Elias’ Crimes and Punishments of Romance

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Getting Caught

The night soon fell, welcoming the banquet. “Mr. McCalister, about Winters Enterprise’s infringement case, I think it’d be better if another lawyer takes over. I might not be the best candidate for this case.” Amanda went straight to the point and told her supervisor. After settling Aiden down, she came to the banquet, wanting to look for Jackson McCalister, her supervisor, to talk about handing her role to someone else. She dreaded handling Winters Enterprise’s case, or Elias might discover her. Meanwhile, Jackson had a glass of red wine in his hand and was surprised to hear that. “Why? Infringement cases are your specialty, so this shouldn’t be difficult.” “I… I have my reasons. I hope you can understand,” she replied. His eyes swept across her exposed shoulders as she spoke. Jackson was a crude man in his forties, and from what Amanda heard, he liked getting handsy with the women at the law firm. “Oh, yeah? What would that be? You can tell me…” He placed his hand on her ivory arm. Subconsciously pulling away, Amanda insisted, “Mr. McCalister, anyhow, I can’t take this case.” At the same time, Elias arrived at that very banquet. His black suit complemented his upright posture, but his handsome face seemed encased in a layer of thin ice. Just as he took a glass of wine from the waiter, his phone began ringing. He glanced at it and saw it was a call from Howard. Frowning, he answered the call and took a sip of his wine. “What’s the matter, Grandpa?” “You b*stard! I’m warning you! As long as I’m alive, that clown, Grace Murphy, can never join our family! The only granddaughter- in-law I acknowledge is Amanda!” Right after answering the call, Elias heard his grandfather’s angry roar. He could not help but pull his phone away and wait for Howard to finish his angry rants before placing his phone back to his ear, frustratedly asking, “Grandpa, what’s all this about?” “Today, that clown revealed to the public that she’ll marry you soon. Where did she get the courage to do that? If you dare to get married behind my back, mark my words that I will break your legs!” With that, the old man hung up in a fit of pique. Looking at the darkened screen, Elias let out a frown. It had been four years since then, but his grandfather only acknowledged Amanda as his granddaughter-in-law. That left him flabbergasted as he wondered what was so great about her that she could get all the Winters Family’s elders to accept her. At that moment, he heard a gentle female voice. “Elias, you’re finallyPublished by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

here. I’ve been waiting for you.” Grace Murphy wore a white halter dress and smiled sweetly as she approached him and hugged his arm. Her gaze alone revealed that she was looking at her world. The man hummed and asked, “Did you tell the press we’re getting married?” The blushing lady whined, “Those reporters kept asking me, so I accidentally made a slip of the tongue. I’m sorry, Elias. I didn’t do it on purpose…” “Let’s talk about it next time. Grandpa won’t agree to it as of now.” Then, he finished his red wine in one go. At that, Grace’s sweet smile stiffened. What does he mean by next time? I’ve worked so hard to persuade Elias to marry me and even used all kinds of means and tricks, but now, he says we’ll talk about it next time? Even after getting rid of that worthless ex-wife of his, I still can’t get Old Mr. Winters’ approval. Tears began pooling in her eyes. At that moment, Elias inadvertently looked at the opposite side of the pool and was stunned once again. It was Amanda! The ex-wife that had been missing for four years! A touch of surprise and shock appeared in the man’s eyes because he had a clear view this time. That woman was indeed Amanda Bailey. His gaze was pinned onto that slim figure as though afraid she would disappear the next moment. … “Amanda, how about coming home with me tonight? Then, we can discuss why you refuse to take on this case.” The obscene Jackson kept trying to trick Amanda into going home with him. By then, she was fed up with him. She knew going home with that pervert was no different from treading dangerous ground. In that sense, she would rather take on the Winters Enterprise case! With a polite smile, she retreated a step. “Mr. McCalister, I’ll take the case. I have something to do, so I’ll be leaving now.” The second she wheeled around, she was stunned in place. Elias was passing through the crowd and storming toward her in rage. That’s right—storming toward me. Why does the universe hate me? What did I do to deserve this?! Amanda’s eyes widened in fear, and she could not help but take two steps back, landing straight inside Jackson’s arms. After helping her find her footing, he asked, “Amanda, have you thought it through? Are you willing to come home with me?” “You’ve mistaken. I was just walking this way!” She pushed the lewd man away and hurriedly left in the other direction. No, no, no! Please don’t let me get caught! While pleading inside her heart, she picked up her pace, but her high heels stopped her from fleeing in success. “Ahh—” She twisted her ankle and screamed in pain. The next moment, Elias’ large hand seized her shoulder before his deep, sexy voice came from behind her. “Amanda! Stop right

there!” She froze, not even having the courage to look back. Her heart raced as a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. As despair dawned upon her, she closed her eyes in utter loss for action. Then, she heard a loud plop from the pool, followed by someone screaming, “Hey, isn’t that the celebrity, Grace Murphy? How did she fall into the pool?” The man released Amanda’s shoulder and ran toward the pool. As soon as the devil’s grip vanished, she finally opened her eyes in shock and turned around, only to see Elias walking away. Phew! With that, she left the banquet and headed for the parking lot without turning back. It was a painful journey stumbling to her car as her sprained ankle consumed every bit of her motivation. Just as she was about to open the door, a man’s arm suddenly banged the door shut oppressively. “Where do you think you’re going?” Raising her head, Amanda gazed into Elias’ obsidian eyes. Their proximity allowed her to sniff the clean minty scent of his body. Although her heart raced, she pretended to be calm. “Sir, you’ve got the wrong person. Please excuse me.” My gosh. Just go away. He sneered and pinched her chin with his long fingers. “Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my ex-wife? You’re questioning my intelligence!” Being pushed against the car, she struggled while screaming, “Elias Winters! What do you want from me?”