Since She Met Lucian

Chapter 88 Searching For Amelia

"They are looking for me, but I don't want to be found." Although Amelia hadn't spent much time with the landlady, the woman was kind and considered Amelia her granddaughter. The landlady wouldn't tell anyone of Amelia's whereabouts, or at least that's what Amelia believed.

The landlady stayed silent for a moment. "Amelia, don't worry. I won't tell anyone, but at least let me help you, all right?" She put the newspaper down, glancing at Amelia with affection.

"Thank you." Amelia was grateful to her.

The landlady chuckled and shook her head. "Silly girl, I have lived alone in this courtyard for years, and you brought it back to life. It should be me thanking you instead."

The landlady's last name was Chen. A few years ago, his husband died because of a cerebral hemorrhage. She never cared about having children when she was young because of her career, and when she was ready, her body failed to support her. That was why she had been living alone after her husband's death.

After dinner, Amelia borrowed Mrs. Chen's computer and browsed the latest city news about Zhan Group. All she came across was the news about the withdrawal of shareholders and the crisis of the capital turnover.

Then she searched her name and came across an article. She read through it and scrolled down with shaking hands. It was the news about what Lucian thought of Amelia after she disappeared. At the end of the report, the author wrote exact words that Lucian directed to her: "If you still remember what I said at my mother's grave, come back to me. You promised that you would be with me for the rest of your life. How can you break your promise?"

Amelia read those words out loud, and her heart trembled. Tears came pouring down from her eyes. She lowered her head to hide her tears.

Guilt overwhelmed her not because of the negative comments about her, but the helplessness she felt in her heart. She wanted to rush in his arms and help him get through those difficulties. The only thing that could help Lucian was Amelia's absence. That was only how he would accept help from the An Group.

"Amelia, what happened?" Mrs. Chen frowned when she heard faint sniffs from Amelia and walked over to comfort her. "If you don't want to give up, you can always go back and see him."

Go back... Amelia wanted to see Lucian. If she knew how to handle the situation better than this, she wouldn't have left in the first place. After all, she could make the situation worse with her presence.

She wiped her tears and forced a smile. "I'm fine."

"What a pitiful child!" Mrs. Chen sighed and poured a glass of hot water for Amelia. "Take care of yourself, okay? Don't let others worry about you."

Amelia nodded.

She glanced at the messages in her mailbox. Since her phone was turned off, she wouldn't have seen Courtney's messages if it wasn't for her email.

Amelia pursed her lips. Could she trust Courtney? It wasn't like Amelia had choices in this matter. She bought a new SIM card with the help of the landlady and called Courtney before she could hesitate.

It rang for a long time before Courtney answered it. "Hey, Courtney, it's me." Amelia's small voice came through the speaker. It took a long time for Courtney to reply back. Just as Amelia thought the phone was disconnected, a loud shrill came from the other side, followed by a series of scolding words. "Damn it! I thought you were kidnapped! People in the city are talking about you. And I'm sure Lucian isn't even eating his meals at all because of you. Why are you still hiding?"

Amelia's breath stopped for a moment, and she felt a dull pain in her heart.

Amelia couldn't say anything. Instead, she was stunned by Courtney's words. How could Amelia tell her friend the truth behind her absence? "What's wrong with you?" Courtney asked in a voice filled with worry when Amelia didn't reply for a long time.

It was a bad idea! Perhaps Amelia should have ignored Courtney's messages. Amelia bit her lower lip for a while and said in a low voice, "I divorced Lucian."

She could practically imagine Courtney spitting out whatever she was drinking in the utter shock. "Damn it, Amelia. Are you out of your mind? Lucian is an excellent man, and he loves you so much. Why did you leave him?" Before Amelia could reply, Courtney's voice came through again, and this time, it was filled with anger. "Amelia, are those rumors true? The Zhan Group is facing bankruptcy, and you are worried about living a hard life?"

Amelia's hand trembled after hearing those words, but she couldn't say anything. Not yet...

Courtney was silent for a moment as if she had just realized something important. "If you were afraid of suffering, you would have looked down upon Jasper when he was penniless. I know you better than that. You live for love, not money. The Zhan Group is facing crisis, and you wouldn't have left just like that. Unless... unless you're hiding something from me!" Courtney had begun to analyze the reason why Amelia did that.

"Courtney, don't give this number to anyone, especially not Lucian, or else I will never talk to you again." Amelia's tone sounded determined.

Courtney decided to ignore the little threat. "Where are you? Have you been eating well? Are you facing any issues with your room?" Courtney asked a series of questions as if she was a mother.

Amelia tried to answer the questions in a calm voice, sniffing and wiping tears every once in a while.

Lucian knew that Amelia didn't have many friends. If he wanted to find her, he would investigate Courtney. Even though Amelia needed a shoulder, she hardened her heart and rejected Courtney's proposal to see her.

Courtney seemed to understand why Amelia suddenly became emotional and refused to give the address. "Don't worry, Amelia. I won't tell anyone. I'll only visit you after everyone calms down, okay?" Courtney knew Amelia too well. She didn't want to press Amelia.

Amelia hung up the phone and stood in the balcony, staring at the sky absent-mindedly. Lucian's appearance continued to pop up in her mind, and she wondered what he might be doing at that time.

In the conference room of the Zhan Group, employees were gathered for a meeting.

The chilly aura around Lucian seemed to penetrate everyone. The employees held their breath and tried to not make any mistake.

Lucian's face was even icier than before. The atmosphere in the meeting was so cold that everyone shivered at the thought of saying a single word. After a few hours, he wearily returned to the office. He was about to take a seat when Eric knocked on the door. "Mr. Lucian, the president of the An Group has arrived."

"Let him in." He threw the documents away and guzzled the cold coffee as if it could extinguish his fatigue.

Edmund had a grin on his face when he entered in a black suit. "You seem tired because of the meetings. I wasn't free until recently. You're not angry with me for not visiting early, are you?"

Lucian's lips stretched to form a half-smile, and he gestured Edmund to take a seat. "And you seem happy. Is it because something good happened in your life?"

Edmund felt embarrassment crawling in his heart. He coughed and decided to change the topic. "I heard that the Zhan Group is facing issues. Why didn't you call me? I could've helped you."

Lucian didn't want to beat around the bush anymore. "Uncle Edmund, business is a war without bullets. How could you even think of competing with the Zhan Group by speaking politely like this?" Lucian glanced at Edmund and sneered.

Edmund looked at Lucian in disbelief and asked, "I thought you'd understand me. I never expected you to be so stubborn!"

"The Zhan Group and the An Group used to have a good relationship. Unfortunately, Uncle Edmund, you did some illegal things over the years, and yet my dad ignored it. But now, I'm in charge of the company." Lucian stared coldly at Edmund, sitting across him. "You've underestimated me, Uncle Edmund. The company is listed under my command. You didn't expect that, did you? Is that why you are jealous?" Lucian didn't tear off his eyes from Edmund as he spoke in a sharp tone.

Edmund shifted on his seat awkwardly and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's see how long you can struggle!"

"Don't worry. Even if the company's revenue plummets, I won't accept your help." Lucian took the documents and answered coldly. Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

Even if the company's revenue plummets? A mocking smile graced Edmund's lips. "I didn't expect this from you. Your father moved heaven and earth to flourish the Zhan Group. But it seems you don't give a damn about it."

"Shut up!" Lucian slammed his palm on the table and glared at Edmund. "A sly fox like you will show his tail one day."

Edmund's eyes glinted. He looked at Lucian for a long time before smiling disdainfully. "I'd like to see how you fight back!"

He stood up and walked toward the door when a cold voice hampered his steps. "Don't meet my father anymore, especially not as his friend." Lucian went back to work as if nothing happened.

Edmund narrowed his eyes at Lucian. He hadn't expected that Lucian would be so tough. "After seeing the situation of the Zhan group, your father asked me to help you. Let me say this bluntly. I wanted to protect my daughter's happiness. Is it wrong for me to do that?"

"It's not protection. You're rather humiliating me." Lucian sneered and shot Edmund a cold glance. "Amelia is the only woman I love."

"Nicholas used to say the same thing for Fiona. But guess what? He did fail her by marrying Fannie later." Edmund thought it wasn't a big deal.

Lucian felt as if a nail had pierced through his heart. His blood boiled, and he darted his icy cold eyes at Edmund. "Don't you ever say something like that in front of me! Understand?"

"Lucian, you've to see that this business world belongs to men. You can have any woman, but there's going to be only one Zhan Group." Edmund didn't give Lucian a chance to refute and left the office.

Lucian clenched his fists and looked at the door with an expressionless face. His eyes showed a different story by a severe coldness that could make anyone tremble with a glance. No matter what he did, he couldn't get rid of Edmund's words. He stared at the door and punched the table.

Lucian would have killed the man if he could. At the same time, Amelia had just started to chop the vegetables when the knife slipped and fell on the ground. She stared at the knife for a long time with horrified eyes. Her stomach churned, making her feel uncomfortable.

"Amelia, are you okay?" After hearing Mrs. Chen's worried voice, Amelia snapped out of her daze. The landlady started checking Amelia's hands carefully.

"My hands were stained with oil, and that's why it slipped. You don't have to worry, Mrs. Chen." Amelia managed to smile at the old woman.

"Rest for a bit, okay? I'll handle everything." Mrs. Chen picked up the knife on the ground.

Amelia shook her head. "Mrs. Chen, I want to make lunch today. Why don't you go and watch TV?" It had been over a week, and Mrs. Chen had cooked several dishes for her. Amelia wanted to reciprocate despite the uneasiness she felt in her heart.