It felt nice to be in Alexander’s embrace. Lily lifted her head to look at him, saying, “When did you get here?”Alexander planted a kiss on her forehead, “Take a guess.”‘Now, he wants to play games!’ Lily thought as she gave Alexander a playful glare. Afterward, she said, “You left on the same day as we did, didn’t you? Even though we got here first, you weren’t far behind.”Alexander smiled and gave her cheek a peck, “You’re such a smart girl!”“That’s because I tried calling you but couldn’t get through. You never turn off your phone, even during a meeting. I’m guessing that was because you were on the plane, right?” As Lily recalled the details of that day, she could piece together a chronological timeline. However, she never thought it was because Alexander was coming to see her.“Well done. I should probably reward you for being such a clever girl, right?” Alexander smirked cheekily as this only made him love Lily more. He carried Lily to the sofa, sat down, and held her cl
"Does the gender matter?" He asked. Right! It was impossible to reason with a jealous husband. "Okay then, I'm honored that Mr. Russell is all jealous because of me. However," she paused and cupped his face in her hands, "We're also decent human beings and should be considerate of others. I'm going to check on Jenny. Please, just be good for me, okay?" She pecked him lightly on the lips and went to make her call. Alexander could not refute it, as she made perfect sense and even cared for his ego. It was undeniably difficult to refuse her. "Hey Jenny, are you there yet? How's the situation?" Lily asked. She was unsure if the client was an actual client or just someone Alexander had planted there. Regardless, she wanted to ensure her friend was safe. "How long do you need? Come back soon and if you need anything, just call me," Lily repeated. At the same time, Alexander raised his hand and squeezed her waist playfully. Lily rolled her eyes at him and continued,
Just as things were about to get into a heated mess, Lily's phone rang. She fumbled for it and answered the call, "Hello?""Lily, I'm almost back. I'm getting something to eat. Do you want anything?" Jenny's voice rang from the other end. In a flash, Lily was awake. She pushed against Alexander and jolted up, "N-No, thank you. I'm not hungry." "Okay, were you already asleep? I'll be back soon," Jenny promised."Right, yeah!" Lily hung up and dragged Alexander. "Hurry, Jenny is about to come back! You must leave now, and don't let her see you!" Lily warned as she struggled to tidy her clothes and handed Alexander his coat. This was when she noticed he was just sitting on the sofa with a dark expression on his face.Oops. "Okay, I know it's my fault, and I'm sorry, but it can't be helped. You know we can't expose our relationship for now, and Jenny knows you!" She continued to coax him into giving in. Alexander huffed in annoyance, "You're making it sound like I'm a nobod
Lily's heart skipped a beat. Jenny missed seeing them by a hair's breadth. Lily forced a smile, "Y-Yeah, sure!" Looking at her stiff smile, Jenny stood in front of Lily and observed her. She pointed out, "You're acting strange!" "Who's acting strange? You said you’re almost back, so I came to welcome you. Since I'd have to open the door for you, I might as well check to see if you're here yet. My timing was perfect, right?" Lily babbled on to hide the fact that she was still nervous. She took the bags from Jenny's hand and walked toward their room. "What did you get?""Those are mine!" Jenny insisted. "Aww, don't be like that!" She placed the food on the table and opened it to see what was inside. There were sandwiches, noodles, as well as some kind of tacos. They smelled delicious, but they were food unfamiliar to Lily. Though Jenny said that she got nothing for Lily, the amount of food she bought was for two. Lily knew Jenny was just teasing her. "You said y
“Oh, really?” Jenny emphasized that Lily had not convinced her in the slightest.“Yup, that’s what happened.” Lily took a deep breath and lightly nudged Jenny. “Aww, I missed the cold and arrogant you. I didn’t know that you were this noisy. Hurry up and take your shower. I’m still waiting for my turn!”“This is exactly how a person would react when exposed, but it’s fine. I won’t bicker with a child” Jenny waved her hand to dismiss Lily and turned toward the bathroom.Lily rolled her eyes but sighed in relief. She was glad that Jenny had let her off easily, but Lily knew she needed to be extra careful when meeting Alexander the next time.When she thought of Alexander, Lily took her phone and noticed she had received a text from him, saying, “1808.” It was Alexander’s room number. Lily smiled and sent him a cute emoji before cleaning up the leftovers on the table.After clearing the table, she removed her clothes from the luggage and saw Jenny leaving the bathroom with her hair s
“Why can’t you fall asleep? Are you not feeling well? Are you restless?” Nathaniel immediately asked with concern.“No, I’m fine. Maybe I can’t sleep because I miss you,” Melanie murmured as she tried to resist the temptation of accepting Frank’s offer. “Can you come and see me, Nate?”“I will, soon. Just let me finish here, and I’ll go to you immediately,” Nathaniel instantly replied without much thought. To Melanie, it felt like he was just giving her an excuse and was not sincere.“What’s keeping you so busy? The event will be over by then! Can’t you come now or tomorrow?! You just have to book a flight. It only takes you two hours to get here. Can’t you come and keep me company?” Melanie whined unhappily.“Mel, stop being unreasonable. You know what’s happening. The company has just started recovering, and we still have many orders to deliver. We have to try harder since we’re relying on our previous products. Also, we’ll have to come up with something new soon.“By the way, h
Melanie refused to answer Nathaniel’s incessant calls after she hung up. After a while, she grew annoyed with the constant ringing and turned off her phone. She had even more trouble falling asleep after such a stir, so she walked toward the small square window. It felt completely different from the floor-to-ceiling ones in the presidential suite overlooking the city’s night view.The window represented a frame that contained her whole life as Melanie could already foresee her future. She felt she was destined to live this life and could no longer count on Nathaniel since he could not give her what he wanted.As expected, one could only rely on themselves. It did not matter that Melanie had dedicated herself to following Nathaniel over the past few years. Melanie knew how dedicated Lily was to Nathaniel when Lily was with him. Melanie would likely fall into the same destiny as Lily and become old and ugly if she devoted herself to Nathaniel.Melanie thought, ‘Nate might have another
When Lily was done showering, she noticed Jenny had fallen asleep. She appeared to be exhausted as she was snoring softly. Lily tiptoed over to cover Jenny with a blanket, then silently left the bedroom after turning off the light.She was staying in a small business suite with an adjoining living area equipped with a sofa, table, and chairs. She cleared the trash from supper to a corner of the table.Right now, she was still wide awake. The sampling session today was quite fruitful. Although there were few differences between the new products, they were consistent with the overall theme. Frank’s perfume caught her interest. She had tried the sample provided by the organizer. Although the fragrance was like chrysanthemum, professional perfumers could tell at a glance that it was not the case.It was likely that Frank cleverly used a refined spice that smelled similar to chrysanthemum, but not to test those who took part in the sampling. He likely thought that no one could see thro
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust