuals. Who knew if they were purely here to recruit or for other reasons. "Miss Wright, if you’re going to YS, why not come to my company? We are stronger than YS." "Our company is also great. Although not as large as some major corporations, I can promise to give Miss Wright some original shares." "Small companies have no future; talent like Miss Wright is better suited for a large platform. We are a publicly traded company..." Amelia began her performance. She softly and timidly said, "Thank you for your kindness, but... if I leave Cloudglow, Mr. Wright won’t allow me to join another company." Amelia’s demeanor was so endearing. Someone immediately spoke up for her, "You’ve already severed ties with the Wright family. What right does Mr. Wright have to prevent you from joining another company?" Amelia slightly lowered her head, her eyes seemingly misty, "I... I..." Coupled with her attire, she was simply heartbreaking to behold. Having been torn apart by public opinion in the past, she was now fully aware of how to manipulate it, if she wished. In that moment, everyone gathered around changed their previous negative perceptions of Amelia. A fragile beauty like her couldn’t possibly do anything bad. She had divorced Young Master Shaw and was being exploited by the Shaw family, working tirelessly at Cloudglow, too afraid to leave. Now that she was taken back by the Wright family, they previously thought it was a reconciliation. Realizing otherwise, they recalled earlier rumors of abuse by the Wright family. Severing ties, yet taking her back was too obvious; they clearly wanted Amelia to work for Wright Corporation. So fragile and unresisting, she was indeed pitiable. Just by silently displaying weakness, Amelia garnered everyone’s sympathy. When interests were involved, it didn’t matter if she was pretending; everyone believed she was being forced by Oliver Wright. They had driven her to cut ties, yet still forced her to work for them like a servant. The situation around Amelia left many shocked. Once despised and unrespectable as an adopted daughter of the Wright family, she had become a sought-after guest by these young elites. Many women felt envious on the scene, secretly wishing they were the ones being adored and surrounded . Amelia had divorced and severed ties with the Wright family, leaving her seemingly without support. She should have long been ousted from the circle, yet she was more popular than ever. Amelia had long understood that relying on others was futile. Only by relying on herself and having a strong enough ability could she stand above and overlook others. Marsh Smith, seeing the situation around Amelia, had long darkened his expression, He knew he had to hide her away. Marsh disregarded possible negative impacts and walked straight over, pulling Amelia away, "Come with me, I have something to tell you." Amelia seemed powerless to resist, about to be led away. Others instinctively wanted to stop him. "Marsh Smith, you just got engaged to Ava Wright, why are you messing with Amelia Wright?" Marsh’s face turned dark, "This is our business, it doesn’t concern outsiders." Since it was Alvin Smith’s birthday celebration, everyone really couldn’t make a scene and fell silent, grudgingly allowing Marsh to take Amelia away. On stage, Alvin Smith continued his speech, slightly frowning at the commotion caused by Marsh. What was that boy doing? He had just announced Marsh and Ava’s engagement, yet Marsh was now entangled with Amelia, creating a bad impression. Marsh couldn’t be bothered by that at this moment. He pulled Amelia to a small terrace behind the hotel, closing the terrace door behind them. Before Amelia could speak, Marsh impatiently said, "Amelia, what are you doing? Did you hear about my engagement to Ava and intentionally flirt with those people to provoke me?" Amelia thought, Marsh’s self-deluding talent could indeed be unparalleled.