Elias’ Crimes and Punishments of Romance

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Nearly Exposed

That was what Amanda thought and did. She grabbed the child beside her and was about to flee the scene, not wanting to stay another second. The frantic Helean saw that and seized her slim wrist. “Hey… What’s the matter? Didn’t we agree that you’d take on this case?” “If you had told me it was Winters Enterprise, I wouldn’t have taken on this case.” They only told her a big client suddenly decided to change barristers but did not inform her it was Winters Enterprise. Even standing here made her feel uneasy. Just as Amanda was about to lead Aiden away, Helean immediately knelt on the ground. “My dear Amanda, I’m begging you. This is a task from Simon. Do you think I can return to the law firm if I can’t even deliver this itty-bitty task?” As he begged, the seven-foot man attracted the attention and strange glances of the passing employees. She stopped him. “Can’t you man up a little? How can you kneel so easily?” The child noticed Helean’s aggrieved expression and added, “Mr. Helean, men should only kneel when they do something wrong.” That rendered Helean speechless, while Amanda resignedly asked, “Are we going to discuss this case with that person?” “Who?” He looked confused. Though it had been four years, she still refused to utter Elias’ name, for her stomach would churn whenever she thought of him. She wanted nothing to do with that sc*mbag! “The heir to Winters Enterprise! Is he the one we’re meeting?” If it is, I’m leaving without any care of the world! Helean replied, “You mean the young master of Winters Enterprise, Elias Winters? No, he’s busy with day-to-day work, so we’re meeting the vice president.” Though the information came as a relief to Amanda, the sound of the sc*mbag’s name remained revolting to her. Her beautiful eyes tinged with complexity, but disgust soon took over. “Okay, but I’m only staying for thirty minutes, no more, no less.” Once she finished, she pulled Aiden’s hand and headed for the elevator. Helean watched the mother and son from behind and immediately felt relieved to have stopped her from leaving. Otherwise, he could kiss his job goodbye. … The three arrived at the higher-ups’ meeting room on the sixteenth floor. Suddenly, the kid made a request. “Mommy, I want to pee! I can’t hold it in!” “I’ll bring Aiden to the bathroom while you head inside to talk to them. They’ve been bugging me about this for a long time. Please, help me.” Helean picked Aiden up from the ground and ran toward the bathroom. Feeling

resigned, Amanda shook her head and entered the meeting room. She did not anticipate Imperia’s drastic shift during the four years she left this city; even Winters Enterprise had moved. As planned, she spent precisely thirty minutes in the meeting room. When she came out, her cold expression immediately turned into a gentle smile after seeing her baby. “Come on. Let’s grab something delicious.” “Yay! Mommy, you’re the best!” A plump, tiny hand grabbed hers, after which she reciprocated with a firmer grip. Aiden had been her mental support for all these years, sustaining her through the endless darkness. Truth be told, she was relieved she did not abort him but chose to keep him on a whim. “Aiden, what would you like to eat?” “I want… ramen.” In the meantime, at a corner down the corridor, a group of people surrounded Elias while he strode over. He seemed to be heading to the meeting room while the people around him were competing to make their reports. Amanda smiled dearly while listening to her son’s words, but when she arrived at a corner and looked up, her smile froze in trepidation. It’s him—Elias Winters. Guess I have no choice but to run into him after four years. What I dreaded the most finally happened. Instinctively, she retreated a few steps and hid herself. Then, she took out the sunglasses from her bag, confusing Helean. “What’s the matter?” “Let’s take the stairs.” She picked up her son and turned around, heading straight for Plan B. Although she wore eight-inch heels, she still managed to pick up her kid and walk away effortlessly. “Why are we taking the stairs when there are elevators? Also, you’re wearing heels. Isn’t that tiring?” Helean was flabbergasted but still hopelessly followed behind her. “Mommy, I want to take the elevator. Taking the stairs is exhausting.” “I’ll carry you.” She was determined not to let Elias discover her child’s presence. At last, the man arrived among the crowd of higher-ups. It had been four years, and Elias donned a black, perfectly tailored suit. He looked as elegant and handsome as always, but there was also a trace of maturity on his face. Unexpectedly, he heard a cute voice yelling, “Mommy!” It caught his attention, so he looked in that direction and was slightly shocked. A woman’s figure appeared before his eyes like a blinding light. Though the sight of a woman was nothing surprising, she looked strangely familiar to the point that reality started to overlap his memories of his ex-wife, whom he had not seen for four years. Amanda? However, that woman seemed to be worried and glanced anxiously behind her. The problem was that her sunglasses were so huge that they covered most of her face. Elias reflexivelyCòntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

took a step forward with his long legs, creating a distance between himself and the surrounding crowd. “Mr. Winters! The meeting room is over here!” his secretary yelled behind him, but the man paid no heed. He followed the familiar figure to the stairs but did not discover anyone. Frowning, he wondered, Was I mistaken? He stared at the empty stairwell for a few seconds before leaving. When he thought about it, he found it ironic. That woman has disappeared for four years, so how could she appear here? During these four years, he had tried looking for Amanda, but she seemed to have vanished without a trace. His grandfather even nearly severed their relationship because of that. Unbeknownst to Elias, Amanda was covering the child’s mouth with her hand while hiding behind the stairwell’s door at that precise moment. Even Helean was hiding beside her quietly. It was such a close call. If that man had walked two more steps, he would have discovered them. Meanwhile, the child in her arms blinked his large eyes, creating an adorable sight. Once Amanda heard the footsteps retreating, she removed her hand from his mouth and apologized, “Aiden, I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. Did I hurt you?” He hugged her like a grown-up and soothed her. “I will always forgive you, Mommy.” His comforting words elicited a stunned smile on her face. Yep, that’s my baby. Since Helean was clueless regarding the hide-and-seek, he questioned, “Amanda, why are we hiding? Even if we did bump into Elias, can’t we just greet him and get done with it? Do you have a social phobia or something?” Too lazy to explain, she replied, “Yeah, sure. Yes.”