The next morning, someone knocked on Amelia's door. As she opened her heavy lids, she
remembered what she had promised Lucian yesterday. Amelia sprang out of bed and rubbed away the
sleep from her eyes. 'Ah, I'm meeting Lucian's parents today!' she thought, getting nervous and
flustered.
"I... I'm getting up! I'll be ready in a minute!" She rushed into the bathroom and washed up, then quickly
changed her clothes. After checking how she looked in the mirror one last time, she hurried downstairs.
There, she saw that Lucian was having breakfast. The way he looked in his black suit handsomely
suited his overall cold and stiff appearance. Seeing him like this made it seem as if the warm words he
said from last night were only a dream.
"Sorry, I overslept," Amelia said apologetically as she walked over to him.
Most of the time, Amelia woke up early. It was just that she did not expect that she would go to bed so
late last night.
"It doesn't matter." After taking a bite on a piece of bread, Lucian put it back on his plate and coldly
glanced at Amelia. "There was only enough breakfast for one person. You can eat what I've left. If
you're still hungry, you can go to the Zhan mansion to get something to eat. That's what you get for
sleeping late."
"What did you say?" Amelia couldn't believe what she just heard. With an eyebrow raised, she eyed
that bitten piece of bread Lucian was offering. "You want me to eat that?" she asked exasperatedly.
"You were the one who was supposed to make breakfast," Lucian shrugged, "But you didn't wake up
early enough. I think you should be grateful that I even decided to share with you the breakfast that I
prepared."
"Lucian, do you really think I should thank you for your kindness?" Amelia was irritated by his words.
'Why is he like this all of a sudden? I don't understand how he can make fun of me like this!'
"You can choose not to eat since you only have five minutes left. By then, we have to leave and head
up to the Zhan mansion. It's really up to you," Lucian said in a low and cold voice.
Amelia was stunned for a long time.
This man was completely different from what he was yesterday! But then, Amelia suddenly realized
something. 'Yesterday, we were in front of other people. But now it's just the two of us. There's no need
for him to act so cordial around me right now.'
"Fine. Let's go," Amelia said with a bitter smile.
"I hope you know how important this is," Lucian coldly reminded Amelia as he got into the car. "Show
the best possible version of yourself. I hope you can cooperate with me no matter how unwilling you
are."
Was this still a negotiation? Why did that sound more of like an order?
Although Amelia was a bit reluctant, she still nodded her head in compliance as she quietly sighed to
herself.
The Zhan mansion was located at a hillside, right where the land met with the sea. According to
Chinese geomancy—of which the Zhan family was quite fastidious about—a house surrounded by both
earth and water gathered energy and prosperity.
As the car drove up the driveway, the gates automatically opened. There was a stone fountain right in
front of the grand villa, and a flower nursery to the left. Amelia gazed at awe at the beautiful flowers,
many of which she did not have a name for. On colder days, the flowers were all in full bloom. It was
such a rare and delightful sight to see.
Lucian stepped out of the car. The aura of nobility he had as he stood at the luxurious grounds of the
villa made his seem like he was born to be a prince living in the castle.
When Darren saw the car, he immediately welcomed Lucian with a big smile on his face, "Mr. Lucian is
back. Her ladyship missed you quite so."
They followed Darren into the villa. The floors were made out of marble, imported straight from Italy.
There was an intricate crystal chandelier hanging in the hall, illuminating the grand staircase with a
warm light. On each wall were big, arched windows. There were also paintings hung here and there,
giving the whole place a quiet but elegant ambiance.
A chorus of laughter sounded from the living room, creating an air of peacefulness and cheer.
"We have a guest?" Lucian frowned.
"It's Miss Shelly An. She came here to visit Mrs. Fannie," Darren answered hesitantly as he glanced at
Amelia.
Hearing Shelly's name, Amelia felt her heart skip a beat. At that moment, she could just imagine
Shelly's angry and ferocious face.
"Let's go, Amelia." Suddenly, Lucian stretched out his hand to her. The look on his cold face made it
look as there was an urgent matter at hand, and that he was asking for her permission to hold hands.
Amelia opened her mouth slightly. She was surprised and didn't know if she should hold his hand.
Thinking of the hateful look he gave her before they left SJ Garden, Amelia sighed lightly and turned
her head away angrily.
"Lucian!" Shelly was sitting on the sofa in the living room. When she saw Lucian, she screamed joyfully
and jumped out of her seat.
"Ah, you're back!" Fannie said happily as she turned around.
Lucian didn't say anything. He pulled Amelia, who was hiding behind him, to his side.
"Oh... Why did you bring her here?" The moment Fannie saw Amelia, the smile on her face froze. It
was easy to tell that she was not happy seeing Amelia there.
"Amelia's my wife. Is it wrong for me to take her home?" Lucian held Amelia's hand tighter, interlocking
his cold fingers into hers. His voice was icy and domineering, as if he was just about to declare war.
Amelia had been clenching her fist behind her since she entered the room. Now she didn't know what
to do, especially in front of all the people.
"Lucian, you can do whatever you want outside. But you can't just take some random woman back to
the mansion!" Fannie said scornfully as she eyed Amelia up and down, "Especially not women who
look like they're after money!"
Amelia looked up and tried to explain, but Lucian grasped her hand even tighter.
She tilted her head, her eyes filled with grievance and helplessness.
The disgust in Fannie's eyes and the hurtful words were undoubtedly like sharp knives, deeply stabbing
her self-esteem.
"If you have anything bad to say, you can say it to my face. There's no need to slander Amelia," Lucian
spoke, his tone as low as ever, but his words reverberated powerfully.
"What... Are you really going to argue with me?" said Fannie, her fingers trembling with anger.
Seeing this, Shelly came over to comfort her. "Auntie, don't be angry. I'm sure that Lucian would never
mean to disrespect you. If anything, I think the best thing to do..."
Shelly leaned in closer and whispered in Fannie's ear.
At that moment, Shelly looked deliberately at Amelia.
The way her eyes twinkled didn't look as if she was offering a reasonable solution — it was a look that
was stirring up trouble.
Then, Fannie nodded in agreement. "Since you have the nerve to come here to the mansion," Fannie
said as she pointed a finger at Amelia, "you must promise me right here and now that you will not
spend a single penny from the Zhan family!"
The contempt in Amelia's eyes reflected in Fannie's.
It wasn't because she truly hated. She knew Fannie just wanted to protect her son. Even still, all this
talk about money and the way they judged her made Amelia unhappy.
"Auntie, look! She's even glaring at you!" Shelly pointed out.
"Get out," Fannie said through clenched teeth. "Get out before Lucian's father sees you here."
"I know your family is the richest in the city. But I just want to remind you that the one who wanted this
marriage was your son, not me!" 'I know I told Lucian that I had to play my roll well. But that doesn't
mean that I would just let this woman verbally abuse me like this!' Amelia sneered in her heart.
"So you feel wronged to be my daughter-in-law?" It seemed that Fannie didn't expect this and she
lowered her voice. But the anger on her face didn't fade away.
"What Amelia said is right. I forced her to marry me. There's no reason to bully my wife, and I most
certainly won't allow it." Lucian held Amelia's hand firmly.
Amelia cast a sidelong glance at the man beside her, hardly recognizing him at all.
She slightly held onto Lucian's hand as well. The warmth from his palm was reassuring, but she was
still quite uneasy.
It was a lie that she was not afraid of them. She had always respected elders. If Fannie wasn't as
sharp-tongue as she was, Amelia wouldn't have fought back like that.
"Auntie, didn't you just say you liked me most? Since I'm here, you should be happy. Don't let your
good mood be affected by insignificant people!" Shelly said as she gently patted Fannie's back.
"Lucian, listen to me. Why don't you marry such a good girl like Shelly? I just don't understand how you
could marry some unknown woman. Who knows where she's been and what she's really after! When
you finally get fooled by that wife of yours, don't say I didn't tell you so!" Fannie exasperated. Shaking
her head, she held Shelly's hand. "Shelly, I'm so sorry. Your shot at a good marriage and a good
husband has been ruined!"
"No matter what happens, everything all of you say doesn't matter. Amelia and I are married. I just
came to inform you of this news, so your objection is invalid." Lucian's eyes darkened, his face taunt
and stern.
After hearing what Lucian said, Amelia became more and more confused. She wondered why Lucian
was in such a hurry to find a woman to get married to, but was unwilling to marry a woman to actually
love. Then she remembered what he said, about how he wanted to make his own decisions in his life
for a change.
'But...' Amelia thought, 'the decision he made may never satisfy him.' After all, there was no love
between them.
"We're done here, Amelia. Let's go head back," Lucian said softly to Amelia. Hearing his gentle voice
made Amelia snap out of her daze. She blushed and looked at his mother awkwardly. When she found
that Fannie was still extremely angry, she quickly withdrew her gaze and silently nodded.
'Good. I don't think I'm willing to stay here for a second longer!' she thought.
"It's not every day that you come back here, Lucian. Stay and have lunch with us before you leave,"
Shelly said with a point as she walked up to him. Without a second thought, she held onto his arm as if
it was the most natural thing in the world and continued, "Don't forget me after you get married. I'm still
deeply in love with you. Nothing and no one can change that!"
After that, Shelly sharply glanced at Amelia.
'Please don't agree to stay for lunch...' Amelia prayed, her hands clenched.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda