Nathaniel had thought about Lily when the news about his accident came out. Even his mother had gone to visit him. He knew there was no way Lily would not know about his accident. Still, she did not show up, and Melanie was the one who went to see him when the news first appeared on TV.Eloise only smirked coldly at her shameless son, “Visit you? If I were Lily, I’d have torn you to pieces after what you did to her. The nerve!”“Mother! Am I not your son?” Nathaniel snapped. How could she be siding with an outsider?“I’m saying this to you because you’re my son, or else why should I care?!” She finished. Eloise noticed the apparent change in her son’s facial expression, and her tone softened, “It’s not that I’m trying to reprimand you. I’m just trying to give you constructive criticism. I’ve met many people, and I know Melanie is unsuitable for you.”“Then what does this have to do with Lily? Is it because she’s a talented perfumer? I’m looking for a wife, not a perfumer. Besides,
Eloise snorted and said, “She is not an orphan!” Facing Nathaniel’s confused expression, she continued slowly, “Have you heard about what happened to the Lodge family of Brown City?”“The Lodge family? Are you referring to one of the biggest families in our country? According to rumors, they know an older form of kickboxing and are very secretive. ‘That’ Lodge family?” Nathaniel asked.Of course, he had heard of the well-known family. The country had four famous families. They were the Richards, Tanner, Russell, and Lodge families.The Lodge family of their city was active in politics and had been for several generations. The later generations produced many good politicians. The family culture was strict, and their foundations were firm.The Tanner family of Ruby City and the Russell family of Sapphine were from the business world, but each had its domain. The Richards were in property development and construction, whereas the Russell family was in entertainment. Although they were
It was getting late, and Eloise had said what she had to say, so she stood up and told Nathaniel, “All right, we'll talk about this after you’ve recovered from your injury. For now, you rest and get better.”After she finished talking and was about to leave, she thought of something and turned back again. “Right, forget about Melanie.”She meant what she said.Nathaniel did not say anything. Just like that, the ward quietened down again.The following day, Melanie brought some soup and buns she had bought to visit Nathaniel. After the car accident, it was like the two picked up where they had left off. They did not mention what happened before, as if things were back to “normal.”However, there was an apparent chasm between them. Melanie would bring him stuff and take care of him, while Nathaniel would not kick her out. Everything was peaceful. It was like the quiet before the storm.Melanie fed him breakfast, cleaned up the place, and helped him wash his face and hands. She woul
The treatment at Rebirth may not be the best, but it was the position many fought for in the industry. After all, as long as they could stay in Rebirth, they could climb the ladder of the La Beauté Group. If they were lucky, they might rise up to the mid-managerial level.How did Lily get in so quickly? Judging from what happened earlier, Lily not only got in, but the other newcomers were quite protective of her too.Melanie did not receive any response from him. She looked at him and asked, "By the way, you've known her for so long. Do you know if Lily knows kickboxing?""Lily knows kickboxing?" Nathaniel was surprised, "Who did you hear that from?"Melanie was slightly surprised when she saw his reaction, which confirmed her speculation. Nathaniel had asked, 'Who did you hear that from?' and not, 'How could it be?” and there was a vast difference between the responses. It looked like Lily indeed knew kickboxing.How did he not know? If Nathaniel knew about this, Melanie would, t
He gave a very understated account of the situation. Indeed, she triumphed brilliantly. He was nearly killed, and the bodyguards were battered so severely they could not stand. That was also why he would not just provoke or grab Lily. Obviously, he could not go around telling people about his embarrassing experience, but his mother's remarks yesterday helped him overcome his pride.If she were related to the Lodge family in Brown City in any way, everything would make sense. It would be no surprise that she excelled in kickboxing and also found it so simple to transition into Rebirth after leaving MN Inc. It made more sense if the Lodge family were her backers, and they helped her get in through their connections.Melanie did not know his thoughts, let alone Lily's relationship with the Lodge family. She was still coming to terms with the fact that Lily knew kickboxing. Besides feeling shocked, Melanie was angry and jealous. Not only was Lily skilled and talented in making perfume, b
Nathaniel had said such words. At that moment, Melanie felt that their relationship was ending!"Fine! Since you're sorry for her, I'll leave!" She stood up and wiped her tears before continuing, "From now on, you don't need to worry about the baby and me! I'll leave!"She deliberately mentioned the baby to see his reaction and pressure him. What she did not expect was that this trump card was useless. Nathaniel looked at her coldly, "Do you really plan to give me a child, Mel?" Melanie immediately felt guilty. She did not intend to keep the baby and had made an appointment for the abortion in two days. Apart from her health condition, there was also her affair with Frank. She knew that it would eventually be a thorn in Nathaniel's heart. She cannot have the baby hold her back. Therefore, she absolutely cannot have the baby.The baby was her bargaining chip in negotiating with Nathaniel, as he did not know about the upcoming abortion. Could it be that the bargaining chip was use
Nathaniel forcefully pulled his hand from Melanie’s grip and sighed. “Forget it. Mel, we all know there’s no way for us to go back to the past. It’s impossible to start all over again!” He exclaimed. Then he lowered his eyes and looked at her belly. “I think we should forget about this child.”Those words caught Melanie off guard as she did not expect him to be so resolute about not having this child. He was someone that liked children, and he cared about their unborn child back then. Yet now, he was suggesting abortion. His words meant that he would break up with her.However, Melanie would not let that happen. Even if they were to break up, she thought she should be the one to bring it up, not him. What rights did he have? She had sacrificed so much for him, so many years of her youth. What rights did Nathaniel have to decide how their relationship moved forward?“Of course, but if you insist on keeping this child, I’ll be responsible for providing child support. However…” After a
“Hey, you’re here,’ the owner greeted Lily warmly. Lily nodded and took out the draft she had prepared in advance but did not hand it over. “Where’s the kid?”“Oh, that kid?” The owner laughed. “He hasn’t been showing up for the past two days. I have no idea what’s happening, and he wouldn’t answer his phone. I'll have him fired if he doesn’t show up again tomorrow. Young people nowadays are truly unreliable.” ‘He hasn’t been here for two days?’ Lily thought to herself before asking again, “Didn’t he work for you for a long time already?”The owner shook his head. “Who told you that? It has only been a couple of months. Besides, I saw that he had some carving skills. I’ve been preoccupied recently, and there’s no one watching the store. Hence, I let him work here. However, I didn’t expect that he’d be so unreliable. Look, he’s only been working for a while and stopped coming without saying a word.”As the owner spoke of this, he seemed to think of something. “Oh, don’t worry. We
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