Chapter 571
“Is that woman a bad person?” Aiden asked, looking confused. “And why did she say that both Mommy and Rosalie have been in prison?”
Amelia found herself at a loss for words as she tried to figure out how to explain the situation to her son.
Rosalie knelt down and gently stroked the little boy’s head. “Aiden, being in prison doesn’t automatically make someone a bad person. Just like how I was in jail, I was wrongly accused by a bad person. But eventually, the law did the right thing and caught the real bad person.”
Though the little boy didn’t fully comprehend the situation, he let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Rosalie’s reassurance that the real wrongdoer had been apprehended.
“What about Mommy? Is she also framed by bad people?” The little boy turned to look at his mother, seeking an answer.
Amelia took a deep breath, realizing that she couldn’t avoid the conversation any longer. She had to address the issue head-on.
“Now, I’m just dealing with it sooner,” she silently reassured herself in her heart.
“Aiden, Mommy hasn’t done anything wrong. I have a clear conscience. What that woman said earlier was all untrue. Mommy has never harmed her,” Amelia reassured her son.
Initially, Amelia had wished to shield her child from the conflicts among adults, but now, Aiden had been exposed to knowledge that was far beyond his years.
The boy’s eyes, which resembled Amelia’s, blinked thoughtfully as if he was processing her words. After a moment, his little face lit up with a smile. “I trust you, Mommy!”
To the young boy, the simple belief that his mother was a good person was all he needed to know.
The unwavering trust of her son brought tears to Amelia’s eyes. After going through so much, very few things had the to truly stir her emotions like this.
In fact, she didn’t care at all about what others might think of her having once been in prison.
power
However, Aiden was the only person whose opinion truly mattered to her. She didn’t want to be seen as a terrible mother in his eyes.
Seeing his mother’s teary eyes, Aiden became increasingly concerned. “Mommy, please don’t cry…” he pleaded, standing on tiptoe and reaching out his tiny hand to gently wipe away Amelia’s tears.
Amelia lifted her son into her arms, and the little boy instinctively reached out to wipe away her tears.
“I’m not crying,” Amelia reassured him gently. “Aiden, I’m very strong, and I’ll become even stronger for your sake, stronger than anyone.”
The little boy felt relieved when he saw that his mommy wasn’t shedding tears anymore.
When it was almost time to set up the food cart, Amelia entrusted Aiden to Matilda’s care. Together with Rosalie, she pushed the cart out to its designated spot.
Stepping outside, Amelia offered a bitter smile to Rosalie. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have given up and resigned to my fate back then. I should’ve fought harder to clear my name. At the very least, it might have prevented Irene from humiliating me in front of Aiden like this.”
“It’s never too late. We can still make efforts to find evidence. However, I fear that by the time we manage to overturn your previous case, it might be too late for the custody judgment,” Rosalie said with a hint of regret. Regardless of the outcome of Amelia’s previous case, the results wouldn’t come in time to influence the custody decision.
This also meant that Amelia’s previous case would undoubtedly have a negative impact on the custody lawsuit.
“I understand,” Amelia said as she looked at Rosalie. “Rosalie, regardless of the outcome, thank you for being there to help
me!”
“You were kind to me first, so I’m more than willing to help you like this,” Rosalie replied, though she couldn’t help but think to herself, “But at this point, I might not be able to do much for Amelia.”
This was particularly true considering that Amelia’s case had transpired nearly five years ago, and even if there were evidence, it would be exceedingly difficult to investigate at this point.
Thinking of this, Rosalie thought about Jonathan. It was Jonathan who had assisted her in overturning her case back then. Without his help, she would still be facing charges related to drunk driving resulting in death.
Jonathan….
No! Stop it! Don’t dwell on him! It’s really over between us!’ Rosalie then forced herself to shake off those thoughts, chastising herself internally.
At that moment, Aiden stood on a chair by the windowsill in the room. He rested his little arms on the sill and watched Amelia through the glass window as she pushed the food cart.
“Aiden, are you watching your mommy?” asked Matilda, who was standing beside the little boy.
“Yeah,” the boy replied. He continued to watch Amelia’s figure until it grew smaller and eventually disappeared from view. Then, he lowered his gaze and clenched his tiny fist in quiet contemplation.
He made a silent vow to himself that he would protect his mommy, no matter what. Even if she had been in prison or even if she was deemed a bad person, he was determined to protect her.
That was because she was his beloved mommy.
In the afternoon, Lawrence handed a small flash drive to Rosalie. “Fiona left this here this morning. She just called me and said she urgently needs this USB flash drive. She asked if you could send it to her.”
“I send it to her?” Rosalie was a little stunned.
Lawrence replied, “Yeah. You’re free now, so just make a trip there. I’ll give you the address.”
Rosalie took the small, inconspicuous black flash drive. However, there was something that bothered her. “Did she use this flash drive when she came here this morning?” she asked Lawrence.
“I don’t think so. This morning, she just came over to prepare and review the documents we’re planning to file for prosecution,” Lawrence replied.
After Lawrence provided the address, Rosalie left the office with the flash drive in her hand.
“Was it really a coincidence that Fiona left this flash drive in the firm? Besides, she didn’t use it in the office today,” she thought.
When Rosalie arrived at the address provided by Lawrence, she was met with the scene of an ongoing shooting.
The location was a shopping mall, typically quiet and deserted with few visitors. However, today, the film crew had chosen to shoot on the mall’s first floor, drawing a crowd of onlookers who had gathered around the filming site.
Rosalie recalled the gossip news she had seen, indicating that Fiona was currently involved in a popular TV series. While her role might be a supporting one, her character was quite lovable. Furthermore, both the male and female lead actors in the series were A-listers with considerable popularity and acting talent, which virtually guaranteed strong ratings.
Back when Fiona secured the supporting role in this TV series, internet discussions even suggested that if Calvin decided to boost someone’s career, he could effortlessly transform a newcomer into the industry’s top actress.
The netizens even compiled a list of all the resources that Calvin’s former girlfriends had acquired within the entertainment industry, emphasizing his remarkable ability to catapult people to stardom.
