Amelia's internal clock woke her up. After working, she rarely woke up naturally; the life of a designer was unpredictable. Sometimes she might be working on drafts until the early morning hours, while at other times she had terrifying amounts of free time.
The next day, standing on the balcony and stretching, Amelia felt the weather was pleasant, and so was her mood. A beautiful day was starting, and she was ready for whatever Chloe might throw at her.
Last night had been a surge of inspiration, leading to a novel design concept. She sent it to Chloe, and the feedback wasn't as harsh as before, which seemed promising.
However, as she walked by Oliver's room in her pajamas, rubbing her sleepy eyes, the open door gave her an unintended view of Oliver's naked body.
"Ah!"
Oliver had just returned from a morning run, sweating profusely, and had taken a shower, forgetting to close the door. He walked out of the bathroom bare-bodied.
"What's the fuss about? You've seen it all before in bed, so stop pretending to be coy," Oliver said, dressing himself while Amelia had already fled downstairs.
Breakfast was already prepared in the kitchen. As soon as Amelia sat down, Oliver joined her at the table.
Amelia's mind was still filled with the image of Oliver's body, an early morning visual shock that seemed to promise a day full of energy.
Seeing her sitting far away, Oliver insisted she sit closer and teased, "We're beyond that, what's there to be shy about?"
Without a word, Amelia silently ate her breakfast, wishing the meal would end quickly.
After breakfast, Oliver offered to drive Amelia to her studio, which she didn't refuse since it wasn't easy to get a taxi from the villa, and it usually took her a long time to get there.
It seemed like it was time to get a driver's license and a car for more convenience.
She went upstairs, changed her clothes, and then got ready, sitting in the passenger seat of Oliver's car.
Dressed as a professional woman for the workplace, Oliver thought she was playing at uniform temptation.
When Amelia got out of the car, Oliver assertively asked for a kiss. Unable to resist, she pecked him and hurried off to work.
At the studio, Zoe saw Amelia glowing and happily embraced her, saying, "Our Amelia is back in full force!"
Amelia was brimming with determination, ready for battle.
However, Zoe's curiosity couldn't ignore the mysterious man who dropped Amelia off in a Maybach.
"Amelia, who was that man just now? Not a new boyfriend, is it?" Zoe asked, waiting for Amelia to confirm her suspicions.
Usually, Oliver could drop her off on his way to work, but she worried about situations like today. She didn't want to explain much.
She vaguely replied, "No, just a wealthy friend who happened to pass by my place and gave me a ride."
Amelia wasn't sure if Zoe had seen her kissing Oliver and thought about how to cover up the lie if questioned.
Fortunately, Zoe didn't press the issue, sensing Amelia's disinterest, and changed the subject.
"Oh, I see. If he's a wealthy friend, he could help promote our studio," Zoe, always focused on work, made Amelia laugh with her unique train of thought.
"Although you and Lucas broke up, I heard from Aiden yesterday that Lucas seems to have been hospitalized. I wanted to find out why, but Aiden wouldn't tell me. From what I gather, it seems related to you. Maybe it's lovesickness. Do you want to visit him?"
Regarding Lucas, Amelia always felt guilty about using him, and the current situation had completely cleared their relationship.
"What does it have to do with me? Now, it's impossible between us. If he's in the hospital, it must be due to health issues, not because of me. I'm not a doctor; visiting him won't cure his illness. Besides, he already has a fiancée. It's not appropriate for me, his ex-girlfriend, to visit. I think I'll pass."
"Alright, I think he's pitiable too. Although I don't know why you two split up, I hope you both can find happiness. As your friend, all I can do is pass on messages. You'll have to resolve the rest yourselves. Let's just focus on working hard. Chloe has been more agreeable recently; keep it up."
"Okay, let's do our best together!"
They chatted as they walked from the studio entrance to the office, reluctantly parting ways.
Sitting at her workstation, Amelia cleared her mind and fully immersed herself in her work. She could finish revising the design draft today and then send it to Chloe for review. If Chloe continued to be unreasonable, she wouldn't hesitate to have Oliver intervene.
Perhaps only Oliver could handle Chloe.
Amelia kept writing and drawing, revising the design draft over and over, sending it to Chloe for review each time.
Chloe might have been in a good mood today, not causing much trouble but still exerting mental pressure.
Ignoring the mental harm, Amelia had excellent psychological quality.
While communicating with Chloe, Lucas messaged her:
"Amelia, I don't want to live anymore. Without you by my side and with my family arranging my marriage, I feel I have no control over my life. I can't even protect the woman I love; I'm such a loser."
Seeing this message, Amelia genuinely feared Lucas might have suicidal tendencies and asked Zoe which hospital he was in.
Following the address provided by Zoe, Amelia put aside her work and went to find Lucas.
Throughout the journey, she urged the driver to hurry, fearing Lucas might do something foolish.
Amelia feared she would be too late and rushed to the hospital, not daring to rest until she found Lucas's ward, out of breath, and saw that he was still alive, which finally put her mind at ease.
If Lucas had committed suicide, Amelia would live with endless self-blame. She didn't know how to make it up to him, and now all she could do was to not owe him any more.