Amelia

James was back home for a brief holiday with the family before he was once again called on for an out of town problem that needed to be resolved right away, this time at corporate headquarters in Florida. Many other associates from other territories were also called upon, too. Amelia was glad he wasn’t going far. What she didn’t expect was a rumor going around that one of the other associates in the company was plotting against James! She was a female associate named Pamela, who supervised the associates’ most important assignments. She had noticed James’s impeccable record of achievements and honors, alongside references made about his model family. She once studied with James’s brother, Ryan, who was also friendly with Paul, Amelia’s former brother-in-law. Pamela read in James’s records that Paul, the psychiatrist, had diagnosed that James wife, Amelia, had suffered a breakdown due to trauma from the loss of her first husband and then her mother not long after. But James, so deeply in love with his wife, believed that her history was off the record. Now it was wide open because Paul had reported it in a letter sent to James’s personal file. Pamela, who was clearly delusional, now took this information and sent copies to everyone in the company, including one to Amelia at home! Pamela in her twisted thinking thought that somehow this would convince James to help her advance in the firm and get promoted to his level. She had somehow convinced herself that if she exposed the story of Amelia’s breakdown, she’d somehow open James’s eyes to Pamela’s intelligence and abilities and then support her advancement. It was a ridiculous idea for someone who considered herself superior to others when in reality she was nothing more than a jealous, mentally ill person who should have been fired. Pamela’s scheming went even further. She knew when James was out of town, so, she’d go visit James’ and Amelia’s vacation home on an island in Maryland when Amelia took Angelina there over holidays. There, Pamela went out of her way to become friendly with Amelia on the beach. She knew Amelia’s strength came from her children, and that’s the avenue she used to manipulate Amelia’s mind in her efforts to win over James. Pamela got very close to Angelina, and Amelia was oblivious to Pamela’s bad intentions. Amelia enjoyed all the attention, having felt deserted by so many others in the past. Amelia was grateful to Pamela for showing Angelina so much attention and love and would sometimes invite her to stay overnight at the beach house. Amelia thought Pamela might be an angel sent by her mother. Pamela bought Angelina all kinds of gifts to win her over her; meanwhile, she even tried to influence Angelina, attempting to poison her against her own mother! Pamela told Angelina that she’d heard that Amelia should have been hospitalized for her problems years ago. Luckily Angelina just laughed it off. Amelia didn’t know anything about any of this until after she returned home and read the letter that the delusional Pamela had sent to James and Amelia, and everyone else in the company. James read the letter and immediately sent someone to the vacation house to change the locks because Amelia had given Pamela a key. Although Pamela was clever with words, now that Amelia knew that Pamela was on a mission to get what she wanted by any means possible, Amelia knew she had to be on guard. Pamela had training and education, along with the confidence that could lure men away from the saintliest of wives and families. She was sure she had it all and knew how to use it!