Since She Met Lucian

"A former friend of mine gave me a ride when we met on the road," Amelia explained as her cheeks turned red.
"It’s a huge advantage when a woman has a gorgeous face. If he’s still single, you could consider it!" Carlotta teased her on
purpose.
Amelia opened the door of the shop widely and invited her in.
Seeing Amelia’s actions, Carlotta could not stop herself from laughing. "You’re so naughty."
Prior to one o’clock in the afternoon, Amelia arrived in the shop. The moment she was about to clean up the bar counter, Carlotta
suddenly asked her, "Amelia, was that handsome young man your ex-husband?"
After hearing those words, Amelia’s hand trembled when she held the glass. If she had not held it tightly, the glass probably
turned into scattered broken pieces on the ground.
In front of Carlotta, Lucian referred himself as "ex-husband". If Amelia denied she would be lying to Carlotta, so she just moved
her head and nodded.
After that, Carlotta stopped her hands from caring for the potted plants. Then she visited the bar counter and curiously asked,
"How did you do that? Why are willing to divorce such a handsome husband?"
Shocked by Carlotta’s words, Amelia remained frozen. She could not even utter a single word.
How did her heart manage to let go an excellent husband?
"I am sure he is living the time of his life. He deserves to be happy," she answered uneasily, it felt like a stab in her heart.
"But I saw it in your eyes, you really love him." Carlotta laid her eyes on Amelia, as if she could read her mind.
Trying to avoid the conversation, Amelia touched her face and forced a smile. "That’s what you see? I don’t think so. Maybe you
need glasses."
Emptiness radiated in her eyes. She mocked herself for putting the act she made.
"I experienced something before, so don’t be too vague with me. You can share anything and I’ll listen without judgment. Tell me
what happened." Carlotta was determined to dig out secrets of the past.

Finding a way to end the conversation, Amelia looked up at the clock and noticed there was still a lot of time left on her duty.
There was no escape. She let out a deep breath and said, "Unlike other relationships, we don’t have an emotional foundation.
Besides, he has his own life now. I am happy for him."
"Although I’m already 40 years old, I am updated about the news on the internet. I have read the news about your divorce with
Lucian, some people cursed you because of it. I did not know you personally before, due to that I believed that you were like
what they said. But after meeting you, I found out that they were wrong about you. I think there must be some reason for your
decision right?" Carlotta said. Carlotta had known from Lucian, she asked Amelia again because she wanted to know Amelia’s
real feelings towards Lucian.
In order to ensure Amelia’s safety, Lucian spent a huge amount of money to own the shop. In addition, he asked Carlotta to find
a suitable reason to shorten Amelia’s working time. For a night shift, he also hired a waiter.
"Carlotta, things were done. I don’t want to talk about the past anymore because it won’t change anything." Amelia looked
embarrassed and forced herself to smile.
"Alright, I were done talking about it, I won’t even dare to mention it. But promise me, you’ll be happy in the future because a
woman who shines from within is the most beautiful!" Carlotta tried to uplift her mood.
Glancing towards Carlotta’s optimistic face, a curve suddenly formed on Amelia’s face and she said, "I hope I can have your
positive thinking."
"You are the sweetest!" Carlotta smiled. Suddenly, she remembered something important. She immediately said, "By the way,
Amelia, I need to discuss something with you."
"Carlotta, just say it. There won’t be any problem as long as I can do it."
"Okay, here's the thing. I have so many shops at hand, I’m getting tired every time I personally manage them. I want to sell this
shop, but I worked hard for it for so many years it has a unique value for me. I really hope the person who’s going to take over it
knows its value well. Can you help me take care of it?" Carlotta was anxious about how she delivered things. If she said it too
directly, it would have provoked suspicion of Amelia. Moreover, Lucian specially told her to keep it as a secret, so she tried her
best to eliminate doubts in Amelia’s heart.
After hearing those words, Amelia was stunned. She moved her eyes around the shop and felt terrible.

Although she had only worked in this shop for a short time, she still felt the unique ambiance of if like Carlotta said. If the new
owner did not understand it, the style of the shop would probably change.
"Carlotta, are you in a hurry to sell it?" Amelia wanted to buy the shop, however, she did not have enough money. Due to
frustration, she frowned and felt bad.
Seeing Amelia’s reaction, Carlotta knew what she was thinking. She tried to comfort her, she smiled and said, "Don’t worry. If you
are interested, you can manage it for a period of time. If the revenue is huge, I can give it to you."
Amelia could not contain her excitement. But on second thought, it did not change the fact that her funds were not enough to buy
the shop.
"This shop is worth at least 150000 dollars. The location is great for business since it's close to a school. However, the monthly
rent is more than 10000 dollars," Amelia critically analyzed.
"According to your work performance these days, I believe you are equipped with the necessary skills to supervise this shop."
Carlotta recognized her hard work.
The shop was designed in a literary style. In addition, students were attracted because of its campus-like atmosphere. Thus, on
weekend the shop was filled with customers, most of them were students.
If she took over this restaurant, Amelia believed she had enough confidence and interest to operate it well. At the present
moment, what bothered her most was how to gather enough money to buy the shop.
"Carlotta, please give me some time. I think I’ll need two more days. If I still can't afford to buy this shop, I’m going to directly
release the sales information for you." With determination, Amelia planned to search for possible solutions.
"Amelia, if you are concerned about the money, you don't have to worry at all. You can borrow it. When you make a profit, you
can cover up the amount you owe to me," Carlotta thoughtfully said.
At first, she thought that Amelia had no intention to own the shop. Thus, Carlotta prepared two plans. But Carlotta was surprised
that Amelia was interested in the shop, because that the second plan did not work.
"Thank you, Carlotta. I really appreciate your offer. If it is the last way, I will do as you say," Amelia said enthusiastically.
"It's Friday today. I am worried you can't finish the work alone, so I specially hired a part-time student to give you a hand,"
Carlotta said.

"Noted! Thank you," Amelia replied. Amelia had never encountered a large number of customers on weekends. Honestly, she
was worried she would be too busy to accommodate all the customers, so she felt relieved when she heard the news from
Carlotta.
Every weekday, seats in the shop were fully occupied. However, it was Friday, there would be few extra tables outside.
The newly hired sales girl was industrious. Even though she was young, she was a keen observer and was very polite towards
customers. This was the first time they met, but she productively cooperated with Amelia.
"Amelia, I'm exhausted, I feel sore all over my body. How about you? Are you okay?" The girl said breathlessly with her face on
the bar counter after she sent the last guest away. She was named Nancy.
It never crossed Amelia’s mind that this Friday would be a blockbuster. Although she was a little tired, she thought of the income
and her weariness turned into joy.
"You can take a rest first. I will clean up the shop." Amelia flashed a smile.
Instantly, Nancy walked up to Amelia while pointing her fingers at the clock on the wall and said, "Amelia, the boss said that you
could get off work at nine o’clock. It’s already nine thirty, you can go now. I’ll clean the house."
"The boss told you? I am not informed about that." Confusion took over Amelia’s mind. She was not pleased by how the events
turned at all.
"Yes, my boss said that you are occupied with a lot of work daily. Besides, I am only responsible for bringing drinks and
tableware to guests. I am also in charge of cleaning them. So Amelia, please don't compete with me for my job." Nancy did not
dare to speak one more word when she suddenly remembered what Carlotta had told her.
"Well, if that’s the case, let’s do it together, so we can get off work together." Amelia confusedly picked up the duster cloth and
continued working.
Without any other choice, Nancy continued working at her pace, hoping to finish all the work left as soon as possible.
It was ten o’clock in the evening when they finished their work. At that moment, Amelia found out that Nancy also lived near the
house she rented. She felt happy because they could go home together in the near future.

"Amelia, I hope you won’t make fun of me. After two years, I will graduate from the university. My boyfriend is paying my current
apartment. He is very kind and loving to me. We already talked about getting married after the graduation," she said. The two
went back hand in hand. On their way, Nancy happily shared her love story with Amelia.
Nancy was tall for a 20-year-old lady with fair complexion, she also had a little baby fat on her face. When she smiled, she
looked warm but her voice was characterized by excessive breathiness.
Glancing at her, Amelia was reminded of her twenties. At that time, she met Jasper, the man who gave his word that he would
serve and protect her with love for a lifetime. Just like Nancy’s boyfriend, Jasper also rented her an apartment when she was in
the university and promised to marry her after graduation...
However, five years later, he cheated on Amelia and married her stepmother's daughter. Due to the pain she experienced in the
past, she was worried Nancy would have the same fate with her when Nancy shared happiness with her.
"Nancy, cherish your own happiness. I wish you all the best," she said. Despite her worries, she still encouraged Nancy. After all,
every love had a different twist and turns. There was never an identical love story, the level of happiness and sorrow varied.
From the look of Nancy, she felt a strong sense of contentment.
After saying farewell to Nancy, Amelia went back to the house. The instance she saw the lights on the yard were on, she was
delighted.
When Mrs. Chen knew that Amelia got off work late at night, she specially left a lamp in the courtyard for her. The moment she
opened the door and saw the light, her heart was warmed.
After hearing the door opened, Mrs. Chen walked out and kindly said, "Amelia, you're home. I prepared some porridge for you.
Please come and have some."
"Mrs. Chen, it's late. Why are you still awake? You should be resting now." Amelia followed Mrs. Chen and saw her holding a
bowl of steaming porridge from the kitchen.
Carefully, Amelia took the bowl over with both hands. Moved by the situation, she was unable to speak.
"I hope you’ll enjoy the food. You should pay more attention to your nutrition during your pregnancy. Always think about the baby
in your belly," Mrs. Chen said seriously.
At that moment, Amelia couldn't help touching her belly. She nodded and finished her porridge.

"You’re going to be a good mom." Seeing that Amelia ate up all the porridge, Mrs. Chen smiled with ease.
"I am beyond grateful to you, Mrs. Chen," Amelia said. Amelia always felt she was blessed to meet so many nice people.
"My silly girl, stop being formal with me. After you move in my house, I find the life so interesting," Mrs. Chen replied then a curve
formed on her lips.