Amelia sat dumbfounded at Lucian's words. She had no words to retort against him.
"It's no secret that you are in love with me, so why do you insist on being indifferent?" The car came to
a halt at the side of the road. Amelia's shock doubled as she felt it stop. From his seat, Lucian turned
sideways, reaching out to touch Amelia's reddened cheek with his fingers.
There was a tingling sensation where his gentle touch landed on her skin. Amelia held her breath, her
body stiffening as she willed her wild heartbeat to calm itself.
The next moment, cold lips covered her own. Amelia instinctively resisted from shock, but the car
provided little space for her refusal. There was no room for her to escape. Lucian was holding her
forcefully, and her senses drowned in the heat of his lips in the cramped space. Every caress tore at
her defiance, and before she knew it, she had surrendered— swept away in the tidal currents of his
touch.
The spell broke at the sound of a knock on the car window. Reluctantly, Lucian loosened his hold
around Amelia. Her eyes were blown wide as she breathed in deep gulps of air. The persistent rapping
had not stopped, and she whirled around to the source of the sound. Sophia was there, rapping at the
window violently with her palm as she wore an angry expression on her face.
"Stay here. I'll go out to have a look," Lucian said, planting a soft kiss on Amelia's forehead.
He got out of the car before Amelia could say anything, closing the door behind him and walking
towards Sophia.
Amelia watched him as he made his way towards her. She didn't know what Sophia was going to say
and she was afraid that Lucian would be agitated with her words. Moving quickly, she went after him
and pulled on his arm. "Didn't you say that you would give me a ride? I'm going to be late. Let's go
now," she said, trying to persuade him.
From where she stood, Sophia sent daggers with her eyes to Amelia. "Haven't the two of you divorced?
Why are you still clinging to him?" she snapped.
Lucian felt the slight tremble in Amelia's fingers as she clutched his sleeve and looked at her. Her eyes
pleaded with him.
The pained expression on her face only fueled Lucian's resolve to have a word with Sophia.
Anger surged in his veins every time he thought of Amelia's visit to the Mo family.
"Mrs. Sophia, I wasn't aware you had such a repugnant mouth," he said. Lucian put his arm around
Amelia and held her protectively, his eyes sharp as he stared at Sophia. The cheongsam Sophia wore
was bright, colorful, and pleasing to the eyes— a stark contrast to her hateful character.
A hand came up to cover her mouth before Sophia could decide against it. The cold words from Lucian
had visibly caught her off-guard. She recovered quickly enough, her features changing to an
expression of displeasure.
Sophia had always had a bitter face, sharpened even more with her thinness. As she stood in front of
Lucian and Amelia in anger, her features were all pointed, her angular lines making her hostility all the
more apparent.
"Mr. Lucian, I believe it was obvious that my words were directed to Amelia and not you. Please do not
trouble yourself with answering for her," she said. Despite her indignation, Sophia recognized that
Lucian was a valuable connection. Jasper needed him to expand his business, and she was treading
on thin ice. She spoke with all the politeness she could muster, hoping to preserve the possibility of
Lucian's future support.
However, she had been too ignorant. She was painfully unaware of the fact that offending Amelia was
the same as earning Lucian's ire.
With cold eyes, Lucian stared at Sophia in front of him and replied in a voice full of contempt, "Amelia
and I are a couple. No matter what relationship we have, it would never change the fact that she will
always be the woman I care the most about."
Sophia's face had lost all color. Her hands shook as she stood in front of him.
Lucian's words came to Amelia in soft, gentle waves, but it wrapped around her with undercurrents of
anguish. Lucian was now married to Shelly, and Amelia had no right to the warmth in his words.
"You have said very touching words. However, I find it very peculiar that the two of you have divorced,
and yet here you are with these declarations. Don't you think it is a bit inappropriate, given your current
situation?" Sophia sneered, her eyes never leaving Amelia. She looked at her with disdain, as if she
were looking at a criminal.
"Mrs. Sophia, God is watching us, and only he has the right to judgment. If you are not careful, you
might end up eating your own words," Lucian said. Then, he held Amelia's hand in his own and turned
to leave.
Determined to have the last word, Sophia ran to Amelia quickly and grabbed her arm. "You are no
longer part of the Zhan family. Come home with me now!"
The suddenness of Sophia's actions shocked Amelia, and for a moment she was unable to move. In
the next second, Sophia was pulling her fiercely, bringing Amelia down with the force of persistent
tugging.
"Amelia!" Lucian saw her stumble and fall down to the ground. His fury rose as he went quickly to her
side, helping her stand up. Then, he grabbed at Sophia's hand and forced her to let go of Amelia's
wrist. The woman shrank under his murderous expression.
Sensing his temper, Amelia grabbed his arm and said, "Lucian, she's just like that. Don't mind her. She
always says what she wants. Just let her be."
Sophia felt herself dwarfed by the imposing manner with which Lucian stood in front of her. He had not
spoken a word, but she understood his threat.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't lay a hand on a woman," Lucian said coldly.
With the guarantee that she would be unharmed, the tension dissipated from Sophia's face. She forced
a smile on her stiff face and began to approach him. "Lucian, I always knew you were a proper
gentleman. You were the son-in-law of the Mo family before. I hope we can count on you for help in the
future."
Sophia's words fell harshly to Amelia's ears. She wanted to cover her ears and wince at their utter
shamelessness, but she did not want to agitate Lucian any further. Amelia kept silent, her face as hard
as stone.
"I may be the son-in-law of the Mo family, but I have no business with a vicious stepmother!" Keeping
his eyes on Sophia, he warned, "If you dare to cause any more trouble and if I find you harassing
Amelia, I'll make sure you won't be able to take even a single step in the city!"
Sophia was rooted to the spot, pale at his threat. Fear coursed through her body as Lucian's words
rang in her ears. Conceding here now would be a blow to her pride, but she was too weak against him.
Lucian was a powerful man. Swallowing the bitter words that wanted to come out of her mouth, she
kept silent, the seeds of revenge taking root as she watched the two walk away.
"You never listen, do you?" Lucian sighed as they got in the car.
Amelia did not answer, just watching his face. Her chest bloomed with an unspeakable gratitude that
came with a great sadness.
She gave him a small, resigned smile. "I'm used to it. It's been years." Living with Sophia and her
daughter was like living with two wolves. It was as if they wanted to tear at her flesh every chance they
had.
"You should tell me first before you go to the Mo mansion." Lucian kept looking straight ahead as he
spoke. He did not see Amelia's face as his words hit her and had her almost dumbfounded.
Doubt echoed in her thoughts. 'But we have already divorced,' she said to herself.
They no longer had anything binding them. Amelia knew that she had to keep her distance from him,
but he always appeared in front of her. She gazed and traced his features with her eyes— the once-
familiar lines of his face bringing her a quiet joy laced with longing.
"Thank you for helping me out just now. I will be more careful in the future," she said, not answering his
earlier statement.
Lucian had no intention of letting the topic go. "Tell me next time in advance if you want to visit them,"
he repeated.
Amelia's throat felt tight at his words. She looked at Lucian in disbelief.
She had grown accustomed to his protection, but now that habit wracked her with guilt.
He was no longer her husband. It wouldn't be right, especially when there was someone else waiting
for him.
Amelia was a woman too, and she would never want to be the cause of another's tears. Shelly and
Lucian were married now, and it was Lucian's duty to take care of her. "Mr. Lucian, Miss Shelly loves
you very much. Please cherish her," she said, even when her own words brought thorns to her chest.
Lucian's lips were a hard line and his eyes were brimming with unconcealed disappointment. He
breathed out a long sigh as his chest rose and fell.
"It's good to hear you call my name again," he said softly.
Amelia's chest tightened as warmth gathered in her eyes. She blinked them away and stayed silent.
For a while, the two of them stayed in that quiet, wistful moment of unspoken words that were even
more painful with the silence.
His name. She could only whisper it in the middle of the night, in the intimacy of memory or her
dreams. Only in those few hours could she love him without guilt.
All too quickly, they had arrived at the place where Amelia worked. She was surprised that he knew
where she worked, but once again, she decided not to ask.
He was Lucian. If he wanted to know something, he would.
He had told her this before.
Amelia stepped out of the car, away from the longing that enveloped it. "Thank you," she said politely,
determined to once again face reality and establish their distance. He held her gaze, his eyes
unreadable.
She had thought that he would drive away once she got down, but to her surprise, he followed her out
of the car with a grin on his face. She stood in confusion as he walked to the door of the store. "Since
you're so thankful for me driving you here, pay me back with a seat in your shop," he said.
Amelia's brows furrowed. Pointing at the door of the store, she lied, "I don't have the key."
Lucian raised his eyebrows and looked around. His eyes stopped at a restaurant behind Amelia and
said in a relaxed tone, "It's almost lunch time now. We haven't eaten yet. How about we go out for
lunch together?"
Looking at him, Amelia knew she would have no choice but to accept his invitation. Either that, or he
would keep pestering her the entire day.
He was the lesser evil. "All right," she gave in and opened the door.
Lucian watched her enter the store, a victorious smile on his lips.
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