Chapter 56 Keeping A Proper Distance


    "What a coincidence indeed!" Lucian greeted with a smile. "Amelia wanted to visit her alma mater," he


    continued as he held Amelia''s hand, "I decided toe with her."


    Amelia beamed at Jonny as well as she nodded approvingly.


    Seeing the way Amelia and Lucian got together so well, Jonny couldn''t help but be stunned. "Well,


    since we''ve bumped into each other like this, let''s take a walk together," Jonny said with a smile of his


    own.


    Not knowing what to say, Amelia looked up at Lucian to see if he wanted to go with Jonny or not.


    Much to her surprise, Lucian nodded at Jonny''s invitation.


    Amelia tightened her hand around Lucian''s, making her feel more at ease.


    This made Lucian feel at ease as well, and instantly put him in a much better mood.


    Meanwhile, Jonny quietly looked at the two. Although there was still a smile on his face, there was a


    pained and sad look in his eyes.


    He had nned to invite Amelia to visit Imperial Middle School when he called her. But when he found


    out that she was out with Lucian, he felt very disappointed.


    Jonny didn''t think that they would actually run into each other today.


    "You seem to still remember the ins and outs of this ce, Jonny." They had reached the crystal clear


    lake just behind the main campus building. It was the ce where Amelia and Jonny had a talk from


    before.


    "We''ve studied here for a while after all," Jonny defended. "This ce is bound to leave some sort of


    impression on us, don''t you think?" "Well, I don''t remember anything,"


    Lucian said in a low voice, his face darkening.


    There was an indecipherable smile on Jonny''s face as he looked at Lucian. Finally he sighed and


    shook his head, "Never mind then."


    Amelia furrowed her eyebrows. ''What are they talking about?'' she wondered to herself. ''Maybe it''s


    some inside joke between them? Well, I was a few years younger than they were...''


    "I''m sorry to cut our visit short, but I think we should be heading back now," Lucian suddenly said.


    Surprised, Amelia looked up at Lucian and saw that the smile on his face was reced with a deep


    frown.


    Ever since Amelia and Lucian got here, Lucian seemed like he was not enjoying himself. At first she


    thought that he was bored, but she didn''t expect that a few words from Jonny would spoil his mood


    even more.


    "Okay," Jonny replied with a nod. Then he turned to look at Amelia, "Hey, maybe I''ll see you around


    soon?"


    "Well... Okay," Amelia smiled uneasily and blushed. "Happy new year," she said.


    After their quick good byes, Lucian held onto Amelia''s hand and walked back to the car. His strides


    were long and quick that Amelia almost had to run just to keep up. When they got into the car, Lucian


    drove back to SJ Garden without uttering a single word.


    Out of the corner of her eye, Amelia looked worriedly at Lucian, wondering why his mood had changed


    all of a sudden. Soon, they arrived at SJ Garden.


    "Mr. Lucian, Mrs. Amelia, you are back," Lily greeted warmly as usual.


    "Hey there, Lily," Amelia said with a smile, "why don''t I cook dinner tonight for a change?"


    "That would be lovely!" Lily pped her hands in delight and said, "The dishes Mrs. Amelia cooked are


    so delicious. I can tell that I''ll be eating a lot tonight!"


    Amelia jokingly rolled her eyes at Lily.


    Meanwhile, Lucian still hadn''t said a word. He took off his coat and slung it over his shoulder.


    Afterwards, he walked upstairs, his face devoid of any emotion.


    With the way Lucian was acting, Amelia felt that the atmosphere in the vi was a bit dull and


    depressing. A soft sigh escaped from her lips.


    "What happened? Is there something wrong with Mr. Lucian?" Lily asked. She also noticed that


    something was off with Lucian, which just proved how unhappy he really was at the moment.


    Amelia shook her head and told Lily that it was okay. Then, Amelia went into the kitchen and got


    started on dinner, trying to preupy her mind with cooking.


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Lucian did note downstairs ever since he went up to the bedroom.


    Feeling worried, Amelia went up to check on him and to say that dinner was ready. Much to her


    surprise, Lucian wasn''t in the bedroom. ''Maybe he''s in the study,'' she thought. Sure enough, the door


    to the study was open, light pouring out into the hallway. Sure enough, Lucian was sitting there in front


    of his desk, looking through a pile of letters.


    Amelia hesitated whether or not she should knock. Taking a deep breath, she lightly knock at the door.


    "Come in," Lucian said. There was a frown on his face. He did not look up at Amelia, and had his eyes


    glued on the letters in his hands.


    "Dinner''s ready," Amelia said gingerly. "Why don''t youe down and get something to eat?"


    Her voice was filled with tenderness.


    Finally, Lucian sighed and looked up at Amelia. Then, he put the letters back inside a drawer and stood


    up. The two of them silently made their way to the dining room.


    Lucian remained quiet the entire time. After quickly finishing up his meal, he went to the living room and


    turned on the TV. The whole atmosphere was very quiet and awkward.


    Soon after, Amelia finished her food and stood up to clean the table. But Lily was quick to get the dirty


    dishes before Amelia could. "Mr. Lucian seems to be in a bad mood," Lily said in a low voice. "You


    should go and keep himpany."


    Nodding, Amelia went to the kitchen first to make some tea for Lucian. Then, she went up to him with a


    helpless smile, "Lucian, are you all right?


    Is it about work?"


    Lucian took the cup of tea from Amelia''s hand and took a small sip. He then looked up at Amelia


    curiously. "Do you... know Jonny?" he asked.


    Amelia did not expect that Lucian would ask this. The expression on her face gave away the panic in


    her heart.


    "No, not really," she hurriedly said, shaking her head. "I met him at Shelly''s birthday party."


    "He called you Amelia," he pressed, his tone sterner than before. It seemed that it was bothering him a


    lot that Jonny called Amelia by her first name.


    Amelia was rendered speechless. ''What... what''s wrong if he called me by my name?'' she thought,


    feeling bewildered.


    "Lucian, what are you trying to say?" Amelia asked, her voice soft and loving.


    The way Amelia called out Lucian''s name broke the tight knot in his heart. After such a long time, a


    smile finally made its way to his lips. "Never mind. It''s nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Perhaps


    I''ve just been worrying too much."


    Grabbing the remote, he turned off the television and went upstairs.


    Amelia was left in the living room, still feeling in a daze from what had just happened. ''What''s going


    on? I don''t understand what''s gotten into him...''


    Just the other night, Lucian got down on one knee and told her a lot of touching words. But now, he


    waspletely ignoring her.


    From the way Lucian acted towards Amelia so differently all of a sudden, it was inevitable that she


    would feel so mncholic.


    The next morning, Amelia woke up extra early so that she could make breakfast for Lucian. Upon


    walking out of her room, however, she saw that Lucian was already up and getting ready to leave. She


    hastily followed him. "Aren''t you going to rest today?" she asked.


    Lucian was already in his suit. It was obvious that he had some business to attend to.


    "I have to go to an event. Just go do whatever you want to do today," he said in a low but cool voice.


    Although she was upset, Amelia forced a smile.


    After Lucian left, Amelia cooked breakfast for herself. Lily had gone home to visit her family since


    Lucian had given her the day off. With no one else in the vi, Amelia started to feel lonely.


    By noon, Amelia received a message from Jonny. He said that he had something important to tell her.


    Amelia was a bit dazed at Jonny''s message — justst night, Lucian had asked her about her


    rtionship with Jonny. And now, here Jonny was, asking to meet up with her.


    ''Maybe I can talk about it with Jonny,'' Amelia thought. And so, she agreed to meet up with him.


    Jonny had told her to meet him at a fancy restaurant downtown. Since it was a holiday, she didn''t want


    to trouble Frank to drive her around and wait for her. So she drove out the car from the garage.


    Although she was still a little scared about driving, the route to the downtown was smooth, so she had


    nothing to worry about.


    Since it was a holiday, there were a lot of other cars out, causing heavy traffic. For about half an hour,


    Amelia was stuck in traffic. When she finally arrived at the restaurant, Jonny was already sitting at a


    table.


    "I''m sorry. There was a traffic jam on the way." Amelia walked over to him and said apologetically.


    "It''s fine," he said as he waved his hand. "Here, drink some water first."


    After taking a seat, Amelia gulped down the ss of water. She then looked at Jonny with a quizzical


    look on her face. "Jonny," she started, putting down the ss on the table, "do you have a bad


    rtionship with Lucian?


    I know from Nichs that you and Lucian grew up together. I assumed that you two were good


    friends."


    The smile on Jonny''s face disappeared. He did not expect that Amelia would ask such a direct


    question. For a few moments, Jonny just looked down on hisp. Then, he looked up at Amelia with a


    smile. "Have you had lunch?" he casually asked.


    "Well... no," Amelia admitted, "I drove here as soon as I got your message." On the table, there were


    already a number of dishes. It looked as if Jonny had already ordered. She couldn''t me him since it


    took so long for her to get here.


    "I apologize that I''ve already ordered some. Please take a look at the menu and order anything you


    like," Jonny apologized as he handed the menu to Amelia. "I know I should''ve waited for you to order,


    but I think I know you well enough to guess what you like."


    Amelia thought about what Jonny said. ''Maybe he thought that I wouldn''t be so keen to order anything


    expensive...


    Besides, since he had ordered so many dishes, there''s no need to order anything else.'' "It''s okay. I''m


    not fussy about food. This is enough," she said with a polite smile.


    The table was full of delicious looking food.


    ''Jeez. Are all rich people the same? Lucian also orders too much food when we eat outside...'' Amelia


    thought to herself. She felt a bit sad when she suddenly thought about Lucian.


    "If you say so. We''ll talk when you''re done eating," Jonny said. He picked up a piece of fish with his


    chopsticks and put it on her te.


    Amelia was a little embarrassed. "I can do it myself. Thanks," she said, her cheeks blushing.


    Although she was schoolmates with Jonny, she was already a married woman. It was a bit too intimate


    for him to serve her food like that.


    "Okay. Please just help yourself to whatever you want," Jonny smiled considerately.


    The restaurant had a pleasant atmosphere to it, and the dishes Jonny ordered suited Amelia''s taste


    well.


    "Let''s go to the coffee shop upstairs," Jonny proposed when Amelia had finished eating.


    "All right," Amelia agreed.


    This restaurant was especially famous in the city for its rxing ambiance and modern look. It also had


    a uniqueyout — on the first floor, where Jonny and Amelia currently were, they served world-ss


    Chinese food. After people ate there, they had the option to go to the second floor to enjoy a cup of


    coffee.


    It seemed that Jonny had already booked a table. As soon as they got there, the waiter guided them to


    a small room next to the window.