After returning from the Lodge family’s home, Alexander noticed that his wife was busier than ever. She was burying herself with work every day in the laboratory and would continue working at home. Alexander finally could not resist asking after a few days, "What have you been doing, Lily?"Since Lily got home, she was absent-mindedly eating and wanted to go straight into her workspace.At her request a few days ago, Alexander vacated a room in the back of the house for Lily to work on her projects. Now, Alexander thought that it might have been a mistake. ‘Home is home. Why does Lily have to work when she’s at home? Does she have to bring all her work home every day?’"I'm working on a new product!" Lily did not think there was any problem. She was quite busy lately, but she was fine with that. She had always been busy like this all her life. "Is this about the Southbank soap? I can get someone to help you if it's too overwhelming for you. Maybe we can reconsider and renegoti
The elderly were usually stubborn. The more they age, the more opposed they are to medical treatment. Especially someone like Wilfred Lodge, who practiced kickboxing all his life and was typically healthy, hated the idea of seeing a doctor. However, if his granddaughter made the essential oil for him, he would not have the heart to refuse it. "That's what I think, but I'm not sure if my grandfather would be willing to use it. Anyway, I have to give it a try." After a pause, she continued, "Actually, the essential oils are just like perfumes. Every perfumer has their unique style.""Take the lavender and sandalwood you just mentioned as examples. There are different ingredients and components in them. The final product of every different perfumer will be different. This is something that I want to do for him, and that is different from buying it outside."She had left the Lodge family for many years and felt guilty. Now that she saw her grandfather suffering from insomnia, she tho
“Brittany, I don’t want to tell you if you’re going to act like this,” Arianna said cautiously. Arianna had just said a word, and Brittany exploded. If she had heard it all, it would have been way worse.Arianna stood up and said, "By the way, I just remembered I have something to tend to at home, so I have to go.""Don't leave!" Brittany grabbed her. How could she let her leave so quickly? "You weren’t clear enough. Do you want to drive me crazy? Tell me, where did you hear that? By the way, who is Alex engaged to?"It was difficult for Brittany to ask the last question. Deep in her heart, she did not want to believe it. She had been by Alexander's side for so long. There were not even female animals around him, let alone women. How could someone who did not have a girlfriend suddenly get engaged?If Brittany had heard this from anyone else, she would have laughed it off as a stupid joke. However, it was different since it came from Arianna.Arianna was a member of the Tanner fam
Although Alexander had rejected Brittany so many times, at least there were no other women by his side. That was why he could bear her temper. Brittany felt that he loved her without knowing it. It was apparent but unknown. She patiently waited until Alexander found out that he liked her, but if there were an affair, she would have a strong sense of crisis. "That's true. That’s why I was shocked when I heard about it. You never mentioned he was engaged or anything!" Nodding, Arianna agreed with Brittany’s statement."C’mon, continue the story!" Brittany urged. Her heart was burning with anxiety."Anyway, it was Mr. Lodge's birthday, so my uncle went along with his son. After he came back, he mentioned something like that, and I happened to hear it," unable to hold back her fiery look, Arianna explained the matter. Brittany waited for a while, and when she saw that Arianna had no intention of continuing, she blinked, "That’s it?" "Yep! That’s all!" Spreading he
It was not feasible to ask Alexander, but there were still detours in the tactics involved.Brandon was too busy recently. He put his legs on the desk while holding his phone to flirt with his crush when Brittany came rushing in. Brandon almost could not react fast enough and exposed his surprised expression. He quickly snapped out of it and looked at Brittany, "Wow, what a surprise! You rarely come here!”As he said that, he glanced sideways and continued with sarcasm, "You brought food too? Don’t tell me you purposely came to bring me food."Brittany laughed and walked straight to him. She put the cake and coffee on his table and said, "You’re right. I bought it for you on purpose. Happy now?""Really?" Immediately putting down his legs, Brandon sat up straight and leaned forward, "Yo, it's my favorite red velvet and caramel macchiato! It seems like you did buy this for me. How nice of you!” He held the cake carefully with both hands, with a look of gratitude but did not intend
"It's delicious! Did you buy it from Tanner's Bakery? Their cakes are unbelievable! No one else could compare! Hey, I’m serious! I wouldn’t lie to you. Do you want to take a bite?" He dug out a piece with a spoon and held it near her mouth.Brittany avoided it with a look of disgust. Brandon shook his head and asked, "How could you reject this?!" He continued to eat, and seeing that the cake was half eaten, she asked calmly, "Brandon, have you met with Alex recently?""No!" He buried himself in the cake and occasionally freed his mouth to drink the macchiato. "There haven't been any new projects to work with lately. He’s busy, and I’m busy as well. You know how he is. It’s difficult to even call him out for a drink. You see him more than I do, anyways. What’s up?After saying that, he felt something was wrong and suddenly raised his head, "What do you want to say?" "It's nothing. I just wanted you to help me find something out." She smiled with a harmless and
“That's why I want you to ask!" Brittany circled the table, grabbed his arm, and gently rocked it, "It's not a big deal. You just need to check the details. Can’t you help me on this small thing?”After all, it was not a big deal, but where did she hear that nonsense? Brandon frowned and looked at her disgusted, "How could you even believe this? I remember you were quite confident in yourself! Have you ever seen another woman with Alex? I thought you’d already chased away all the ladies that tried to get near him. Besides, with how he acts, I would probably believe he was gay if you said so. By the way, do you think he’s engaged to another man?” He remarked in all seriousness, convinced that his viewpoint was the most sensible.Brittany clenched her tiny fist and thumped him fiercely, "Bullsh*t! You’re probably gayer than he is! Just help me ask! Why are you asking so many questions?”Being hammered by the fist, Brandon screamed, “Alright, I’ll ask! It’s true when they say t
Initially, Brandon thought it would be easy to make an appointment with Alexander, but he did not expect to be rejected. He could not believe it! Rejected?"I know you're busy, so you could at least squeeze some time for me! Let's talk about it. From noon to evening, any time. I can accommodate whenever!" Brandon said very generously. "I don't have time," Alexander was not joking. He was flipping through his schedule and replying to Brandon at the same time."That's impossible! How about tomorrow at noon?" He did not believe that Alexander was fully packed the whole day."I have a meeting with Aurora that was booked half a month ago!"Brandon replied, "How about tomorrow night?""I have an appointment with Mr. Hendricks at Pavillion, so I’m not free either.”"The day after tomorrow?""Monthly inspection of my branch office.""Two days after tomorrow?" Brandon continued without giving up.After closing the schedule, Alexander persuaded him, "Just give up. My schedule is ful
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