Since She Met Lucian novel Chapter 40

"You silly, little girl..." With a tender look in his eyes, Lucian patted the top of Amelia's head. Then he bent down, took off her shoes, and rubbed her ankle gently for her as if no one else was around.

"Hey, people are watching us!" Amelia protested. But Lucian ignored her and proceeded to massage her. She looked around and saw that there were a lot of people looking curiously at them. Blushing heavily, Amelia felt so shy that she just wanted to run away and hide.

Meanwhile, Lucian didn't seem to be paying attention to the eyes that were on them. "How do you feel? Does it still hurt?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

It seemed as if Lucian was intent on making Amelia feel better no matter what. As Amelia watched the way Lucian was so worried about her, her heart couldn't help but tremble. Feeling deeply moved, tears started to form in her crystal clear eyes.

"I'm happy right now. It doesn't hurt anymore," she replied in a soft voice.

Upon hearing Amelia's response, Lucian paused and looked up at her delicate face with his deep eyes. It was as if a wave had swept over his heart, making it hard for him to maintain his composure.

Amelia's words were like a subtle way of accepting Lucian into her life.

A faint smile played on the corners of Lucian's lips as he savored this moment he was having with Amelia. The two of them looked at each other as if they were in their own little bubble. There was so much love in their eyes that there was no need to voice it out.

"Lucian!" an angry voice suddenly called out, breaking the moment they were having together.

Turning around, Amelia saw that it was Shelly.

Shelly was very beautiful today. Her hair was put up in an elegant, side-swept bun, exposing her slender and smooth neck. Since it was a special occasion for her, she was wearing a pair of diamond earrings and a necklace inlaid with precious gems.

From the way she was dressed, it was easy to see that she was the star of tonight's event. As soon as she appeared, she drew the attention of the entire crowd. However, the expression on her face was sour. There was so much envy and hate in her eyes. Because of this, she looked rather ferocious than beautiful, and therefore reduced the guests' mood.

On the other hand, Amelia had an elegance and simplicity that easily touched the hearts of others. Everyone who looked at her was instantly drawn to her charm. The faint smile on her face was like as delicate as a dainty magnolia.

Hearing Shelly's angry voice, Lucian was stunned for a second, but he instantly regained his composure. "Shelly, happy birthday," he greeted naturally.

"Miss Shelly, happy birthday to you. I wish you many blessings," Amelia also greeted politely.

"I don't need your blessing!" Shelly scoffed, frowning deeply at Amelia, "In fact, you should know that I'm not really that delighted to see you here!"

Even with her hostile words, Amelia still had a smile on her face. It seemed as if she was already used to Shelly treating her like this.

A lot of the guests nearby were able to overhear Shelly's angry words, which made them wonder as to why she was so averse to Amelia.

"Well, it seems that Miss Shelly is still not giving up. Even in public, she dares to challenge Mr. Lucian's new wife. It seems that it's not easy to enter a rich and powerful family..." someone whispered behind Amelia.

"The An family and the Zhan family have been friends for over a decade. It seemed that it was easy to expect that their family would get connected through somebody's marriage. But Lucian doesn't like Shelly that way. And so, he married a woman he truly loved instead."

"I definitely understand where Mr. Lucian is coming from. If I were in his position, I would also marry someone I wanted. Marriage is not supposed to be about business and money. I think Mrs. Amelia is just right for him." There were a lot of people gossiping around them. A faint smile appeared on Lucian's lips. Their words actually made him somewhat happy — at least the people there understood the situation clearly.

However, he didn't appreciate the harsh words Shelly said to Amelia. Even though it looked as if Amelia was fine with what Shelly had told her, Lucian didn't like the fact that there was someone being so rude towards his wife.

"Well, Shelly... If that's the case, we'll get out of your way then,"

Lucian said as he put his arm around Amelia's shoulder. Then, he looked at her with a gentle and loving gaze, "Let's go home?"

Amelia had not expected that Lucian would be so straightforward like this. She immediately shook her head in response. "If we leave now, people might get the wrong idea," Amelia reasoned in a low, hushed voice, "They might think that we're both rude and shallow. Plus, this day isn't about us. It's Shelly's birthday celebration. The least we could do is be as cordial as possible."

After, she slightly tightened her grasp on Lucian's arm in reassurance. There was no resentment in Amelia's voice when she explained her thoughts to him.

Lucian smiled as he nodded in agreement. "What about your ankle? Does it still hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt anymore," Amelia said, blushing heavily. Then she bent down to put her shoes back on.

But before she could do so, Lucian was already putting her shoes on for her.

Their intimacy and sweetness towards each other made Shelly's face red with rage. It looked as if she was about to blow up any moment now. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed onto Lucian's shoulder and made him look at her. "Lucian, you're here for my birthday party, aren't you?" she willfully said with a small pout, "Do you really not care about my feelings?"

There was no doubt that Shelly was an arrogant woman who was used to having her way all time. And so, it came without surprise that she would act this way despite the fact that there were so many people around.

Her fingers playfully lingered on Lucian's shoulder even though Amelia was just right there beside him.

In Shelly's eyes, Amelia was no better than a dead fish. Perhaps Shelly acted like this because she felt that she had a special place in Lucian's heart. After all, they practically grew up together.

"Shelly, there are so many people around. Can't you behave yourself for one minute?" Lucian sneered quietly, brushing Shelly's hands off him. Then, he reached over to Amelia and put his arm around her waist. "Let's sit over there, Amelia," he said, pointing to a less crowded corner, "We'll ask a waiter to get a hot towel for your sore ankle."

Shelly crossed her arms over her chest, feeling greatly insulted at how Lucian ignored her. Suddenly, her mood had changed. "Amelia," she called out in a trembling voice, "Today's my birthday. Is it really so wrong for me to ask a childhood friend to spend some time with me?"