"A former friend of mine gave me a ride when we met on the road," Amelia explained as her cheeks
turned red.
"It’s a huge advantage when a woman has a gorgeous face. If he’s still single, you could consider it!"
Carlotta teased her on purpose.
Amelia opened the door of the shop widely and invited her in.
Seeing Amelia’s actions, Carlotta could not stop herself from laughing. "You’re so naughty."
Prior to one o’clock in the afternoon, Amelia arrived in the shop. The moment she was about to clean
up the bar counter, Carlotta suddenly asked her, "Amelia, was that handsome young man your ex-
husband?"
After hearing those words, Amelia’s hand trembled when she held the glass. If she had not held it
tightly, the glass probably turned into scattered broken pieces on the ground.
In front of Carlotta, Lucian referred himself as "ex-husband". If Amelia denied she would be lying to
Carlotta, so she just moved her head and nodded.
After that, Carlotta stopped her hands from caring for the potted plants. Then she visited the bar
counter and curiously asked, "How did you do that? Why are willing to divorce such a handsome
husband?"
Shocked by Carlotta’s words, Amelia remained frozen. She could not even utter a single word.
How did her heart manage to let go an excellent husband?
"I am sure he is living the time of his life. He deserves to be happy," she answered uneasily, it felt like a
stab in her heart.
"But I saw it in your eyes, you really love him." Carlotta laid her eyes on Amelia, as if she could read
her mind.
Trying to avoid the conversation, Amelia touched her face and forced a smile. "That’s what you see? I
don’t think so. Maybe you need glasses."
Emptiness radiated in her eyes. She mocked herself for putting the act she made.
"I experienced something before, so don’t be too vague with me. You can share anything and I’ll listen
without judgment. Tell me what happened." Carlotta was determined to dig out secrets of the past.
Finding a way to end the conversation, Amelia looked up at the clock and noticed there was still a lot of
time left on her duty. There was no escape. She let out a deep breath and said, "Unlike other
relationships, we don’t have an emotional foundation. Besides, he has his own life now. I am happy for
him."
"Although I’m already 40 years old, I am updated about the news on the internet. I have read the news
about your divorce with Lucian, some people cursed you because of it. I did not know you personally
before, due to that I believed that you were like what they said. But after meeting you, I found out that
they were wrong about you. I think there must be some reason for your decision right?" Carlotta said.
Carlotta had known from Lucian, she asked Amelia again because she wanted to know Amelia’s real
feelings towards Lucian.
In order to ensure Amelia’s safety, Lucian spent a huge amount of money to own the shop. In addition,
he asked Carlotta to find a suitable reason to shorten Amelia’s working time. For a night shift, he also
hired a waiter.
"Carlotta, things were done. I don’t want to talk about the past anymore because it won’t change
anything." Amelia looked embarrassed and forced herself to smile.
"Alright, I were done talking about it, I won’t even dare to mention it. But promise me, you’ll be happy in
the future because a woman who shines from within is the most beautiful!" Carlotta tried to uplift her
mood.
Glancing towards Carlotta’s optimistic face, a curve suddenly formed on Amelia’s face and she said, "I
hope I can have your positive thinking."
"You are the sweetest!" Carlotta smiled. Suddenly, she remembered something important. She
immediately said, "By the way, Amelia, I need to discuss something with you."
"Carlotta, just say it. There won’t be any problem as long as I can do it."
"Okay, here's the thing. I have so many shops at hand, I’m getting tired every time I personally manage
them. I want to sell this shop, but I worked hard for it for so many years it has a unique value for me. I
really hope the person who’s going to take over it knows its value well. Can you help me take care of
it?" Carlotta was anxious about how she delivered things. If she said it too directly, it would have
provoked suspicion of Amelia. Moreover, Lucian specially told her to keep it as a secret, so she tried
her best to eliminate doubts in Amelia’s heart.
After hearing those words, Amelia was stunned. She moved her eyes around the shop and felt terrible.
Although she had only worked in this shop for a short time, she still felt the unique ambiance of if like
Carlotta said. If the new owner did not understand it, the style of the shop would probably change.
"Carlotta, are you in a hurry to sell it?" Amelia wanted to buy the shop, however, she did not have
enough money. Due to frustration, she frowned and felt bad.
Seeing Amelia’s reaction, Carlotta knew what she was thinking. She tried to comfort her, she smiled
and said, "Don’t worry. If you are interested, you can manage it for a period of time. If the revenue is
huge, I can give it to you."
Amelia could not contain her excitement. But on second thought, it did not change the fact that her
funds were not enough to buy the shop.
"This shop is worth at least 150000 dollars. The location is great for business since it's close to a
school. However, the monthly rent is more than 10000 dollars," Amelia critically analyzed.
"According to your work performance these days, I believe you are equipped with the necessary skills
to supervise this shop." Carlotta recognized her hard work.
The shop was designed in a literary style. In addition, students were attracted because of its campus-
like atmosphere. Thus, on weekend the shop was filled with customers, most of them were students.
If she took over this restaurant, Amelia believed she had enough confidence and interest to operate it
well. At the present moment, what bothered her most was how to gather enough money to buy the
shop.
"Carlotta, please give me some time. I think I’ll need two more days. If I still can't afford to buy this
shop, I’m going to directly release the sales information for you." With determination, Amelia planned to
search for possible solutions.
"Amelia, if you are concerned about the money, you don't have to worry at all. You can borrow it. When
you make a profit, you can cover up the amount you owe to me," Carlotta thoughtfully said.
At first, she thought that Amelia had no intention to own the shop. Thus, Carlotta prepared two plans.
But Carlotta was surprised that Amelia was interested in the shop, because that the second plan did
not work.
"Thank you, Carlotta. I really appreciate your offer. If it is the last way, I will do as you say," Amelia said
enthusiastically.
"It's Friday today. I am worried you can't finish the work alone, so I specially hired a part-time student to
give you a hand," Carlotta said.
"Noted! Thank you," Amelia replied. Amelia had never encountered a large number of customers on
weekends. Honestly, she was worried she would be too busy to accommodate all the customers, so
she felt relieved when she heard the news from Carlotta.
Every weekday, seats in the shop were fully occupied. However, it was Friday, there would be few extra
tables outside.
The newly hired sales girl was industrious. Even though she was young, she was a keen observer and
was very polite towards customers. This was the first time they met, but she productively cooperated
with Amelia.
"Amelia, I'm exhausted, I feel sore all over my body. How about you? Are you okay?" The girl said
breathlessly with her face on the bar counter after she sent the last guest away. She was named
Nancy.
It never crossed Amelia’s mind that this Friday would be a blockbuster. Although she was a little tired,
she thought of the income and her weariness turned into joy.
"You can take a rest first. I will clean up the shop." Amelia flashed a smile.
Instantly, Nancy walked up to Amelia while pointing her fingers at the clock on the wall and said,
"Amelia, the boss said that you could get off work at nine o’clock. It’s already nine thirty, you can go
now. I’ll clean the house."
"The boss told you? I am not informed about that." Confusion took over Amelia’s mind. She was not
pleased by how the events turned at all.
"Yes, my boss said that you are occupied with a lot of work daily. Besides, I am only responsible for
bringing drinks and tableware to guests. I am also in charge of cleaning them. So Amelia, please don't
compete with me for my job." Nancy did not dare to speak one more word when she suddenly
remembered what Carlotta had told her.
"Well, if that’s the case, let’s do it together, so we can get off work together." Amelia confusedly picked
up the duster cloth and continued working.
Without any other choice, Nancy continued working at her pace, hoping to finish all the work left as
soon as possible.
It was ten o’clock in the evening when they finished their work. At that moment, Amelia found out that
Nancy also lived near the house she rented. She felt happy because they could go home together in
the near future.
"Amelia, I hope you won’t make fun of me. After two years, I will graduate from the university. My
boyfriend is paying my current apartment. He is very kind and loving to me. We already talked about
getting married after the graduation," she said. The two went back hand in hand. On their way, Nancy
happily shared her love story with Amelia.
Nancy was tall for a 20-year-old lady with fair complexion, she also had a little baby fat on her face.
When she smiled, she looked warm but her voice was characterized by excessive breathiness.
Glancing at her, Amelia was reminded of her twenties. At that time, she met Jasper, the man who gave
his word that he would serve and protect her with love for a lifetime. Just like Nancy’s boyfriend, Jasper
also rented her an apartment when she was in the university and promised to marry her after
graduation...
However, five years later, he cheated on Amelia and married her stepmother's daughter. Due to the
pain she experienced in the past, she was worried Nancy would have the same fate with her when
Nancy shared happiness with her.
"Nancy, cherish your own happiness. I wish you all the best," she said. Despite her worries, she still
encouraged Nancy. After all, every love had a different twist and turns. There was never an identical
love story, the level of happiness and sorrow varied. From the look of Nancy, she felt a strong sense of
contentment.
After saying farewell to Nancy, Amelia went back to the house. The instance she saw the lights on the
yard were on, she was delighted.
When Mrs. Chen knew that Amelia got off work late at night, she specially left a lamp in the courtyard
for her. The moment she opened the door and saw the light, her heart was warmed.
After hearing the door opened, Mrs. Chen walked out and kindly said, "Amelia, you're home. I prepared
some porridge for you. Please come and have some."
"Mrs. Chen, it's late. Why are you still awake? You should be resting now." Amelia followed Mrs. Chen
and saw her holding a bowl of steaming porridge from the kitchen.
Carefully, Amelia took the bowl over with both hands. Moved by the situation, she was unable to speak.
"I hope you’ll enjoy the food. You should pay more attention to your nutrition during your pregnancy.
Always think about the baby in your belly," Mrs. Chen said seriously.
At that moment, Amelia couldn't help touching her belly. She nodded and finished her porridge.
"You’re going to be a good mom." Seeing that Amelia ate up all the porridge, Mrs. Chen smiled with
ease.
"I am beyond grateful to you, Mrs. Chen," Amelia said. Amelia always felt she was blessed to meet so
many nice people.
"My silly girl, stop being formal with me. After you move in my house, I find the life so interesting," Mrs.
Chen replied then a curve formed on her lips.
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