Ralph nodded solemnly and continued, "Didn't you say that you didn't want to marry or be with me? If that's the case, we might as well just call it off. We don't have to force the issue.""When did I say such a thing?" Heather replied, subconsciously looking away. She wasn't used to being stared down by him like this.Although she had no intentions of marrying him, she did not recall saying it out loud. "You didn't, but I can tell by how you act. You're unhappy and not looking forward to this marriage." Still supporting himself with one hand, Ralph continued to stare at her and continued, "I know that you can get anyone you want with your face, figure, and wealth. There are also countless people lining up to take my place. However, I'm really happy that you chose me.“I thought that even though you didn't like me that much, you'd at least have a little affection for me. We'd gotten along very well before this, and some of the things you did… made me feel that maybe you cared abo
Ralph was secretly delighted to hear this, but he continued to add fuel to the fire. "If you're scared that others might talk about you, I can-""I said, shut up! Whoever dares to criticize me will face my wrath, including you!" Then she yanked his wrist forcefully.He had more to say, but the force she exerted was so sudden and intense that his body was pulled forward involuntarily, and his lips were pressed against hers again.Ralph was stunned.‘What is this woman playing at? This isn't going as planned. Wasn't it just a while ago that she hated and bit me? Why is she taking the initiative now?’Ralph was confused. This was the first time he didn't enjoy a kiss.It seemed like she was inexperienced as she abruptly pressed her lips against his. The wound on his lips was still fresh, causing it to reopen. Not only was it excruciatingly painful for him, but it was also mixed with the taste of blood.It was bizarre! Before he could react, Heather's next move creeped him out ev
Ralph tossed and turned the entire night, thinking about how he should treat that crazy woman the next day. After much consideration, he finally got dressed and headed downstairs, realizing that apart from his mother and sister, Heather was nowhere around.The house was quiet as everyone ate breakfast, and nothing seemed unusual."Where's Heather?" he asked suspiciously."A lady like her would never want to eat commoners’ food," Celine muttered coldly. She did not have a good impression of Heather ever since yesterday.Although Celine disliked Lily, that woman lived elsewhere and not in the Russell Estate. Celine did not have to see Lily if she did not want to.However, Heather was different. She had already moved in before even marrying Ralph, and seeing how overbearing Heather was yesterday, Celine knew she might be even worse in the future.With Margaret still around, Celine was safe. When Margaret passed away one day, Celine feared Heather would convince Ralph to kick her out
A black car was blocking the way at the gate. Lily’s driver frowned and muttered, "Does he not know he's blocking someone's entrance?" Then he honked twice.However, the other car did not move, even though it was evident the driver was still in the car. It seemed the other driver was doing this on purpose. Lily's driver began to feel anxious as he honked again, and the bodyguards with her were also on guard since this was unusual.Just as they were about to get down, the car suddenly reversed, turned around, and left unexpectedly. Everyone thought that whoever was in the car must have had bad intentions. No one expected the other person to drive away like that.Still, Lily's driver was tense. He did not move the car for another two minutes until he could no longer see the other car’s silhouette. Then he let out a sigh of relief. "Maniac!" Only then did he start the car and drive in.Lily glanced in the direction where the car drove off, thinking it was not as simple as it seemed. T
In the darkness, Lily felt a strong wind blowing in her direction. She leaned back and ducked swiftly, avoiding the palm that flew across the air. She stood up just in time to receive another punch from the attacker.The fists came at a breakneck speed, and each punch was ruthless and decisive. It seemed like this group of people were not ordinary thieves or kidnappers. Judging from their skills, they seemed to be more robust than the thugs who had kidnapped her in Westwood.They came prepared and moved like the wind, not allowing Lily to catch her breath. If it were not for the fact that Lily had been practicing with the Lodge family for many years, she might have died long ago.Bang! Bang!The two fists collided with evenly matched strength. It was hard to tell who would win. However, right at this moment, the whole house lit up again."The power must have tripped. I've turned on the backup power for now, and I'm getting the main power source fixed immediately. Go and report—" T
"It wasn't a thief. It's fine," she said softly, not wanting him to worry. "Are you sure?" After a pause, he blurted, "I'm coming home now!""It's fine!"Lily rubbed her temples as she frowned and said, "Look, I'm here talking to you. Everything's fine. The person left. Don't listen to what the maids are saying. They're just nervous, and you know how they like to make a fuss." On top of the fact that the maids were all regular people, Alexander had instilled in them that Lily's safety and comfort came first. They were to inform him whenever she felt uncomfortable.Therefore, they would even rush to her when she descended the stairs. Now that there was a thief that fought her, it surprised Lily that none of them passed out. "Are they making a big fuss, or are you downplaying things?" Alexander sighed from the other end of the phone. She knew how he was, and he also understood how she thought. In order to not let him worry, she would always only tell him the good things. "It
"Do you know who it was?"The surveillance tapes in the house had been cleared. It was obvious that the woman had come prepared. Alexander felt a heaviness in his heart, and for the first time, he felt like he faced a crisis.Lily shook her head. "It's a woman, but she was wearing a mask. I don't think I know her."Alexander fell silent when he heard this.He appeared to have a good idea of who it was. After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Are you sure you're not injured?""There you go again!" Lily feigned anger and reached out to poke his forehead. "I'm fine! Although she was fast and ruthless, she gave me space to react. Maybe she just wanted to test me.“I'm guessing she must also be from a family of kickboxers. Do you think it's…" She hesitated to continue because of her uncertainty. "Heather Riggs," Alexander said calmly.At this point, it made no sense for him to continue hiding it from her. It would only make things even more dangerous. He decided it would be b
"Yes, but this person has great ambitions. She was behind what happened to the Lodge family back then.”"You mean... the Light-Shadow Killers?" Lily frowned as the memories from the past came rushing in.Although Henry was filled with wishful thinking and had many things planned, Lily had always felt that someone was always controlling him from behind the scenes. She had told Justin about this back then, and he said that he would look into it. Later, he became so occupied that he pushed this matter aside, and she did not pursue it any further. Now, she found out that Heather was behind the Light-Shadow Killers! "That means she manipulated Henry into trying to take over the Lodge family and make him her puppet?"Alexander nodded. "I supposed that was her plan, but who would've thought that even someone like Henry couldn't be so easily manipulated? While she was using him to gain the power of the Lodge family, he was also using her to seize power. Their only downfall was that they
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