Amelia was still annoyed and shot Richard a glare. "I should've known better than to have lunch here!"
Richard quickly tried to soothe her. "Sweetheart, Old Mr. Carter is still an elder. He won't make things difficult for Ella."
"But that Leah..." Amelia began, only to be cut off by Eric's cool voice, "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, she won't be able to mess with my woman."
Ella's face flushed at Eric's words, and the group broke into amused laughter. "Of course, no one can mess with your woman except you!" someone teased.
Amelia joined in, grinning, "Exactly! And at night, you'll be the one 'bullying' her!"
Ella wished she could disappear into a hole. "Hey, you guys, stop teasing us like that!"
The room erupted into laughter, and the earlier tension quickly dissipated. Soon, everyone was back to their activities—some playing cards, others eating, drinking, or chatting.
