Chapter 87 Sign The Divorce Agreement


    Amelia couldn''t muster the will to say anything. Pain was swelling in her heart as she stared at her


    coffee.


    "I''ll sign the divorce papers," she finally said. She knew how terrible the whole situation was and it only


    made her decision more firm.


    Shelly''s lips contorted to a big smirk. She beamed as if she was just dered champion of a


    competition. "You know I''ve never thought much of you. But today, I''m actually impressed you made


    this decision."


    Amelia tried to keep her face expressionless despite her growing difort. She wished Shelly would


    stop talking. She was only rubbing salt on Amelia''s gaping wounds.


    It hadn''t been long since Amelia and Lucian found love in each other, and yet it seemed as if their


    rtionship had already run its course. It surprised Amelia to realize that it was she who had to end it.


    "But you know Lucian better than I do. Things like divorce papers won''t instantly bend his will. It''s better


    to do something that would make him actually hate you," Shelly reminded Amelia. With that she


    collected her bag and left Amelia to stew in her own feelings.


    Amelia stayed in the coffee shop for hours. She couldn''t muster the courage to walk out and find her


    way home. She merely sat there, the warm light of the shop illuminating her face, and yet Amelia only


    felt cold.


    Nothing could ease her pain, not even the gentle music ying in the background. She was so lost in


    her thoughts that only the coffee aroma in the shop kept her grounded. She wished with all of her heart


    that Lucian would walk in, take the seat opposite hers, and give her aforting smile.


    It was already midnight when Amelia got back to SJ Garden. Lily had apparently been waiting for her


    but fell asleep on the sofa. With a light tap on the shoulder, Amelia woke her up so she could sleep


    morefortably in her room. Sleepily, Lily asked, "Mrs. Amelia, is it true what they said in the news?


    Is Zhan Group really going bankrupt?"


    Since leaving the coffee shop, Amelia had been trying keep her head clear of anything rted to Zhan


    Group and Lucian, but Lily''s question instantly brought them all back to mind. She replied tly, "Not


    everything on the news is true, Lily. There was no mention of it when I went to the office earlier."


    "Ah, of course! It must be a slow day in the news room. Those journalists are trying to make an issue


    out of nothing. Mr. Lucian is a great CEO. He could never let anything like that happen," Lily agreed.


    After ensuring that Amelia had already eaten, Lily wished her a good night and retired to her room.


    Amelia decided that there was nothing else for her to do but sleep as well. She went up to her room but


    leaned heavily on the railing as she ascended. Her chest felt so tight, she could barely breathe.


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    Once in her room, Amelia pulled out the divorce papers she had printed earlier in Lucian''s study. She


    read every word, until finally, with hands trembling, she signed her name on the document.


    Sheid on her bed and recalled the time she and Lucian registered for marriage. She also had mixed


    feelings signing her name on their marriage contract. At the time, she already knew that their married


    life would not be smooth-sailing, but it never urred to her that she would have to make this kind of


    decision.


    Amelia''s eyes began to well up.


    Seeing the word divorce in print only made it clear to her that she would have to live the rest of her life


    without Lucian. Without holding back, Amelia finally let herself cry.


    She didn''t know how Lucian would react once he saw the signed papers, but she hoped that he would


    take it better than she did.


    Amelia cried and cried until she could do no more. And as sleep felt impossible, she settled on packing


    up her things.


    Everything in the room was bought by Lucian, so she only prepared a small bag. She packed the few


    clothes she already had with her when she moved into the house.


    They had only been married for four months, but it felt to her that they had loved each other for years.


    Since falling in love, Amelia never thought that she would have to leave Lucian, especially under these


    circumstances.


    She was up about two hours earlier than usual and found that Lily was still in bed. Amelia wrote Lily a


    short message before heading out.


    The road was covered with a thick fog so Amelia took out her phone and let her torch lead the way.


    She kept walking until about half an hourter, when she heard the city wake. Cars were beginning to


    take on the road and stalls were starting to open.


    She stood on the pavement with nowhere to go. Mo mansion was her only option but it was never


    really a ce where she felt wee. She decided to look for a rented apartment.


    Crashing with Courtney was also not an option, considering everything that Courtney was going


    through. She thought it would be best to go somewhere no one knew her.


    After two months of working in Zhan Group and apany-wide bonus, Amelia had roughly five


    thousand dors in her ount. It was enough to rent a small room, she thought.


    Amelia decided to settle in an unassuming neighborhood within the city outskirts. It was a quiet ce


    situated a good distance from SJ Garden. Should Lucian look for her, it wouldn''t be easy.


    Would Lucian really look for her, Amelia wondered, but the thought only made her ufortable.


    She soon found a suitable room. The room was well lit and it had its own balcony decorated with small


    potted nts. The rent was affordable and thendy was a retired old woman who had a kind smile


    on her face. She paid the deposit upfront without hesitation.


    Amelia unpacked her things as soon as she had the room to herself. She decided to do a bit of grocery


    shopping and was about to leave the house when her phone began ringing.


    She feared that it was Lucian, and yet she desperately wanted to hear his voice.


    But when she took out her phone, it was Jonny''s name on the screen.


    Amelia was dejected. "Yes? What can I do for you, Jonny?" she answered.


    "Where are you, Amelia?" Jonny asked. Amelia thought Jonny''s voice sounded anxious.


    She wondered whether Jonny already knew that she had left SJ Garden.


    "I... I''m just out shopping." It wasn''t a lie. She was really about to head out to do grocery.


    "I was just at SJ Garden looking for you, but your maid told me that you were out on vacation."


    The note Amelia left Lily mentioned that she was going on a holiday. She counted on Lucian


    understanding everything once he saw the signed divorce papers.


    "Did she? I... I just wanted to buy some snacks." Amelia kept on stuttering. Lying had never been her


    strong point.


    "Where are you? I''m going with you." Jonny quickly said.


    "No! I want to be alone," Amelia refused.


    "Amelia, Shelly was just being Shelly. There''s no reason to take her words seriously. Tell me where you


    are." It urred to Amelia that Jonny knew everything. He even knew that she had a private


    conversation with Shelly. She wondered if it also meant that he knew about the divorce agreement.


    Amelia was only thinking of Zhan Group. She wanted to do what she thought was best for the


    company, even if it came with a personal cost. If she knew that it was only her who would suffer, she


    would dly take the fall.


    "Jonny, I just hope An Group would keep its promise. Lucian and I... I guess we''re just not meant to be


    together. If you care about me, please help Lucian get through this," Amelia said indifferently despite


    the heartache. After that, she hung up the phone.


    The house Amelia rented was ancient. It came with a huge backyard that housed several potted nts.


    The stones in theundry area was covered in moss. The ce looked old and a bit run-down, but


    Amelia thought it looked serene.


    She was enjoying the peace staying in the garden afforded her when a memory flitted into her head.


    She had been cooped up in her rented room for a whole week, during which she mostly kept to her


    journal and ate instant noodles whenever she got hungry. The kindndy would bring her home-


    cooked meals. One time, thedy remarked, "You''re so thin. Instant noodles isn''t good for your health."


    The words caught Amelia by surprise. Lucian had said the same thing to her before.


    Meanwhile, things were different inside the Zhan Group office.


    "m!" A thick file folder dropped on the floor with a heavy thud. A low voice growled, "Have you found


    Mrs. Amelia yet?"


    Eric picked up the documents that fell on the ground and rushed to give instructions to the men who


    stood attentively. "Keep searching. Find Mrs. Amelia!"


    Lucian only leaned against his leather chair. Fatigue was written all over his face.


    "Don''t worry, Mr. Lucian. We''ll find Mrs. Amelia," Eric reassured. It had been a week since Amelia left


    and Lucian hadn''t eaten or slept. He looked pale and gruff.


    "Call Edmund. I want to talk to him," Lucian replied coldly, not even bothering to look at Eric.


    Eric smiled and said, "Mr. Lucian, we can pull through this crisis with An Group''s help."


    Lucian looked at Eric with utter disappointment. "You think I should ept An Group''s offer? That''s not


    help. That was An Group threatening us!"


    Lucian was seething. This crisis wouldn''t have happened if it weren''t for Edmund.


    Zhan Group epassed many branches and organizations. If Edmund hadn''t instigated panic by


    convincing shareholders and investors to withdraw funding, Zhan Group wouldn''t have fallen into this


    situation.


    It took Lucian a week-long business trip to negotiate with shareholders. Although he was able to


    convince some of them to continue doing business with thepany, he found it difficult to turn around


    the other investors who decided to withdraw.


    On top of it all, he returned to find that Amelia had left SJ Garden. Only the divorce papers were waiting


    for him in the study.


    "Mr. Lucian, I''ve always respected you. You were not just a boss to me; I''ve always thought of you as a


    friend. These are difficult times, but I will stay by your side," Eric said, trying to pacify Lucian. He had no


    idea about the conditions An Group set before it would help Zhan Group. He only thought that An


    Group was willing to extend efforts out of kindness and concern given their long business rtionship.


    He couldn''t understand why Lucian was angry.


    "Thank you, Eric. Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing," Lucian replied, looking much calmer.


    "Leave the search for Mrs. Amelia to us. Please go home and rest. You may be the CEO of this


    company, but you''re still just a man, Mr. Lucian," Eric reminded as he stepped out of the office.


    The room fell silent when Eric had gone. Lucian merely stared at his desk, reeling from the sharp pain


    in his heart. He fumbled in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and leaned back to his chair, his


    thoughts with Amelia.


    Amelia had been out shopping. Once back, she was heading up to her room when herndy called


    her attention and invited her to dinner. Embarrassed, Amelia was about to refuse when the old woman


    asked, "Is this you in the newspaper?"


    Amelia froze where she stood. Recovering, she went to where thendy was sitting and asked to


    borrow the paper. One of the headlines read: Wife of Zhan Group CEO, Missing.


    The news even asked for anyone who had seen her toe forward in return for a huge reward.


    Amelia never thought that her leaving would cause this huge of an uproar. She certainly didn''t expect


    that Lucian would search for her given the issues thepany was facing.