Amelia couldn't muster the will to say anything. Pain was swelling in her heart as she stared at her
coffee.
"I'll sign the divorce papers," she finally said. She knew how terrible the whole situation was and it only
made her decision more firm.
Shelly's lips contorted to a big smirk. She beamed as if she was just declared champion of a
competition. "You know I've never thought much of you. But today, I'm actually impressed you made
this decision."
Amelia tried to keep her face expressionless despite her growing discomfort. She wished Shelly would
stop talking. She was only rubbing salt on Amelia's gaping wounds.
It hadn't been long since Amelia and Lucian found love in each other, and yet it seemed as if their
relationship had already run its course. It surprised Amelia to realize that it was she who had to end it.
"But you know Lucian better than I do. Things like divorce papers won't instantly bend his will. It's better
to do something that would make him actually hate you," Shelly reminded Amelia. With that she
collected her bag and left Amelia to stew in her own feelings.
Amelia stayed in the coffee shop for hours. She couldn't muster the courage to walk out and find her
way home. She merely sat there, the warm light of the shop illuminating her face, and yet Amelia only
felt cold.
Nothing could ease her pain, not even the gentle music playing in the background. She was so lost in
her thoughts that only the coffee aroma in the shop kept her grounded. She wished with all of her heart
that Lucian would walk in, take the seat opposite hers, and give her a comforting smile.
It was already midnight when Amelia got back to SJ Garden. Lily had apparently been waiting for her
but fell asleep on the sofa. With a light tap on the shoulder, Amelia woke her up so she could sleep
more comfortably in her room. Sleepily, Lily asked, "Mrs. Amelia, is it true what they said in the news?
Is Zhan Group really going bankrupt?"
Since leaving the coffee shop, Amelia had been trying keep her head clear of anything related to Zhan
Group and Lucian, but Lily's question instantly brought them all back to mind. She replied flatly, "Not
everything on the news is true, Lily. There was no mention of it when I went to the office earlier."
"Ah, of course! It must be a slow day in the news room. Those journalists are trying to make an issue
out of nothing. Mr. Lucian is a great CEO. He could never let anything like that happen," Lily agreed.
After ensuring that Amelia had already eaten, Lily wished her a good night and retired to her room.
Amelia decided that there was nothing else for her to do but sleep as well. She went up to her room but
leaned heavily on the railing as she ascended. Her chest felt so tight, she could barely breathe.
Once in her room, Amelia pulled out the divorce papers she had printed earlier in Lucian's study. She
read every word, until finally, with hands trembling, she signed her name on the document.
She laid on her bed and recalled the time she and Lucian registered for marriage. She also had mixed
feelings signing her name on their marriage contract. At the time, she already knew that their married
life would not be smooth-sailing, but it never occurred to her that she would have to make this kind of
decision.
Amelia's eyes began to well up.
Seeing the word divorce in print only made it clear to her that she would have to live the rest of her life
without Lucian. Without holding back, Amelia finally let herself cry.
She didn't know how Lucian would react once he saw the signed papers, but she hoped that he would
take it better than she did.
Amelia cried and cried until she could do no more. And as sleep felt impossible, she settled on packing
up her things.
Everything in the room was bought by Lucian, so she only prepared a small bag. She packed the few
clothes she already had with her when she moved into the house.
They had only been married for four months, but it felt to her that they had loved each other for years.
Since falling in love, Amelia never thought that she would have to leave Lucian, especially under these
circumstances.
She was up about two hours earlier than usual and found that Lily was still in bed. Amelia wrote Lily a
short message before heading out.
The road was covered with a thick fog so Amelia took out her phone and let her torch lead the way.
She kept walking until about half an hour later, when she heard the city wake. Cars were beginning to
take on the road and stalls were starting to open.
She stood on the pavement with nowhere to go. Mo mansion was her only option but it was never
really a place where she felt welcome. She decided to look for a rented apartment.
Crashing with Courtney was also not an option, considering everything that Courtney was going
through. She thought it would be best to go somewhere no one knew her.
After two months of working in Zhan Group and a company-wide bonus, Amelia had roughly five
thousand dollars in her account. It was enough to rent a small room, she thought.
Amelia decided to settle in an unassuming neighborhood within the city outskirts. It was a quiet place
situated a good distance from SJ Garden. Should Lucian look for her, it wouldn't be easy.
Would Lucian really look for her, Amelia wondered, but the thought only made her uncomfortable.
She soon found a suitable room. The room was well lit and it had its own balcony decorated with small
potted plants. The rent was affordable and the landlady was a retired old woman who had a kind smile
on her face. She paid the deposit upfront without hesitation.
Amelia unpacked her things as soon as she had the room to herself. She decided to do a bit of grocery
shopping and was about to leave the house when her phone began ringing.
She feared that it was Lucian, and yet she desperately wanted to hear his voice.
But when she took out her phone, it was Jonny's name on the screen.
Amelia was dejected. "Yes? What can I do for you, Jonny?" she answered.
"Where are you, Amelia?" Jonny asked. Amelia thought Jonny's voice sounded anxious.
She wondered whether Jonny already knew that she had left SJ Garden.
"I... I'm just out shopping." It wasn't a lie. She was really about to head out to do grocery.
"I was just at SJ Garden looking for you, but your maid told me that you were out on vacation."
The note Amelia left Lily mentioned that she was going on a holiday. She counted on Lucian
understanding everything once he saw the signed divorce papers.
"Did she? I... I just wanted to buy some snacks." Amelia kept on stuttering. Lying had never been her
strong point.
"Where are you? I'm going with you." Jonny quickly said.
"No! I want to be alone," Amelia refused.
"Amelia, Shelly was just being Shelly. There's no reason to take her words seriously. Tell me where you
are." It occurred to Amelia that Jonny knew everything. He even knew that she had a private
conversation with Shelly. She wondered if it also meant that he knew about the divorce agreement.
Amelia was only thinking of Zhan Group. She wanted to do what she thought was best for the
company, even if it came with a personal cost. If she knew that it was only her who would suffer, she
would gladly take the fall.
"Jonny, I just hope An Group would keep its promise. Lucian and I... I guess we're just not meant to be
together. If you care about me, please help Lucian get through this," Amelia said indifferently despite
the heartache. After that, she hung up the phone.
The house Amelia rented was ancient. It came with a huge backyard that housed several potted plants.
The stones in the laundry area was covered in moss. The place looked old and a bit run-down, but
Amelia thought it looked serene.
She was enjoying the peace staying in the garden afforded her when a memory flitted into her head.
She had been cooped up in her rented room for a whole week, during which she mostly kept to her
journal and ate instant noodles whenever she got hungry. The kind landlady would bring her home-
cooked meals. One time, the lady remarked, "You're so thin. Instant noodles isn't good for your health."
The words caught Amelia by surprise. Lucian had said the same thing to her before.
Meanwhile, things were different inside the Zhan Group office.
"Slam!" A thick file folder dropped on the floor with a heavy thud. A low voice growled, "Have you found
Mrs. Amelia yet?"
Eric picked up the documents that fell on the ground and rushed to give instructions to the men who
stood attentively. "Keep searching. Find Mrs. Amelia!"
Lucian only leaned against his leather chair. Fatigue was written all over his face.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lucian. We'll find Mrs. Amelia," Eric reassured. It had been a week since Amelia left
and Lucian hadn't eaten or slept. He looked pale and gruff.
"Call Edmund. I want to talk to him," Lucian replied coldly, not even bothering to look at Eric.
Eric smiled and said, "Mr. Lucian, we can pull through this crisis with An Group's help."
Lucian looked at Eric with utter disappointment. "You think I should accept An Group's offer? That's not
help. That was An Group threatening us!"
Lucian was seething. This crisis wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Edmund.
Zhan Group encompassed many branches and organizations. If Edmund hadn't instigated panic by
convincing shareholders and investors to withdraw funding, Zhan Group wouldn't have fallen into this
situation.
It took Lucian a week-long business trip to negotiate with shareholders. Although he was able to
convince some of them to continue doing business with the company, he found it difficult to turn around
the other investors who decided to withdraw.
On top of it all, he returned to find that Amelia had left SJ Garden. Only the divorce papers were waiting
for him in the study.
"Mr. Lucian, I've always respected you. You were not just a boss to me; I've always thought of you as a
friend. These are difficult times, but I will stay by your side," Eric said, trying to pacify Lucian. He had no
idea about the conditions An Group set before it would help Zhan Group. He only thought that An
Group was willing to extend efforts out of kindness and concern given their long business relationship.
He couldn't understand why Lucian was angry.
"Thank you, Eric. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Lucian replied, looking much calmer.
"Leave the search for Mrs. Amelia to us. Please go home and rest. You may be the CEO of this
company, but you're still just a man, Mr. Lucian," Eric reminded as he stepped out of the office.
The room fell silent when Eric had gone. Lucian merely stared at his desk, reeling from the sharp pain
in his heart. He fumbled in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and leaned back to his chair, his
thoughts with Amelia.
Amelia had been out shopping. Once back, she was heading up to her room when her landlady called
her attention and invited her to dinner. Embarrassed, Amelia was about to refuse when the old woman
asked, "Is this you in the newspaper?"
Amelia froze where she stood. Recovering, she went to where the landlady was sitting and asked to
borrow the paper. One of the headlines read: Wife of Zhan Group CEO, Missing.
The news even asked for anyone who had seen her to come forward in return for a huge reward.
Amelia never thought that her leaving would cause this huge of an uproar. She certainly didn't expect
that Lucian would search for her given the issues the company was facing.
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