Chapter 96

Amelia let out a big sigh of relief when she heard Benjamin's voice and peeked through the peephole to see him standing outside.

She swung the door open and let him in.

The moment Benjamin stepped inside, he let out a huge yawn. His eyes were all puffy with dark circles, clearly showing he hadn't slept well for days.

"Just wrapped up a 17-hour surgery. Man, I'm exhausted," Benjamin said, flopping onto the couch.

Amelia rolled her eyes and plopped down on the other end of the sofa. "Just a reminder, this is my place. Can you try not to act like you own it?"

Benjamin smirked, "Aren't we a couple? Do we really need to be so formal?"

Amelia blushed but shot back, "Just because we hooked up after drinking doesn't mean we're a couple!"

Benjamin propped his chin up, grinning at her. "You really don't wanna be my girlfriend? I've been worried sick about you these past few days."

"Worried about me? Why?" Amelia paused, suddenly remembering the creepy feeling of being followed lately.

She jumped up from the couch, glaring at him. "So it was you stalking me! You creep!"

Benjamin rolled his eyes and sat up. "Do you even hear yourself? I'm a busy surgeon. How on earth would I have time to follow you around?"

"Then who's been following me?" Amelia asked, realizing how dumb her question sounded. Who else could it be but someone from the Brown Family?

To her surprise, Benjamin pointed at himself. "I had people following you. More like a team of bodyguards secretly protecting you."

Amelia was stunned for a second, then grabbed Benjamin's collar, shouting, "Do you know how freaked out I've been? Why didn't you just tell me you were protecting me?"

Benjamin noticed a kitchen knife on the table and awkwardly scratched his head. "I thought bodyguards would make you uncomfortable, so I had them keep a low profile. Didn't think you'd notice them."

Amelia let go of his collar and picked up the kitchen knife. Benjamin immediately jumped up, hiding behind the couch.

"Considering how tight we've been, there's no call for this, is there? I just want to keep you safe," Benjamin said, pointing at her in panic.

Amelia rolled her eyes and put the knife back in the kitchen. "I was just putting the knife away. Why are you so scared?"

Benjamin let out a sigh of relief as she sat back down. "The security detail gave me a heads-up, mentioning you might have spotted them. Were you attempting to shake them off today? You're incredible! They nearly lost sight of you."

Amelia raised her chin proudly. Since realizing she was being followed, she'd been hitting up crowded places, ducking into women's clothing stores to change outfits, and taking all sorts of convoluted routes-just like in the TV shows!

Seeing Amelia's proud look, Benjamin shook his head with a wry smile. "You know? One of the stores you ducked into today is owned by the Brown Family. The manager tipped them off that you left through the back door."

Amelia's face went pale instantly.

Benjamin saw her reaction and knew she was finally feeling the fear. He rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Now you're scared? If my bodyguards hadn't found you and stopped the Brown's people in time, you wouldn't be seeing me right now."

"What should I do now?" Amelia asked, her voice full of anxiety.

Benjamin dropped the teasing and got serious. "I've set up a safe house for you. From now on, bodyguards will be sticking close. To keep things low-key, they'll be posing as your colleagues and roommates."

Amelia wasn't exactly thrilled about Benjamin's plan. Ever since that night they spent together, she'd been feeling all sorts of conflicted. She wasn't the type to easily give her heart away.

But she also knew that without Benjamin's help, the Brown Family could totally ruin her.

"Do I have to keep hiding like this?" Amelia asked, feeling pretty down.

Benjamin sighed. "We can only hope the Williams Family figures out who hurt Pearl soon. If they can't, you'll have to keep hiding-unless Paxton dies."

Benjamin squinted, thinking that if it were Michael, he might already be plotting how to take out Paxton.

"This is too much hassle. Maybe I should just follow Isabella and hide abroad," Amelia suggested.

Benjamin rolled his eyes. "If you go abroad, it'll be even harder for me to protect you. The Brown Family could easily hire mercenaries or assassins to come after you. Wait, there might be one place. You could go to Emberlyn. I've been there; the security is top-notch. It'd be the safest place for you, though foreigners can't stay long. I'll do my best to extend your visa."

Amelia thanked Benjamin. Going to Emberlyn sounded like a good plan, but she didn't want to leave her friends and family behind.

After packing her bags, Amelia left with Benjamin to stay at the safe house for now.

Meanwhile, overseas, Scarlett was fuming in her room. She threw everything off the table and shattered the mirror.

Scarlett had just been bailed out of the police station. Her parents had found out she almost killed Isabella.

"Scarlett, how could you be so foolish? I know you like Michael, but now is not the time to act! Michael and Isabella are on their honeymoon; their relationship is strong. Interfering now is a terrible idea!" Scarlett's mother scolded her.

Scarlett's father glared at her in anger. "Cut the crap. You should be thinking about how to apologize to them!"

Pointing at herself, Scarlett angrily shouted, "Why should I apologize? Why should I apologize to that bitch Isabella!"