Lucian volunteered to wash the dishes after dinner. Amelia stared at Lucian with unblinking eyes as
she wondered if her ears were playing tricks on her. She squinted slightly as she asked Lucian, "What
did you say just now?" Her words came out slow and soft as if she herself was unsure if she should
confirm what she thought she heard.
Her curious eyes were as clear as a child's as she stared straight at Lucian who slowly turned towards
her with a playful smile.
Lucian then stared steadily into her eyes and said clearly and softly, "The food you cooked were
absolutely delicious. As a reward and thanks, please allow me to wash the dishes for you."
Amelia was unfamiliar to the sudden courtesy that Lucian expressed. But she knew him very well. So
she decided to say nothing and silently walked out of the kitchen but stood at the doorway as a mute
observer.
Lucian felt uneasy as Amelia's stare burned a hole at his back while he prepared to wash the dishes.
So he turned to her and said, "If you're thinking of what to do while I wash the dishes, you can clean
the living room or make a pot of tea for me."
His voice was gentle, but had an unmistakable commanding tone to it.
Amelia nodded and immediately went to the living room. She intended to clean it as he suggested. But
as soon as she touched a newspaper on the center table, she was startled by a loud crashing sound
that came from the kitchen. A bowl broke into a thousand tiny pieces as it fell to the floor.
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Lucian never had to wash the dishes.
She hurried to the kitchen and saw him squatting down as he picked up the broken pieces of the
unfortunate bowl on the floor.
Lucian raised his head and turned towards the doorway of the kitchen and saw her approaching. He
was about to stop her, but Amelia was immediately down with her hand on the porcelain shards
scattered all around the kitchen floor and was about to start picking them up.
"What?" Their awkward movements caused them to bump into each other by accident that caused
Amelia to cut her finger on the sharp edge of one of the porcelain pieces that she reached for when she
went down to help.
The wound on her finger bled immediately. Lucian instantly pulled her hand towards him and quickly
placed her wounded finger into his mouth and sucked on the bleeding wound.
This simple act of kindness made Amelia's heart beat faster. She stared at Lucian's face in a daze,
unaware of the involuntary smile that had spread over her lovely lips.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it." He frowned and looked at her with a guilty look while he continued to suck at
her wounded finger.
Amelia was fully aware that he never meant for it to happen. She reached out her hand herself rashly,
shook her head and then said with a smile, "You have never washed dishes before in your entire life,
have you?"
Lucian relaxed a little when he noticed that she was still in the mood for humor despite what happened.
He explained reluctantly, "I used too much detergent. Thus, my hands became too slippery and one of
the bowls slipped and fell to the floor."
Amelia nodded in agreement after she listened to his explanation. She then replied back to him with a
smile, "I broke many bowls when I washed dishes for my mother in the past. I didn't know how many
bowls I'd broken, so I secretly hid them in case my mother found out and scolded me."
Talking about these small details from her childhood made Amelia smile like a child. Her childish smile
made her look even more beautiful.
She made light fun of him, and the embarrassment in his heart over what happened quickly melted
away.
After cleaning the porcelain fragments in the kitchen, Lucian went to the medicine cabinet and took out
some first aid supplies and then bandaged Amelia's wounded hand. He then turned the TV on and told
her to watch for a while. He then went upstairs to deal with some documents as Amelia relaxed herself
in front of the TV.
Amelia felt nervous and happy at the same time when she noticed the drastic change in Lucian's
attitude towards her.
About ten minutes later, Lucian came down and went to the living room with an envelope in his hand.
He handed the envelope to Amelia and asked her to open it.
Lucian had a mysterious look on him that confused Amelia. She wondered what game he was playing
as she accepted the envelope from Lucian. She stared puzzled at the envelope and then slowly back at
Lucian.
She nervously opened the envelope and carefully undid the flap that kept the envelope closed. She
found a piece of paper inside; neatly folded. She gently took out the paper as if it was the most fragile
thing in the world. When she unfolded the paper, she was surprised by the elegant handwriting on the
paper.
The message on the paper read 'Honey, please forgive me for being irrational and intolerant.'
Amelia was so moved by the message on the piece of paper in her hand that her face blushed as she
felt warm blood rushing into her cheeks. Her eyes then became misty and warm as her vision started to
look as if she was underwater.
She never expected Lucian to apologize to her. The thought of the cold and domineering Lucian
apologizing was something that never occurred to her even in her wildest imagination.
Amelia was so moved by the message that she was unable to speak for a long time. Tears welled up in
her eyes that she wasn't able to stop from falling down. Lucian became anxious at the sight of Amelia's
tears and he immediately asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Lucian, apparently, could not bear the sight of her crying. He struggled to get a handkerchief out with a
shaking hand to wipe away her tears.
Amelia shook her head as a response to Lucian's question. At the same time, Lucian held forward a
handkerchief to wipe away her tears for her. She did nothing to stop him.
Unbeknownst to him, she was crying tears of joy. And the unexpectedness of the message made the
situation even more emotionally unbearable for her.
"Actually, on the way home, I criticized myself because I felt that I did something wrong. It is natural for
you to misunderstand and become upset with me. It only means that you care about me." She was
about to cry even more as she spoke in a quivering voice. She then took several deep breaths to calm
herself down.
Lucian continued wiping her tears for her as he quietly listened to everything that she said. He then
held her tightly in his arms without saying anything.
They remained in that position for a long time and never felt the passage of time. In this big house,
where there's only two of them, the atmosphere was peaceful and calm.
She felt so safe wrapped in his strong arms that she eventually fell asleep like a lazy cat.
When Amelia woke up, she was already on the bed. There was a deep silence that filled the room.
Darkness filled her eyes. She moved slightly to one direction of the bed and someone reached out to
protect her, afraid that she would fall off the bed.
She could feel the strength of Lucian's grip and arm even in the dark, and it made her feel protected,
but... She suddenly froze at the thought that Lucian was lying next to her on the same bed!
Her heart suddenly thumped faster and it brought her back to full wakefulness. She shivered at the
thought that he was lying beside her and she was about to get up from the bed to get away as quickly
as possible. But before she could move, powerful arms grabbed her and quickly pushed her down with
the weight of a muscular body keeping her pinned. She suddenly felt imprisoned and helpless.
"If you keep moving, you will regret it." Lucian's voice was low and sinister, like the whisper of a specter
in the darkest night.
Amelia did not dare move. Her eyes were wide open with shock and horror as she tried desperately to
adjust her eyes to the darkness.
Although she was fully aware that she was now Lucian's wife, she had never thought of sleeping with
him in the same bed.
But she was aware of Lucian's threat just now. She wondered if she moved just a little would it get her
into trouble with Lucian and how much trouble would she be getting herself into?
She felt very uncomfortable buried in Lucian's chest. Her heart was beating fast as she struggled to
breathe. The weight on top of her made her feel like she was getting suffocated and was dying.
"Amelia, we are a couple. You don't have to be so nervous." A muffled, low voice broke the silence in
the room. The huskiness in the voice was particularly attractive against the darkness that filled the
room and despite the terror that gripped Amelia's heart. Lucian finally decided to move his body out of
his position on top of Amelia.
'She know we're married for some time now, but she... Maybe she just need some time to get used to
living her life as my wife,' Lucian thought to himself to banish his frustration. He breathed deeply as he
nodded slightly to himself.
Amelia screamed within her heart. She held her body tightly in her hands and arms as her heart
pounded non-stop. She wondered whether she should turn the light on and sleep in the next room, or
sleep with him tonight.
"Go to sleep. I will not do anything to you," Lucian said in a soft and gentle voice after he tucked her in.
Amelia's fear was completely dispelled after she heard the words of Lucian. Lucian was like a mind
reader. He was so intuitive that he could tell what she was so worried about without hearing her say
anything.
"I'm sorry, I... I just need some time to get used to it." She held the quilt tightly with both hands as she
explained nervously and shyly to Lucian.
"Okay, I know. Now go to sleep." he spoke to her in a pleasant and soothing voice as he caressed her
smooth cheeks with the back of his hand.
His voice made her feel comfortable regardless of the negative experience that she had mere moments
before. It was like the melody of a low thunder mixed with the sound of rain in the middle of a summer
night.
It turned out to be a sleepless night. When she woke up, she found that Lucian was already up. The
thought of being embarrassed at seeing each other because of what happened last night worried her.
She washed her face and changed into a professional-looking uniform. When she went downstairs,
Lucian was reading a newspaper in his hand. He stood up as he saw her come down the stairs. He
quietly walked towards her and moved his lips close to her ears. His fluid movement brought a slight
shiver to her. "Did you sleep well last night?" he asked in a soft voice that warmed her.
His greeting made Amelia blush. She shyly lowered her head towards him and nodded.
"I have prepared breakfast. Let's have breakfast together," Lucian's enthusiastic voice declared to her.
She turned towards the table as she heard him. She was stunned to see that breakfast was indeed
prepared and seemed to be merely waiting for her.
She felt like it was all a dream. Like she was still asleep and was having a very pleasant dream where
she woke up, washed her face and came down the stairs to a breakfast prepared for her by her
husband, Lucian.
She then wondered if this man who had been so gentle to her was truly Lucian.
The breakfast was very simple. But coming from Lucian, who rarely cooked, it was a precious treat for
her.
He even considerately peeled eggs for her as she watched. He then asked her to eat more of the
porridge, that it was good for her.
Amelia took the egg from Lucian with a slight smile and stared affectionately at Lucian after hearing his
words of concern. She felt an indescribable feeling of warmth in her heart.
"Is there anything on my face?" Lucian asked, feeling a little uneasy from Amelia's smiling stare. He
reflexively touched his face to check if there was anything there that Amelia was smiling at.
Amelia lowered her eyes in embarrassment and shook her head immediately in reply to Lucian's
question. She felt excited after staring at Lucian and even more at his flustered look as he tried to
check his face for anything that should not be there.
Whenever she dined with such a handsome man, she not only enjoyed the taste of the food, but also
enjoyed the visual pleasure brought by her company. Visual and auditory pleasure since his voice was
always so pleasant to listen to.
Amelia was convinced that if they stayed together for a long time, she would also live a long and
healthy life.
She was amused at the thought that she laughed lightly to herself.
Lucian noticed the subtle changes on her face. But she didn't notice that Lucian was staring at her.
When he saw the happy expression on her face, he immediately took the opportunity to tease her, "I
know you're a fan of your husband."
The man on the other side of the table squinted at her. His tone was so calm that she felt like he had
figured out all of her little tricks.
His stoic stare made Amelia a little uncomfortable and excited at the same time. She didn't realize that
her face had steadily turned red.
She admitted to herself that Lucian was a charming man who looked good no matter what clothes he
wore. His expression and voice had always captivated her and his choice of words whenever he spoke
invoked images in her mind that made her wonder how she was able to stop herself from being
attracted by her husband.
"Yes, I am a huge fan of my husband. And I think that it will be a great honor to take him out sometime."
It was clear to her that he was thinking of other plans for her. His squinting eyes and impish grin were
proof of it. She then started to wonder what would happen if she simply told him everything that was on
her mind and made him happy.
Lucian rolled his eyes at Amelia with a boyish smile when he heard her response. He wanted to show
that he was not buying Amelia's response. "I already know that everybody agrees that I am
handsome," he replied back at Amelia confidently.
'Tsk, tsk, since when did he become so self-infatuated and shameless?'
Amelia cursed in her heart as she grinned from ear to ear. She felt powerless to refute and felt that it
would be better to just let it pass. It was true, though, that Lucian was so handsome.
The good vibe during their breakfast extended to the Zhan Group's offices. Lucian told Amelia that
there would be a meeting that would take up their entire day as they walked side by side from the lobby
and into one of the empty elevators that waited for them. He wanted her to help him with the
documents during the meeting. She smiled back at him but said nothing, indicating that she was happy
to accompany him during the meeting.
'It's an internal meeting. It would be pointless for an assistant to attend,' Amelia thought to herself.
As if he read her mind, Lucian explained to her calmly, "As the wife of the CEO of the Zhan Group, you
should learn more about the company and what makes it tick. This way, you can help me with business
in the future."
Lucian's words surprised Amelia even more than the idea that he might've read her mind. She glanced
towards Lucian and basked in the mature radiance that he emanated in his well-tailored suit as they
went out of the elevator.
When they reached his office, he immediately went through several documents on his desk as Amelia
watched briefly. His aura was charming and extremely irresistible as his slender fingers flipped through
the documents.
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