Chapter 17: That Night We Shared

After handing out the muffins to the guards, Amelia didn’t return to the kitchen. She had no interest in seeing Luca again—especially after his childish attitude and all those mysterious glances. With light yet irritated steps, she headed straight to her room. In her hand, she still clutched one cheese muffin she had saved for herself.

She opened the balcony door that connected directly to her room. The soft evening breeze brushed against her face as she sat in her favorite rattan chair. The sky was turning orange, small birds were flying back to their nests, and everything felt calm.

Amelia took a small bite of her muffin. The taste was just right—soft, savory, and sweet all at once. She gazed at the sky, lost in thought, her mind slowly drifting back to last night.

The memory came like a breeze—quiet, but unstoppable.

She remembered that night, when she and Luca sat on this very balcony. They drank from one of Luca’s rare, expensive wines. Amelia laughed too loudly, talked too fast, and eventually felt so dizzy. She leaned back in this rattan chair… and everything after that became a blur.

But what made her heart pound now was what happened afterward. Vaguely, she remembered Luca carrying her limp body to the bed. Then… foolishly, she had hugged him. Not just hugged—she hadn’t let him go. She’d felt incredibly lonely that night. And Luca… didn’t push her away.

“I’ve gone mad,” Amelia muttered softly, her face flushing red as the memory played clearly in her head.

Her hand instinctively touched her forehead, as if that could wipe away the memory. But one part made her turn crimson even more—the kiss. She and Luca… had kissed.

Her eyes widened.

“KYAAAAAAA!!!” she suddenly screamed, burying her face in a balcony cushion.

The peaceful atmosphere shattered in an instant.

Downstairs, Luca was still lounging casually in the kitchen, waiting for Amelia to return. But the high-pitched scream from upstairs made him bolt upright.

“Amelia?” he muttered quickly, then dashed up the stairs toward the third floor.

When he reached Amelia’s balcony, he found her sitting in her rattan chair with her face buried in a cushion. Like… a crazy person. Or someone who had just seen something terrifying.

“What’s wrong? "Are you okay?” Luca asked, out of breath from running.

Amelia slowly lowered the cushion from her face. Their eyes met. Her face instantly flushed like a boiled tomato. But instead of answering, she quickly covered her face with the cushion again.

“Oh, come on... what is it? Did someone sneak in? "Or... wait, is it a bug?” Luca looked around, confused. He checked the floor, even peeked under the chair.

But there was nothing.

“Amelia? "What’s going on?” he asked again.

“A bug!” Amelia blurted.

“Oh yeah? Where?”

“I think I saw the same bug that bit my shoulder yesterday!” she said.

“Where?” Luca asked, still baffled.

Amelia pointed straight at Luca’s face.

“You…” she said, her face burning red.

Seeing her crimson cheeks and her finger aimed right at him, Luca froze for a second. That look in her eyes... and then Amelia continued her sentence.

“You… I remember now. You were the bug!”

Luca finally understood.

His gaze softened, and a sheepish smile slowly appeared on his face. He let out a quiet sigh, lowering his head slightly, as if weighing what to say next.

“So... you remember?” he asked quietly, sitting down beside Amelia.

Amelia bit her lower lip and nodded slowly, not saying a word. Her face was a blazing red, and her eyes didn’t dare meet his.

Luca turned toward her gently, glancing at the girl’s face from the side. The tension, the awkwardness... and a heavy silence lingered in the air.

“You and I… we’re both adults,” Luca said, his voice calm but firm. I hope you can understand that. Besides… you started it.”

Amelia immediately turned to him, eyes wide.

“That’s because I was drunk! But you? "Were you drunk too?” she asked, now filled with doubt and anger all at once.

Luca stared straight ahead, not answering right away. He seemed to be weighing whether or not to be honest. Eventually, he replied while looking up at the evening sky.

“That wine... was only half a bottle. And I have a high alcohol tolerance. Just consider it a mistake.”

He shrugged nonchalantly, then turned to face Amelia.

“I’ll pay you for it.”

SMACK!

It wasn’t a slap—Amelia’s cushion flew straight at Luca’s face, hitting him hard.

“You!!!” Amelia yelled, furious and embarrassed. “You perverted jerk!”

Luca caught the cushion quickly, staring at her as he tried to calm things down.

“I may be a mafia boss… but I’m not a playboy.”

“But you took advantage of me!” Amelia snapped, eyes glistening.

Luca went silent for a moment, then responded more seriously.

“I’ll compensate you. Whatever amount, I’ll pay. Just name it.”

Amelia stood from her chair, facing him directly with eyes full of firm resolve.

“Money again? You think money solves everything?! I want... I want this marriage agreement annulled! I want out of this!”

The atmosphere suddenly went still. The evening breeze blew through Amelia’s loose hair as Luca sat frozen, shocked—and for the first time, speechless.

“Why are you quiet? "I want to end our marriage agreement! "Leave me alone—I want out of this house!” Amelia demanded.

“If it’s money you want, I’ll give it to you. But if you want to cancel the marriage agreement, I refuse. "That’s not happening!” Luca replied firmly.

“Why?! You’ve already broken up with your girlfriend. "There’s no reason for me to keep pretending to be your fake wife!” Amelia argued.

“It absolutely matters. I’ve already announced to everyone that you’re my wife. It would cause a scandal if we ‘divorced’ after just one week!” Luca snapped.

“Ugh, this is so frustrating!” Amelia groaned.

“I’ll consider your debt paid. You’ll get plenty of money. But your status stays the same—you remain the wife of Luca Devereaux. Got it?” he stated with finality.

Amelia turned her face away, clearly not wanting to deal with him any longer. But Luca gently held her chin and turned her face back to his.

“Don’t turn away from me. Fake or not—I’m your husband.”

Amelia stared at Luca’s face, then her gaze drifted to his nose, and finally to his lips—the same lips that had kissed her the night before. She could still feel it: the warmth of that kiss, soft and gentle, so different from the forced one back at the casino.

“So this is how you seduce women, huh?” she blurted without thinking.

Luca immediately let go of her chin, stood up quickly, and walked away—clearly flustered.

“What the heck was that? Good thing I don’t fall for sweet talk anymore. If I were the old me, I might’ve believed he actually liked me. "Huh, typical man!” Amelia muttered under her breath.