The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 55: Evil trick (2)

Warren stared at the hand Amelia held out to him. He laughed, knowing she would wipe her hands the second he touched them.

While Warren would soon need money to start paying back his debt, he wouldn’t get it like this. He wouldn’t allow Amelia to look down on him.

"Find someone else to help you tear them down. You’re already off to a good start with the rumours you’re putting out," Warren said, turning his back on Amelia.

Warren needed his father to return with the last of the supplies he needed so he could finish up the job.

The pay for this work would be little compared to what he needed to pay back, but it would be a start.

Amelia wanted to kick Warren. "You’re a foolish man. I am offering you money you couldn’t get in one day, no matter how hard you worked. You should take it and use this chance to avenge your mother."

"I understand the choices your mother made to remain the centre of her father’s attention," said Amelia.

Amelia had an older brother who was the pride and joy of the family simply for wielding a penis. There were many days when Amelia wished something would happen to her brother so he would no longer be breathing or he could not move, so he would be useless to her father.

The things Warren’s mother did were cruel, but Amelia understood them. It was hard for a woman to survive here in Lockwood, so they needed to do what they could to get ahead of others.

"You’ll never understand your mother like I do. I think that she has already paid the price by marrying the Marquess and then losing her mother. The Collins have never been punished for the things they do. If you were my son, I would be disappointed," said Amelia.

Amelia hoped to never end up like Kate. To settle for a man who built homes and to have a useless son.

In Amelia’s eyes, Kate did nothing wrong, but her mistake was not planning out her steps. Unlike how Kate lost to her half sister Alessandra, Amelia was not going to lose to Penelope.

"It is good that I am not your son," Warren replied.

Amelia looked around to see who was watching them. Anyone close was on her side. "I shall scream for help. It is like you said. A lady like me shouldn’t be around a man like you with only my maids. I control things here," she said, stepping toward Warren.

It would only take one little accusation to have Warren held captive, and the town guards coming to take him away.

Warren stood up. He guessed Amelia was evil, but he didn’t know that she could be this evil. "What are you doing?"

Amelia smiled. "Getting what I want. I am tired of trying to play nice to get you to agree. One scream and I can make it hard for you to show your face in town. My father can get the court to hang you. I suggest that you start agreeing to my plans."

Warren didn’t want to test if Amelia would be so crazy as to accuse him of something so heinous.

"It is tiring to play nice. I have to do it with my peers, but they come from families who can afford my kindness. You, on the other hand," Amelia said as she walked around Warren. "You are a servant that I can use to my liking."

Amelia liked how Warren glared at her like she had said something wrong. "What? Did I say something wrong? Your mother is no longer the daughter of the baron, her late husband lost his title after his crimes, and you have very few ties to the duchess. She is your mother’s half sister."

"You are a servant," Amelia spoke slowly so Warren understood his place. "You should know your place. Perhaps living in that big home has confused you. I am curious how much more money you have left before that home slips out of your hand."

Amelia couldn’t imagine that Kate still had so much money to her name after all these years had passed.

"Be a smart little boy and make your mother proud. Will you listen, or must I scream that the worker who had his eyes on me from the moment he arrived touched me inappropriately?" Amelia asked, pulling off a ribbon from her dress to show her determination.

Warren looked at the maids who kept their heads down.

"They will not speak," Amelia chuckled. "Not unless they don’t ever want to find work in this town, and my father has his ways to keep them well-behaved. Time is ticking down," she said, noticing Noah returning in the distance.

"You are an evil woman," said Warren.

"I am no different from your mother, who you said was not innocent, but I can help you have the town forget what was said in those court documents. Your cousin stands in my way, and I shall use you to help break her down. Agreed?" Amelia asked, offering her hand to Warren again.

Warren was still reluctant to make a deal with her, but he had no power to fight against any claims she would make that he touched her inappropriately.

Before he shook her hand, Warren said, "You must pay me for what I say."

"I am a woman of my word. I will pay you handsomely if you do well. So," she said, needing him to act sooner.

Warren knew this would come back to bite him, but he shook Amelia’s hand to get her away from him for now.

It would not always be like this where she could make threats and he would have to listen. The tables would turn one day for him to be ordering her around.

"My maids have witnessed everything that happened here. If you so foolishly try to stab me in the back, then I shall have them speak of how distraught I have been after what you did. Be wise," Amelia advised Warren.

Amelia left Warren’s side and started to inspect the work he had done just as Noah returned.

"Can I help you, Miss Prescott?" Noah asked.

"I was only looking. I wanted to see what it looked like before you got ready to finish up. You’ve done a good job with this. There are other parts of our home in need of fixing. I shall put in a good word for you," said Amelia.

"That is kind of you," Noah said, going to stand between Amelia and Warren. "If you would please excuse us, we have work to finish up."

"I have seen enough," Amelia said, leaving the two so they could work.

Suddenly, the day felt much better for Amelia.