Stella got knocked to the ground by the bullet, screaming in pain and struggling to breathe.

Amelia was in shock and couldn't believe her eyes.

"You all right?" She tried to help Stella up but found her covered in blood,with nowhere to grab.

Stela's face was ghostly pale, and she passed out within seconds.

Just then, footsteps echoed from a distance.

Amelia stood up, shielding Stella, her eyes sharp like a panther on the hunt.

"Ms. White? Is that you?" It was the bodyguard Chris had assigned to her.

Amelia felt a wave of relief. Finally, some backup! She and Stella were

quickly moved to a safer spot.

Amelia checked her watch; it was already nine. Chris still hadn't shown up.

"Ms. White, a lot of guests at the auction got hurt. The area outsideis sealed off, and the government forces have taken care of the terrorists," the bodyguard explained.

Amelia nodded and tried calling Chris, but no answer.

"Can you reach him?" Her voice was deep and serious.

She had a gut feeling this was more complicated and probably tied to Chris.

The bodyguards exchanged glances, staying silent.

Amelia knew worrying wouldn't help. She wanted to go find him but had no clue where to start.

Just as she was feeling lost, her phone rang; it was Chris.

"How are you?" His voice was urgent and worried.

Amelia felt a lump in her throat; hearing his voice was such a relief.

"All good here." She wiped her tears, "Come back as soon as you can."

"Are you crying? Did you hurt?" Chris sounded like he was driving; there was noise in the background.

"I'm fine, but Stella's hurt. Just get back here," she said.

After hanging up, Amelia turned her attention to Stella.

"Pleaseget the bullet out for her," she told the bodyguards.

"But we don't have anesthesia or tools," one of them said, looking troubled.

They knew Stella and were worried about being accountable if something went wrong.

"If we don't get the bullet out now, she'll die soon." Amelia's voice was firm, "Do it while she's out cold, don't waste time."

The bodyguards had no choice. They quickly discussed and then took out a short, sharp dagger to remove the bullet just as Stella woke up.

She was delirious from the pain, and seeing the dagger, she freaked out,"What are you doing?"

"Treating you," Amelia smiled, raising an eyebrow.

She felt a bit satisfied. If it weren't for Stella, those terrorists wouldn't have targeted her.

Now, letting her suffer a bit was payback.

"No, without anesthesia, it'll kill me! You bitch, you're trying to hurt me! I just helped you! Let me go!"

"Stop whining."

Two bodyguards held Stella down while another disinfected the dagger and started extracting the bullet.

Stella's body convulsed with pain, she screamed, rolled her eyes, and passed out again.

The bodyguards were seasoned veterans who had been through countless gunfights; handling such a wound was no big deal for them. But the pain,it was soul-piercing.

Stella kept passing out and waking up from the pain,feeling like she was dying.

"Amelia, I'm gonna kill you."

Amelia sat there, feeling relaxed, "Sure, I'll be waiting."

The pain was too much; Stella was almost lifeless and passed out again.

Half an hour later, Chris finally returned.

He looked like he'd just been through hell, with several knife wounds and his face pale as a ghost.

Amelia was concerned instinctively when she saw him.

"Quick, check him out," she called, helping him to the sofa.

Chris felt somewhat pleased, "Finally, you care about me."

Amelia rolled her eyes.

"What about you? Your shoulder's hurt, and you're soaked. What happened?" Chris frowned, locking eyes with her.

Amelia gave a cold smile and pointed to Stella, "Ask your sister what she did."

Chris's expression changed, and he didn't say a word.

His injuries weren't too bad, mostly just cuts, but he'd lost a lot of blood,soaking his clothes.

The bodyguard quickly found some sutures, and while stitching him up,Chris gritted his teeth without making a sound.

Amelia was a bit impressed.

But no matter how much she asked, he refused to tell her what happened.

Amelia stopped asking, figuring knowing more wouldn't help.

"Why is she here?" Chris asked after his wounds were treated.

Amelia raised an eyebrow and recounted what happened before long,leaving out the part where Stella caused trouble for her.

After all, they'd saved each other's lives, and she'dI already gotten her payback, so they were even.

Jared was also found and brought back. He wasn't too lucky either; while

looking for Stella, he got stabbed by someone hiding in the dark. But the wound wasn't deep, and he hid in the hallway for a long time until the government forces found him.

By now, the remaining threats outside had been cleared, and it was peaceful.

Stella woke up too, and seeingher boyfriend, she burst into tears, crying miserably and quietly.

Jared felt heartbroken and immediately called the best medical team in Celestria to treat her.

But Chris wasn't about to let Stella off the hook.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from her?" His voice was cold and dark,sending chills down everyone's spine.

Stella's tears dropped again, "Chris, how can you treat me like this? I'm your sister,you..."

"I can disown you," Chris sneered.

Amelia watched this scene without any expression. Although her grudge with Stella was settled, she didn't want to get involved in their business.

Jared quickly stepped forward to protect Stella, "Mr. Spencer, we can compensate Ms. White for her emotional distress."

"She doesn't need it," Chris said coldly.

Amelia perked up, "No, in fact, I need it very much."

Chris shot her a look that said, "Don't you have enough money with me?Why are you so greedy?"

Amelia didn't care about his look.

Even though she could make money now, she wouldn't turn down free cash, and why let Stella off easily?

"Ms. White, how much do you want? Name your price," Jared said confidently.

Amelia thought about it, planning to ask for thirty million dollars,leaving room for negotiation, hoping to get at least twenty million.

But Chris beat her to it, "One hundred million dollars." He casually demanded a hundred million, much more ruthless than her.

Jared was stunned. Even if he was rich, a hundred million wasn't something he could just give away.

"Chris, seriously? That's too much! What does she need that much money for?" Stella gritted her teeth in anger, glaring at Amelia, hoping she'd speak up.

Amelia stood there with her arms crossed, expressionless, with no intention to step in.

Chris was fighting for her interests, and she wasn't dumb enough to stop him.

"Then three hundred million dollars, plus twenty percent of your family's share,"Chris sneered.