Jacob and Tyler's new house above.

"I have so much to do."

I have a very busy life. Sometimes I wish I can just hide away and never come out.

We just started finals at Hardwood and Tyler and Jacob decided to have their housewarming party now but I guess it's because everyone needs a break from all the studying.

I have my weekly appointment at the skin care clinic today then I also have to go to Serena's art gallery opening today. I also have a trainer going to my house to help me work out and I've got to start studying for my next paper.

"Thanks for coming anyway." Tyler grins.

"You're welcome."

"What do you think of the house?" He gestures with his hands. They are lots of people here but the house is amazing. It's fresh and modern.

"It's amazing. Here, I got you guys a gift." I hand him the bag.

"What's inside?

"Wine glasses."

"Fancy girl." He grins.

"There is also a box of La Palina cigar and a picture frame."

"Thanks, Milly." He hugs me.

"You're welcome." I hug him back.

"Amelia, can I talk to you for a sec?" Tara comes up to me.

"Sure." I say then excuse myself from Tyler and follow her to the garden.

"I've been dying to get a meeting with Diana Black cause I applied for internship at Chatoyer but I haven't been able to get her." She says.

Chatoyer is my mother-in-law's interior design company. It is one of the best in the country and since Tara is an Interior Design major at Hardwood, of course she would like to intern there.

"Alright. I will talk to her." I tell her.

"Really?" She grins.

"Of course."

"Thank you so much!" She hugs me and quickly walks away.

"What's that all about?" Nicole asks as she reaches me, handing me the drink she went to get for us earlier.

"Internship."

She sighs. "You're lucky that you are not doing internships this vacation."

"Yes but I have to work." I remind her.

"Oh, that's right! Are you traveling?"

"Yes. I'm going to Barcelona, Milan, London and Corsica."

It's going to be exhausting, I know but I'm also a little excited. The traveling part is fun.

"Wow." She whispers.

"I know."

"Where are you doing your internship?" I ask her curiously. Camilla said she was working at Balmain but I haven't heard anything about Nicole.

"My father spoke to Adam and he got me Givenchy." She says excitedly.

Adam? Givenchy "How?" I ask.

"With his shares in LVMH, obviously."

"What?! Adam has shares in LVMH?!"

LVMH is the company that owns Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Sephora, Fenty Beauty, Makeup Forever, Marc Jacobs, Dior and so on.

It is one of the biggest companies in the world. Adam is an excellent businessman so I'm not surprised that he would want to have shares there but I can't believe that he actually does.

"You don't know that?" Nicole asks me.

I shake my head. "No."

"I also heard it from my mum. It's pretty cool, isn't it?

"Yeah, I guess it is." I mutter.

****

"Amelia! I just got of the phone with Nicholas. He wants to talk to you about your outfit for the Met Gala." Leah follows me as I start climbing the stairs.

The Met Gala is the biggest fashion event in the world. It is a fundraiser takes place every year, representing fashion and art.

Each year, a theme is given and fashion designers buy a table then choose the celebrities that they want to have on it and invite them.

As Louis Vuitton's upcoming ambassador, I will be going them this year. This is my second met, 2016 was my first and I went with Versace. It was amazing.

I seriously need to call Nicholas back to go through my dress because it is important

Thinking about it now, is Adam the reason why the Louis Vuitton brand want to work with me?

Probably.

I know it's because of him that they, Dior and Fendi send me clothes and other items a lot.

"I will call him back." I tell Juliet.

"Marc Jacobs is having an event in two weeks. He sent an invite for you and Adam."

Again, LVMH owns the Marc Jacobs fashion brand. Too bad, I am not going to be in the United States at that time.

"I won't be able to make it."

"There's a charity tennis in Boston hosted by billionaire, Shawna Chavez. She wants you and Adam to be there. You also have-"

As we enter my bedroom, I sigh. "Leah, can we go through everything later? I need to get ready. Is JJ here?"

"Yes, she's waiting for you in the dressing room. I will go reply some of your emails." She answers.

"Alright, thanks." I take off my clothes and slip a silk robe on then head to my dressing room.

I already had my hair done this morning so I'm not getting it done again. It's just needs a little fix which I can do by myself.

JJ does a usual subtle look on my face. She knows my face so well. I love how she does it.

"I'm sorry!" I tell Adam as I reach downstairs. I spent two hours getting ready and now we are a little late to the gallery opening.

"It's fine." He says, putting his phone in the inner pocket of his jacket then he looks at me, his eyes going up and down my body. "I like what you're wearing."

The day I had the party he said that he liked my dress and now this. I don't want him to just compliment on my clothes though.

Doesn't he find me attractive?

The fact that he has never given me a compliment on my looks bothers me a lot.

I'm used to everyone around me telling me how beautiful I am but not him.

"Thank you, It's a jumpsuit." I smile softly.

He nods and then we walk to the door.

****

"Adam Black! Didn't think I was going to see you here." A guy comes up to Adam and I as we go into the art gallery.

"Walter." Adam nods and shakes hand with the older looking guy. He then places his other hand on my back. "This is my wife, Amelia."

"Hello." I smile.

Walter takes my hand to his lips then looks into my eyes. "It's a pleasure to meet the woman who has captured and melted Adam Black's cold heart."

"Pleasure to meet you too." I reply.

"Excuse us, Walter." Adam says then grabs me with him.

"Hiii." We see Serena coming over to us.

"Hi, Serena." I hug and we air kiss.

"You look amazing." She says, looking at me.

"Thanks, you look very beautiful as well." I tell her because she does. Her hair is released in an afro style and her make up looks amazing. Her dress is obviously Attico. It's so stylish and fashion forward.

She grins at me then turns to Adam and hugs him. "Hey."

"Hi, congratulations." He says in a deep voice.

"Thank you! I'm so excited." She says, doing a little dance, making her dress to move.

I smile then push my hair back and watch her as she calls on somebody to show us around.

We follow him and he takes us around showing us all the art pieces. Serena is very talented. Everything is amazing but one particular piece caught my eye.

"I love it." I tell Adam.

"Yeah." He just says.

It's a black and gold abstract painting with silver touches. It is very elegant.

"Should we buy it?" I ask Adam.

"That is the most expensive piece here. Mrs Pierce spent over two years working on in it." The salesperson shares.

I shake my head. Of course it is. I really don't know why I always go for the most expensive things.

Mrs Pierce is Serena by the way. She is married to Adam's friend, Rafael so she uses his last name which is Pierce.

"We'll buy it." Adam declares.

He leaves me to discuss everything with the salesperson and goes over to talk to his best friend.

I end up seeing Brie and we fall into a conversation. "So where is Nathan?" I ask her.

"Probably making business deals somewhere. He is such a workaholic." She answers in annoyance.

"Sorry about that." I give her an apologetic smile.

She sighs then runs her fingers through her hair. "He and I are having a quarrel."

"Why?"

"I threatened to go back to LA because he never spends time with me. It's so frustrating because back in LA, I have a life. I have my family and friends but I get so bored here."

"How long have you been here?" I ask.

"Almost two months. All I do is make videos which are not even as interesting as they were when I was in LA."

"They could be. There are so many interesting things to do here in Bluefall. We can meet this weekend if you're free. I can show you around and we could do something fun." I offer.

She grins. "That will be perfect! Thank you so much." She says, happily.

"Hey, you two." Serena joins us then looks at me. "Amelia are you done looking around?"

"Everything looks exquisite. I will be surprised if you don't sell out." I smile.

"Yeah." Brie agrees.

"Let's hope everyone agrees with that." Serena smiles then looks around. "Where is Adam?"

"He's with Chase." I reply.

"So how is marriage life for you guys?" She asks and I look at her then blink twice.

How do I even start?

She quickly widens her eyes. "Oh my Gosh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset." I chuckle. "I just don't know how to answer the question. Adam and I are good. We talk sometimes but most of the time, I feel like he and I are just housemates." I shrug.

"Really?" Brie asks with a small frown.

"Yes, we mostly talk when it's necessary. He is a very busy person and I also have my life." I answer honestly.

"Oh."

"But he is very sweet and kind when he wants to be. I just wish that he and I will start spending more time together." I add.

"Adam doesn't like getting close to people. He just prefers to be alone in his own world." Serena says.

"Yeah, I get that."

"If you want to get to know him, you have to be the one that does the work. Show him you're interested. If he pushes you away, push yourself further to him."

"I don't want to annoy him."

"How about a seduction then?"

Serena gasps. "Brie!"

"What? She is exactly his type and even if she wasn't, he can't possibly say no to her." Brie retorts.

I chuckle and just shake my head.

****

'Adam Black smiling'

Fuck! No results. Nothing.

For the past forty minutes, I've been searching the internet for a photo of Adam with a smile but there's nothing.

It's two days after Serena's party. I have a Physics paper tomorrow but I'm done studying.

My head hurts like hell. It's what I've been doing for the past 24 hours. I can't study anymore. I would die.

There are over a thousand photos of Adam out there but in all of them, his face was straight.

Who the fuck lives like that?

I saw it and it's the most beautiful thing ever. Why hide something so beautiful to the world?

Day by day, Adam Black keeps intriguing me.

I'm not in love with him or anything. You can't love someone you don't know but I can't get him out of my head.

It's pretty normal though, I think. We're married. That has many definitions and I know what I have with Adam isn't any of them.

He and I are just two people living under the same roof. I look at the picture frame in my hand and I smile softly. Perhaps we are more than that.

My mum gave me the picture when I went to see her and I brought it back with me. I'm looking at it now because Adam is smiling in the picture. It's soft and even if he was just nine years old back then, he was still beautiful and so is the smile.

I feel so alone sometimes. I have plenty of friends but there's this loneliness that keeps growing in me. It's not because I need a boyfriend.

Before Liam, I didn't feel like this.

The reason is I had my family, I was living with them and even though we aren't the closest family in the universe, we were together.

Now, I feel like I'm living alone. All by myself in this huge house. The thing that's missing in my life is Adam.

But how can I miss something that I never had?

I feel like a part of me needs him. He has this pull on me. I have never felt this way about anyone. It's very disturbing.

"Hey."

I gasp. "Ah!" I turn around then gave him the hardest glare ever. "You scared me! I could have fallen into the pool!"

Adam shrugs. "You know how to swim."

"Yes but I have my phone with me."

He rolls his eyes. "Fine, sorry for scaring you." He says, sardonically.

I scoff then turn back to face the pool. "What do you want?"

"You've been here for over an hour. I came to check up on you."

"Oh." I whisper then look back at him, "How do you know that I've been here for over an hour?"

He nudges his head towards one of the security cameras.

"Stalker." I accuse with a smile.

He doesn't say anything. He just sits beside me, crossing his legs in an Indian style.

"You should dip your legs in the pool, it's warm."

"Yeah, fuck this." He agrees then pulls up his sweat pants and let his legs down. "So what are you thinking about?" He asks.

I look at him. "You. Us?"

His eyes meet mine, his jaw clenching very hard. "Amelia, I don't plan on being in a relationship ever again."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said."

I move my legs in the pool, looking down at them. "But, why? Do you want to be alone for the rest of your life?"

"I've been alone for most of my life and I'm fine with that." He replies.

"But loneliness doesn't make you happy. Don't you want to be happy?" I frown.

"Everyone wants to be happy. I don't find myself to be an exception."

"Then you can't say things like that!"

"Just because I want to be happy, doesn't mean that I should be or deserve to be."

"What are you talking about?" I look at him.

"It doesn't matter." He says quietly.

"Adam, you deserve to be happy. Even bad people deserve to be happy and you're a great person. Of course you deserve happiness." I tell him softly.

He shakes his head and looks own.

I don't understand what he's saying but I still don't like it. Why does he feel like doesn't deserve to be happy?

I take my hand and tilt his face to look at me.

"What?" He whispers and I drop my hand.

"I care about you and I want all the people that I care about to be happy."

"It's-I, Fuck!" He groans.

"What, Adam?" I coax.

"I can't remember what it's like."

"To be happy?" I ask in shock.

He nods. "Yes. I haven't felt that way in a really long time."

My heart crashes. For the first time ever, I get a glimpse of Adam and unfortunately, I don't like what I hear. I mean, it's sad.

Why would say that?

"I want to remind you."

He looks into my eyes. "Amelia-"

"I want to make you happy, Adam Black. I want to make you smile. I want to be someone that you can talk to, someone that can light up your bad days." I say.

"I don't want to be in a relationship." He repeats.

I sigh. "We'll get on to that but that's not what I'm talking about."

"No, let's talk about it now. Even if somehow in the future, I decide to be in a relationship. It's not going to be with you."

My face drops as I feel a hurting feeling inside. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, of course not." He states quickly.

I give him a look. "Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that a relationship between you and I is never going to happen because it is not a good idea."

"Why?"

He looks away. "Liam and you're just too good for me. You deserve someone much more."

Liam Black. That makes sense. It will be weird to be in a relationship with my ex's brother.

"Okay." I agree.

Adam looks back at me. "But I want to be your friend." He says softly.

"Really?"

I feel my eyes get teary and a tear instantly drops.

"Why the fuck are you crying?"

"Because I'm so happy that you want to be my friend." I'm fucking ecstatic.

He rolls his eyes. "You are so weird."

I laugh and wipe my tears then give him a look. "FYI, I don't want to be in a relationship with you too."

He sexily raises an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes it is. I don't intend on getting back together with an ex boyfriend again."

"Ex boyfriend? I am not your ex boyfriend."

"Yes, you are. You are my first boyfriend." I show him the photo.

He takes it from my hand and looks at it. "Oh."

"You broke my heart at a really young age so you're a big NO."

"Fifteen years later and you still don't believe that I wasn't your boyfriend."

"Yes, you were you even......kissed me. You kissed me! You were my first kiss!" I exclaim, suddenly getting the flash in my head.

Adam looks at me in surprise. "What are you talking about? Elle told me that you don't remember anything."

"Yes but I've been getting these flashes lately and I just got one! Gosh, what were you thinking about? Kissing a six year old."

He clears his throat. "First of all, it's wasn't a kiss. It was a small peck and secondly, you begged me too!"

"What? I will never do that."

"Yes, you did. I couldn't say no."

"Oh my God." I whisper, finding myself blushing.

We sit there, staring at the pool. I raise my head and look at the sky. It's so dark but the stars are shining bright.

The moon is almost full. It's so beautiful.

"Do you want to go to London with me?"

I look at Adam. "Huh?"

"I'm going to London for like a month. It's around the holidays. I know you will be working and so will I but most of your work is in Europe so if you want, you can come with me and we can spend our free time together."

I stare at him in shock, my mouth hanging wide open.

"You don't have to. I will understand if you don't want to." He frowns.

"Of course, I want to! Are you kidding me?" I laugh. This is like a dream come true. God has answered my prayers.

"It's just going to be the two of us." He says in a warning tone.

"Yes! I would love that."

"Alright, it settled then."

I grin then lean into him, hugging him from the side. I hear him sigh and he wraps one arm around me.

I can't freaking wait for London.

****