Under the dim streetlights, the man with a well-built figure wrapped his arms around the petite woman, giving her a deep kiss.
Amelia was forced to raise her chin to meet his frantic, wanton kiss, and stared at him lightly with her clear and bright eyes.
"James."
Taking advantage of the moment his lips parted slightly, Amelia took the opportunity to push him away.
"What are you doing?"
When James, who was immersed in the kiss, heard her question, he immediately held back the desire in him.
"I'm sorry."
He let go of her slender waist and took a step back, trying to distance himself from her but happened to stumble a little.
Fortunately, there was a car behind him, which allowed him to lean against the sturdy door...
The headaches he had been suffering from over the past few days made him couldn't help raising his fingers, wanting to rub his temples to ease the pain.
Despite that, when he saw the woman in front of him, he raised his hand to touch her short hair instead.
He resisted the piercing pain and said to her in a hoarse voice, "Amelia, the car is for you. I'm not taking it back. It doesn't matter if you don't want to drive it now. When you do, you can."
After he finished speaking, he quickly withdrew his fingers and took out the car key before placing it in her palm. He murmured, "I'll go back first. You should rest early. I will come pick you up tomorrow."
As for what he was picking her up for, he didn't say. He just braced himself, turned around, and speedily walked toward the other end of the villa.
Without even daring to turn his head, he opened the car door and got into the car. He hurriedly grabbed a bottle of painkillers. and dumped a few pills out before swallowing them.
Having calmed down a little, he raised his eyelashes and looked through the window at the woman who was still standing in front of the car. She was looking at him from afar.
When he saw her, he suddenly remembered something. He took out his phone, and sent her a message.
"Amelia, open the trunk."
He had put on a good act. Amelia couldn't tell that anything was wrong with him; she just thought that he had walked away so quickly because he was worried that she wouldn't accept the car.
She stood where she was, staring at him, thinking about how to return the car to him. While she was thinking about it, her phone vibrated.
She opened it and glanced at the text. After being dazed for two seconds, she went around to the back of the car, picked up the car key and unlocked the trunk.
It slowly lifted up and the scent of roses wafted into her nostrils. A light pink bouquet immediately came into view.
Amelia stared at the bouquet of flowers blankly for a while, then slowly lowered her eyelashes to hide the sadness that was quietly stained in her eyes.
She raised her hand and touched the beautiful flowers.
Once upon a time, she had asked him for light pink roses.
However, he had told her that she didn't deserve them.
The moment she saw that bouquet, her eyes suddenly watered.
She raised her head and forced back her tears, looking at the car parked in the distance.
She didn't dare go over and question him. She just picked up her phone and sent him a message.
"If I don't deserve them, why are you giving them to me?"
James, who was in the car, stopped rubbing his temples. With trembling fingers, he typed his response.
"It represents someone's first love. I used to be jealous that your first love was Ryan, not me."
Upon seeing that, the doubt in Amelia's red rimmed eyes gradually dissipated.
When she was about to put down her phone, she received another message from him.
"My first love is you, Amelia."
From beginning to end, he was only hers. She was the only one.
Amelia stared at the message on the screen for a long time, then picked up the bouquet of flowers. She took the keys of the Koenigsegg Gemera four-seater sports car and passed by James' car.
She didn't stop, walking all the way into the villa holding the flowers he had gifted her.
James stared at her back, and a faint smile gradually appeared on his pale face.
Amelia returned to the bedroom. She brought two vases and took out the flowers in the bouquet one by one before putting them into the vases.
After doing so, she turned around and opened the closet to take out a set of pajamas before going to the bathroom to take a quick bath and hurried to the study.
She sat down at the desk, turned on her phone, and signed up for a French language class.
Because she couldn't read French, she ended up getting deceived by Jessica in Washington, so she had to work hard to pick up the language.
She used to be talented with languages back in school. Relying on what her teachers had taught her as well as what she had studied in her own free time, she could speak Spanish fluently.
Back then, her mind was calm and she was able to concentrate on studying. However, too many things ended up happening later on, and she could no longer keep her mind free of distractions.
Ever since she had taken over my sister's company, her architectural design skills had improved, and everything was developing in a good direction.
Thus, she needed to calm down and seize every minute and every second so that she could try her best to make up for her own shortcomings.
Those without a powerful background had no choice but to develop by themselves and become better people.
Amelia put away her chaotic thoughts. She called the owner of the gold jewelry shop and asked him for a pair of golden slippers as well as a pair of golden hand sculptures.
Right then, the National Space Administration was funding her project with about 10 million dollars. It was enough to repay Neil for the favor he had done her.
If not for his "eloquent" and "careful" teaching over the past couple of months, she wouldn't have improved so fast.
After finishing all of that, Amelia turned on the computer. She clicked on various construction-related software, and self-study videos.
She was a design student, so she had learned how to use all those software in school. She only had to review the process a few times, and she should be able to remember it.
She was rushing to complete a project at that moment, and all she had was a sketch. After completing her sister's projects, she had to continue taking on other projects as well.
Since that was the case, she had to go through the entire process from sketches to post-production renderings. That way, she could grasp every link faster and more clearly.
She continued studying until ten o'clock. In an attempt to take care of her eyes, she turned off the computer right on time, then got up and went back to the bedroom to rest.
The next morning, her phone on the bedside table vibrated, waking her who was in a light sleep.
She fumbled for the phone, glanced at it in a daze, and saw a message from James.
He asked, "Are you awake, Amelia?"
Amelia, who was under the blanket, turned over and typed while lying on her stomach.
"I'm up."
He responded, "I'll pick you up at nine o'clock."
Amelia saw that it wasn't nine yet, so she put down her phone, closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
However, Mandy was knocking on the door. "Dr. Cobb is here, Ms. Garcia."
Even if Amelia didn't want to get up, she had no choice but to do so.
"Mandy, tell Stella to wait for me in the living room for a while."
Mandy gave an affirmative response. Amelia lifted the quilt and got up quickly.
After cleaning herself up in the bathroom, she changed into a white shirt and light blue jeans.
Then, she pulled her shoulder-length hair to the top of the head and used a rubber band to tie it into a bun.
Her clean and fresh face reflected in the mirror looked a bit playful and lovely.
She applied some lipstick, then hurriedly picked up her pace and walked downstairs to the living room.
Seeing her coming down, Stella handed the box of medicine to Amelia.
"This contains half a month's worth of traditional medicine. I've prepared and packed them into pouches. You should avoid taking them with modern medicine. Take one pouch in the morning, afternoon and at night."
After Amelia took it, she said gratefully, "Thank you, Stella."
Stella waved her hands. She raised her watch and looked at the time.
"Amelia, I'm going abroad for an academic seminar for the next few days. If you have any abnormal reactions after taking the medicine, just call me. I'll send a doctor over to you."
Once Stella was done giving instructions, she anxiously continued before Amelia even got a chance to speak.
"I have a flight to catch, so I'll need to get going now."
Amelia hurriedly put the box on the table and grabbed Stella's arm.
"I'll see you out."
The two walked across the garden together. After stepping out of the villa, Amelia saw a Bentley parked at the door.
In front of the car door stood a man in a light gray suit with a clean appearance.
He had a gentle temperament and a good looking face. He looked young as if he had just graduated from university.
When he saw the two coming out, he looked at Amelia politely. His gaze was clear, and when he turned to Stella, his eyes lit up.
Amelia quickly caught on to what was going on, flashing a meaningful smile as she glanced at Stella.
"Who is this?"
Stella was older than Amelia, so she was not embarrassed at all. Instead, she introduced Henrry to Amelia.
"A doctor in my hospital, Henry Brown."
After introducing him, she said to Henry, "This is my good friend, Amelia Garcia."
Henrry flashed a gentle smile and stretched out a friendly hand toward Amelia. "Hello."
As soon as Amelia raised her hand to shake it, Stella stopped her.
"Stop. I don't want to be hunted down by Mr. Evans."
Initially, Amelia wanted to make fun of Stella, but she didn't expect the tables to be turned yet again.
She didn't know what to say so she had to retract her fingers in an embarrassed manner. She gave Henry a slight nod. "Hello."
After a brief meeting, Stella told Amelia, "Amelia, Dr. Brown and I are going to catch our flight now."
"Okay," Amelia replied. When she saw Henry opening the door to the passenger's seat for Stella, and then carefully fastening her seat belt, Amelia was a little confused.
The two of them seemed to be more than just colleagues, especially Henry, who was looking at Stella with desire staining his gentle gaze.
Stella, on the other hand, was going abroad to hold a seminar with Henry alone. Obviously, she wanted to give Henry a chance to pursue her. What about Erin, then?
What would happen if Erin found out?
Amelia stood at the entrance of the villa for a while before James' car pulled up in front of her.
He rolled down the car window. Sunlight poured into the car, revealing his well-defined face with a pair of black sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Amelia couldn't see the look in his eyes as he tilted his head to look at her.
He pushed the door open and got out of the car. His tall and stalwart figure dwarfed Amelia.
Through the sunglasses, he lowered his gaze and carefully looked at the woman in front of him, who was the embodiment of pure desire.
"Amelia, today, you...."
He bent down and tilted his head slightly, leaning close to her ear. In a charming voice, he muttered, "You look beautiful."
Amelia raised her hand to cover her ears, blocking his scorching breath with the back of her hand.
"You... Can you stop getting so close every time you speak? It's not like I can't hear you clearly..." she grumbled.
His thin, pursed lips slowly curled up into a grin.
He affectionately rubbed her round head as he commented, "Your hair has grown longer."
It wouldn't be long until he could see her with waist-length hair.
Hopefully, he would live long enough to see it.
He grabbed Amelia's hand, who didn't say a word, and opened the passenger door to let her get in the car. He took out a bouquet of flowers from the trunk and handed it to her.
When Amelia saw the beautiful roses, she raised her eyes and looked at James.
"Didn't you give these to me yesterday?"
The man handed the flowers to her, and whispered, "From now on, I'll give you a bouquet every day."
As long as he was still alive, he would give her a bouquet every day until the end of time.
After quietly observing for a few seconds, Amelia reached out to receive the flowers from him.
She held the flowers in her arms and side-eyed the man wearing sunglasses, who had yet to take them off.
"What's wrong with your eyes?"
It wasn't sumrner, so the sun wasn't that strong. There was no need to wear sunglasses to block the glare when driving, but he still did, which was rather strange..
Hearing this, James said calmly, "I didn't sleep well, so my eyes are a little red. I thought you might get a shock if you saw it."
Amelia's hand, which was holding his, tightened slightly. However, she still didn't have the courage to take off his sunglasses.
James took out an insulated container from the glove box and handed it to Amelia.
"Here's breakfast."
Amelia glanced at the insulated container, then at James.
"Did you make it?"
He nodded slightly as he opened up the container. He questioned, "There's porridge, as well as some pastries. Which would you like first?"
To tell the truth, the porridge he made wasn't that good, so Amelia's eyes fell on the pastries.
James noticed her skipping past the porridge, and immediately understood that the porridge he had made was not good enough.
He took one of the pastries with a small fork and handed it to Amelia. Then, he took a spoonful of porridge and put it in his mouth.
Seeing the way his expressions had changed slightly and his thick eyebrows subtly raised, Amelia couldn't help but smile.
"Mr. Evans, maybe you should give up on cooking."
When he caught a glance of that smile, it made the terrible porridge taste much better.
"Okay. I won't cook anymore."
He was too confident earlier, so he didn't even bother taste testing his porridge. He didn't expect it to be so unpalatable. As for Amelia...
He looked at Amelia, who was eating the pastries and drinking milk.
"If it's so bad, why did you eat all of it the last time?"
Amelia lightly took a sip of the milk lightly without answering. Instead, she changed the topic and asked him, "Where are you taking me?"
James refused to fall for it, and his gaze under the sunglasses was fixed on her. "Was it because I made it?"
Amelia raised her eyes and gave him a look that implied he was being delusional. She then lowered her head and concentrated on eating breakfast.
James smiled a little. He started the car, reversed it with one hand and drove away from the villa before steadily making his way toward the shopping mall.
Behind the cool sports car, dozens of luxury cars all drove into the most luxurious shopping mall in Arcadia.
James opened the car door. Being a gentleman, he led Amelia out of the car and held her hand in front of the passing crowd.
Amelia saw a lot of people staring at them. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she wanted to shake off James' hand, but he refused to let go.
He leaned over slightly and whispered in her ear, "Amelia, this is what I owe you."
Amelia raised her head and looked at his tall figure. "What?"
While leading her to the mall, James replied, "Being open about our relationship."
During those five years, she had been hiding in the dark and could not see the light. From then on, he wanted her to live proudly.
He brought Amelia to the jewelry area. All he did was ask if there was anything she liked.
Amelia said no so he asked the shop assistant to send the latest collection of diamond jewelry to the villa without asking any further questions.
The shop assistant glanced at Amelia with envy, then replied respectfully, "Yes, Mr. Evans..."
Amelia, who was led out of the jewelry area by James, stared at his back in a daze.
He was sending her cars, flowers, and accessories. Was he going to send her clothes next?
As Amelia expected, James took her to a clothing department selling haute couture garments. This time, he didn't even ask for Amelia's opinion and directly asked the shop assistant to pack up a bunch of clothes.
Seeing the shop assistants frantically helping her pack clothes, shoes, and bags, Amelia rubbed her forehead in helplessness.
She lowered her head and looked at James, who was kneeling on one knee and helping her try on a pair of crystal high heels. "Who taught you all these tricks?"
Considering James' personality, she found it out of character for him to be doing things like this. Someone must have been teaching him all these.
James paused for a moment with his finger on the shoe, and slowly looked up at her.
"Paul."
Amelia gasped. She bent down and looked into the eyes through the sunglasses.
"Next time, don't believe what he says," she warned.
When she suddenly got closer, the fragrance of roses as well as her own scent faintly flowed into his nostrils.
Her warm breath fanned out on his cheeks, like an electric current passing by. He felt so numb that he forgot to breathe.
His stare was fixated on her red lips, and the images that flashed through his mind made his face heat up subtly.
Considering James' personality, she found it out of character for him to be doing things like this. Someone must have been teaching him all these.
James paused for a moment with his finger on the shoe, and slowly looked up at her. "Paul."
Amelia gasped. She bent down and looked into the eyes through the sunglasses.
"Next time, don't believe what he says," she warned.
When she suddenly got closer, the fragrance of roses as well as her own scent faintly flowed into his nostrils.
Her warm breath fanned out on his cheeks, like an electric current passing by. He felt so numb that he forgot to breathe.
His stare was fixated on her red lips, and the images that flashed through his mind made his face heat up subtly.
Amelia couldn't quite see the expression in the man's eyes, but she saw that the tips of his ears were gradually turning red.
She froze for a moment and wanted to straighten herself back up, but saw him lift his chin and kiss her red lips.
The shop assistant next to them, who was holding several pairs of shoes, got excited upon seeing that and shot a meaningful look at his coworkers.
He was silently yelling at them to look at James and Amelia.
Immediately, many pairs of eyes turned around simultaneously to watch them secretly. People began to gossip.
"Is that Mr. Evans' girlfriend?"
"She seems more like his secret wife."
"I'm so envious..."
Hearing that, James straightened up and made an open announcement.
"I'm still pursuing her. In the future, she will be my wife," he declared.
The shop assistants were even more worked up than ever when they saw the usually cold and noble man James was actually talking to them.
"I wish you get to marry her as soon as possible, Mr. Evans!!"
Having received their good wishes, James put on a smile and asked them to wrap up all the clothes in the store.
Amelia hurriedly stopped him and protested, "That's too many. I can't wear them all, and they are too expensive..."
James caressed her head and affectionately replied, "It's my sister, Rebecca's shopping mall, so it doesn't cost me any money."
Rebecca, who had been standing outside the door for a long time, raised her elegant eyebrows when she heard that.
"James..."
Amelia looked away from James to glance at the woman who was walking in.
She was wearing an haute couture gown with waist-length wavy curls and delicate makeup.
She was tall and slender, exuding a noble and elegant aura all over.
Standing next to James, she appeared to be only half a head shorter than him.
They were like two sculptures as they stood side by side. They looked so flawless that they appeared to have been carved by God.
Amelia had seen her before at the mall. She witnessed Rebecca holding James' arm and getting into the car together.
She didn't know Rebecca, but when Rebecca called James in such a familiar manner, she could tell that the two were very close.
She thought they had something important to talk about, so she stood up self-consciously, intending to excuse herself. Despite that, James grabbed her wrist.
After doing so, he held her tightly in his arms, then faced Rebecca and nodded politely to her.
"Rebecca."
Amelia was stunned. In disbelief, she glanced at James, and then at the smiling Rebecca.
She was the sister he mentioned moments ago?
Didn't that mean she had misunderstood them last time?
Rebecca didn't even look at James. Her gentle eyes scanned Amelia in front of her.
Seeing that the girl was pure, with a clear and kind light in her eyes, she was very satisfied and nodded.
"Ms. Garcia, you must have suffered a lot because of my brother."
Like a big sister, she took Amelia's pale hand and patted the back of it gently.
"You've gone through too much," she added.
Those words gradually warmed Amelia's heart. She was a little moved, but also a little surprised. She looked at Rebecca.
"I know everything about what happened between you two," Rebecca explained.
She looked at James who was standing at the side and looking at the woman in his arms the whole time.
"Hurry up and marry her."
After Rebecca said that, she waved her hand at the shop assistant.
"The limited-edition haute couture gown by Mr. Edison is a gift for Ms. Garcia."
Mr. Edison was a world-renowned fashion designer. There was no way Amelia could afford a dress made by him, so she hurriedly waved her hands.
"Ms. Evans, you don't have to..."
Faced with her refusal, Rebecca smiled gracefully without saying anything. All she did was turn around and take the gift bag from the shop assistant.
After she handed the bag to James, she told Amelia, "I hope that you can wear this dress to the Evans family's banquet next time."
Rebecca had shown up just to meet Amelia. Having met her, she thus spun around and left.
Looking at her graceful and composed back, Amelia, who was so nervous that her heart leapt to her throat, gradually relaxed...
She thought that the members of the Evans family would despise her, look down on her, and even speak ill of her, just like Sherry.
Unexpectedly, James' eldest sister was so gentle and elegant, without any arrogance whatsoever.
Even if she did, it was only because of the way she had been raised in a rich family, as well as the way she viewed the world, which was saturated by the knowledge she had obtained.
James lowered his head and asked, "Amelia, when will you come back to the Evans family's house with me for the family dinner?"
Amelia raised her clear eyes to stare at his flawless face and thought to herself, "In the future."
At that moment, she had yet to reach a position where she could be a proper match for him and attend the Evans family's banquet.
He didn't get a response from her, but she reached out and took the paper bag in his hand, indicating that she agreed.
James put his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him, and lifted her chin.
"Amelia, I'll wait for you."
Amelia, who was nestled in his arms, smiled faintly.
"Shall we go?"
He witnessed her subtle smile, which was sultry like a rose. It was as if the clouds and mist in his eyes had dispersed, leaving only the moonlight.
"I like your smile, Amelia," he confessed.
His thin lips curved slightly and his voice was full of joy.
He loosened his grip on her waist, interlocked their fingers, and led her away from the shopping mall.
Amelia thought that the trip would be over once they were done shopping, but he took her to the beach after that.
It was impossible to tell where the sea ended and the sky began.
The clouds were reflected on the sea surface, emitting a clear
blue light, which was endless as far as the eye could see.
The sea breeze was blowing, lifting the hair on one's temples, causing it to sway with the wind. There were seagulls in the distance that stopped on the beach, coming and going as they pleased.
A man with a tall figure was holding hands with a slender woman as they walked quietly on the beach....
The sun shone on the two of them, drawing long shadows that overlapped and separated behind them.
James lowered his eyes and glanced at Amelia, who was looking down and kicking at the fine gravel. The smile on his lips gradually grew bigger.
He took out his phone, opened up the camera, and took a photo of their interlocked hands under the golden light.
Amelia looked up just in time to see James taking the picture, her expression slightly awkward.
"Are you... taking pictures of the scenery?"
James put down his phone and stared closely at the woman in front of him through his sunglasses.
"To me, the most beautiful scenery is you."
Amelia was stunned for a moment, as if she didn't expect that James would use his phone to take pictures of her.
In the past, she had wanted to keep some memories and summoned up the courage to ask him to take a picture of her, but...
He had refused.
Right then, he took the initiative to take pictures of her, which gave Amelia's indescribable feelings.
James was making up for the love she didn't get and the things she wanted in the past...
Amelia raised her chin slightly, facing the glare of the sun, and looked at the man who had his back facing the sun.
"Thank you, James..."
She was thanking him for healing her old scars, and for making up for past regrets.
James' drooping eyelashes trembled slightly, but he didn't say much.
He squeezed the phone tightly and asked, "Amelia, let's take a photo together, okay?"
They had known each other for eight years. It was a pity that they had not one picture together.