Since She Met Lucian

There was a lump in Amelia's throat and she felt tears welling in her eyes.
But the thought of what would happen to Zhan Group kept Amelia from breaking down. She sniffed and held herself from crying.
Despite wanting nothing more than to hug Lucian, Amelia said indifferently, "I can't live without money."
She looked away, avoiding Lucian's eyes.
"Our lives would still be rich and happy, even without Zhan Group," Lucian said as he reached to take Amelia's hands in his.
Amelia didn't expect Lucian to say those words. She wondered if he really believed what she just said.
She felt an indescribable sadness swell in her heart. Amelia had never been interested in Lucian's money. But if Lucian believed
her, she thought that she could be more ruthless.
Amelia pulled her hands away from Lucian and exclaimed, "Oh, who cares? Our relationship is a farce. At the time, I was just too
timid to say no to you. I was afraid that you'd expose my photos and manipulate me, so I thought I would just play along. Now
that Zhan Group is in crisis, this is the best time for me to be rid of you."
Amelia's voice was loud and her voice was as cold as steel.
Lucian's face lost all expression. His air was dark and serious, only his eyes betrayed tenderness and affection.
Seeing this, Amelia felt a tinge of pain in her heart. She clenched her fists tightly and reminded herself that she must appear
strong.
"Is that what you really think?" Lucian didn't believe her. As if he was reading her mind, he continued, "Or are you just saying that
to make me accept An Group's offer? You're just saying these things to make me hate you!"
Amelia turned to look at him but said nothing.
Lucian held her in his arms and whispered into her ear, "Darling, stay with me. I need you now more than ever."
Hearing Lucian call her darling almost broke Amelia's heart into pieces. Helpless in his embrace, she couldn't think of anything
else to reply.
But Amelia knew that if she didn't take control of the situation, things could get worse for Lucian and Zhan Group.

With tears in her eyes, Amelia pushed Lucian away. "Do you really think I'd come back to you seeing how you look right now?"
Lucian did indeed look tired and rugged, but he still maintained his handsome looks, which made Amelia's heart hurt even more.
"I'm sorry. It's true. I haven't been taking care of myself since I haven't seen you in days." It was a surprise to hear the cold and
often arrogant Lucian apologize.
"I've always thought of you as a man of action, always calm and collected. But look at you right now! Do you think you can solve
anything in this sorry state?" Amelia hoped that this would snap Lucian back to his senses. She wanted him to regain the
courage to fight for Zhan Group and get the company out of crisis. It was important that Lucian accept An Group's help.
"Don't worry about me. I can do anything as long as I have you. I don't care about anything else." He regretted not answering her
call. Guilt was eating him.
These words only made Amelia less confident in her resolve. She tried to catch her breath as her chest was beginning to tighten.
"I've made my decision, Lucian. I'm not coming back," Amelia said with determination. Her clenched fists tightened as she felt
her heart breaking even more.
"Stop this!" Lucian hugged her again, only tighter this time. "Let's go home," he said gently.
Amelia agreed to get in the car as she didn't want to disturb Lucian's parents with their argument. They were driving downtown,
when she demanded that they stop. "I want to get out now!"
"Do you want to see Courtney?" Lucian asked, looking at Courtney's shop. It was just a few steps away.
"Mr. Lucian, if there's one thing that's become clear to me all week, it's that you and I were never meant to be together. Our
relationship was a mistake and I finally have the courage to tell the truth. I don' love you," she forcefully said, slamming the car
door on Lucian's face.
Lucian followed her out of the car and grabbed her hand. Amelia could clearly see the pain in Lucian's eyes. "What the hell is
wrong with you, Amelia?" He couldn't find it in his heart to believe every word coming out of Amelia's mouth. He wasn't sure if
this was still the same Amelia he knew.
"We don't have an emotional connection. There are no feelings whatsoever, not to mention understanding and trust. I don't love
you, Mr. Lucian," Amelia said in a harsh tone, wearing the most heartless expression.

She watched as Lucian's eyes became blank. The hand he held out to grab her fell to his side. Frustrated, he asked, "You don't
love me? What about all of those sweet nights, Amelia?"
Lucian looked breathless, like a bag of sand was thrust on his chest.
"Shouldn't we all just be practical? All this talk of love and romance doesn't suit you. It's making me hate you more," Amelia said
firmly, hoping that this would finally push Lucian to let her go and accept An Group's offer.
Lucian couldn't see how this Amelia could be the woman he loved. He didn't know this side of her, so he asked, "That woman
who worried about waste and this woman who says she doesn't live without money, are they the same Amelia?" "That's out of
the question. Whoever I may be, it doesn't make a difference. We do not belong together!" Amelia looked calm despite her head
being a storm of thoughts.
"Every word you're saying now is breaking my heart, Amelia. It's like you're thrusting a knife into my heart," Lucian scowled as he
clutched his chest.
Amelia wanted so badly to cry, but she bit her lower lip to stop herself from betraying any emotion. "Take care, Mr. Lucian," she
bid him goodbye.
With that, she turned her back to him and left in a hurry.
As soon as she entered Courtney's milk tea shop, she dropped on her knees and cried. The emotions she withheld only minutes
earlier came pouring out in waves.
Hiding behind the door, she watched as the man she left outside walked back exasperated to his car and drove off. She could
only sob to herself.
Hearing her loud cries, Courtney rushed to her friend and helped her on her feet. Courtney scolded Amelia despite having a
vague inkling as to what just happened, "Why are you crying there? People might think this shop is closing down! Come now."
Amelia came back to her senses when she heard Courtney mentioned the possibility of the shop closing down. She wiped the
tears off her face, but she couldn't stop her eyes from welling up.
"Come on. On your feet. No one's in right now. Let's go," Courtney said, assisting Amelia. Courtney couldn't help but feel sad for
her friend, seeing her in this sorry state.
"Courtney, I said a lot of mean things to Lucian. I feel bad..." Amelia told Courtney with remorse, clinging tightly to her.

Courtney understood and said, "If you don't love him, just leave him, Amelia. But if you walk away from this relationship despite
knowing deep down that you're desperately in love with him, the pain is going to be worse than killing yourself."
Amelia kept crying. The gravity of the words she said to Lucian was dawning on her and it only made her more depressed.
When Lucian said that it felt like Amelia was breaking his heart, did he not realize that it was the same for her as she said those
things?
"I just hope he'd finally accept An Group's help," Amelia sobbed. She didn't see how Lucian could hold out for long without
assistance from An Group.
"We'll never know. But I must say, I admire Lucian more now. He didn't consider leaving you despite what An Group offered,"
Courtney observed.
"Feelings change. And the An and Zhan families are well matched. Miss An loves Lucian so much. I know they'd be happy
together." Amelia tried to convince herself.
"You're always putting others' needs ahead of yours. I just hope you'd find peace and happiness after this," Courtney sighed.
She poured Amelia a glass of honey water after helping her to a chair. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm always here for you."
Amelia wiped her tears away and forced a smile. "Thank you, Courtney. I'm okay. I just hope things get better for Zhan Group."
Although heartbroken, Amelia was firm in her belief that she made the right decision. But every time she remembered that she
would never be with Lucian again, she felt more hopeless.
After a quiet dinner with Courtney, Amelia planned on going back to her apartment by cab. Having had a bit of wine, Amelia felt a
little tipsy standing on the curb. She was trying to hail a taxi, when a strong hand pulled her to the side. She looked up and didn't
recognize the man's face. Under the street lamp, his eyes looked menacing.
Courtney told Amelia to take the bus home, but Amelia refused. She said she didn't have much wine so she could very well go
home by herself, but she certainly didn't foresee having to deal with this strange man. Amelia was just about to shout for help,
when the man covered her mouth and whispered, "If you want to save Zhan Group, you better shut your mouth."
Upon hearing the man mention Zhan Group, Amelia stopped resisting.
The man was tall and dark. Despite the night being particularly chilly, he only wore a black vest and a pair of camouflage
trousers.

"This isn't the best place to talk. Come with me!" the man said roughly, putting a heavy hand on her shoulder.
It was already past ten in the evening. Dinner dragged on because Courtney was in the mood for drinking. Walking with the man
by her side made Amelia extremely nervous. Scenes from horror and suspense movies played in her head. She looked around
and thought of ways to escape.
Sensing her intention, the man turned to her, "Miss Mo, please cooperate. My boss won't hurt you." The man held her by the
shoulders, effectively reducing Amelia's chances of running away.
"Your boss? Lucian?"
Amelia asked. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest.
"Get in the car." An imposing black car appeared out of nowhere and the strange man pushed her in without saying any more.
Amelia couldn't see who was driving the car. After a moment of silence, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you working for Lucian?"
"You better rest, Miss Mo. It looks like you had a drink," the man curtly replied. He turned to look outside, making it apparent to
Amelia that he didn't want to say more.
The car drove on until it stopped in front of an abandoned building about thirty minutes later. The darkness only made Amelia
more frightened for her safety.
Was she kidnapped, she wondered. Did the two men know that she was Lucian's wife? Did they lure her there for information or
ransom?