章 114: Chapter 114
This video call lasted nearly two hours.
When she left, Lily was still in her office reading a book, saying she wanted to cultivate her temperament and pursue the path of a graceful beauty. Aria felt at ease leaving her. Upon returning, however, she found no graceful beauty but a drunkard instead.
Lily often liked to have a drink after a busy day. She had even set aside a small room specifically for storing wine. Aria knew Lily was not in the best mood today. While eating grilled fish earlier, Lily had pointed to the small sandalwood beads on her wrist and said, "Old Jian promised to give this to me, and Leopold still wanted to give it to Zoya, saying I didn't like it. Isn't that infuriating? He expects me to go crazy in public to protect his love. He really has some nerve."
Lily's resentment toward Brooks and Layla was always clear, but with Leopold, there was a lingering affection despite her grievances. After all, Lily had been brought up by Leopold. When she found out about Leopold and Zoya, she didn't expose it because her grandmother loved her grandson dearly, and Lily didn't want to hurt her grandmother's feelings. Moreover, she genuinely didn't want to destroy Leopold.
The beads were a minor issue; the main problem was that Leopold always put Zoya first. Asking Lily to go crazy in front of both families to facilitate his love affair made her feel used. Aria had left to give Lily some space, thinking she might be slightly drunk, but she hadn't expected her to be completely wasted.
...
Aria helped Lily out of the room. The drunk woman staggered around, and wearing high heels, she nearly fell off the steps. In a split second, someone pulled Lily away, helping Aria regain her balance.
"Why did you drink so much?" Edmond held Lily by the waist. Under the wall lamp, he looked down at her flushed face, frowning deeply.
Aria thought Lily shouldn't suffer in vain. She decided to complain and told Edmond everything Lily had shared with her, even exaggerating a bit.
"Leopold is such a jerk. He doesn't want to get married himself and can't handle it, so he makes Lily go crazy in public. It's outrageous. Lily is a person too."
"If this gets out, who knows how many people will blame Lily, accusing her of ruining her brother's relationship. If Zoya can't get married, they might even blame Lily for that. How resentful must she feel?"
Edmond's eyes darkened. He was silent for a moment before looking up at Aria. "I understand. Thank you for taking care of her. It's late, you should go home too."
Aria did need to leave. She was visiting her sister-in-law that night. "Alright, take care on the way."
Lily had asked her to bring some bird's nest for her sister-in-law. Remembering this, Aria turned back after a few steps.
"Mr. Zhou, can you pass a message to Alistair for me? I know he's very busy, but if he wants a complete break, he should contact me. Dragging this out affects his relationships."
"Sure."
...
Edmond carried Lily into the car, knowing she felt miserable. He placed her on his lap, supporting her head with his shoulder. The driver, aware of the situation, closed the partition.
Lily had indeed drunk too much, and the wine's strong aftereffects made her stomach churn and her body feel unbearably hot.
"I'm thirsty, Edmond. Give me some water; I'm burning up."
Edmond gave her half a bottle of mineral water. After drinking it, she started tugging at her clothes.
"It's so hot, Edmond. Help me take off my clothes; I'm burning up."
Edmond glanced at the raised partition, sighed in relief, and thought about giving the driver a raise later. Holding her restless hands, Edmond gently kissed her lips and coaxed her softly.
"We'll undress at home."
Lily nestled in his arms, stayed quiet for a while, then started tugging at his shirt.
"Edmond." She leaned her chin on his chest, her eyes red from the alcohol. Edmond brushed his fingers across her teary eyes, his voice deep and sexy. "Yes, I'm here."
Lily's enchanting fox-like eyes fluttered, her tears falling uncontrollably, making her look pitiful.
"Edmond, don't be so good to me. Aria said you might like me... even if you do like me a bit, don't be so nice to me."
Edmond cupped her face, wiping away her tears with his bent fingers. "Why can't I be good to you?"
Lily's tears flowed more freely, soaking Edmond's palm. The poor girl looked so aggrieved.
"I'm afraid one day you'll stop caring for me. They all used to care for me so much, but then one day they just stopped. You will too. Love fades away..."
Normally fearless and indifferent, she was now revealing her vulnerability and grievances under the influence of alcohol. She rubbed her face against his shoulder, and Edmond held her tightly, trying to comfort her for a long time.
Eventually, a searingly passionate kiss ensued, ending only when the car stopped. Edmond carried Lily out, her body limp, drifting off to sleep. In a low, furious whisper, she vaguely heard him curse.
"Leopold is such a bastard."
The next day, Lily was awakened by the ringing of her phone.
Too groggy to open her eyes, she shifted and reached for the phone on the bedside table.
"Lily, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear?" Aria's not-so-calm voice came through, barely containing her anger. Lily's brain was foggy, her reactions slow. "Either."
"Are you still in bed?" Aria could tell from Lily's voice. "It's almost lunchtime, and you're still not up?"
The room was dark, the curtains drawn tightly. Lily glanced at the time on her phone.
11:41 AM. It was already noon.
Aria remembered Lily had been drinking the night before and got straight to the point.
"The bad news is, I posted a behind-the-scenes photo using your account. Your fans are attacking it. Don't check Weibo; I don't want you using a side account to argue with them. We need to keep a low profile."
She then shared the good news.
"The assistant you mentioned has arrived. He's waiting at the studio. Should I ask him to leave or wait?"
Lily's mind finally cleared. "I forgot. He did say he'd be here at ten."
Last night in the group chat, the 'night owl' added her, asked for the address, and said he'd arrive at ten. She had agreed but overslept.
Lily sensed Aria's tone was off, despite the good news. "What's wrong? You sound like you're gritting your teeth. Did he upset you?"
Aria struggled to describe. "I've never met such a talkative person in real life. He's too much. I think you should reconsider; he could drive you crazy."
She didn't want to discuss it further. "You'll understand when you get here."
Lily turned over, rubbing her face. "I'll eat and be there by 2:30. If he doesn't want to wait, let him go. If he does, order him lunch."
After hanging up, Aunt Fang knocked, calling her to eat. Lily crawled out of bed, the discomfort between her legs reminding her of last night's chaos. Memories flooded back intermittently.
She remembered Edmond carrying her to the bedroom, giving her a bath, and her insisting he join. She had been insistent, and though he initially refused, she had been forceful.
Gosh, she was getting increasingly shameless, more and more attached to his body.
...
At noon, Lily went downstairs.
She paused, seeing the tall man setting the table in the dining room. Edmond held a phone, discussing work, his profile sharp and stern.
Hearing her footsteps, he turned and beckoned her over, ending his call.
"Come here."
It wasn't the weekend, and Lily didn't expect him home for lunch. "Why are you back?"
Edmond pulled out her chair. "I have a flight at two. Came back to have lunch with you. Perfect timing."
Lily sat down. "A flight? Are you traveling?" Edmond sat across from her, raising his eyebrows in surprise, smiling at her.
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