The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 89

“You really can’t spoil girls too much. Did you see her just now? She totally gave Elio the cold shoulder in front of everyone. She thinks she’s all that.”

“Right? If I were him, I wouldn’t go running after her. Let’s see what she does then. Is Elio really going to give up a whole pond for just one fish?”

“I bet he won’t even last three days before he’s crawling back, begging her to forgive him. Seriously, just watch. Hahaha!”

All the teasing from his friends stung more than he cared to admit. He’d chased after her for three years, always the one putting in the effort, always the one trying to make things work. Honestly, he was tired. Maybe it was time to let things cool off now that she’d gone back home. He could live it up for a few months, then win her back when she returned. She still had to come back for her master’s degree; there’d be plenty of chances.

He never expected she wouldn’t come back at all. The next thing he heard, she had married Steven. It happened so fast, he didn’t even have a chance to try and make things right.

That ended up being the biggest regret of his life.

***

By twelve thirty, the exhibition tour was officially over. The museum director and the local officials from Elmridge were all smiles, clearly pleased with how everything had gone. “This exhibition was a huge success,” someone said, and everyone agreed.

The foreign guests had been totally blown away by the precious artifacts.

“Let’s take a group photo to remember this day,” someone suggested.

Everyone gathered for a picture, smiling into the cameras. Afterward, they headed to the reception area, where lunch had already been set up.

By the time the lunch and the little celebration were over, it was already three thirty. The foreign delegation went back to their hotel to rest before their tour of Elmridge’s infrastructure the next day, which Lucie and her group didn’t need to attend. The local expert team also left for their hotel.

Lucie didn’t feel a hundred percent sure, but she was never the type to back away from a tough challenge. “I’ll do my best to get them as close to the original as possible. If you trust me, you can send the artifacts to my studio in New Amberton. I’ll study them and put together a detailed restoration plan for you. If you’re satisfied with the proposal, I’ll get started.”

Dr. Tate’s face broke into a smile. “That sounds perfect. I’ll have my assistant arrange for the items to be sent to New Amberton as soon as possible.”

“Great,” Lucie said, matching his enthusiasm.

Dr. Tate glanced at her, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Mr. Murphy mentioned you’re really into archaeology, is that right?”

Lucie nodded without hesitation. “Yes, I absolutely love this field.”

He studied her for a few seconds, his voice more serious. “You know, this line of work isn’t easy. It’s tough, sometimes boring, sometimes dangerous.”