Chapter 7

It was early summer, and the evening breeze was still a little chilly.

With my electric moped, I took Amelia down a mess of old streets and narrow alleys. I sped up on purpose so that she would hold me tighter.

Her body was soft, pressed closely against my back. I could even feel the subtle curves of her figure. She smelled so good. Even her breath was intoxicating enough to make my mind wander.

How I wished I could freeze time, keeping us at that very moment. That way, it would feel as though Amelia were truly mine.

"This has been an extremely satisfying day, Lia. Thank you."

I meant those words from the bottom of my heart. Words couldn't describe how good I felt whenever I recalled the way Tristan looked when he saw Amelia being intimate with me. Never in his wildest nightmares would he have possibly imagined that his fiancee would end up getting involved with me.

"I'm glad you're happy," Amelia replied with a hint of joy in her voice. "It feels so good to feel the wind blowing against my face. It even smells like freedom!"

I understood what she meant. In her world, marriages were often an arrangement between two families. There was no freedom when it came to choosing who to marry.

"Thank you for giving me a taste of freedom, Nathan," Amelia said, her laughter ringing like the clear, melodious chiming of bells.

I deliberately slowed down, wanting to feel her holding me for a little longer. How could I not be attracted to such a vibrant and beautiful woman?

We were pressed against each other as we weaved through the city. A kind of intimacy seemed to come to life between us. For a moment, I felt as though she and I were impossibly close together.

When we rode up to Amelia's luxury apartment, an uninvited guest was already waiting at the gate—Tristan.

He had a huge bouquet of roses in his hands and a cigarette between his lips, his gaze constantly flicking around.

"Tristan? What are you doing here?" Amelia's smile vanished, her expression darkening in displeasure.

Tristan's eyes nearly popped out when he saw me helping Amelia down from the moped. His face screamed disbelief.

"Get your filthy hands off her, Nathan!"

Tristan rushed over at once, but I'd scared the living daylights out of him with the thrashing I previously gave him, so he dared not raise his hand against me.

Instead, he said to Amelia, "Lia, everything that happened tonight was just a big misunderstanding, I swear. Elaine is nothing but some lowly bitch who's been hounding me. I've been meaning to get rid of her for ages now. You're the only one in my heart!"

While speaking, he tried to hand her the bouquet of roses he was holding.

Amelia stepped back, avoiding him completely. Expression icy, she declared, "You don't get to call me Lia, Tristan! Do we even know each other?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but her tone was irrefutably authoritative. I reveled on the inside after hearing what she said. She just made it clear that Tristan couldn't call her Lia, but she wanted me to use that nickname.

This proved that she was allowing me to get closer to her. I couldn't help but stare at the beautiful Amelia…

Tristan's face contorted with a mix of embarrassment and sulk, but he refused to give up. "Li—Ms. Shaw! We have a marital arrangement that both our families have agreed to. How can you be involved with a man like him?"

At last, he set his sights on me, his eyes blazing with vengeful anger as he jabbed his finger at me, all the while talking to Amelia. "Look at him! He's nothing but a penniless beggar whose only ride is some lousy moped! How is he good enough for you? I'm sure he has ulterior motives for approaching you. He's just after your money!"

"That's enough!" Amelia snapped, her voice soon turning mocking and cold. "The marital arrangement is nothing but a piece of paper to me. In my eyes, it means absolutely nothing. You think he's not good enough for me?"

She abruptly looked at me with a tender gaze and continued, "At the very least, he was able to earn 500 thousand dollars in a single day on his own merit. He's a bold and decisive man who's unafraid of being true to his feelings.

"He's a genuine man who would never act like some pathetic dog who shows up out of nowhere, wagging his tail pitifully as he pins all of the blame onto a woman!"

Amelia turned back to Tristan, her gaze now as sharp as a dagger. "As for you, what else are you capable of, besides living off your family's wealth and relying on your family background to bully everyone else around you?

"Tristan, take your flowers and leave. Get your disgusting face out of my sight!"

It was the first time I had seen Amelia truly angry. Her words cut Tristan like a knife, the humiliation clear in his expression, but he refused to give up.

"You have a lot of misunderstandings about me, Lia. I can change all of that. I'll do anything for you. Just give me a chance!"

"Get lost!" Amelia snapped, instantly destroying all of Tristan's pride and dignity.

He stood frozen, still clutching the roses as all the color drained from his face. Despite witnessing how forlorn he looked, I was devoid of pity, feeling nothing but mockery for him.

I walked up to Amelia and stood beside her before saying curtly to Tristan, "Didn't you hear her, Tristan? Hurry up and get lost!"

Tristan whipped his head up. After taking in Amelia's cold, expressionless face, he pointed at me and roared, "Just you fucking wait, Nathan. I'll make you pay for this!"

He threw the roses onto the ground.

"I'll be waiting!" I said before taking Amelia's hand and leading her toward the apartment.

As we walked past Tristan, I said smugly, "Get the hell out of the way. Lia and I need to go home."