Since She Met Lucian

Amelia's heart brimmed with joy when she heard the news about Courtney falling in love. It was a very delightful thing that it felt as though her heart shone in a shroud of mist.

She believed that relationships give someone an opportunity to start anew. A good woman like Courtney deserved a new beginning. Amelia hoped that Courtney's fortunate meeting with the man would no longer endanger her from the painful throes of heartbreak. She wished that this man would make Courtney feel safe and secured.

Now it reminded her of her own situation. Amelia frowned. With the anguish in her heart, she couldn't muster the will to give Lucian a call for the second time and ask him questions. The conflict between them would have made their relationship stronger if they gave it a chance.

After a series of failures in her attempt to land on a job, Amelia thought of throwing in the towel with the job interviews left. She entertained the idea of possibly working in a flower shop or a bakeshop. It was honestly not so bad if one thought about it. After all, she wouldn't have to work so much.

No matter how much Lucian interfered with these business enterprises, he wouldn't be able to pay much attention to them all. As a result, Amelia soon found a job.

She got herself a position in a small milk tea shop. The interior was visually pleasing with all the potted succulents and wooden floor and furniture.

As the shop clerk, she had responsibilities to deal with such as keeping the shop tidy and preparing desserts and milk tea for the customers.

Her boss was a 40-year-old woman. If she didn't mention her age, Amelia would have thought that she was in her early 30s. The way her boss dressed brought out the youth in her features.

Her taste in clothing was cozy yet fashionably modern, like those in boutiques. She sported a neatly kept braid, and wore a lovely pleated floral skirt. Her smile brought out the glow of her beauty.

Her name was Carlotta Xiong. Amelia thought her beautiful name suited to a woman as elegant as her.

Throughout the day, Amelia spent most of the time learning how to concoct different blends served in the shop. She made sure to take note every detail of the process so it would retain to memory. She was astoundingly a quick learner, and this didn't come as a surprise as she used to help Courtney with this thing before. With the constant guidance she received in her training, she got the hang of making drinks in no time. Every drink she managed to make was praised by Carlotta until the last drop.

"Amelia, you seem to have a talent for this! I thought I would need to teach you for a week. Looking at your current progress, I could entrust the whole shop to you tomorrow." Carlotta beamed an excited grin. She then sighed in relief and said, "I am the sole owner of several other establishments. Managing them all by myself is difficult."

Amelia gave the interior of the shop another look, appreciating the aesthetic that emanated from it. Her eyes landed on the decorative black board with the shop's name written in intricate calligraphy. "One Meter Sunshine," she whispered softly as she read. There were various kinds of succulent plants placed in front of the shop. Each pot was plastered with a label saying "Not For Sale". Ornamental dried plants hanged fittingly on the wall. The polished wooden floor and tables were decorated with lovely cherry flowers. Everything looked simple yet sophisticated.

To work in a cozy environment as this put her in a good mood all day. Not only did she acquire a new skill, but she also found love and joy in what she was doing. The job didn't feel like "work" at all.

"Don't worry, Carlotta. I'll try to get better at this as soon as possible," Amelia promised with a reassuring smile.

"I'm not worried about that. You're a smart woman," Carlotta said with a smile in return. "Usually, it takes about ten days to fifteen days for anybody to learn all my exclusive blends," she added.

and asked, "Okay, if it wasn't that, then what were you worried about?" Then she queried further, "Are you worried that I might not make it to the shop on time by myself? Or

customers in the shop. From 3 PM to 10 PM, the shop would be most crowded. Because of this, she chose to work on a 2 PM to 10 PM shift. This way, she could still get enough

more time to prepare herself for the day

how they work around here. I'm just—," Carlotta paused to gather herself. "I'm just worried that you might turn out like the rest who resigned so soon. I don't think I can bear to go through another hiring process again," she muttered with her clenched hand pressed to her chest.

help but chuckle. "Don't worry, Carlotta. I

watering the plants

in her womb, Amelia only had the baby's well-being as her top priority. No matter what the pregnancy guides told her

these plants all by myself. I placed them by the door in order to attract attention of our customers. I also hope they bring

on it. She then browsed the shop's logbook and started sorting out some tasks for tomorrow. She gave it an hour to study and organize them. After concluding everything with a triumphant

a lot to talk about in

bike her way along the road. As soon as she snapped back to reality, she realized that she

turn and everyday was just her drifting lifelessly into the huge waves of grief and sadness. Mourning over her was not easy. It felt as if dark rain clouds shrouded over her life. Sometimes, she couldn't find the will to live. Other times, she couldn't find the point

and help, she wouldn't be able to cope with the loss. She would've developed depression and

clear bright blue sky.

was kind enough to end her shift early. "Well, it's your first day on the job. I only need you to be familiar with how things work around here," Carlotta chimed with a smile. Then she added, "But starting tomorrow and the succeeding days, the real work

very distance, a shady male figure followed her trail. He tried to approach her closely. In fear of being discovered, he hid behind a thick street post, and then at a street corner. He dashed silently

until she arrived at the courtyard of her house. She stopped in her steps midway and gave the house a good look. It was completely dark. Amelia wondered where her landlady was. Suddenly, her phone rang. She checked her phone screen and saw Mrs. Chen's name as the

around this time of the day already, but it was so dark from the courtyard. It

worried if the

you?" Amelia asked with

I'm watching a TV show at an old friend's house. We haven't seen each other for a long time, so we'll be hanging out for the night. I won't be

it turned out to be that case, Amelia gave a huge sigh

that Lucian wouldn't do anything to harm the landlady, she

used her phone screen's brightness as her torch. Suddenly, her phone got snatched from her grasp in a split second. She yelped in surprise and took a step

longer in her hand. Panic began to rise in her. The abrupt turn of events left her still and silent

of the switch, the light blinked and

panicked state and a surge of relief calmed her nerves. But standing right in front of her was a handsome man she never wanted to see again.