Lillian's perspective.The place was a tourist city surrounded by the sea.I had lived in my grandmother's house by the seaside in the west of the city when I was a child and she always had a soft spot for me. It was a pity that she had passed away in the midst of a land rights struggle. It had all happened so suddenly, and I, who had been in the Azure Pack during that time, hadn't even had a chance to see her for the last time.The strange thing was that Nana's old home had been abandoned since it was bought. The buyer had not transformed the small building into a hotel or a café or a small shop like the others had, nor had they transformed it into a profit-generating business in any way.However, my uncle's family had moved to a big villa in the city after they obtained some money from having sold the land.After arriving in the city at noon, the three of us had a meal together. Then, Ismail and Katrina left the hotel together.I went back to my room and took a nap. Feeling bored a
Lillian's perspective.Ten minutes later, we found ourselves on a street bustling with food stalls.In fact, I hadn't been sure if the street would still be here; I had been trying my luck. However, when I saw that it was still standing strong and even looked livelier than before, I was absolutely thrilled.I remembered from my younger days that the food there had been the most delicious. That wouldn't have changed, right?"Have you ever been here?" I turned around and stared at him, eager to try.I hadn't eaten anything here for a long time, and the nostalgia was palpable, pulsing in the air.Looking at the sea of people in front of us, he habitually frowned and asked, "Is this the "somewhere" you mentioned?""Yeah. You know, the food here is just phenomenal. I bet you've never tried anything from this place." Even if he visited the city often, I was sure he wouldn't be caught dead eating snacks here."I'm not interested in street food." After saying that in disgust, he turned around
Lillian's perspectiveAfter returning from the bar, the two of us went straight back to the hotel to rest.I came out of the shower and found Ismail lying on the bed with his eyes closed. I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was not even half-past nine yet. It was rather early for him to go to bed.I had thought about how to wittily avoid his demand at night when I was taking my shower. It turned out I hadn't needed to.But at the same time, a highly sensitive part of me felt a touch of disappointment. What was the deal with him? I guess the birthplace of his first love was too sacred to taint with his biological urge.With a tendril of jealousy creeping up on me, I went to the bed, sat down, and poked the back of his hand.He hadn't fallen asleep—of that I was certain—but neither would he open his eyes. The only thing he said was, "Don't touch me.""What happened to you? Do you feel sick?""Uh," he grunted."Are you really not feeling well?" Nervousness washed over me. No way! Wa
Lillian's perspective"That's not what I mean," I said, "the pill works—that's what I'm trying to say."Seeing him walking down the stairs to the door, I hurried forward and grabbed his arm. "Don't go yet. I made you some porridge. Have some before you leave."I led him to the table. "Let's skip the hotel food for now. Eat some lightly seasoned food and nourish your stomach."He must have woken up from hunger because as soon as he heard me say I had cooked porridge, he turned back with me.I scooped him a bowl of porridge and another for myself, then went to sit across from him."Where are you going later? Is it a new building?" I asked.Ismail gave a faint hum in response."Can you take me with you, if it's not too much trouble?" I suddenly suggested. I had stayed in the hotel the entire morning, and I didn't want to stay cooped up in there again for the afternoon."I thought you said you were familiar with the area? Why don't you walk around on your own?""Because it's boring to wal
Lillian's perspectiveThe evening dinner party would be attended by more than a dozen senior executives of the army, and the location was indeed near the commercial street at Southgate.Ismail's decreased appetite couldn't really help him to enjoy a socialization chore he never really enjoyed, which was why he left the table after having gone through the necessary formalities. "Please excuse me."I knew his character well, so I followed him to the hotel entrance without hesitation.The sea breeze blew past us when we got out of the hotel. I pulled my trench coat closer to me and turned my head to look at Ismail.Katrina, who had followed us downstairs, saw that the driver was not waiting at the door, so she went to make a phone call.After hanging up the phone, she walked to Ismail and apologized, "I'm sorry, Alpha. Sam didn't expect that you would leave the dinner so early; he was near the commercial street, buying a gift for his mate. He's on his way here."She apologized again, "I
Lillian's perspectiveI felt the urge to snatch it and chug it tempting me, but I couldn't do that because I was a pregnant woman!"I hope you haven't forgotten that your stomach's still recovering. You can't drink," I said, trying to snatch the bottle from his hand.However, he grabbed my hand and stuffed the glass into my palm. "If I didn't have to take care of you, I would have gone for white wine."After that, he picked up the other glass, clinked it with mine, and tilted his head to down the drink.Watching him pour another glass, I knew there was nothing I could say that would change his mind. Under his repeated demands, I had no choice but to bring the glass as close to my lips as possible to make it look like I was drinking.As they said, the older the red wine, the better. But less was more in this scenario. It would do more harm than good if he kept reaching for another glass. "I think you've had enough." I took the glass from his hand and stared at him. "Look at what you'v
Lillian's perspective.I went out with Ismail. After getting out of the car at the gate of the new building, he made Sam my chaperone for the day.Brimming with energy, Sam was a force of nature. He had no sooner seen me than he sobbed out his tears of gratitude. "Luna, I can't thank you enough for last night. I am incredibly grateful.""Last night?" That sort of confused me for a second. It wasn't a big enough deal for me to store it in my memory."I heard from Katrina that you were the one who pleaded with the Alpha for me. That's why I was able to keep my job," said Sam with a silly smile, "I shouldn't have left my post without permission and created such an inconvenience for the Alpha. If it were in the past, I would've been fired long ago.""It's no big deal, Sam—it's not even worth mentioning. Just do better in the future." I smiled at him."Definitely," he agreed loudly.He started the car, and soon, silence settled in the
Third-person perspective.Noticing the still-fresh lilies in front of the tombstone, Ismail scanned the area. He didn't see anyone except himself.These flowers had obviously been placed here not too long ago. But who could it have been?Bending down, he placed the lilies in his arms in front of the tombstone. He took a step back, bowed to the tombstone, and uttered, "I'm sorry..."All of his remorse and feelings of guilt had been distilled into three short words.Whether it had been directly or indirectly, it was indeed because of him that Madam Rosenburg's death had been set in motion.When he got back to the car, Katrina reported to him, "Sir, I've asked Sam just now. He explained that Luna just happened to be here sightseeing."Silence stretched between them as Ismail was lost in his thought.In reality, he had thought that it could be Lillian when he first saw the lilies in front of the tombstone, but after thinking about it, he realized