Since She Met Lucian

Chapter 91 The Mysterious Man's Idea

"What you're doing is illegal, sir!" Amelia protested. She scanned the place where the strange men took her but wouldn't go forward for fear of what she'd find in the dark. She stubbornly sat down on the ground, signaling to the men that she was going to stay put.

This didn't do much as the men easily lifted her and pushed her inside the abandoned house.

"Ah!" Amelia screamed when the door clicked and swung open. The whole place was dead silent.

Amelia knelt on the floor. She didn't dare move, fearing what would happen next.

"Are you Amelia?" A voice came out of the darkness. It was loud and reverberated in the room, making it sound weird and frightful for Amelia.

Despite her nerves, Amelia answered, "Yes. Who are you?"

She helplessly tried to make out figures in the darkness, searching for the man whose voice she was hearing. Amelia's heart was thumping loudly, but she tried her best to appear calm.

"It doesn't matter who I am. All you need to know is that I'm here to help you." Amelia could tell that the voice was coming from a man, but that was all she could tell about the person she was talking to. His voice sounded mysterious and cold.

"Help me?" Amelia asked, looking around in confusion. But whoever abducted her seemed like he had no intention of revealing himself. Only a stretch of darkness laid in front of her. "Stop playing mysterious and show yourself!" Amelia snapped.

A million possibilities of what might happen ran in her head. The threat to her safety had never felt more real. She could feel herself sweating bullets.

"Don't be afraid. I promise that we won't hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions," the man assured her. His voice sounded gentler but it didn't do anything to quell Amelia's fears. On the contrary, the darkness and silence that enveloped the area made her more and more scared.

"I don't even know who you are. Why should I answer your questions?" Amelia was scared, but she wouldn't easily give her captors what they wanted.

The man laughed. "You're very stubborn." The amusement died down in his voice when he continued, "Do you really want Zhan Group to survive the crisis?"

"Of course!" she answered without thinking. If anything, it was what she wanted the most.

"Are you really willing to give up Lucian for that cause?" The mysterious man asked the question she was least willing to answer herself.

Saying that she was willing to give up Lucian would be a lie. But saying that she was not willing to do so would not do Zhan Group any good.

"That's a question I will not answer," she retorted.

It seemed to Amelia that the man smiled just then. He continued, "As far as I know, Lucian doesn't want to accept any help from An Group, even if you're willing to trade him for it."

Amelia knew what Lucian was like. Once he'd made up his mind, it was difficult to make him change it.

If leaving him would not make Lucian accept An Group's offer, then Zhan Group would be a lost cause. She would have lost the love of her life for nothing.

"You seem to know a lot about An Group and Zhan Group. Who are you?" Amelia couldn't help but wonder why this man knew about what was happening between the two companies.

The mysterious man paused for a long time, after which he said, "Being too smart won't do you much good. Let's stop beating around the bush. If you really want to save Zhan Group, cut off your connection with Lucian completely!"

The man said that firmly. The patience in his voice was dangerously waning.

"I've already signed the divorce papers. I've been staying away from Lucian. Aren't those enough?" The memory of the harsh things she said to Lucian came back to haunt her. It broke her heart to imagine the pain she knew she caused him.

"These things only made him sad, but they won't make him change his mind, let alone marry Miss An," the man replied.

"What and how he thinks is beyond me. I can't make him think what you want him to think," Amelia said. She may have mixed feelings for Lucian, and it was undeniable that she was becoming sentimental every time Lucian was mentioned.

"Oh, I have an idea!" The man's voice boomed. "The young master of the An family doesn't have a wife nor a girlfriend. If you want to make Lucian hate you, you should consider marrying the young master. This way, Lucian would give up on you and marry Miss An."

"How could you think that?" Amelia answered in shock.

Jonny had helped her a lot in the years she'd known him. She regarded him as a brother. If there was any love between the two of them, it was definitely not romantic.

"Well, don't give me your final answer now. Think about it."

"Who the hell are you?" Amelia thought that the man could only be either from An Group or Zhan Group. "Do you work for An Group? Or..."

She didn't want to consider that the man worked for Lucian's family. Although thinking about how Fannie tried to commit suicide in Zhan Group to lure her out, she wouldn't easily dismiss the possibility of him being a Zhan Group employee.

"It doesn't matter who I am, Miss Mo. What matters is the future of Zhan Group. If you don't make the right decision, Zhan Group will go bankrupt within the week." The mysterious man's voice relaxed a bit. Amelia thought he even sounded delighted at the mention of Zhan Group's possible downfall. "I think the young master would be very happy to help you save your beloved company."

As soon as the man finished speaking, the iron doors of the abandoned house creaked open. Amelia saw two men carrying flashlights come in. It was the strange men who abducted her from Courtney's shop. "We'll drive you back, Miss Mo," one of the men said.

Amelia pulled herself up and followed the men outside. Getting into the car, she weighed the pros and cons of letting these men take her home. If she told them her address, they'd know where she lived.

They were driving downtown when Amelia asked to be dropped off in front of a hotel.

"Will you be staying here tonight, Miss Mo?" one of the men asked.

Amelia didn't think it was any of their concern. She got out of the car but turned back before she could reach the hotel door. Amelia shouted at the dark man, "You better stop doing this. If you or your boss has anything to say to me, don't come scaring and abducting me in the middle of the night!" Amelia's clothes were damp with cold sweat. She felt her knees wobbling out of fear. The trauma of having been abducted was only just dawning on her.

She raised her voice to hide her panic.

It was already midnight and there was no one out in the streets. A taxi drove by every now and then but everywhere else, the city looked asleep. It was only the hotel that looked like it was still open for

business. The lights from its windows looked warm and inviting.

"Miss Mo, please forgive my offences tonight," the dark man apologized sincerely.

It was a gesture Amelia didn't expect.

Without saying anything, Amelia merely turned her back on the car and marched towards the hotel. She heard the car drive off but she didn't care. For the first time that night, she felt safe.

It would be Amelia's first night in a hotel. Walking across the lobby's marbled floor under the crystal chandeliers made her heart beat in excitement. The room was empty, save for the lady manning the front desk. She greeted her sweetly.

Amelia checked the price list on the counter and asked weakly, "How much is your cheapest room?"

"I'm sorry, Miss. All of our basic rooms have been booked for the night. But we have one deluxe suite left. Would that be okay?"

"Only one room left?" Amelia asked, frustrated.

"Yes. All the other rooms have been booked already," the lady answered patiently.

"How much for the deluxe suite?" Amelia asked nervously. She had already seen the price list and she knew all of the rooms were expensive. Nevertheless, she wanted to confirm the cost.

"Eight hundred and eighty-eight dollars," the lady replied.

Amelia calculated. If she took a taxi home that night, she'd have to pay one to two hundred dollars. But she didn't want to risk it. The strange men could still be out there. If she went home, they could definitely follow her.

She had to spend the night in the hotel for her own safety.

Amelia nodded weakly and took the card key. Once she got into her room, she immediately understood why the room was so expensive. The whole suite looked extravagant and classy. Amelia was pleasantly surprised.

The suite had two bedrooms and the beds looked soft and inviting. Exhausted, Amelia laid down without thinking. She had already gone through so much in just one night.

"Just enjoy yourself tonight, Amelia," she told herself. "We'll make up for this loss tomorrow." And with that, she doze off.

Amelia was woken up by her doorbell ringing the next morning.

She got up with a start and looked around the strange room. It took her a couple of seconds to remember that she checked in the hotel last night.

She wrapped herself in a robe and went to answer the door. She hadn't even washed her face or brushed her teeth. She opened the door and was shocked. It was Jonny. "How did you know I was here?" she asked.

Jonny was wearing a pinstripe suit. He answered with a gentle smile, "This hotel belongs to An Group. I've been asking for information on you, so as soon as you checked in, I knew that you were here."

"Oh..." Amelia smiled, happy to see Jonny. "I'm just going to clean myself up a bit."

"Okay. I'll wait for you at the hotel restaurant," Jonny replied.

Not wanting to make the situation any more awkward, Amelia nodded in agreement.

It took Amelia about ten minutes to freshen up. When she went downstairs, she found Jonny sitting at the bar, enjoying his cup of coffee. Seeing Amelia, he stood up and waved at her.

"You have to try their shrimp porridge. It's delicious! It's especially good for your stomach," Jonny said, pushing a bowl of hot porridge in front of her as soon as she sat down.

Amelia could only smile and accept.

"Amelia, I know that your life is your business, and I'd never want to intrude. But I've been your schoolmate for years and I've always thought of you as a little sister. I hope you know I'm here for you, especially in times of difficulty," Jonny said with a gentle smile. His eyes were full of concern.

Amelia took a spoonful of porridge. As she ate, she couldn't help but remember the mysterious man's advice to her last night. Seeing Jonny's charming smile, Amelia blushed and lowered her head.

She didn't want to make matters more complicated than they already were. Amelia was tired of thinking. For the first time in a long while, her mind was clear and she felt ashamed for it.