"Let me do it," said Huxton, who was the closest to the door.
When Huxton saw the man behind the door after it opened, he called out respectfully, "Sir."
Patrick nodded slightly and walked into the house, making eye contact with Amelia, who was behind Huxton.
Amelia quietly glanced at Patrick's outfit. He wore casual clothes, which might mean that he did not leave to meet some big shots. Otherwise, he would have definitely worn a formal suit.
Then her attention fell on the black coat hanging off on his left arm. Amelia simply asked, "Isn't the weather getting warmer these couple of days? Why did you bring such a thick coat?"
Patrick replied, "I might not have fully recovered from the cold yet, so I just took it with me. Just in case."
Amelia nodded. "Oh, then you should be more careful."
During the short pause of silence between Amelia and Patrick, Huxton interjected, "Sir, madam, dinner is ready."
Peering at Amelia, Patrick said with a slight sense of weariness, "You can eat first if you're hungry. I'm going to my room to take a shower."
Amelia nodded. "Alright."
Just as Patrick strode and brushed past Amelia, a key slipped out of his coat's pocket and fell onto the carpet, right beside Amelia's feet.
Her concentration shifted to the key at that instant. Then, she moved her right foot soundlessly to step on it under her foot.
However, this sequence of movements did not attract much attention. Even Patrick himself did not notice that the key in his pocket had fallen out.
After watching Patrick's looming outline disappeared on the second floor, Amelia turned to Huxton and said calmly, "Huxton, my arms are sore from working files after files today. Can you please bring me a bowl of rice?"
Huxton believed her and nodded before leaving for the kitchen.
Just like this, all of a sudden, Amelia was the only one left in the living room.
With nobody else around, she quickly lifted her foot, squatted down, picked up the glittering gold key and clenched it tightly in her palm.
With that, she dipped her head and made her way towards the balcony that was shrouded in darkness and then spread out her palm sneakily.
A golden key with cherry blossom imprints came into view. Amelia could not help but wonder if it was a key to a car or a door.
No, she had seen both Patrick's car key and house's key, but none of them had a cherry blossom symbol on it.
Under her careful inspection, she discovered that the key was relatively new and had no trace of scratches. It was as if it was just being obtained from purchase and yet to be used.
A deep thought flashed across her dazzling eyes. Had Patrick bought a new car or house?
Just as she was distracted by her thoughts, a flurry of hurried and messy footsteps sounded nearer.
Her heart skidded a beat and Amelia shoved the key into her pocket without realizing it. Before she knew it, Patrick had come to her on the balcony.
Patrick noticed a slender figure by the balcony and realized that it was Amelia when he looked up. She stood in the night, listening to the wind, the expression on her face was relax.
Patrick, who was feverishly impatient, suddenly got furious and decided to vent it out on her. "Amelia!
Did you see a key lying around somewhere?"
Even though Amelia was mentally prepared, she was still taken by surprise by his fierce accusatory tone.
Looking into the sombre light in his eyes, she asked in confusion, "You're looking for a key? How does it look like?"
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