Since She Met Lucian novel Chapter 76

"Please, take this with you." Amelia handed the coffee to Lucian then returned to her desk. Her shoulders slumped as she seated her tired form on her chair.

Lucian looked at the cup in his hand, and then turned his confused gaze to her. "Didn't you hear what Eric had just said? Come on, let's go to the next room and have breakfast."

"He meant me too?" Amelia asked, her surprise evident in her voice. Did she hear him right?

When Lucian mentioned the two-people breakfast, she had thought that was for him and another person. She didn't expect that his invitation meant her.

To anyone else, the offer would have been tempting. Amelia hadn't had her breakfast yet, and last night, sleep had evaded her. The lack of sleep was evidently showing— she was listless and she had lost her appetite, as if her anxiety had taken up all the space inside her body.

"Let's go and have breakfast together." Lucian reached out to her, coaxing her with his gentle voice.

Amelia was hesitant. She was not used to such gestures and gave him an awkward smile. "I had already eaten at home."

Lucian frowned in displeasure at her answer. "I asked Lily. She told me that you left home today without having even a bite to eat." His voice dropped lower as he continued, "I hate when you lie."

"I, uhm..." Amelia was unable to conjure up an excuse for her lie. She hung her head silently as she felt shame wash over her. No matter how hard she tried to conjure up an excuse, she couldn't seem to find words to dilute the blow. She had been dishonest, and she would only be more shameless if she tried to cover it up with another deceit.

Sighing, Lucian walked closer to her and led her by the arm to the office next door. A feast had been laden on the table, with all sorts of dishes lined up one after another. Amelia raised a hand to her empty stomach and sat down, settling with a bowl of millet porridge.

Lucian frowned at her choice for a meal. "Is that all? You didn't have breakfast today. Aren't you feeling hungry by now?"

He was becoming more and more upset with each passing minute. Lucian had already had breakfast himself, but knowing that Amelia hadn't yet, he had especially asked Eric to prepare all this. And yet she chose one meager and dull bowl of porridge. Lucian swallowed his disappointment and remained silent as she ate.

"I'm finished. I'm full now, so I'll go first." Amelia got up quickly and walked back to the office, not giving a dissatisfied Lucian a chance to stop her.

He watched her until she had disappeared from the door and turned to Eric. "Are you 100% sure that it was Jonny who drove Mrs. Amelia to the company this morning?" he asked seriously.

"Yes, sir. I am certain it was Mr. Jonny. Although, I did notice something odd. The car stopped ten meters away from the company. One would think he was avoiding someone," Eric reported carefully.

Shadows crossed over Lucian's features as he listened. This was the worst. Looking at the untouched dishes on the table, he said coldly, "Take that away."

Only a brief moment passed when Lucian came into the office. Amelia had assumed that he would be taking longer to have his breakfast, but she had been wrong.

Swiftly, she turned her eyes to her desk and bent over it, avoiding him. 'Be calm. Act natural,' she said to herself, trying her best to keep things normal.

Lucian sat down on his own desk and glanced at her. There she was, working with such attention on her tasks one would think paperwork was a matter of life-and-death. He said indifferently, "I don't have any scheduled meeting this morning. You can go to the backroom and have some rest."

Amelia momentarily paused from what she was doing but said quickly, "It doesn't matter. I'll stay anyway." She gave him a small smile, still as awkward as the first one earlier. By this time, she had grown accustomed to her nerves. Hoping it would lighten her worries, she took a sip of ginger tea.

That distant, lifeless smile blew the fuse. "That wasn't a request, Amelia," he said, his voice hoarse with restrained anger. She had been testing his patience for far too long now.

These cold words of his did not hide Lucian's anger from Amelia. However, she chose to feign innocence as she proceeded to work. A few minutes later and he had still not said anything. The room was stifling with the weight of the tense silence that had passed over them. Amelia continued sorting out the items on the table until there was nothing left to do.

Holding her breath, she stole a glance at Lucian and saw him browsing some documents. He seemed calmer now. Thinking that he had already forgotten what he told her to do, Amelia let out a quiet sigh of relief. She took her phone and decided to browse the internet to kill time, if only to kill her lethargy.

"Bang Bang Bang..." The silence was broken with a heavy knock on the door. "Come in," Lucian said.

The door opened to the sight of Eric, cautiously stepping inside. "Mr. Lucian, Mr. Jonny is here," he announced.

"Mr. Jonny?" At the mention of the man's name, Amelia whirled her head to Lucian's direction. Two pairs of eyes met. She had no idea what was going on and she certainly had not expected this.

"Send him in." Lucian kept his eyes on Amelia as he answered, smiling at her almost mockingly. He couldn't help but feel gratified at the sight of her wide eyes. She had put him through a lot of trouble today. It was payback time.

Amelia could not for the life of her decipher what he meant with that smile. She was the first to cut off their gazes, lowering her head as her heartbeat picked up its pace.

"Lucian, it's always a pleasure to see you." Jonny's voice sounded from the door, as bright and warm as the sunshine in spring.

Amelia raised her head and smiled in greeting. It was a courtesy. Jonny turned around and nodded, returning the gesture.

However, the otherwise ordinary exchange seemed to have captured Lucian's eyes differently. His grin had disappeared and a vague, unreadable expression was in his eyes, as if he was conflicted about something.

"Jonny, I thought you were busy. I didn't expect you to come so soon. How's everything going?" He stood up, and the two men shook hands. Then, Lucian pointed to the leather sofa and said, "Have a seat."

As she watched, Amelia was wondering whether she should make a cup of tea. Her question was quickly answered the next minute when Lucian said, "Amelia, could you make a cup of coffee for Jonny, please?"

"Alright. It'll only be a minute," she answered. Her cheeks burned with an embarrassment she couldn't place.

After some small talk, Lucian had diverted the conversation to ask about Jonny's personal life out of nowhere. His words had been friendly, but his tone had the undercurrents of malice, as if he was implying something else.

Amelia walked in and gently set the cup of coffee down in front of Jonny. "Here you go. Enjoy your coffee," she said politely.

Jonny chuckled as he reached for the cup. "Amelia, you will surely do great in a café," he remarked casually.