Chapter 93: Throwing Herself into His Arms
She walked in gracefully, carrying a delicate food container in her hand. She didn't close the door behind her and naturally made her way inside.
She placed the food container on the small dining table by the sofa, opened it, and took out the food items one by one, arranging them on the table.
James only glanced up when she came in, then lowered his head to continue working on his documents, treating her like just another subordinate delivering a late-night snack.
Amelia didn't mind his deliberate attempt to keep his distance. After finishing the arrangement, she stood up, walked over, and placed her hand directly over the documents in front of him.
"No matter how busy work gets, you need to eat first."
Amelia's tone wasn't affectionate—just a normal subordinate showing concern for her boss—but her actions carried a hint of intimacy.
James frowned slightly and looked up.
His displeased gaze met Amelia's tender eyes, and he was clearly taken aback for a moment.
His expression quickly returned to normal. Just as he was about to speak, Amelia withdrew her hand and beat him to it, her tone carrying a touch of caution as she gently explained.
"I treated the overtime staff to a late-night snack tonight. They mentioned you didn't eat much at dinner, so I ordered an extra portion. Was tonight's dinner that Aaron ordered not to your taste?"
At her concern, James's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
Amelia's voice softened even more as she continued, "James, your health is what matters most. Your stomach can't handle irregular meals—it's easy to develop stomach problems. Look at me now, if I skip a meal even slightly, my stomach gets uncomfortable."
As she spoke, she covered her stomach, her face showing discomfort.
James had suddenly adjusted the work schedule this morning.
For the next two weeks, he would need to work overtime to meet the deadline.
She didn't know the reason, but this gave her an opportunity.
"Alright." James looked at the uncomfortable Amelia, stood up, and said to her, "You should go back and eat."
Hearing this, Amelia used her eyes to direct his attention to the dining table. James followed her gaze and saw two sets of tableware.
James's advancing leg immediately stopped.
He turned to look at Amelia.
She sighed softly, looking at James with helpless eyes and said, "The door is open. There's nothing between us."
"Why do you avoid me like the plague? Don't you know your own charm? Among the female employees at the Smith Group, if not all of them, then eight or nine out of ten have had feelings for you. I'm just one of them. Are you going to make all of them leave the company just to avoid suspicion?"
"James, we're just having a meal together. There's really no need for you to be so tense."
He silently lifted his leg and walked toward the table.
Standing behind him, Amelia showed a triumphant smile.
By the time she sat across from him, she wore a gentle, natural smile again.
She first handed him utensils.
After he took them, she took the initiative to open the dishes—something she would never have done before.
The first dish was James's favorite steak.
Amelia opened it and sighed softly, "Smells so good. Their steak is still top quality."
"All these years, I haven't eaten it to maintain my figure, but this used to be my favorite dish when I was little."
"This is the trouble of growing up as a woman. James, I heard you love it too. Help me eat more of it—I'll satisfy my craving just by watching."
She didn't serve him the food, just pushed the steak a bit closer to him and continued opening the other dishes.
When James ate the steak for the third time, Amelia casually asked, "James, I remember you didn't used to like steak, did you?"
It's because of her, isn't it!
Because in his memory she especially loved eating it, that's why he now favors this dish.
Amelia knew this perfectly well but didn't point it out.
James paused slightly while serving himself, "People's tastes can change."
He had never said he didn't like steak—it was just that he couldn't have it at the Smith Villa when he was young.
Amelia didn't press further.
If he wanted to avoid it, let him avoid it.
Before long, he wouldn't be able to avoid it anymore.
……
Luxe Haven
James returned home exhausted and took a shower downstairs before heading upstairs.
He walked directly toward the master bedroom. His physical exhaustion could temporarily be relieved by holding Mia's soft body.
Even being intimate with her was his way of recharging.
He really enjoyed the feeling of being intimately merged together with her.
Images of countless intimate moments flashed through his mind, and James felt a tightness in his lower abdomen.
His hand gripped the doorknob and was about to turn it when he suddenly stopped.
He thought about Mia's intense reactions during their intimacy.
James sighed softly.
It was past ten. He didn't want to have a conflict with her over these things.
He had always had strong self-control, but when it came to Mia, it completely fell apart.
In front of Mia, his self-control had never been worth anything.
It was fine when he didn't touch her, but once he did, it was hard to control himself.
Before the three months were up, that string in his heart had been tightly wound.
But in Harmony City, when Mia took the initiative to get close to him, that string that had been wound too tight finally snapped.
Trying to wind it tight again was very difficult.
Holding her at night, it was hard for him to control himself.
Once he lost control...
After a moment, he silently withdrew his hand, turned around, and walked toward the guest room.
Just one more week. Robert would be transferred back, and he could arrange his work properly.
He'd take a few days off and take Mia to the beach she loved, let her relax.
These past few years, busy with work, she had always wanted him to accompany her on a trip.
Not work-related travel. Although they'd been to many places, the destinations only included hotels.
In the bedroom, Mia, who had just heard James come home and was about to turn on the light, heard him leave again.
Soon, the sound of the guest room door closing reached her ears.
Mia sat dumbly on the bed, staring at the master bedroom door.
After a long while, she lay back down.
She closed her eyes again, forcing herself to fall asleep.
Sleeping separately like this was actually good.
At least it saved him from suffering.
Though she comforted herself this way, the large bed without him felt increasingly empty.
……
This continued for several days in a row.
Early one morning, the maid was cleaning the rooms. Seeing that the two had slept separately again, she came downstairs with a worried look at Mia.
Mia, who was eating breakfast, looked up at the maid and reassured her, "We're fine."
"James has been rushing a project these past few days and working overtime. He comes home late at night and doesn't want to disturb my sleep, so he sleeps in the side bedroom."
"It'll be fine in a few more days."
Mia didn't know if she was saying this to the maid or to herself.
These past few evenings, Mia would receive calls from James.
He'd tell her he had to work overtime and would be home very late, asking her to eat dinner on her own and go to bed early.
His tone was as gentle as always.
……
At the Smith Group, after finishing his call with Mia, James's face was cold and expressionless again as he stepped into the elevator.
These past few days, James had been like the grim reaper—not to be provoked.
When he entered the elevator, others deliberately hung back, unwilling to share the elevator with him.
The elevator doors slowly began to close.
"Wait..."
Just before they closed, a file folder blocked the doors, which reopened. Amelia walked into the elevator. "Mr. Smith."
She stood beside him, an arm's length away—neither too close nor too far.
But the handsome man and beautiful woman together...
Standing together, they looked like a perfect couple.
More matched than many couples embracing intimately.
"Okay." James responded coolly, and the elevator doors slowly closed in front of everyone.
No one was tactless enough to go in and disturb them.
When Amelia first joined the company, she would avoid such situations.
But recently, Amelia had been going to the 32nd floor every evening to have dinner with James.
Their relationship was clearly heating up rapidly.
Manager Gu's behavior these past few days made it even more obvious.
That air of superiority she used to have was gone.
She was all smiles, her eyes full of affection—the attitude of a young woman deeply in love.
James in the elevator didn't notice the gossiping looks from the subordinates outside, while the corners of Amelia's mouth turned up almost imperceptibly.
With a sound, the elevator suddenly stopped.
Inside, it was pitch black—you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
James's brows immediately furrowed, his face cold as he pressed the emergency call button. "What's going on?"
The security department immediately answered, trembling with fear. "Mr. Smith, please wait a moment. We'll fix it right away."
They were also puzzled—how could such an accident happen!
James hung up with a cold expression.
"James..."
Just as the call disconnected, James heard Amelia's extremely frightened voice.
Very soft, barely audible.
If it weren't for the silence in the elevator, it would have been hard to hear.
He lit up his phone screen to make the elevator visible.
He turned to see that Amelia, who always maintained a perfect appearance in front of others...
The last time he'd seen her hair and makeup disheveled was when she was in danger.
That was an accident.
But this time, she was sitting directly on the dirty elevator floor, disregarding her image.
Her back against one side of the elevator, her body curled into a ball, her face deathly pale, covered in cold sweat, trembling.
Noticing the light, she looked up, her eyes helpless. Seeing him, her eyes lit up as if she'd seen a lifeline, and she kept softly calling his name, "James... James..."
Over and over!
She was asking him for help.
Seeing this, James didn't have time to think. He strode over, crouched down, and asked with concern, "Amelia, what's wrong?"
As soon as he got close, Amelia threw herself into his arms.