Chapter 79 Soap Opera Acting


    Not wanting to see them fight, Amelia interrupted. "Mom! Dad! Lunch''s ready,"


    she blurted. The couple looked at Amelia who quickly averted her eyes by looking down.


    "Who are you calling Mom?" The more Amelia spoke, the more Fannie grew furious.


    "Ignore her, Amelia. Just because she doesn''t want to eat doesn''t mean we should starve ourselves,"


    said Nichs, who was only too happy to be wheeling himself into the dining room.


    Across the hall stood Lucian with a frown on his face. He watched everything in silence.


    It hadn''t urred to Amelia that things could turn this sour. She stood there, refusing to believe what


    just happened.


    Lucian approached Amelia and tried tofort her. "You don''t have to push yourself to do anything."


    Amelia was right, he thought. She didn''t have to do what Fannie wanted.


    Seeing as no one wanted her there, Fannie marched upstairs, fuming still. But before she could go, she


    turned back to scream at Lucian, "Sure! Go ahead and ignore me! But I''m doing this for your own


    good!"


    In the dining room, Nichs praised Amelia''s cooking. Fannie''s absence made the atmosphere rather


    delightful. Everyone was able to ease up and enjoy the food.


    Lucian expressed the desire to head back after lunch. Not wishing to anger Fannie more, Nichs


    didn''t press them to stay.


    "Guess what Dad told me earlier." Lucian broke the silence as they drove home. A smile was ying


    on his lips.


    Amelia shook her head.


    Lucian was ying coy to tease Amelia, but with the gentlest of smiles, he eventually confessed, "He


    said we should consider having a child."


    Amelia''s face turned a bright red. She quickly averted her eyes and pretended to look at something


    outside the car window.


    It was a good thing Lucian didn''t say anything else, or she would have turned a deeper scarlet out of


    embarrassment. The rest of the ride home was nothing but quiet.


    Monday came as it always did and Amelia had to return to Zhan Group with Lucian. Work had always


    been simple and easy, and she found that it was there where she felt most at peace.


    She felt even morefortable seeing that Lucian became more caring and attentive. This was after


    he made a promise in front of her mother''s grave that he would spend the rest of his life with Amelia.


    Work weeks in the office usually began with a meeting, and seeing that it was almost ten in the


    morning, Amelia gathered the documents she needed to prepare. With Eric''s help, they ced


    important files in the boardroom before she went to the CEO''s office to report to Lucian. They may


    have a personal rtionship, but in that building, they were boss and employee. And like everyone


    else, Amelia addressed Lucian as "Mr. Lucian" when talking to him.


    Amelia quickly familiarized herself with work processes and so she was able to adjust to everything


    with ease. During the meeting, she had all the needed files and required documents. No trouble arose


    that she didn''t have a solution to.


    It was just a standard meeting, and everyone was pleased that it ended quickly without any issue,


    especially considering that thest conference they had didn''t go as smoothly.


    After collecting her things, Amelia headed to thevatory to wash her hands. She was in the middle of


    doing so when a voice came from behind, "Don''t think that it''s going to be smooth-sailing from now on


    just because you''re married to Lucian. You will never be able to take my ce in his heart."


    It was Sasha who stepped out to meet Amelia''s gaze. She was wearing a bright red dress, an


    expensive coat, andcy ck stockings paired with stiletto heels.


    Amelia remembered that Sasha and Shelly would always wear thin silk stockings during winter.


    "Please, Miss Sasha," Amelia said. "Enough with this. Nothing you say would change anything." Amelia


    believed in Lucian. She trusted him with all her heart.


    The look of determination on Amelia''s eyes stunned Sasha. Recovering herself, she said with a smirk,


    "Lucian is out of your league. You don''t belong in his world."


    "That''s funny," Amelia affected augh. "You say that and yet Lucian and I still share the same bed


    every night." Amelia leveled her eyes with Sasha''s. She had always told herself that she wouldn''t let


    Sasha''s painful words get to her, but she''d had enough. She couldn''t let this go on.


    The words from Amelia''s mouth took Sasha by surprise. Without waiting for Sasha to respond, Amelia


    walked out and headed back to her desk.


    That she was able to say those things to Sasha stunned Amelia herself. She was already on her desk


    but she couldn''t focus on her work. Seeing the expression of agitation on her face, Lucian walked over


    and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"


    Amelia snapped back to reality and immediately put on a smile. "I''m fine," she beamed.


    "I thought I saw you looking troubled." He reached for a ss of water and offered it to her.


    "Mr. Lucian, uh," Amelia hesitated. "Can I talk to you about something that''s not rted to work?" She


    fidgeted, recalling the text message Courtney sent her.


    "I''m not really a fan of you calling me Mr," Lucian said. "I''d much rather hear you calling me honey." It


    was obvious that Lucian was enjoying teasing Amelia.


    Amelia didn''t appreciate the joke considering that she had a serious matter to discuss. But keeping her


    smile on, she continued albeit shyly, "It''s Courtney. She just broke up with her boyfriend and I really


    want tofort her. Would you mind if I clock out early to meet up with her?"


    "Well..." Closing the gap between him and Amelia, Lucian continued, "That depends. Will you give me


    something in return for my permission?"


    Lucian always looked stern and gave the coldest regards, and yet when he was teasing, he looked like


    a mischievous kid. It was impossible to hate him.


    Lucian had always enjoyed making Amelia blush, and she knew it. Nevertheless, she asked naively,


    "What do you want?"


    Lucian saw Amelia for who she was, pure and innocent. He softly told her to close her eyes.


    Amelia was hesitant, but she did as she was told.


    She was wondering why Lucian asked her to close her eyes when she felt it. Lucian held her cheek in


    his hand and nted a kiss on her lips.


    Shocked, she immediately opened her eyes. Lucian''s face was so close to hers that she could feel his


    breath on her lips. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, and yet she didn''t feel the urge to push


    him away. Quite the opposite, she wanted nothing more than to hold him.


    But Lucian got to her first. He grabbed her in his arms and kissed her again, more passionately this


    time. Amelia never thought of that dull, old office as a site of romance, and yet she found herself


    responding to his kisses. In that moment, she wished they could stay in there forever.


    Lucian''s kisses were gentle but ardent. And the more she returned them, the more Amelia felt lost in


    his love. Withdrawing, Lucian took a strand of hair that fell on Amelia''s face and tucked it behind her


    ear. He looked at her reddened cheeks and yfully pinched her nose. "That was good," he finally


    said. "You can go. It''s okay."


    "Really?" Amelia hadn''t recovered from the heat of her passionate encounter with Lucian, and yet she


    couldn''t hide feeling happy having secured his permission to leave early.


    But despite Lucian''s assurance that it was alright, Amelia was getting second thoughts about skipping


    work. It was unprofessional to be leaving her post, and she didn''t want her colleagues to think that she


    was getting privileges for being Lucian''s wife. With these thoughts in her head, she collected herself


    and said, "I''m sorry. I should just get back to work."


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    "I''ll be leaving with you," Lucian replied. Lucian could see that Amelia was feeling bad about leaving


    early despite her clear concern for her friend.


    "Really? What a coincidence!" Except it couldn''t be a coincidence, Amelia thought. She wondered


    whether Lucian merely said what he said so she''d feel more at ease about going. Upon seeing him


    reach for his briefcase, however, Amelia followed him out.


    "Will you just drive me there or will you be following me?" Amelia asked. She was trying her best to


    read Lucian''s expression. Thetter kept his eyes on the road.


    Her thoughts went back to thest time Lucian asked to see her home. It felt like he was keeping watch


    on her at all times.


    "Sometimes, it''s not nice to ask too many questions, Mrs. Amelia." Lucian dropped her off in front of


    Courtney''s coffee shop. She closed the car door behind her, but Lucian rolled down the window and


    called out to her, "Call me when you''re ready to go home and I''ll pick you up."


    "I will." Amelia waved as she watched him drive off.


    Amelia entered an empty shop. There was no one there except for Courtney who was sitting at the bar,


    slumped over the counter.


    Amelia reached out to her. "Courtney! How many drinks have you had? Why did you drink so much?"


    There were empty bottles around Courtney who looked as if she''d been drinking the whole day. Amelia


    made the mistake of stepping on a bottle and almost fell.


    Courtney was a mess. Her hair was matted and her eyes were bloodshot. Amelia''s heart ached for


    having seen her friend in this state. She picked up the bottles strewn on the floor and set them up on


    the bar counter. She made a mental note of cleaning this up after she''d sorted Courtney out.


    Courtney had already sat up. She was trying to tidy up her hair when she met Amelia''s gaze. Courtney


    forced a wide smile. "Hey! You''re here!"


    Amelia sighed and pursed her lips. Without returning Courtney''s greeting, she tried to help her friend


    tidy up.


    "It''s terrible, Amelia. Business isn''t good these days," Courtney said. "No one''sing in. Only two


    people went in earlier to have milk tea. I don''t want to clean up anything. I don''t even have to, anyway."


    Amelia could only sigh.


    Amelia knew that Courtney opened this shop because she regarded running it as a hobby. Courtney


    also said that this business would help her save money for her wedding. But now it looked as if


    Courtney had lost every reason to keep the shop.


    "Do you want anything to drink? I can whip up something for you," Courtney asked. She stood up to go


    behind the counter but staggered all the way through.


    "Two cups of coffee, please," Amelia replied coolly.


    Courtney smiled and nodded. She grabbed two cups from the counter and went into the kitchen to pour


    some coffee. She came back, sat behind the bar, and ced a cup in front of Amelia.


    They sat in silence opposite one another. Amelia merely looked at her drink, subtly trying to gauge how


    Courtney was feeling. Courtney picked up her cup and brought it to her lips before setting it down


    again. She was looking out the window.


    "Why is it so bright out?" Courtney rubbed her eyes and rechecked.


    "That''s because the sun is still out," Amelia said with a smile. She took a sip from her cup of coffee. Her


    senses weed the bitter aroma and she found herself perking up.


    She came over tofort Courtney but she quickly realized that saying anything wouldn''t make a


    difference.


    Only Courtney could get herself out of this situation. There was nothing other people could say that


    could help her move on.


    Only two things could happen once a person''s heart gets broken: The person could break down and


    lose it, or that person could move on and forget. But even moving on was easier said than done. The


    whole process always dealt pain.


    "I''ve been thinking a lot in my family these days, Amelia." Courtney had a slight smile on her face, but it


    didn''t do anything to hide her pain. She was still looking out the window, avoiding Amelia''s probing


    eyes.


    "Remember when Jasper and I broke up and you told me that the pain I felt meant that I was growing


    up? Looking back now, those five years with him feel like a dream. It''s like I''m not even sure they


    happened." Amelia knew the feeling all too well. Only, she considered herself fortunate to have met


    Lucian. Had she never met him, she wondered if she would''ve gotten over herst rtionship as


    quickly.


    "I know that what Kent did was wrong, but the truth is, I don''t me him. I don''t think he could''ve


    helped it." Courtney tried to stop herself from crying by forcing herself into another smile. But the tears


    rolled down her face as quickly as she tried to hide them. Courtney told Amelia everything Kent told her


    about the night he betrayed her.


    It was a busy time for the sales department of Kent''spany. There were dinners with clients every


    night and Kent was required to attend them all. In one of these parties, Melissa got herself drunk. Kent


    only wanted to help Melissa get back to her hotel room, but he was equally intoxicated. One thing led to


    another, and it was toote before Kent realized his mistake.


    After that, Melissa had been trying to go after Kent, threatening that she''d tell Courtney what happened


    and break them up. Kent felt tormented because he didn''t want to lose Courtney. Moreover, he didn''t


    have the guts to confess what happened. He just didn''t say anything, even after Courtney became


    suspicious and began asking a lot of questions.