Elias’ Crimes and Punishments of Romance
Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 The Witty Young Child

Oh my gosh. Look at her. Fake as plastic. Turning around, Amanda wanted to replace her son becausethey were now in a treacherous situation. It would be catastrophic if Elias found out about Aiden.However, Grace suddenly stopped her. “Amanda, would you mind joining us for dinner?” “Haven’t youeaten already?” Elias frowned. She smiled sweetly. “But you haven’t. You never eat on time, and thatwill cause stomach problems. Since Amanda is here, why don’t we have a meal together? Even thoughyou’re divorced, you can still be friends.” Wow… The best of the best among fake b*tches. She’s asbold as brass, Amanda complained inside. Then, she rejected her without hesitation. “I’m sorry, but no.I don’t want to have dinner with you guys.” “Amanda, don’t tell me you’re still holding onto the old story?You should know that relationships can’t be forced. What’s the point of forcing a man who doesn’t loveyou to be with you?” Grace reasoned. At that point, Amanda was beyond speechless. She suppressedher anger and smiled. “Miss Murphy, what makes you think I’m not over it?” Then, she spotted Aiden’ssmall figure! Seeing his mommy from afar, the kid happily ran toward her and parted his lips, ready toshout the forbidden M-word. With disaster dawning upon her, the frantic lady immediately hinted atAiden with her eyes, warning him not to say it. No, no, no, no, no! “Mo—” He had only yelled half theword when he received his mother’s signal, so he improvised. “Motherf*cker!” After that, he turnedaround and hid somewhere Elias could not see. That cute-sounding curse attracted everyone’sattention, but Elias merely heard it without seeing the owner of that adorable ‘motherf*cker’. Whose ill-mannered brat was that? How ridiculous. Amanda immediately stood before the man, stopping himfrom searching for Aiden at all costs. “Alright. I’ll have dinner with you!” she suddenly announced. Asurprised Grace stopped looking for the kid and asked, “For real? Since Amanda agreed to eat with us,will you agree too?” “Sure,” Elias replied half-heartedly. He did not have much appetite, but he thoughtit would be nice to steal a few more glances at his ex-wife. … The atmosphere inside the private roomwas awkward. Amanda occasionally looked at the time on her phone, wondering if Helean had broughtthe ‘ticking time bomb’ away. She picked up her phone and texted Helean, telling him to send Aidenhome and that she would be back soon. When Elias noticed her uneasiness, he asked, “Whom are you

texting?” Has this woman stooped so low that she’s seducing those old men? He had noticed herstrange tone when talking on the phone earlier, and it sounded like she was doing something unseemlyin secret. “No one. Why hasn’t the food arrived? Let’s get this over with and go home.” She put awayher device. In the meantime, Grace smiled as she poured Elias a cup of tea, suggesting, “I thinkAmanda might be seeing someone and is texting him.” His brows furrowed in displeasure as heretorted, “And how do you know that?” “It’s because I’m a woman, and a woman’s sixth sense isalways right. Am I spot on, Amanda?” That’s such a fake smile… Amanda was too lazy to argue, soshe went with it. “Yes, you’re right. I’m texting my boyfriend.” “Don’t tell me it’s the old man from thebanquet. I warned you to leave those old men alone!” Elias ordered. That made Grace, sitting by theside, subconsciously grip the hem of her dress. She reasoned gently, “Elias, don’t be so mean.Amanda can like any man she wants, and she’s your ex-wife, so it’s not your place to order heraround.” Without saying anything, he felt a rage of fire burning inside him, and he downed his cup ofwater in a huff. “I need to head to the bathroom. Excuse me.” Suddenly, Grace rose to her feet with acourteous smile before leaving the room. In actuality, she wanted to know the unfiltered situationbetween Elias and Amanda, so she left her recording phone in the room, knowing that those two wouldnot let on anything in her presence. Hence, she excused herself to let them talk it out. As expected,Amanda looked at the man before her once the door was closed. “How long have you known her?”Pouring himself another cup of water, Elias took a sip before answering, “Many years.” Her bright eyeshad a trace of surprise. Many years… How many years is that? Did they know each other since theywere young? Did they grow up together? If that was the case, does it mean he didn’t cheat on mebecause they’d been together for years? While she was lost in thought, her eyes dimmed, feeling asense of bitterness. “Since you love her so much, why did you agree to marry me and not her?”“Grandpa forced me to.” That answer was straightforward but hurtful. His tone was filled withresignation and void of any emotion. When Amanda recalled how Elias pushed her to agree to thedivorce, she felt endless hatred filling her heart. He had kept Grace so well protected and pamperedher like a princess that she did not have to take part in all that fiasco. She suddenly taunted, “Do youthink she would cry if I tell her you brought me home to Grandpa?” “Don’t you dare make her cry!” He

slammed his cup onto the table, making a loud bang. God, no. Her cries are annoying. Who knows howlong she’s gonna whine about it if she replaces out? No, I’m not dealing with that. Yet, in Amanda’s eyes,his strong reaction froze her heart. He’s so protective over that woman, so kind and gentle. With me,though, he was always angry, oppressive, and cold. Perhaps, this is the difference between love andtolerating. At first, she thought she would have forgotten about these feelings after four years, but thepain caught her by surprise. Drawing a deep breath, she rose and reprimanded, “Please don’t everappear before me again. Seeing the two of you makes me want to puke!” With that, she took her bagand left the room. Bang! The door was closed again, leaving Elias alone in utter silence. Finally, Gracereturned. When she noticed Amanda’s absence, she asked, “Elias, where’s Amanda? Where did shego?” “Something came up, so she left. Let’s go, too.” The man stood up and exited the room. “Aren’tyou going to eat?” “No.” Grace grabbed her bag and glanced at her phone before turning off therecorder.