Two days after the gala, the mansion buzzed with a new energy.
Servants whispered about Amelia's "performance." How she'd silenced the critics. How Mr. Stone looked at her differently now. How Veronica had stormed out of the ballroom without a word.
Amelia heard none of this firsthand but she could feel it in the way the maids greeted her with a little more warmth. The way the butler actually made eye contact. Even Ruth smiled wider.
Still, she didn't let it get to her head.
Respect here wasn't given. It was borrowed and easily taken back.
She spent her morning in the study, browsing through old files and newsletters from the Stone Foundation. She didn't have an official role yet, but if Alexander had mentioned her in front of board members, she had to act like she belonged.
Midway through her reading, her phone buzzed.
Alexander: Are you free for a moment?
She blinked.
He'd never messaged her before.
Amelia: Yes. Where should I come?
Alexander: Stay where you are. I'll come to you.
Within minutes, he entered the study, sleeves rolled up, phone in hand, his brow slightly furrowed.
"I need your insight," he said without greeting.
Amelia stood. "Of course."
He placed a file on the table.
"There's been a leak in the Singapore deal. Someone on the inside shared sensitive timelines. The press picked it up this morning."
She opened the file and scanned it. "You think it's from your team?"
"No one admits anything, but the board is pressuring me to isolate the leak before next week's meeting."
"Has the information harmed the deal?"
"Not yet. But it's drawn attention. Competitors are watching."
She flipped through the file. "You're too close to the people involved. You'll look for logic. But leaks rarely follow logic they follow emotion."
Alexander narrowed his eyes. "What are you suggesting?"
"Let me look at the communications," she said. "Emails. Meeting notes. The employee files of those with access. I'll approach it from a behavioral angle."
He tilted his head. "You studied psychology, right?"
"Behavioral profiling. And if the person leaked something on purpose, they'll have left a pattern."
He didn't answer immediately.
Then, he stepped back and nodded. "I'll have Ruth bring you the files."
Amelia smiled. "Trust me?"
"I wouldn't be here if I didn't."
By nightfall, Amelia had surrounded herself with papers and data. She read employee bios, meeting transcripts, internal communications. The pieces slowly started to fit together like a puzzle.
Two names stood out: Marcus Lang and Dana Quinn.
Both attended the same confidential briefing. Both had access to the timeline that was leaked. But Dana had recently bought a new car paid in cash on a salary that didn't explain it.
Amelia brought the information to Alexander in his private office after dinner.
"She's the one," Amelia said. "She hasn't made large purchases in three years. Suddenly, she buys a luxury vehicle after attending one confidential meeting."
Alexander read the papers she handed him, face unreadable.
"She's loyal," he said softly.
"No one's loyal to a fault," Amelia replied. "Especially not when tempted by rivals."
He was quiet for a long moment.
Then he picked up the phone.
"Have her suspended pending investigation. Discreetly. No announcement."
He hung up and turned to Amelia.
"You just saved a multi-million-dollar deal."
"I told you I'm learning fast."
He looked at her not just at her face, but deeper. A different kind of silence settled between them. One no longer rooted in obligation, but in understanding.
"You're not what I expected," he murmured.
"Neither are you."
He chuckled once. "I still don't understand how you keep your composure."
"Years of being underestimated. It teaches you patience."
He walked to the window, arms crossed. "My world is full of wolves. People smile and bite at the same time."
"I've noticed."
"And yet you're still here."
She stood. "Maybe I'm not here in spite of them. Maybe I'm one of them just more elegant."
That made him turn. And smile.
It was small. Brief. But real.
Amelia stepped toward him slowly. "I'm not here to be a decoration, Alexander. You want a silent wife, you married the wrong woman. But if you want someone who will stand beside you not behind you then I'm exactly what you need."
He stared at her. "And what do you need?"
She didn't hesitate. "Respect. Partnership. And space to become who I'm meant to be."
Another pause. Longer this time.
"You have it," he said.
Three words. Simple.
But to Amelia, they echoed louder than any love poem.
That night, she didn't return to her separate bedroom immediately.
She lingered in his office as he continued to work. She sat on the sofa, reading her book, occasionally sipping tea. He glanced at her from time to time but said nothing.
And it felt... natural.
Not rushed.
Not forced.
Just two people who were no longer strangers.
Maybe not lovers yet.
But something stronger.
The beginning of an alliance the house couldn't ignore.
And the family couldn't break.