Amelia thought that she wouldn't be able to sleep well since it was her first time sleeping there.
However, to her surprise, she had a pretty good sleep that night.
It was a Monday so Amelia was just getting ready to go to work. When she headed downstairs, her
phone started ringing—it was a message from Courtney. She was worried because she didn't see
Amelia at the bar that night. Amelia quickly texted back. When she raised her head, she found Lucian
standing in front of her and staring at her.
Amelia was a little stunned and her face flushed out of embarrassment. Lucian was wearing a nice,
crisp suit. His other hand was clutching an expensive-looking leather briefcase while the other was
shoved in the pocket of his pants. He looked quite handsome.
"I've made some arrangements. You don't need to go back to your old job anymore. From now on,
you're going to be working at the Zhan Group with me," he said plainly. He then glanced at her from
head to toe and added, "Your clothes are in the wardrobe. The ones that are appropriate for your new
job, I mean."
Amelia gazed back at him in disbelief, eyes widened. "Are you serious?"
Last night, Lucian promised that he wouldn't do anything and suddenly, he was controlling her life. He
had taken her old job away without her permission.
"You should see how much you're going to make at the Zhan Group," Lucian said casually as he put on
his tie.
Amelia was not the type to be swayed by money. Even if her salary at her old job was quite low, that
didn't mean that she didn't want to work there anymore.
Amelia clenched his fists. She was so angry that she couldn't even bring herself to say something. She
was just trembling in anger.
Glancing at her, Lucian then added rather harshly, "Your family's probably busy now. Your father called
this morning, asking for your help. But I declined on your behalf. That's your ex-boyfriend's wedding
after all. I don't want you get upset over that."
"What do you mean?" 'Are they going to have the wedding tomorrow?' she pondered.
Even though she had already accepted this, it was still painful to think that the man she had spent five
years with was going to get married to someone else.
Lucian raised his eyebrows and gave a meaningful smile. Then he looked at Amelia and consoled her,
"If you want to attend the wedding, I'll happily come with you."
When Amelia looked sideways, Lucian's face came into view. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Lucian was so painfully handsome and it was difficult to find a man like him especially with his family
background. There was no need for her to do that, anyway. Jasper was gone and she had to accept
that. Besides, it was not like Jasper was an angel. His cheating on her meant that he didn't deserve her
love anymore and Amelia deserved someone else better.
"No, thanks," Amelia said coldly, her face darkening. She then glared at him and said, her tone sharp
as knives, "We're just a fake couple. Please don't interfere with my work and my life ever again."
Gazing back at her, Lucian smiled and said, "Well, since you don't want to work in the Zhan Group, you
can just find another job in the city."
"Lucian, what's wrong with you?" Amelia cursed at him.
While the place she worked for was just a small company, the working environment was good and
everyone got along with each other. She had gotten that job through Jasper. At the thought of this,
Amelia felt a sharp pain in her heart. She frowned as her mind started racing.
"Amelia, as far as I know, Jasper is a shareholder of that company. You're given special treatment there
because you were his girlfriend. But things are different now. Don't be so stupid as to think that they'll
still treat you the same way," Lucian said honestly, a cold look on his face.
Amelia stared at Lucian. She was a bit surprised that Lucian knew her so well especially that they just
met a few days ago. What he said had made sense. At first, she was reluctant to leave her old job. But
after hearing what Lucian said, she realized that he was right.
"Lucian, I find it hard to believe that you'd be so kind," Amelia snorted at Lucian.
"Actually, I'm not. I just don't want this to come back and bite me in the ass in the future," Lucian said.
"Now that this is resolved, let's go. Time to play."
After Lucian left, Amelia stood there in a daze for a while. She didn't come to her senses until her
phone started ringing in her pocket again.
"Hello, Courtney!"
"Finally! Marriage is a big deal, you know. Why didn't you tell me? You told me I'd be your bridesmaid!"
"No, no, how do you know?" Amelia hadn't told Courtney yet, so she was extremely surprised to find
that she already knew. 'Who told her? Jasper? Hmm. Maybe not. I doubt he'd tell her,' she thought.
"Don't play dumb with me. Your name is everywhere. You're the most famous person in the city right
now! Literally everyone is talking about you. It's like you're a celebrity!" Courtney said, her tone a bit
envious.
'Celebrity?' Amelia was completely confused.
"But I have to admit, you've chosen pretty well for yourself, so I forgive you." Courtney's tone suddenly
changed. When she spoke, she sounded more light-hearted this time. "Lucian is not only super
handsome but he's also a big shot here in the city. Plus the Zhan Group has over a 100 million assets,
so everyone's talking about you. They're wondering how an ordinary girl like you could end up with
someone like Lucian. Even I was surprised! If Lucian hadn't announced the news himself, I wouldn't
have believed it!"
He announced the news himself? Courtney sounded so happy. One would have thought that she had
won the lottery.
"It's just... It's a fake marriage. We're not really together," Amelia explained. She figured Courtney
would understand.
"Amelia, the man you married is the prince charming of the city. Every girl would kill herself being you
right now. I can't believe how out of touch you are!" It seemed that Amelia had scored big this time.
"Well, okay, I have to go now," Amelia hurriedly said. She hung up the phone as she was already
upset.
She looked out into the spacious living room in front of her. Everything was calm and quiet. Amelia took
a deep breath before going out to work.
It was a cold winter and the skies were cloudy, which mirrored Amelia's mood.
She crossed the streets and found herself standing in front of the fountain in the square. She was still
thinking what kind of jobs she should apply for next.
"Hey, look! Isn't that the woman on the news?"
"Hmm, could be. But I doubt that the wife of the CEO of the Zhan Group would dress like that."
"But they look so alike..."
Amelia froze immediately. She didn't dare turn her head in fear that someone would recognize her.
When she thought back to what Courtney had said, she immediately took out her phone and started
searching for her name on the internet. As expected, her photo that was taken on her 24th birthday
was all over the news. It was coupled with headlines of Lucian announcing that they were already
married.
'Oh, my God! What is Lucian up to? Why is he bringing the press into this?' she thought to herself.
If her father hadn't called her, she would find somewhere secret and roar to vent her anger.
"Dad, what can I do for you?" Amelia's stomach twisted and turned into knots.
She hadn't talked to Vernon in a while and she didn't know what to feel.
After coughing several times on the other end of the phone, Vernon said earnestly, "Amelia. Yolanda's
getting married tomorrow. You should be here. We're family after all. Kaaahhkkk, kaaahhkkk,
kaaahhkkk.... "
Even though Vernon was calling to convince her to come home, she couldn't help but notice his
coughing. She pressed her lips together and then said, "Dad, it's been getting cold. You should take
care of yourself more."
She thought that Vernon would just let the topic go. She was surprised when he insisted. "Amelia, I
know what she did to you. But could you please do this for your father?"
he pleaded. He had never asked anything from her before. Amelia didn't know what to do. She knew
she couldn't say no, so she had to agree. "I'll be there tomorrow morning," she said limply.
"Oh, and bring Lucian with you," Vernon reminded before hanging up the phone.
Amelia frowned and immediately refused, "Dad, I only agreed to come back for you. He doesn't need to
come with me..."
"You're married to him. You shouldn't be as stubborn anymore. Besides, Lucian is my son-in-law. You
should bring him out of courtesy and politeness. It's rude for you to come home and not bring your
husband with you for everyone to meet."
The way Vernon addressed Lucian surprised her. She wondered why he seemed so familiar with
Lucian.
But Vernon was right. Everyone knew about their marriage now. If she came back home alone, who
knew what Sophia would say to tease her?
She didn't want to be seen as some helpless girl who was cheated on and abandoned by her ex-
boyfriend anymore.
When she returned to the SJ Garden, Lucian had just come back too. Amelia stood at the gate,
wondering how she was going to tell him.
"Good. You know how to go home." Lucian placed his jacket on the sofa and took out a bottle of frozen
Coke from the refrigerator. He briefly glanced at Amelia before chugging the drink down.
Amelia's eyes widened in shock when she saw this. She thought, 'Is he crazy? Why is he drinking that
on such a cold day?'
"I'm so tired," Lucian said as he leaned his head against the sofa.
"Where have you been?" When he went out this morning, he looked fresh and crisp. But now, he
seemed exhausted and even a bit dirty. There was a thin film of sweat on his forehead. If Amelia wasn't
aware that it was freezing cold, she would have thought that it was a hot summer day just based on
how Lucian looked right now.
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