Me? Something in return? Amelie was startled. âYou want me to help you convince Owen Steward, the big shot of Skaynia, to collaborate with you?â
Toby had actually asked her for help on this before, but he just didnât know that Amelie was Foxy before this.
He pondered for a moment, and just when Amelie was going to say something, he spoke ahead of her.
âYou know what? Never mind. Forget itâ He didnât know exactly why, but he was suddenly afraid that her impression of him would turn bad.
Just as she wanted to talk more about it, Steven and Bria came back.
âThis is⦠Steven asked when he saw Toby. He didnât know much about the relationships among the Alstons, so of course, he didnât know Toby.
âThis is Mr. Walsh. He came to learn about shoemaking,â Amelie answered quickly.
âNice to meet you, Mr. Dillon. Iâm Toby Walsh.â Toby introduced himself after walking in front of Steven.
He looks neat and has a great smile, but itâs quite obvious that heâs not a handyman. âNice to meet you too.â Steven studied him a little and didnât say much, merely reaching out his hand to shake hands with him.
On the other hand, Bria recognized Toby, but she didnât have much interaction with him. So when she saw him and recalled that he was her fatherâs good friend, she hid behind Steven timidly with her big and innocent eyes showing obvious dislike.
She didnât like Leo and knew that his friends always bullied her mother, so her impression of Toby wasnât good. However, Steven just thought that she wasnât used to meeting strangers and didnât mull over it.
âDad, I thought you all would stay by the stream a little longer.â
Hearing that, Steven looked at Bria in his arms, who was soaking wet. âThe wind outside is very strong.
Iâm worried that Bria will catch a cold.â As he stroked Briaâs wet head, he didnât mind whether her wet clothes would make his shirt wet at all.
Meanwhile, Bria huddled in his arms like a little kitten with her hands around his neck, enjoying the attention he was giving her.
*Please come in, Mr. Walsh.â Steven invited Toby politely into the house and even brought out a watermelon that he had harvested himself. After cutting it into slices, he served them to Toby on a plate.
When Toby saw that, he was a little shocked. He held a slice in his hand and didnât know where to start since those from rich families always had their watermelons cut into small chunks and used a small fork to eat.
them.
At this moment, Bria, who was done changing with Amelie, came out and seemingly saw that he was in an awkward situation. She rolled her eyes at him on purpose before taking a slice herself and sitting at the entrance, munching away.
As she was eating, she would take the handheld fan at the side of the door and wave it in the air. This was what she observed when Steven ate watermelon. She found it interesting, so she imitated him.
Bria was gobbling up the slice of watermelon. With her little mouth biting on the watermelon non-stop, she was soon stained with the juice from the fruit. At the same time, she was shaking her head from side to side, just like an adorable bunny.
When Toby saw that, he was slightly startled, as he could clearly feel that Bria was much more cheerful than Lefore When she was at the Alston Residence, she was almost invisible. Every time she appeared, she would try her best to curl herself up, hold on to Amelieâs legs, and follow wherever Amelie went. Her eyes would be dull, without any stream of brightness, and she would be so timid that she couldnât be brought out to meet anyone.
However, she had a pair of big, sparkling eyes now. She could even do things quickly and responsively and had her own opinions.
With both her little legs curled at the doorway, she looked smart and adorable, no matter how Toby looked at her When compared to the old times, she appeared to be a completely different person.
Then, his gaze turned to Amelie, who was sitting on the chair. Her actions were so much more elegant than Briaâs. Her eyes were like a crescent, and she was smiling with her lips pressing together.
Although she was quiet, her elegant aura couldnât be hidden.
She wasnât that old-fashioned woman who only wore dresses all the time. Now, she had a white t-shirt on top with light-colored shorts at the bottom, displaying her slim waist and long legs. With her long hair casually tied and showing her clean forehead, she looked so youthful, as though she was a high school student.
The quiet and stingy woman at the Alston Residence, who never looked up to meet anyoneâs eyes and always lowered herself in front of the Alstons as if she was a living zombie, had nothing to do with her any longer.
Can a divorce really cause such big changes in a person? Toby couldnât help but curl his lips. They say marriage is the tomb of love. It seems like itâs real.
After that, Steven showed him his way of making shoes traditionally in detail. The process of making shoes traditionally was quite complicated, with many steps involved. It would take half a day just to do the preparations.
Meanwhile, Bria and Amelie were looking at the two of them from a safe distance.
âIs Mr. Walsh really going to learn how to make shoes from grandpa?â Bria asked worriedly.
Hearing that, Amelie didnât answer her, as she knew Tobyâs actual purpose. It was just an excuse for him to learn to make shoes, but his real purpose was to talk about Owen.
When the sky turned dark, Steven stopped the lesson because he wanted to cook for them.
In fact, Amelie wanted to do the cooking, but Steven was too stubborn. He didnât want his daughter to get tired from cooking. Resigned, she could only stand at the door and watch on.
âHeâs pampering you so much. You really have a good father.â Toby walked over to her with both his hands in his pockets and stood straight beside her.
At this moment, he looked at her once again. Her expression was relaxed, and it was nothing like those anxious expressions those gold diggers had our there.
Although her father was just a shoemaker, she still treated him politely without despising him.
Why would someone like her plot against Leo back then and do something so irrational? Sheâs also Foxy, with millions of followers. Her income shouldnât be low as well.
The more Toby couldnât read her, the more he wanted to make assumptions. He even thought that such a beautiful and smart woman like her could certainly find someone who would love her with all his heart and treat her extremely well if she didnât do such a silly thing.
âDo you think making shoes is fun, Mr. Walsh?â Amelie turned around to ask him. When she looked at her, the gentleness in her eyes was gone, but there was still politeness in them.
He knew very well that this politeness was because he had saved her twice, and she obviously knew what he had come here for by asking that question In fact, he really used coming to see the process of making shoes as an excuse to meet Foxy and convince her in person. However, after he saw Stevenâs shoe-making skills, he suddenly developed an interest.
âItâs really interesting,â he answered honestly. âAlthough itâs not quite possible for me to learn to make shoes, I already have a good plan.â
âWhat plan?â As soon as Amelie said that, Steven came out of the kitchen with a bowl in his hands and asked them to gather at the dining table.
In the end, their conversation ended abruptly, and they walked to the dining table.
At the table, Bria had already arranged the chairs, but there were only three of them. âThis is Grandpaâs seat. This is Mommyâs, and this is mine,â she announced. It was obvious that she purposely didnât arrange a chair for Toby.
Humph! Good-for-nothing Daddyâs friends are all bad guys! I donât want to treat him politely!
Toby was embarrassed by her actions, while Amelie didnât know whether to cry or laugh. She went over to add another chair to the table and didnât forget to teach Bria. âHeâs our guest. You must always treat a guest politely.â
âHumph! Heâs not. Heâs a bad guy!â Bria answered with her puffy cheeks. Without knowing that Toby had saved her, she treated him badly.
âAlso, heâs definitely not going to learn how to make shoes from grandpa!â
Iâm so angry that heâs not really here to learn. If heâs not going to learn, why is he asking so much? Is he trying to disappoint Grandpa on purpose? People who upset grandpa are all bad guys!
Just as Amelie wanted to educate Bria again, Toby stopped her. âYouâre really smart, little one, but donât worry, although I wonât learn, someone else is going to.â
âWho?â