Chapter 14: Becoming His Elder
Octavian's words instantly enlightened Lily.
Right! How did she not think of this? Becoming Royce's elder and having the upper hand... holding onto the biggest support in Jiangyu so no one could bully her... stealing the man Zoya liked... each thought was immensely satisfying! But the idea extinguished just as quickly.
Edmond would never marry her. She was almost his nephew's fiancée. If he married her, how could he save face? A man like Edmond valued his reputation highly. If she brought it up, he'd probably slap her.
She wouldn't dare dream of it.
...
After sending off Octavian, Lily carried the bag home. The riverside apartment was spacious, over 190 square meters, too big for one person. When she opened the door, it was dark and cold.
Turning on the lights didn't add much warmth.
She had fought fiercely at the family house and had been struggling to stay awake after the long journey. She closed the door, her posture collapsing, kicking off her high heels, and walked barefoot to the study.
She pulled out a heavy, black diary from the drawer and sank into the sofa.
The diary was filled with Royce's faults. Each time she sent him a number, she'd note the reason in the diary.
The reasons were detailed, filling the entire book.
Lily flipped through it, stopping at the last page, noting the cold war before it. Negative 98 points, the main reason for their estrangement.
The day they were taking wedding photos, Royce received a call and left without a word.
She had searched for him in her gown and high heels, spraining her ankle, and was about to call the police when Royce finally answered.
"Nadia's car was rear-ended. I took her to the hospital. We'll reschedule the photoshoot."
She was furious.
The photographer was her mentor from abroad, a renowned figure in the photography world visiting China.
She had put a lot of effort into the wedding photos, ensuring every detail was perfect, and had specifically invited her mentor. He was catching a flight back, and they had only one set left, which would take just ten more minutes. But Royce couldn't wait.
A car accident? How convenient! Whenever she and Royce spent more than half a day together, something would always happen to Nadia.
That accident, Nadia wasn't even scratched. It wasn't really a rear-end collision; she had driven into a parked car.
When Lily accused Nadia of doing it on purpose, Royce called her malicious, saying she had a heart of stone.
She slapped Nadia, and Royce slapped her.
That slap had killed her spirit.
Her subsequent stubbornness was just because she had two more chances, fueled by residual unwillingness.
Lily flipped back to the first page of the diary, her cold fingers gripping the thin paper, tearing it out and shredding it into the trash.
She shredded the entire diary and removed all traces of Royce from her home.
There wasn't much.
Since returning to the country, Royce had fallen for Nadia. He hadn't set foot in her apartment. She threw away all the gifts she had shamelessly asked him for.
Nothing valuable, like his used lighter, a plush toy from a street vendor, or his keychain.
The photos on the wall were the most troublesome. They were all of him, taken by her.
She had a camera specifically for taking pictures of him, filling two albums and a wall.
She discarded everything, leaving nothing.
After cleaning, Lily pulled out three elegantly wrapped but slightly old boxes from the bottom of her bedside table. These were gifts she had bought with her own money before returning to the country.
A scarf for her mother, a pen for her father, and a watch for her brother.
She hadn't had the chance to give them, and now there was no need.
She threw everything, along with Royce's things, into the trash downstairs.
From today, the love that had almost spanned her entire youth was finally destroyed.
Family ties were also completely severed.
After handling everything, Lily sat on the sofa in a daze, suddenly unsure of what to do. Thirst prompted her to get a glass of water.
After drinking, she stood still, wondering what to do next.
Cleaning.
Aria had a key and fingerprint access to the apartment. When she came in, Lily was mopping the floor.
Hearing the noise, Lily looked up, taking a moment to react.
"Aria? Weren't you on a business trip?"
Aria saw her and tears immediately welled up. She kicked the door shut, dropped her bag, and hurried over.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone