Chapter 7: 7. Jealousy

The fragrant aroma of cooking wafted from the direction of the kitchen. Cassandra and Luca immediately walked toward the dining room and saw Amelia there. A woman with reddish-brown hair, wearing a white nightgown covered with an outer layer, was casually cooking in the open kitchen.

“Who is she, Luca?” Cassandra asked, half glaring.

On the other hand, Amelia noticed Cassandra and then looked at Luca, whose face looked confused. Remembering that she had to pretend to be Luca's wife, Amelia quickly smiled at Cassandra.

“Hi, I’m Amelia, Luca’s wife,” Amelia greeted cheerfully, waving casually while still busy sautéing her food.

Cassandra scoffed in annoyance and glared at Luca.

“We’re just pretending she’s not my wife! "It’s just pretending, Cassandra!” Luca said, trying to ease his girlfriend’s jealousy.

“But she said she’s your wife. "You’re so annoying, Luca!” Cassandra snapped before storming off, with Luca quickly chasing after her.

Oh no, looks like I caused a mess… Amelia thought to herself. Her eyes followed Luca and Cassandra as they left, before turning back to the pan in front of her awkwardly. Her previously quick hands began to stir more slowly.

Not long after, the sound of footsteps approached. Isabella—a young woman with a blank expression who served as Luca’s personal assistant—appeared from beyond the dining room. She briefly glanced toward the door where Cassandra had gone, then turned her gaze to Amelia, who was still standing at the stove with a spatula in hand.

Amelia offered a stiff smile. “You saw what just happened, didn’t you?”

Isabella nodded slightly, then calmly approached.

“Who is that girl?” Amelia asked, trying to sound casually curious.

“Her name is Cassandra,” Isabella answered bluntly. “She’s Mr. Luca’s girlfriend. Everyone in this house knows that. And, as many people also know… Mr. Luca loves her deeply.”

Hearing that, Amelia’s mouth dropped open. Her lips formed the shape of an ‘O’ before she slowly nodded, trying to process the information she had just received.

“So he has a girlfriend…” she muttered. “But then, why is he stirring up trouble and announcing that he’s married to me? Weird!” Amelia grumbled while continuing to sauté the onions, which were starting to brown.

Isabella just stood beside her, her face as expressionless as ever, offering no comment. Her gaze, instead, was fixed on the dish cooking on the stove. Her eyes seemed to trace the aroma and texture, making Amelia aware of it.

“You want some?” Amelia asked, lifting a small wooden spoon and offering a taste.

Isabella blinked slowly. “If I’m allowed… yes,” she replied briefly.

Amelia smiled and handed her the spoonful of food.

“Go on, try it. "It’s just simple home-cooked food, but I think it tastes pretty good," Isabella tasted it slowly. After chewing for a moment, she gave a small nod.

“It’s good,” she said softly.

Amelia chuckled. “You say it’s good without showing any expression—now I’m not sure whether to be happy or not.”

Isabella looked at her, then slightly averted her gaze. “I’m not very expressive, Ma’am. But I’m honest.”

“All right then, let’s eat together!” Amelia asked cheerfully.

Isabella stared at her for a moment before nodding—this time with a hint of emotion.

They sat together at the dining table and began to eat. Amelia noticed how heartily Isabella ate.

“So you were hungry, huh? Did Luca not give you enough food? "Is he that cruel to you?” Amelia asked.

“That’s not it. Mr. Luca is kind to me. But I rarely eat home-cooked meals. "This feels just like my mother’s cooking,” Isabella answered, still chewing.

Amelia noticed a trace of sadness in Isabella’s otherwise blank expression.

“Do you rarely see your mother?” Amelia asked.

“We were separated when I was a child.”

Hearing that, Amelia looked confused. But without being prompted, Isabella continued her story.

“My mother was one of the mistresses of an evil mafia boss! "I don’t even know who my father is! "But… they took me away from her when I was just a child,” Isabella replied.

“Was that Luca’s doing?” Amelia asked.

“No! Mr. Luca was the one who saved me! "He may be a powerful mafia boss, but he still has a heart!” Isabella said firmly, defending her master.

“Ah, I see. Got it! "Now eat up—have as much as you want,” Amelia said with a warm smile.

“Thank you.”

They continued eating happily, but soon the loud voice of Luca echoed through the house. Apparently, he had failed to calm his furious girlfriend and was now storming through the halls looking for Amelia.

“Amelia! "What do you think you’re doing?” he shouted as he entered the dining room.

Amelia and Isabella turned to look at Luca at the same time, making the man momentarily awkward—he hadn’t expected Isabella to be there either. He sat down in one of the dining chairs, glaring at Amelia with an irritated expression.

“What’s wrong? "What exactly did I do?” Amelia asked.

“Don’t go around telling people you’re my wife in front of Cassandra!” Luca snapped.

“Didn’t you say we had to convince everyone?”

“But not Cassandra!”

“Was that written in the contract? No! And I don’t even know who Cassandra is! Or Samantha, Lucia, or whatever girl I’m supposedly not allowed to talk to!” Amelia shot back.

Luca’s jaw tightened. He stared at Amelia with clear frustration, but logically, he knew she couldn’t be blamed for not knowing.

“Just Cassandra! Got it?” Luca said firmly.

“Okay, I’ll remember that. "Do you want to eat too?” Amelia asked calmly.

“No! "I’ve lost my appetite!” Luca said, standing abruptly and turning to leave.

Amelia and Isabella exchanged glances—both of them now wearing similarly blank expressions when dealing with Luca.

“He doesn’t want to eat, so let’s just keep eating,” Amelia said nonchalantly.

“I like you better than Cassandra,” Isabella blurted out suddenly.

Amelia glanced at Isabella and observed her with a puzzled expression.

“I mean, you’re a better match for Mr. Luca than that flirty Cassandra,” Isabella said.

“Really? "Well, I’m not interested in Luca. "I’m a prisoner here, this relationship is fake, and—” Amelia leaned closer to Isabella, “He’s not my type!”

“Is your type someone like the ex-husband who divorced you?” Isabella asked mockingly.

“Oh, please, don’t remind me of that jerk!” Amelia exclaimed.

“Wow… it’s like you just told me that what we used to think was good turns out to not be so good after all. "And what seems bad at first, might not be that bad,” Isabella said thoughtfully.

“More like—never trust men. "Being single is the best!” Amelia replied.

“Alright, I’ll note that down. I’m done, thanks for the meal. Oh, by the way, there’s an event tonight. You have to come as Mr. Luca’s wife,” Isabella said.

“What kind of event?”

“Umm, kind of ballroom dance,” Isabella replied as she walked away.

“Hey, but I can’t dance!”

“Don’t worry about it, no one will care!” Isabella shouted from a distance.

“Oh, great…”

Amelia sat still, then began to reflect on what had just happened. If Luca had a girlfriend he loved, that meant this fake relationship would be relatively safe. It also meant Luca was just bluffing when he threatened her the other day. He was clearly infatuated with his girlfriend, which meant playing the fake wife would be easy.

“Alright, all I need to do is dress up nicely, put on a beautiful outfit, and pretend to be his wife in front of everyone. "Then once my debt is paid off, I’m out of here,” Amelia muttered, unaware that Luca had plans for her that went far beyond that.