Smith POV
With a groan, Smith glanced up at his displeased sister. "Please, press the button."
She walked up to the seat where Smith and Amelia sat and spit, "No." Grasping their clasped hands, she attempted to yank Smith off the chair and away from Amelia . Mia glared at Amelia , saying, "You hurt him enough." "I won't allow you to hook up with him again."
With a scowl, Smith withdrew his hand from Mia's hold. Mia, enough is enough. This is not your concern.
"That's right," she yelled. "This is my concern since I had to care for the pieces after she broke your heart."
Amelia remarked, her voice low, "I'm sorry I hurt you, Mia."
He was killed to see her thus wounded by his sister's fury. He sensed Mia was sad, but he suspected her pain stemmed more from Amelia leaving her than from Amelia breaking his heart. Mia found it difficult to establish friends, so she was upset when Amelia left town without attempting to mend their differences.
"No, you're not," spit out Mia. "You're just saying that to reclaim his wallet and get back into his pants."
“Mia!" snarled Smith.
How come? What she did is well known to everybody. She was only with you for your money, as everyone knows.
Amelia asserted her defence, saying, "That's not true."
It is just incorrect, Mia, and you are aware of it. You've been absorbing an excessive amount of rumours.
Smith kicked himself, and Amelia 's face blanched. Amelia was unaware of the commotion she caused and the rumours that circulated following their breakup. The residents of Hope Springs had somehow discovered that he and Amelia had quarrelled about money, particularly the hidden account he had been using to hide money. He wasn't proud of having misled Amelia for years about how much money he made working in the mines, and when she found out about the account, she had good reason to be unhappy. After that, things snowballed to the point where he bought a house—not that Amelia knew. Amelia was flying across seas to the opposite side of the globe, as far away from him as possible, by the time the transaction was completed.
"Oh, I see. When she realised you weren't holding the money for her, why did she leave? When she discovered the true purpose of the capital, why did she end your relationship?
Smith squeezed his nasal bridge and made an effort to remain composed. This was hardly the "chat" he had hoped for.
"Who knows?" With her eyes wide and her face pallid, Amelia turned to question him.
"Yes," he sighed in response. "They know bits and pieces of the story, but not the entire one,"
Amelia dropped her face into her hands and whispered, "Shit."
“Mia, are you happy now?" He gave his sister a snarl.
Mia said, "I don't know what she's crying about." "Unless she intended to return here and try to defraud you once more."
Amelia forced herself to stand. "Alright, Sutton, I apologise. I apologise. I can't undo what occurred, even though I know what I did was wrong and that I harmed Smith and you. I returned the money after attempting to solve it. If you took a moment to see past your asshole, you would know that it was never about the money. Furthermore, you had nothing to do with anything; it was just between you and Smith.
"You attempted to get my brother to wed you. You tried to coerce him into purchasing you a house after tricking him into believing you were pregnant. Amelia , you were meant to be my best friend, but you deceived us both, and he's my brother! People on the street stopped to stare at Mia because her voice had become so high.
Mia, I'm fucked, Amelia snarled. "You are aware that things didn't go that way. I didn't make any attempt to trap Smith. You can shove that small piece of fiction you keep telling yourself up your ass, assuming there's any space left beside your idiotic skull. I believed I was pregnant, and you were the only one I told.
Smith turned his head to look at each woman. Despite his affection for each of them in distinct ways, these two ladies had a special place in his heart, and he was clueless about how to prevent them from fighting.
A hand rested on his shoulder, and a kind voice murmured, "I'd take a step back if I were you."
Smith pivoted to face his pal. Since the day he arrived in Hope Springs following the death of his parents, willison had been his closest friend.
Smith turned to face Mia and Amelia as they yelled at each other, saying, "I should stop them."
"No, you should give them time to remove it from their systems. If they are to get past this, which they have both been holding inside for a long time, it must be spoken.
Even though Smith was aware of his correctness, it was still difficult to see.
Amelia was unaware of Sutton's intense dislike for her. She was unaware of the amount of hate her former best friend had instilled in her. Mia was deaf, so it didn't matter what Amelia said. Amelia finally gave up and made Miaget angry. She spoke things that both Amelia and Mia knew to be false, but because they had been brewing in her head for so long, Miahad become blind to reality and could only perceive her rage.
The pure, unadulterated facts were straightforward. After five years of dating, Smith and Amelia were eager to tie the knot. Amelia mistakenly believed getting married was the only way to win her mother's approval. Amelia had one thing going for her: her long-standing connection with Smith, even though she had two flawless sisters who had always shone brighter than Amelia herself. Smith had always assured her that they would get married and purchase a home once they had saved up enough cash. It was the reason he accepted the Pilbara position. That was the reason he spent weeks at a time working away from Hope Springs. He didn't tell her he already had enough money to finance their ideal wedding and house. Amelia fell into a deep depression after unintentionally coming upon the account.
Amelia reached her breaking point when Zoë got engaged and realised she had done something she wasn't proud of. Although she desired to assign the blame on her prior consumption of tequila, there was no justification for using Smith's money to deposit a home without his knowledge. The very following day, she had withdrawn from the auction and credited Smith's account, but the harm had already been done. Mutual trust was betrayed. Because he trusted her and she trusted him to give her the truth, she had access to his accounts and money. After that trust was broken, things went south until their partnership ended.
As soon as it was practical, Amelia left town and didn't turn around. Smith had wounded her, as had all she had lost due to their relationship's disillusionment. However, Amelia had not given Mia's loss any thought. Perhaps she shouldn't have to worry about her boyfriend's sister's feelings, but Mia was more than that, and Amelia vowed never to let her and Tony's relationship get in the way of her connection with Mia. Amelia betrayed that assurance.
Mia's screaming ended. She stared at Amelia , anguish in her eyes, her chest heaving with sorrow, and her words dried up.
“Mia, I apologise," Amelia murmured. "I apologise for my departure in that manner. I apologise for not keeping my word to you. I want you to know that I apologise even though I know you probably won't be able to forgive me.
After giving her a long look, Mia Pivoted on her heel and walked off. Amelia watched her leave, unsure of whether to pursue her.
Smith quit and stated, "I'll go."
"No, I'll leave," willison said. It wasn't until willison spoke that Amelia realised he was there. "I believe you should remain here and handle this."
Mia and Willison went to Smith, and willison took off. Amelia remarked, "I had no idea she was so angry."
Smith pulled her into his arms, and she let him soothe her. God, it was nice to be back in his embrace. She put her face to his chest and inhaled his aroma, which helped her to relax.
With a gentle touch, he traced the length of her hair from her head to the ends, giving her the kind of gentle tug she cherished. She raised her head in his direction. His mouth was so near to hers that she would need to lift her toes to plant a kiss.
Warm breath on her lips, he said, "She'll calm down eventually."
With a sigh, Amelia moved away from Smith's arms, though she was reluctant to let go of him.
She murmured, "I should go," without facing him.
Smith reached for her hand and murmured, "I want to see you again." "Amelia , I believe we have some unresolved business."
She nodded, daring to look up into his eyes. Yes, I believe that we also do.
"Join me at the B&S ball."
"What?"
"The ball for B&S. This weekend is the occasion. Take me out on a date.
She bit her lip and remarked, "I don't think you're supposed to bring a date to the B&S ball."
He shrugged. "Well, let's meet there. We're going to chat, drink, and dance.
She could never say no to the look he was giving her. Not that she was trying to refuse. Amelia furrowed her brow. Alright. There, I'll meet you.
Amelia felt her heart racing like a rollercoaster as he smiled. She gave him a firm squeeze before turning to go toward her car. She was very certain Smith didn't mind that she swayed her hips a bit more than was required.