Two-thousand-word self-criticism! Nervousness wrecked Amelia as she sat upright immediately and
whispered in a shaky voice, "Two-thousand-words? That's too much!" She reasoned, "Besides, it is all
about the writer's sincerity which is being expressed in a self-criticism text. It shouldn't matter on the
word count."
After listening to Amelia's reasoning, Lucian got up and glanced at her. Then he spoke curtly, "No
Amelia, two-thousand-words is too little. If you're talking about writer's sincerity, then it can only be
showed through a five-thousand-word self-criticism text."
Soon after saying so, Lucian got off the bed. His face was devoid of any expression.
Amelia eyed Lucian's perfectly sculpted figure. Even with his pajama, he looked absolutely gorgeous.
Although the warmth of his love made her feel at home every time he came closer, his daunting words
hurt her heart deeply.
However she couldn't dare disregard his command. She had no nerve to displease him.
While overthinking the unwanted situation, a dreading thought crossed her mind. If she didn't accept
the 5000 words now, there was a high risk that it'd end up in a 10000 words and that would probably
wreck her completely.
She followed after him and got off of the bed. Which was when she reminded of Courtney. Her eyes
went wide in concernment. She asked Lucian worriedly, "Lucian, where is Courtney?" Amelia felt
absolutely irresponsible of her immature behavior. Instead of worrying about the most important thing,
she was here squabbling with Lucian.
Lucian fixed his annoyed stare on her. Amelia felt the warmth creeping up her cheeks. He must have
been thinking of her carelessness. Lucian retorted, "I'm glad that you aren't a mother yet. Else, you
might have lost her due to your naivety."
Amelia's brows rose and mouth gaped at the remark. Though she tried to mask her stupidity with an
awkward smile.
"She must have been up by now. She drank too much last night." Lucian cocked a brow squarely at
Amelia, seizing her top to bottom, then threw a warning gaze at her. "If someone is really fond of
drinking, I can ask Darren to bring the best wine that has been collected and reserved by our family."
Obviously these words were not for Courtney. These were addressed to her.
Even though she pretended to be aggrieved after being called a drinker by Lucian, her heart denied to
accept his accuse.
However, she didn't want to dispute his words openly. Because she had seen in the past how he
reacted while being angry. He practically became a scary version of himself which Amelia absolutely
didn't want to bring back.
"You don't have to go to the company today. Change your clothes, go downstairs and eat something,"
with a quick glance at her, Lucian drawled in a flat tone.
"Uh ... okay!" She nodded obediently and obliged.
After changing in to a fresh pair of clothes, Amelia went downstairs and saw both Lucian and Lily.
However, to her disappointment, Courtney was nowhere in the sight. She asked out of unsuppressed
curiosity, "Where is Courtney?"
"Mrs. Amelia, Miss Courtney has already had her lunch. She was still feeling tired so she said she
would sleep a little longer." Lily was the one to answer.
"Well, that's fine, I guess." Amelia understood Courtney's avoidance. She was in a bad mood, and it'd
have been for the best if she leave her alone for a while.
Her eyes wandered toward Lucian and found him concentrating on his food quietly. She was sitting
opposite to him. She picked the chopsticks intending to start eating.
"Lily, please serve Mrs. Amelia a bowl of chicken soup first." By saying so, Lucian got back to eating
and never once looked at Amelia.
Amelia knew how much Lucian cared about her. She blushed at the thought while drinking from her
chicken soup bowl.
"Mrs. Amelia, you really scared Mr. Lucian last night." Lily took the empty bowl from Amelia as she
beamed and informed her. Amelia felt her heartbeat rising. She was sure her cheeks must have taken
a shade of pink by now.
"Really?" Amelia lowered her eyes feeling ashamed suddenly.
"Of course. You know what happened? Last night..."
"Lily, if you're devoid of any task right now, please go and call Frank. Ask him to meet me at the SJ
Garden after lunch." Lily was immediately interrupted by Lucian before she could spill about last night's
events.
Lily grinned at Amelia, her eyes glinting mischievously. She then went to the living room to call Frank.
Amelia's heart was beating rapidly. What had happened last night which she had completely forgotten?
She kept stealing shy glances at Lucian throughout eating. However, to the contrary, did not observed
a single expression on his face. His face displayed only expression which she sometimes considered
only suited his personality. It was cold, yet full of prowess.
After the lunch was over, Frank came to meet Lucian. They discussed few official issues in a low voice
before Lucian decided to leave to take care few of his obligations. However, before leaving he
instructed Amelia in a stern voice, "I am going out to work. But after coming back I want your self-
criticism right on my hand. So, do not go downstairs without prior finishing your self-criticism."
Amelia recognized his cold tone. It was so familiar to Vernon, who used to scold her when she did her
homework wrong. Lucian's stern voice sent chills down her spine.
Amelia pouted like a child at him and watched Lucian leave until she was left alone and with a dreading
task to finish a five-hundred-word self-criticism.
"Mrs. Amelia, finally I have a chance to talk to you. Do you remember anything about last night? Last
night Mr. Lucian was so nice and caring to you!" As soon as Lucian left, Lily straight away came to her
and blurted everything about last night with excitement. It was evident that she certainly couldn't wait
any longer.
"Lily, before you tell me everything else, first answer this one question of mine. Were you the one who
changed my clothes last night?" Since she left the restaurant last night, she had forgotten everything. It
was just today, while she was changing her clothes, she noticed they were different than those from
last night.
"Of course, I'll tell you Mrs. Amelia!" Lily giggled as she told Amelia everything in detail about what had
happened last night. She realized, it was Lucian who carried her into the room.
"You mean to say... Lucian... changed my clothes?" Amelia sensed the warmth on her face. Her eyes
went wide at the unexpected information. The palpitating tremors in her heart returned with full intensity
when she envisioned what might have happened last night.
The vision of Lucian taking her clothes off of her and helping her get into new ones, flashed before her
eyes.
Her face flushed at the thought. She realized the truth that she no more had any privacy regarding her
body in front of Lucian.
When they first met, he obviously had taken photos of her. But this... The color of her face took a shade
of crimson.
Amelia couldn't imagine any further. She felt as if she was in a state of frenzy.
"Mrs. Amelia, why are you so silent? This shows how extremely important you are to Mr. Lucian. He
truly loves you so much." In Lily's eyes, Lucian was a handsome perfect man. He was successful and
she really considered him as a thoughtful husband who loved his wife dearly.
Lily saw nothing wrong in the last night's events. She thought it was normal for couples. But she had no
idea that Lucian and Amelia were barely falling in love with each other. They were still far from an all
lovey-dovey couple.
"Okay, I'm fine." Amelia could not do anything except compromising with her fate.
"Mrs. Amelia, would you like some ginger soup now? Oh, did the ginger soup help you last night? Mr.
Lucian had asked me to cook it for you. He has been looking after you the whole night," Lily chirped in.
It was true that last night Amelia was in a daze, but when she was held by a pair of strong arms, her
own body betrayed her. The adrenaline rush had made her feel warm and cold at the same time while
enclosing in those arms. She remembered being fed a drink by someone. It must have been the ginger
soup which was mentioned by Lily.
No wonder Lucian said he slept at 5 am.
For some reason, she felt guiltier. She had been in a bad mood because the self-criticism of 5000
words, but now she figured she really deserved to write it. Only because of her stupidity.
Even after promising to Lucian she would not drink and eat spicy food, she did not keep her promise in
both aspects.
After drinking the ginger soup, Amelia was climbing the stairs to go to her room and write the self-
criticism, but could not. She ran into Courtney who was going downstairs at the same time.
"Courtney, you woke up? Are you feeling hungry? I can cook something for you." Amelia reached for
Courtney and held her hands in an assuring way.
Courtney was still in her pajamas. She didn't even combed her disheveled hair. Not even she washed
her face or rinsed her mouth.
She raised her eyelids and watched her indifferently. She looked dispirited. When she finally spoke, it
was evident from her voice that how extremely upset she was. "Amelia, the more you care about me,
the more I remember that I'm crossed in love."
Her words made Amelia's heart ache.
"Go, wash your face and brush your teeth. I'll get you some clothes and then we can have a stroll in the
garden." Although Amelia already knew about the backyard in the beautiful SJ Garden, she never
visited there more than once. There was a huge swimming pool and few pavilions which were suitable
for having a rest and for calming down. She knew Courtney would feel good there.
After getting changed, Courtney and Amelia visited the backyard. After spending some beautiful
moments in the yard Courtney said, "Amelia, you must say something to Jasper when you see him
next time."
"Say what?" Amelia blurted at once. But then came to realize what she asked. She then said, "It's all in
the past. Whatever happened we cannot change it. I don't take it to heart. Besides, I'm not angry at him
anymore."
"Yes, thank him for not marrying you and now you're living such a rich and sweet life." Courtney
although pretended being alright, but her eyes gave away her sadness. It made Amelia's heart ache.
Amelia noticed how Courtney avoided bringing up Kent and how she was hurting silently in her heart.
Amelia didn't know how to comfort her. She reached for her and grabbed her hand softly. Then she said
in a comforting tone, "No matter what happens, always remember I'll always be there for you."
Courtney also reciprocated with exact same words. It was surprising, considering she recently had
been crossed in love. Courtney had always been her best friend who willingly accompanied her in
drinking without a second thought. Now that Courtney herself was feeling the downfall in her love life,
Amelia felt sad for her.
"Don't worry. Although I'm a girl, I can man up and deal with this situation. It's not a big deal. And it
definitely won't stop me from eating and drinking." Courtney emphasized on her last words, pretending
she was absolutely alright.
Amelia knew that Courtney said these words only to make her feel better. However, she kept quiet and
nodded in understanding.
Courtney dialed her driver's number asking him to pick her up from the SJ Garden.
Because of Kent's influence, Courtney had almost cut off the relationship with her father. Now if she
went back to her family, they would be so happy. After all, Courtney was the only child and letting her
go away was definitely hard for her family.
However, due to Courtney's self-esteem, she immediately felt embarrassed after the call. But when the
driver arrived to pick her up, she shifted her gaze down, without meeting Amelia's eyes as she climbed
in to the car. The driver ignited the engine and drove away without a second word. Amelia watched the
car until distance obscured. She only hoped Courtney would feel better eventually.
After sending Courtney away, Amelia went upstairs to her room to finish her self-criticism.
An hour went by in a blink but she couldn't proceed more than 1000 words. Moreover, all she could see
was useless sentences and mistakes on her notebook that she had written for the past one hour. She
bit on her tongue. How would she manage writing another four thousand words? Right now she had no
idea.
It wasn't easy on the first place to convince herself to write the self-criticism text, but it was even more
difficult to write so many words.
The entire evening slipped away in writing and eventually the dinner time was almost there. When she
heard the doorbell, the tremors in her palpitating heart returned with full force. Lucian! Amelia bolted up
immediately, with the pen still in her hand. A dreadful expression crossed her face.
'I could only show my good attitude, otherwise my unfinished self-criticism would definitely screw me
up!' she thought to herself.
She only hoped that Lucian would be generous toward her.
"Where is the self-criticism?" When Lucian entered the bedroom, his very first question was about the
self-criticism.
Amelia quietly extended the self-criticism to Lucian while apologizing with hesitation, "I'm sorry... I... I
couldn't write enough words..."
It was true that she found that writing it was more difficult than writing her graduation thesis. Now she
was really scared of Lucian's next action. If he got enraged now, she would be terribly punished.
In the past two months, from what she had seen and understood about him, she could tell what kind of
person he was. She better not expect anything generous from him. All she did was waiting for him to
say something.
Her handwriting was although neat but few of the words were covered in ink drops. However, it was
evident how carefully she had written them.
Lucian although looked cold and expressionless, he accepted the self-criticism. After a short moment
he threw his unrelenting stare at her and enunciated, "You haven't even achieved half of the required
words. What were you thinking while showing it to me?"
It was hard to tell whether he was angry or not from his tone, but his cold stare made her heart beat
fast. His husky voice alone was enough to frighten her.
Amelia nervously fidgeted with her fingers. And after a silent moment, she cast her eyes down and
asked almost in a whisper, "Do you want me to cook for a month as a punishment?"
Lucian's unwavering gaze cruised Amelia's figure from top to bottom as he drawled, "Isn't it normal for
a wife to cook for her husband? How is that a punishment?"
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