"This tastes like home," Lucian said as he sampled the food in front of him.
"But the food Lily cooked is also very delicious," she meekly replied. Amelia initially thought that he was referring to the taste of the dishes, but she realized that he was enjoying the scenario more.
She smiled as she placed her hands inside the big pockets of her pink apron. Lucian had carefully picked it for her because he wanted her to wear it for as long as she stayed there. And he hoped in his heart that Amelia would stay there for good.
Lucian bought that villa a couple of years ago. At the time, he merely thought that the area looked peaceful and the air was quite pleasant. He considered it as a good place to live in, but then things had changed. He saw that the villa could be more than just a house. It could be the home where he would live with Amelia and their baby.
"Aren't you hungry? What were you thinking of?" Amelia was putting more food into his plate when she realized what she had just said and bit her tongue.
Lucian snapped out of his daydream, and looked at Amelia with worry in his eyes.
"Thank you..." he trailed off. These words moved Amelia but she took control not to show it in her expression.
In his mind, Lucian wanted to call Amelia honey. But he also had to restrain himself. He decided to save it for when he had finally restored her title as Mrs.
Dinner time was over in the blink of an eye. Lucian volunteered to wash the dishes but Amelia didn't want to bother him with it. But after hearing him jokingly boast of his superb talent in dish washing, Amelia was only too happy to take him on his offer. She wanted to see what he was talking about.
Leaning against the door frame, Amelia contentedly watched as Lucian took over the sink.
Lucian watched her from the corner of his eyes. Wanting to make Amelia laugh, he tried to make a show out of dish washing by playing with the plates, pretending to toss them into the air to perform tricks.
Amelia was elated to see Lucian's smile, but she also feared for herself. She didn't know how much more she could take before her true feelings for him were revealed.
"Have you seen this? This is dish washing at its finest. I'm not just a pro at cleaning plates; I'm the master!" Lucian exaggerated.
Amelia was about to laugh, but she chose to roll her eyes instead.
"I guess that's enough of that," Lucian said while putting the plates down to save himself from further embarrassment. "Actually, I can make a living out of just my handsome looks, but what I really want to do is serve the love of my life, so here I am, washing dishes for her. Am I not the sweetest?"
He had gone up to her and had closed the gap between them.
Amelia's instinct was to panic. She quickly took a few steps back to maintain some distance from Lucian.
Seeing this reaction, an expression of despair crossed Lucian's face. With all seriousness, he said softly, "I'll be leaving you now. Take care of yourself during the next couple of days." Once he'd finally settled everything, he could bring her back to his side and he desperately looked forward to it.
"I will," Amelia said with mixed feelings, but she made the effort to smile at him.
After seeing Lucian off, Amelia felt just how big and empty the villa was. She felt all of the happiness that Lucian made her feel a few moments ago drain from her heart, leaving her lonely and hurt.
She hadn't settled everything with Lucian, but Amelia agreed to stay in the villa as arranged by her ex-husband. She was initially hesitant to stay there alone, but the interiors of the house were very inviting and beautiful. When she wanted to stretch her legs, she would walk around the vast garden and smell the flowers. She particularly enjoyed the pavilion where she would stay for hours to listen at the soft gurgling sound from the fountain.
Lucian didn't visit her for the next three days. Bored and alone, Amelia was sitting in the living room surfing TV channels, when a particular bit of news caught her attention. It was a report about Lucian.
The news anchor mentioned that it was the hottest news all over the city.
It seemed that Zhan Group CEO Lucian was seen keeping in touch with his former wife, causing his current wife, Shelly of the An family, to attempt suicide...
Amelia's hands trembled so terribly that she dropped the remote control.
Reading the headline at the bottom of the screen made the image even clearer in Amelia's mind. Shock spread all over her body as she thought about Shelly and the repercussions of her own actions. It was her fault that Shelly tried to kill herself.
Without so much as thinking, she rushed downstairs, crossed the big hall, and went straight to the door.
The two tall guards stationed at the gates saw her dashing out and reached out to stop her. "What's the matter, Miss Amelia?" one of the men asked politely. Amelia had been happily staying in that villa for three days. The two men thought it strange for her to be suddenly rushing out of the house.
"I have to go. There's something urgent I need to deal with," Amelia said directly. Anxiety made her voice shake as she spoke.
"Miss Amelia, Mr. Lucian gave instructions that you weren't allowed to leave the villa," one of the men replied.
Amelia was already going through the pain and guilt of possibly having hurt Shelly. When she heard the guard deny her pleas, her worry turned to fury.
"And what if I insist on going out?" she said firmly, raising her voice.
She didn't want to cause trouble for the guards who were only doing their job and following Lucian's orders, but she hated the fact that they wouldn't let her out no matter what.
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