Since She Met Lucian novel Chapter 38

When he took off his business suit, he revealed an ensemble of a bright orange sweater and crisp light gray jeans. This outfit made him look tall coupled with a pair of black boots that added to his cool vibe. Draped on his arm was a long coat that he carried elegantly.

It was no surprise Amelia fell head over heels for him. She only came back to her senses when Lucian's voice broke her reverie.

"I... Where are you going?" She felt as if Lucian was watching her very closely to which she responded with guilt and inability to form coherent sentences.

"Mr. Edmund An invited me to play bowling with him. You can come if you want," Lucian suggested as he gently looked at Amelia.

"Mr. Edmund... He's related to Shelly?" She was immediately able to put together that they shared a last name.

"Yes." In reality, Lucian wasn't too keen on going—he only agreed to the invitation out of respect and politeness.

"I'm fine. I can hang out with Courtney." Shelly was in love with Lucian and it didn't need to be mentioned that both their families wanted the two of them to end up together. Amelia figured she'd just be a nuisance if she tagged along as they went bowling.

It also didn't help that Shelly was shooting her death glares.

Frowning, Lucian seemed visibly disappointed. He had figured that Amelia would want to leave because of Shelly.

"Okay, I'll drive you there." Even though he didn't want her to leave, he still spoke to her softly.

"Really?" Amelia asked curiously with her eyes wide open.

"Yes." He nodded. What he really meant was that he'd drive her anywhere but in the end, decided not to. She was easily shaken up especially whenever he was sweet towards her so he just dropped it.

Lucian wasn't cold to her like he was before and he didn't have that indifferent look he always had on his face anymore. Heaving a sigh of relief, Amelia followed behind him.

As Lucian quietly drove the car, Amelia made sure she looked ahead. She was rather nervous as neither of them was speaking making the car ride a bit uncomfortable.

"Shelly's celebrating her birthday tonight. Would you mind if I pick you up for dinner later?" Lucian had figured that Amelia might not enjoy if they went bowling so he just invited her to the dinner tonight.

"I... Fine." Amelia frowned. She could tell that Lucian was expecting her to come and she didn't want to refuse him a second time so she reluctantly agreed.

"You don't have to be so reserved. Just act the way you normally would. I don't want you to be uncomfortable." Lucian liked it when Amelia acted like herself. While she seemed frail on the outside, those who were close to her knew that she was strong on the inside.

Amelia whimpered in surprise. Before she could make out what Lucian had said, the car suddenly stopped—they had already arrived at the milk tea shop.

He leaned over and unfastened her seat belt for her. Planting a light kiss on her forehead, he flashed her a charming smile. "Go, I'll pick you up at five."

'Oh my god! I can't take this anymore! He's being so good to me and his smile! Oh my god! That smile!'

Amelia lowered her head in embarrassment. She could still smell the faint scent of mint that she knew very well was Lucian's perfume. The light kiss he gave her made her stomach twist and turn.

"Wow, Amelia! He's handsome, drives a luxury car, and drives you everywhere! What a lucky girl you are!" As soon as Amelia arrived at the door of the store, Courtney was already there to welcome her.

Amelia flushed a deep pink as she shot Courtney a glare.

"Hey, just a minute ago you looked happy when you were with Lucian and now you're mad? I can't believe you'd treat your good friend like this!" Amelia's cheeks were still flushed. Gazing carefully at her, Courtney couldn't help but point out, "It seems that you two are getting along."

"Miss Courtney, I'm thirsty!" She quickly shifted the topic.

"Really? Well, we can't have that. I'll be right back!" Courtney responded, a sly smile on her face.

Of course, Amelia knew what she meant. She rolled her eyes at Courtney and said, "Courtney, since when did you become so bitchy?"

"I was just kidding! You know I care about you. Now that you're happy, I'm sure your relationship with Lucian's going to improve too." The last thing Amelia expected from Courtney was this—expressing what she thought about something Amelia didn't ask her opinion for.

Helpless, Amelia shook her head. "I don't want to argue with you."

"By the way, why'd you come over today?" Courtney pried as she poured Amelia her milk tea. "I thought Mrs. Amelia would be out attending fancy parties and whatnot with Lucian. Why does it seem like you have so much free time?"

"It's not Mrs. Amelia. Just Amelia," Amelia said as she casually sipped her milk tea.

"Yeah, you're totally right. Look at you! You're dressed so casually. Half of the customers here right now are dressed better than you!" Courtney cried as she eyed Amelia from head to toe.

True to her character, Amelia did what she wanted to do without a care at how it would make her look. She lucked out with Lucian as he didn't really require her to wear anything in specific except for when she went to work. For that, Lucian had bought her a bunch of office clothes.

She recalled when they ate at a western restaurant and she began using chopsticks. The look on Lucian's face then made her chuckle.

"What are you smirking about?" Courtney narrowed her eyes. "Amelia, are you happy with the Zhan family?"

Happy? Amelia didn't know what to say. Sometimes, she felt as if she could be happy but there were times when all she could feel was anxiety and panic.

"Courtney, do you think I'm the right one for Lucian?" She still felt like she was dreaming when she thought back to all those sweet things Lucian had said to her.

"You chose this, didn't you? Why are you still asking me?" Courtney sat down and looked at Amelia in confusion.

"Well... I mean, we come from different worlds and..."

"Amelia, since when did those things matter to you? You don't have to think about what other people are going to say! If you're happy with Lucian then just let yourself be happy!" Courtney said firmly, not letting Amelia finish what she was going to say. They'd known each other for years so Courtney knew her very well.

Amelia never cared about these kinds of things before but that was only because she didn't have to act as if she was a lady of the Zhan family back then. However, she reminded herself that this was all just a deal. Once their contract was over, she could resume her normal life again.

If she continued to focus on these things, she was only going to end up stressed with having to deal with the pressures of having a husband with such a high social status.

"I know but it's still hard to handle..." It was only with Courtney that Amelia could really express her true feelings and that was why they were the closest of friends.

"I understand how difficult it could be to get along with such a rich and powerful family. That's why I wanted to know if you were happy with the Zhan family." Courtney was obviously worried about Amelia's situation. Putting on a look of confidence, she added, "But what I'm sure about is that Lucian really does care about you."

"What made you say so?" As far as Amelia knew, Lucian and Courtney hadn't spoken much so how could she say that? And why does she sound so sure?

"That day, you weren't answering your phone because you were pissed. He found Kent and asked for my phone number from him. He asked me to call you and make you come over here so he could pick you up here." Courtney narrated what had happened that day then she added, "He went through all of that just so he could find you. If I were in your place, I'd be thrilled."

With that in mind, it wasn't surprising that he knew she was at the milk tea shop then.

Amelia felt warm and fuzzy on the inside but she didn't show it. Instead, she rolled her eyes and said snidely, "I thought we were friends? You betrayed me! You acted as if everything was normal!"

"I had to cooperate. It was for your own good!" Courtney said unapologetically. She then left to welcome some new customers that had just come in.

Amelia couldn't help herself—she was grinning from ear to ear. She didn't know what she should feel but she was definitely touched by what Lucian did.

When the clock struck five that afternoon, Lucian pulled over in his luxury car in front of the milk tea shop to pick up Amelia.

"Amelia! He's here to pick you up! Hurry!" The shop was always jam-packed on the weekends so Amelia failed to notice that Lucian was already outside. If Courtney hadn't pushed her out and consequently pointed to the door, she wouldn't have noticed him.

Embarrassed, Amelia lowered her head as her cheeks turned a hue of pink.

She couldn't get him off her mind. If she hadn't busied herself that afternoon, she'd probably be just daydreaming about him.

"Have a seat. I'll just clean up and I'll be back," Amelia said.

Lucian nodded, a faint smile appearing on his lips. He then took a seat and waited quietly for Amelia.

As soon as Lucian entered the shop, everyone turned to stare at him in admiration—some even murmured to each other how handsome he was.

"Amelia, you can leave. Kent's going to be here soon. Go on! Go with Lucian!" Seeing that Amelia was still working, Courtney went over to her and grabbed the tableware that she was holding.

"Fine, fine!" She didn't insist anymore since they were headed to Shelly's birthday dinner that night and she didn't want to make Lucian wait any longer either.

"You did a good job there," Lucian nonchalantly commented as he drove, his slender hands gripped on the wheel.

"Well, it's easy." She smiled lightly and averted her gaze. Then in a low voice, she asked, "Are your parents coming?"

"Yes." Lucian nodded and looked straight ahead. Then he added, "Shelly's father and my father are not just business partners, they're also old friends. They're probably going to catch up tonight."

"Okay," Amelia replied nervously.

Fannie didn't like her at all. To her, Amelia was a gold-digger who only married Lucian for his money. In addition to that, Amelia also ruined Lucian and Shelly's chances of getting married—something the Zhan and An family had been planning for the longest time.