Going to visit the An family was like walking straight into a lion's den.
"Don't be afraid. I'll just be by your side the entire time." Noticing that Amelia had fallen silent, Lucian
put his hand on the back of her hand and comforted her in a soft voice.
Amelia looked up at Lucian, feeling a bit more at ease. But her heart was still fluttering with
nervousness.
Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention on warmth Lucian's hand offered. It was very
comforting, and gave her a strong sense of security.
A few moments later, Lucian pulled over at a clothing store. "Why did you stop here?" Amelia asked.
"Just needed to pick something up. Let's go," Lucian said as he got down the car.
"Okay." Amelia nodded and followed Lucian.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lucian." As soon as they entered the store, the shop owner came over to Amelia
and eyed her with a bright smile. "The evening dress you ordered is ready. Is it for this lovely lady?"
"Yes." Lucian nodded and turned around to Amelia. "Go and try it on."
"What?" Before Amelia could figure out what was going on, the shop owner grabbed onto her hand and
ushered her into a spacious dressing room. It was filled with elegant dresses — evening gowns made
out of silk, cocktail dresses with intricate laces, and a lot more others that left Amelia speechless.
The shop owner took a dress off the rack and presented it to Amelia. "Miss Amelia, please put this on a
see if it fits you well," she said, holding up a pastel, strapless dress.
"Me?" Amelia was surprised. It was then she finally realized what was happening and what the dress
was for.
Lucian wanted her to wear something special for Shelly's birthday party. Although she thought it would
be best to just go with what Lucian had arranged for her to wear, she was still a bit unwilling.
'It's too.... pink,' Amelia thought doubtfully.
"Do you have other styles? A simpler one?" Amelia asked awkwardly.
"Miss Amelia, this is the style Mr. Lucian personally chose for you. I personally think that this dress
would suit your lovely complexion." The way the shop owner spoke was as if she had already
envisioned Amelia in the dress.
It seemed that there was no way Amelia was leaving that store without that dress on. With a sigh, she
took the dress and tried it on.
The dress was long, and hugged Amelia's slender body nicely. Taking a look at the mirror, Amelia
couldn't help but admit to herself that it did actually look nice on her.
Judging on how soft and delicate the fabric was, Amelia knew that this dress must have cost a lot.
"Mrs. Amelia, you are so beautiful! You look quite extraordinary in this dress!" The store owner looked
at Amelia and marveled, clapping her hands in delight.
Amelia felt a little embarrassed by her compliment. With a half-hearted laugh, she lowered her head
and tried to cover her breasts with her arms. 'I didn't expect it to be this revealing...' she thought
worriedly.
Then, two other people came in. "Right this way, Mrs. Amelia," one of them said, motioning for Amelia
to sit in front of a vanity mirror at the corner of the dressing room. As soon as she sat down, they
quickly made her hair and did her makeup.
"Mrs. Amelia, you are an undeniably pretty woman. We've made your look for today simple enough to
let your beauty shine through, but elegant enough to accentuate your best features," one of the
dressers explained. "We have put your hair into a half bun and tucked a delicate, white magnolia in it.
Plus, your skin is so fair that we've only used the minimal amount of makeup." The two dressers looked
at Amelia in the mirror and beamed from ear to ear.
"Okay," Amelia thought, feeling a bit overwhelmed at everything that was happening. Just when she
thought that it was about to be over, the shop owner came over with box in her hands.
In the box was a pair of high-heeled shoes inlaid with water diamonds. "These are the shoes Mr.
Lucian had ordered for you," the shop owner said delightedly as she placed the shoes beside Amelia's
feet. "Here, let me help you put them on."
"I..." Amelia stammered, feeling lightheaded. Before she knew it, the shop owner gently lifted up her
feet one after the other to put the shoes on Amelia. For the past few minutes, Amelia felt like she was a
piece of wood drifting helplessly along a current. It was all just too surreal.
Cinderella had put on her glass shoes to meet her prince. But what about Amelia? Was Lucian, who
was patiently waiting outside, her prince?
"Okay, Mrs. Amelia. I think you're all ready," the store owner said as she looked up and down Amelia
with satisfaction.
At the thought of Lucian, Amelia looked at herself in the mirror again. She felt so uncomfortable that
she could barely take a step forward.
During summer days, she would often wear casual dresses. But this was the first time she wore
something as bright and extravagant as this.
"Mrs. Amelia, you have to get going now. You still have a party to attend." The store owner grinned.
Amelia bit her lower lip and walked out of the dressing room, her high heels clicking against the
marbled floors.
"Wow! Mrs. Amelia is so beautiful!" one of the shop assistants exclaimed. Everyone was looking at
Amelia with admiration.
Lucian was quietly sitting on the sofa. When he heard the shop assistant's comment, he looked up at
Amelia. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Amelia looked so fresh and dazzling. The long, strapless dress hugged her body so elegantly, and the
color made her white skin even more radiant.
Usually Amelia dressed simply and plainly. But, even without makeup, she was very attractive, and
looked fresher than a lot of other women of her age. Now that she was wearing such a nice dress, she
looked even more beautiful.
"You look great." Lucian stood up and walked to Amelia.
Blushing, Amelia felt embarrassed. She had wanted to ask Lucian if he thought that it looked too much.
But she didn't expect to get Lucian's approval before she asked.
"It's a bit chilly outside. You should put on a coat first so you don't catch a cold." Before leaving the
shop, Lucian put a coat on Amelia's shoulders.
This made all the female employees of the shop swoon. They all painfully fantasized that they had a
man like Lucian in their lives.
As she was not used to wearing high heels, Amelia walked out a few steps and lost her balance. When
she was about to fall down, Lucian nimbly wrapped his arms around her waist.
It was obvious that Amelia was very anxious. When Lucian's strong arms came to support her, she
knew she was going to be okay.
They looked up at each other, their eyes gleaming with undeniable love.
Lucian helped Amelia up. "Did you sprain your ankle?" he asked in a mellow voice.
Then he squatted down and checked to see if she had injured herself.
"No, I'm fine." She stepped back, stretching her legs to make him rest assured.
When she was changing her clothes, Lucian had also changed into his formal clothes. He was so
handsome that Amelia couldn't help but blush even more.
"I'm sorry that I didn't ask you for your permission first. If we dress too casually, Shelly and the others
might think that we don't care about them," Lucian explained as he straightened up.
"But, to be honest," he continued, "I don't care much about that. What's important is that you're
comfortable. I don't want you to be bothered for the entire duration of the party." He could tell that
Amelia was not used to wearing high-heeled shoes.
For some reason, Lucian's words washed away all the unwillingness Amelia had previously had in her
heart. 'Maybe it won't be so bad to wear clothes like this,' she thought to herself.
She shook her head with a smile, and said considerately, "It doesn't matter. Besides, the banquets of
celebrities are no different from catwalk shows. The only difference is that people at banquets make fun
of other people's clothes."
"Well, that's a very interesting comparison." Lucian smiled. His eyes were full of admiration and joy for
Amelia.
The two of them got into the car. As they drove along the road, Lucian would ask Amelia how she was
doing from time to time.
Even though it was cold outside, Lucian's sweet words were enough to warm her.
"I think you have changed..." looking at Lucian, Amelia said carefully.
With his eyebrows raised, Lucian glanced at Amelia and then smiled happily.
If Amelia thought that Lucian had changed, did this imply that she had also changed her attitude
towards him? Had she finally accepted him into her life? Lucian couldn't restrain his excitement.
He wanted to stop the car and ask her what she meant with what she said, but he didn't want to push
her too hard. Besides, they were almost at their destination.
It wasn't a big deal if they came to the party late, but Lucian was a very punctual person. He always
took his meetings and engagements seriously.
All the lights were lit in the luxurious An mansion. From the gate, you could already hear the soft
chatter and laughter of guests together with some music.
Lucian held onto Amelia's hand the whole time, as if they were going through a thick fog in a forest.
Everything around them felt so strange and disorienting. It didn't make it any better that there were a lot
of eyes fixated on them.
As soon as they entered the villa, everyone's attention was on them.
It was the first time for Amelia to attend such an event. Unfortunately, because of the news about her
wedding, almost everyone here recognized her.
"Wow, she is the woman from SJ Garden!"
"I saw her on the newspaper last time. I think she is at most pretty. But now she looks like a fairy."
"Has she received any plastic surgery?" "I doubt it. No matter how pretty a woman may be, Lucian
would never go for a woman who had undergone plastic surgery."
"Well, although she has stolen the man I've been yearning for, she's indeed much more beautiful than
his first love girlfriend..."
What? First girlfriend? Were they talking about Sasha?
Amelia continued to walk forward, surrounded by endless whispers. But when she heard about
Lucian's first girlfriend, she was suddenly lost in thought. With one careless step, Amelia lost her
footing and sprained her ankle!
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain coming from the soles of her feet that shot up all the way to her leg.
She held back her pain and didn't want to lose face in front of Lucian and everyone else. She kept
smiling to show her elegance and grace.
At the moment she sprained her ankle, Lucian's heart trembled. "Amelia, are you okay?" he whispered
low beside her ear.
She looked up at him and nodded her head with a smile.
The bright light shone on her delicate face. She was beautiful, like a delicate orchid in an empty valley,
stunning and rare.
After they finally walked out of the long red carpet and sat down, Amelia felt relieved. Although her feet
still ached, she did not frown. She pinched on her arm to divert the pain she was feeling from her ankle.
Lucian had noticed Amelia's subtle movements.
"Did you sprain your ankle?" he asked worriedly, intertwining his hand with hers so that she would stop
pinching herself.
Amelia's face suddenly turned red. She blinked her eyes with a guilty conscience, shook her head and
denied, "No. I'm just a little nervous."
"You don't need to be tough in front of me." His eyes were full of concern, and he held her hand even
tighter.
Looking at his affectionate eyes, Amelia nodded slowly. "It's just a minor sprain. It doesn't hurt that
much," she lied softly.
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