Lily did not know who was on the other line, but George kept looking at her when he was on the phone, “All right, I’ll ask her about it.” Lily had a feeling that it was about something concerning her. “I think you might be right about this,” George looked and her and said finally. Since he knew about her background, he could not force his ideals onto her even if he wanted to. Most importantly, the phone call he had just received changed his mind. Maybe they could also focus on custom-made perfumes. “What?” Lily was confused.“Do you know who just called?” George clasped his hands and continued, "I don’t know if you’ve heard of the name of the actress who had previously won the Best Actress award, Eloise Neville. She was a superstar before getting married into the Tanner family.” Lily was surprised before admitting, “Yes, I’ve heard of her.” Not only had she heard of Eloise, Lily even knew about her relationship with Nathaniel, but…why was she calling them?“Yes,
After a moment of hesitation, Lily strode over to the car. The door swung open, and she stepped inside, nodding politely in Eloise's direction.She was unsure if Nathaniel’s mysterious mother knew about their relationship. It did not matter anyway, as everything was in the past. Facing this past potential mother-in-law, she felt only calm and nothing else.Meanwhile, Eloise had been observing Lily. She had a unique youthful vibe and smelled lovely. The scent was not strong nor the usual fruity smell loved by many girls. It smelled natural, but there was also a trace of fragrance Eloise could not name. After smelling the scent Lily carried, Eloise felt her frustration subdued, and she was less anxious, too.“Mrs. Tanner, what is it that you want to tell me? You can tell me now, and we can save you the hassle of finding a proper place for us to talk. In fact, this is the most suitable place for you,” Lily said, looking out the window.Her words made Eloise smirk. “You’re smart.”Aft
Smiling, Eloise looked at Lily and said, “You’re rejecting me because of my relationship with Nate, aren’t you?”Lily was surprised to hear that. She turned to look at Eloise with disbelief written all over her gaze. She did not understand how Eloise could tell her the secret she had been carefully hiding for decades so quickly. “You don’t need to look at me like that. I know you’ve found out about it,” Eloise said faintly. “I’m bringing this up because I want us to talk about things easier now that we’re on the same page. It’ll be difficult for us to talk with people around us. Since only the two of us are here, we can be honest with each other.” “This has nothing to do with what you said. I rejected you simply because I can’t do it, and it’s not for any other reason,” Lily explained.“Really?” Eloise leaned forward and stared into Lily's eyes. Suddenly, she questioned, “Then let me ask you this; where is Nate now?”Lily was puzzled. “How would I know that?”“How could you not
“What did I agree to?”“Y-You just said…”“Firstly, the most valuable thing about a man is not his willingness to admit to his mistakes and change for the better, but humility and modesty. When we were together, all he did was take advantage of me, so what love is there between us? As for…” Lily paused for a moment before adding, “As for why he regretted it after that, it’s because he realized I could bring more benefits to him. It’s because Melanie dumped him. Am I right?”“It’s not…” Eloise wanted to explain, but Lily interjected, not allowing her to defend her son. “Next, it’s unknown that mixing with the Russells would be a bad choice, but you did agree that Alex is a great man. I want to correct you on that; he’s not just a great man; he’s a man Nathaniel can never compare to, so why would I give Alex up and choose Nathaniel? Can you give me a reason why?”At this point, Eloise had a terrible expression on her face. However, Lily was not going to stop anytime soon, continuing,
The sky was already dark when Lily reached home, but when she noticed the lights were on, it reminded her that someone was waiting for her. It made her feel serene and safe.She walked into the house and felt the warmth within. Alexander was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching television. Seeing she was back, he took the remote control by his side and switched off the television. Then he walked to the kitchen and brought out a bowl of hot soup so she could drink it after she changed into her house slippers.“Are you cold?” he asked.“I’m fine.” Lily was not far from the city when Eloise dropped her off, and it was easy for her to grab a cab home. It was just that the place was quite far from their house. Hence it took a little longer for her to get home.She took small sips of the soup; it tasted fresh and delicious. She felt grateful and happy.Alexander said nothing as well. He just put his chin on his hand and turned his head to the side to watch Lily. She had lon
“Why would I know that?” he asked in return.After asking that, he frowned and continued, “Why did you think I’d know about it?”“You’re doubting me?” The gears in his mind moved, and he connected the dots quickly.After he was silent for a while, Lily's subconscious mind started formulating a comeback. Still, she held back and eventually gave him the truth. "Yeah, I figured you had something to do with his disappearance, but I wasn’t sure. After all, you have the resources and influence to pull that off, but if you insist it has nothing to do with you, then that’s it.”Trust was written in her gaze. Alexander believed she was serious about her words and not just coaxing him.“I have no idea about it,” he said. Someone as insignificant as Nathaniel was not worthy of Alexander’s time. However, the mention of Nathaniel did make Alexander slightly jealous.“You’re worried about him?” It sounded like a simple question, but jealousy was evident in his tone.Lily had been with Alexand
Arianna ignored him and looked at the item in her hand. “I’m telling you this now. This item is nothing good to girls. Why do you want it?” Nathaniel stood up and walked over to Arianna.“You just need to do as you’re told. The rest is none of your concern.” She weighed the packet in her hand. It was tiny, but the amount should be sufficient.Smirking, Nathaniel stood before her. “What? I’m just a tool for you to reach your goals?”“You should be glad that you’re still useful.” She kept the item carefully before her gaze flashed over to him coldly. “What about the other thing?”“You are well aware even if I didn’t tell you, right?” Nathaniel sneered. After interacting with her for a few days, he understood something. On the surface, it looked like she had passed all her authority on the dark side of society to him, but how could she let it go completely? There were still people who would report directly to her and were still at her disposal. He knew that he was merely a puppet
“Tanny, are you sure you want to do that? Didn’t you say that he isn’t someone… who would give in to threats?” Arianna probed in a soft voice.“You’re right. He isn’t, but he’s someone with a strict set of principles.” Brittany looked up, her gaze fixed on a particular point in the distance grimly. “I’ve known him for many years, and I understand him well. He’s someone with great self-control and was never involved in any scandals. I know it’s not entirely because of me, but because he wouldn’t allow himself to make such a mistake. That’s why I’m sure he’d take responsibility if he slept with me!”Her excellent understanding of Alexander made her want to take advantage of his personality because she believed in her assumptions.Brittany was mindful of the fact that regardless of the outcome of her plan, her relationship with Alexander would enter a new chapter, be it for better or worse. Nonetheless, she was willing to bet on it!“Sure, he might take responsibility and be with you,
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