Amelia's heart brimmed with joy when she heard the news about Courtney falling in love. It was a very
delightful thing that it felt as though her heart shone in a shroud of mist.
She believed that relationships give someone an opportunity to start anew. A good woman like
Courtney deserved a new beginning. Amelia hoped that Courtney's fortunate meeting with the man
would no longer endanger her from the painful throes of heartbreak. She wished that this man would
make Courtney feel safe and secured.
Now it reminded her of her own situation. Amelia frowned. With the anguish in her heart, she couldn't
muster the will to give Lucian a call for the second time and ask him questions. The conflict between
them would have made their relationship stronger if they gave it a chance.
After a series of failures in her attempt to land on a job, Amelia thought of throwing in the towel with the
job interviews left. She entertained the idea of possibly working in a flower shop or a bakeshop. It was
honestly not so bad if one thought about it. After all, she wouldn't have to work so much.
No matter how much Lucian interfered with these business enterprises, he wouldn't be able to pay
much attention to them all. As a result, Amelia soon found a job.
She got herself a position in a small milk tea shop. The interior was visually pleasing with all the potted
succulents and wooden floor and furniture.
As the shop clerk, she had responsibilities to deal with such as keeping the shop tidy and preparing
desserts and milk tea for the customers.
Her boss was a 40-year-old woman. If she didn't mention her age, Amelia would have thought that she
was in her early 30s. The way her boss dressed brought out the youth in her features.
Her taste in clothing was cozy yet fashionably modern, like those in boutiques. She sported a neatly
kept braid, and wore a lovely pleated floral skirt. Her smile brought out the glow of her beauty.
Her name was Carlotta Xiong. Amelia thought her beautiful name suited to a woman as elegant as her.
Throughout the day, Amelia spent most of the time learning how to concoct different blends served in
the shop. She made sure to take note every detail of the process so it would retain to memory. She
was astoundingly a quick learner, and this didn't come as a surprise as she used to help Courtney with
this thing before. With the constant guidance she received in her training, she got the hang of making
drinks in no time. Every drink she managed to make was praised by Carlotta until the last drop.
"Amelia, you seem to have a talent for this! I thought I would need to teach you for a week. Looking at
your current progress, I could entrust the whole shop to you tomorrow." Carlotta beamed an excited
grin. She then sighed in relief and said, "I am the sole owner of several other establishments.
Managing them all by myself is difficult."
Amelia gave the interior of the shop another look, appreciating the aesthetic that emanated from it. Her
eyes landed on the decorative black board with the shop's name written in intricate calligraphy. "One
Meter Sunshine," she whispered softly as she read. There were various kinds of succulent plants
placed in front of the shop. Each pot was plastered with a label saying "Not For Sale". Ornamental
dried plants hanged fittingly on the wall. The polished wooden floor and tables were decorated with
lovely cherry flowers. Everything looked simple yet sophisticated.
To work in a cozy environment as this put her in a good mood all day. Not only did she acquire a new
skill, but she also found love and joy in what she was doing. The job didn't feel like "work" at all.
"Don't worry, Carlotta. I'll try to get better at this as soon as possible," Amelia promised with a
reassuring smile.
"I'm not worried about that. You're a smart woman," Carlotta said with a smile in return. "Usually, it
takes about ten days to fifteen days for anybody to learn all my exclusive blends," she added.
Amelia tilted her head in concern. She gave Carlotta a worried look and asked, "Okay, if it wasn't that,
then what were you worried about?" Then she queried further, "Are you worried that I might not make it
to the shop on time by myself? Or I might be too busy perhaps?"
Amelia had a good grasp of the customers in the shop. From 3 PM to 10 PM, the shop would be most
crowded. Because of this, she chose to work on a 2 PM to 10 PM shift. This way, she could still get
enough rest while avoiding the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan streets.
Although pregnant women usually experience sleeping problems and are required to do more exercise,
Amelia thought that her shift worked fine as long as she could get more time to prepare herself for the
day in the morning. As for the exercise part, her duties in the shop would suffice. Getting this job was
like hitting two birds with one stone.
"I can drop by and help if the shop gets busy. I did teach you a lot of things and how they work around
here. I'm just—," Carlotta paused to gather herself. "I'm just worried that you might turn out like the rest
who resigned so soon. I don't think I can bear to go through another hiring process again," she
muttered with her clenched hand pressed to her chest. A look of discomfort was noticeable on her
features.
Amelia couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry, Carlotta. I have no intention of leaving anytime soon,"
she reassured.
Most of the time, Amelia's work would go smooth. Outside the shop's peak hours, she would spend her
time indulging herself with relaxing activities like reading lifestyle magazines, watering the plants and
wiping the counter. At times, she would make some drinks and listen to love songs on the radio. All of
these were good for the baby in her tummy.
Now that she was carrying a life in her womb, Amelia only had the baby's well-being as her top priority.
No matter what the pregnancy guides told her to do, she followed the tips she thought that was best for
her child.
"That's good to hear. Don't let me down!" Carlotta smiled at Amelia's promising enthusiasm. She then
pointed at the plants outside the door and said, "I raised these plants all by myself. I placed them by
the door in order to attract attention of our customers. I also hope they bring them good mood.
Unfortunately, there are always some students who secretly take one away 'unintentionally' as they
say. I need you to keep a good watch on the plants."
"Noted," Amelia replied with a nod. She kept Carlotta's instructions firmly in mind as if her life
depended on it. She then browsed the shop's logbook and started sorting out some tasks for tomorrow.
She gave it an hour to study and organize them. After concluding everything with a triumphant breath,
she felt ready for her first day at work.
"Amelia, don't think for a second that I'm already forty. I am still young and kicking. We have a lot to talk
about in the future," Carlotta told her with an elegant smile. She waved her goodbye and left the shop.
Amelia smiled while watching her youthful 40-year-old boss bike her way along the road. As soon as
she snapped back to reality, she realized that she was getting sentimental over this.
When Iris passed away, her life took a huge turn and everyday was just her drifting lifelessly into the
huge waves of grief and sadness. Mourning over her was not easy. It felt as if dark rain clouds
shrouded over her life. Sometimes, she couldn't find the will to live. Other times, she couldn't find the
point of waking up each day.
If it wasn't for Jonny's comfort and help, she wouldn't be able to cope with the loss. She would've
developed depression and started taking medication.
Now with the baby coming along, gloomy clouds made way for the clear bright blue sky. Things started
to change for the better. It opened a new chapter in her life.
The milk tea shop was two stops away from her rented house. It only took a ten-minute walk to arrive at
the shop. It was only eight o'clock in the evening, but Carlotta was kind enough to end her shift early.
"Well, it's your first day on the job. I only need you to be familiar with how things work around here,"
Carlotta chimed with a smile. Then she added, "But starting tomorrow and the succeeding days, the
real work will begin."
Under the street lamp posts, Amelia walked alone on the pavement. From a far distance, she looked
small and defenseless. And from that very distance, a shady male figure followed her trail. He tried to
approach her closely. In fear of being discovered, he hid behind a thick street post, and then at a street
corner. He dashed silently for a second or two, his distance to Amelia crept in closer and closer.
Amelia was unaware of the lurking presence behind her, so she kept walking until she arrived at the
courtyard of her house. She stopped in her steps midway and gave the house a good look. It was
completely dark. Amelia wondered where her landlady was. Suddenly, her phone rang. She checked
her phone screen and saw Mrs. Chen's name as the caller ID.
The landlady should be home around this time of the day already, but it was so dark from the courtyard.
It was utterly unusual.
Amelia would have been more worried if the landlady didn't call.
"Hello, Mrs. Chen. Where are you?" Amelia asked with apparent anxiety in her voice.
Mrs. Chen chuckled and responded in a reassuring tone, "Don't worry, Amelia. I'm watching a TV show
at an old friend's house. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we'll be hanging out for the
night. I won't be back until tomorrow. Just stay at home, and watch the door."
As it turned out to be that case, Amelia gave a huge sigh of relief.
Although she knew that Lucian wouldn't do anything to harm the landlady, she was still worried.
Brushing the thoughts away, she went to the door step and started rummaging through her bag for her
house keys. She used her phone screen's brightness as her torch. Suddenly, her phone got snatched
from her grasp in a split second. She yelped in surprise and took a step backward. She was caught off
guard that she broke into cold sweat.
Before she could cry for help, the door clicked open, and Amelia realized her house keys were no
longer in her hand. Panic began to rise in her. The abrupt turn of events left her still and silent by the
doorstep.
After a flicking sound of the switch, the light blinked and illuminated the entryway.
The light snapped her out of her panicked state and a surge of relief calmed her nerves. But standing
right in front of her was a handsome man she never wanted to see again. Her face turned cold and
guarded, a big scowl gave away her hostility towards him.
A familiar scent lingered from the man's figure. It was a scent that Amelia was very well-acquainted of,
but it was also the scent that she wanted to remove completely from her memory. She hated to admit it
but she missed it. The scent left her in a trance that she didn't notice that the man made his abrupt
welcome into her house. She failed to react quickly to it.
Amelia knew that it was too late to ask him to leave. She stood by the door and looked at him with cold
angry eyes. All the passion she had for the man in the past was gone — or so she thought.
In truth, her love for him never faded, but she needed to restrain her dear yearning heart. She buried
these feelings with the hopes of completely moving on with her life.
She also had to promise to herself since the man left her and married Shelly.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm a bomb? That breaks my heart," the man spoke with a low
disheartened voice.
Amelia's lips quivered as she wanted to say something, but she failed to utter a single word in the end.
"Have you had dinner yet?" Lucian broke the silence somewhat uncomfortably, but concern was
evident in his tone.
His words of concern stirred Amelia's heart. She couldn't help but look at Lucian's face again. She
missed him so much, and it crippled her with an empty void in her very being. A huge tide of yearning
gushed into her heart. Her tears pooled delicately on her glossy eyes. They beaded at the corners of
her lashes, threatening to fall off her blushing cheeks.
Lucian was perceptive enough to read Amelia's heartbroken expression. He knew Amelia for a good
amount of time. He witnessed Amelia at her happiest and at her weakest. It was then Lucian suddenly
felt sorry that she got caught into his mess.
Before Amelia could say anything, Lucian strode toward her and pulled her into his arms. Then he
planted a deep kiss on her soft delicate lips.
The kiss made him feel steady and anchored. It felt like home. He truly, agonizingly missed her.
Lucian slammed the door shut and pressed Amelia against it. While kissing her, he tenderly reached
out to her slim waist to keep her in place. The entire situation was disconcerting. But if both hearts were
beating, reaffirming their quiet longing for each other, then it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered.
Lucian's loving kisses lingered and they swept Amelia off her feet. She draped her arms around
Lucian's broad shoulders and moaned deeply into the kiss. Then at last, they broke off, and Amelia
gasped for breath. Her lips glistened with a tender blush. Lucian loosened his grip on her and made a
quick look at Amelia's enticingly disheveled state. He smirked suspiciously at her.
Before Amelia could lose to her senses, she pushed Lucian away. "Lucian, we divorced," she said in a
firm tone as she glared daggers at him.
She thought that reminding the man would knock him back to his senses.
But she wasn't aware that those words rattled Lucian's broken heart. Those words re-ignited his urge to
have her under his control. Despite everything, he wasn't letting her go. He wasn't taking "no" for an
answer. He wanted Amelia to remember that she only belonged to him. If locking her up would put her
in place, then he would do it.
"So what? You are my woman!" he retorted strongly, sounding like a
scoundrel.
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