Conrad had always fallen for this act of hers-fake or not, at least she was in his arms, close enough to see and touch.
He used to think nothing of it. But now, she had actually dared to leave him behind. And he couldn’t stand the thought of her being comfortable somewhere else, couldn’t stand the idea of her truly walking away.
“What’s there to be afraid of? Stay by my side, and you’ll have whatever you want,” he said.
Lillian let out a hollow laugh. He might be gripping her body with those strong hands, but her mind was somewhere else, drifting toward the misty, rising moon.
“My grandmother…”
“She’ll be fine. She’ll get the best treatment,” he assured her.
Backed against the edge of the tub, Lillian softened her voice, pleading, “My grandmother’s doctor mentioned a specialist. The White family brought him over… Conrad, please help me.”
If the White family could bring him in, then surely Conrad could too, right?
“As long as you behave, your grandmother will be taken care of. No problem.”
She knew what he was telling her-that she could have anything she wanted as long as she played her part, his caged bird, his pretty little doll, his mistress.
He could indulge her, spoil her, but love her or marry her? Never.
She’d made her deal with this devil three years ago; freedom had never been on the table.
Lillian felt her sense of self fracturing, as his grip shattered and ground her consciousness to dust, over and over, as if he’d never tire of it. He was forceful and unreasonable, yet, in a rare moment, he suddenly let her go.
She was a bit shocked-was he really letting her off so easily this time?
He lifted her from the tub and carried her back to the room, then called downstairs. “Bring up some cold medicine.”
“No need,” Lillian suddenly said.
He set the phone down and looked at her.
Her voice was still a little hoarse. “I don’t want anyone to see me like this.”
Conrad frowned but told the person on the other end, “Make it quick and bring it up.”
“I said I don’t want anyone seeing me.”
“I’ll serve it to you myself. Satisfied?” he snapped.
The housekeeper quickly brought up the medicine.
Conrad handed it to her himself. “Take the cold medicine.”
For once, Lillian didn’t argue. Her body was her biggest asset right now, and getting sick would only mean wasting money on treatment-money she couldn’t afford to throw away.
Seeing her obediently take the medicine, Conrad finally said, “You’re hopeless. Couldn’t you have called Ford to reach me?”
“Didn’t you block me?”
“Oh, so now you’re twisting the story?” He gave her a pointed look. She was the one who blocked him first, but somehow it had become his fault.
Back then, Lillian had been in a hurry to cut ties, and with him already wrapped up with someone else, she didn’t see the point in overcomplicating things.
“Conrad.” Her tone softened. “What you promised me earlier… does it still stand?”
“My grandma really means a lot to me.” Grandma was the only person left in the world who still cared about her, who truly valued her existence.
For Conrad, it was no big deal. “Of course. Why would I make things hard for your grandma? You’ve been with me for three years; do you really think I’d do something to her?”
He was ruthless to outsiders, but those who stayed by his side always got the best treatment; it’s why so many people were willing to risk their lives for him.
Hearing his reassurance, Lillian finally relaxed.
“Then… Conrad, I have one more favor to ask. Could you help me out?”
Tonight, Conrad was uncharacteristically easygoing-likely because she was back to her usual, obedient self, the way he liked her best.
“Go on.”
“My uncle has guardianship over my grandma. They use it to control me, and they don’t even care about her. Now that I’m almost done with college and just waiting for the production crew to start filming so I can make some money, I want to take care of her myself.”
Conrad had always had a low opinion of her uncle and his family. Still, he had his own little plan. “Didn’t you once tell me not to get involved in your family matters?”
Lillian grabbed his hand. “Please, Conrad?”
“Of course. You know exactly how to get me to give in.” He thought for a moment and said, “Wait here.”
She watched him walk out, feeling anxious without knowing what he was up to.
In no time, Conrad came back and tossed a contract in front of her. “Sign this, and I’ll handle your uncle. You’ll get guardianship over your grandma.”
Lillian read through the contract carefully. There weren’t any unfair terms; it simply authorized him as her representative to transfer the guardianship rights.
Relieved, she quickly signed her name.
Conrad held up that thin sheet of paper and smiled. “Go to sleep.”
He slipped under the covers.
She hadn’t slept with him in days, and now, with him right there behind her, her whole body tensed up, resisting any contact.
Just as she shifted away, he pulled her back forcefully, locking her firmly in his arms.
“What are you moving away for? Just a minute ago, you couldn’t get enough.”
Lillian rolled her eyes. “Then maybe ask yourself why you’re pushing up against my bottom like that.”
“What else am I supposed to do? If the doctor hadn’t just told me to lay off you for a while, where do you think you’d be right now?” Conrad’s tone left no mystery-he was letting her know that if it weren’t for the doctor’s orders, he’d penetrated her by now.
Conrad was always possessive, wrapping her so tightly that she could barely breathe, often penetrating her halfway through the night, leaving her to wake up by him.
She had been with him for three years, and whenever he was in City N, he practically spent every single night by her side. Every night, he had to sleep with her multiple times, like he never got tired.
Her body, on the other hand, seemed to betray her. Even though her mind was screaming alarms, warning her to stay away from him, she couldn’t resist.
Listening to the familiar sound of the waves in this familiar room, Lillian found herself unable to fight it. Her eyelids drooped shut, numbing her thoughts, and her willpower melted as she instinctively sought warmth in Conrad’s strong, broad embrace-as the heat could somehow chase away the chill of the night. Even though the cold that seeped into her very bones was entirely his doing.
******
Conrad woke up to find the spot beside him empty.
He shot up, threw on a robe, and stormed downstairs. Just as he was about to order someone to drag that stubborn woman back, he heard a commotion in the kitchen on the first floor.
“What’s with all this noise?” he barked, annoyed.
The exhaust fan turned off, and Lillian cautiously peeked out. “Why are you so grouchy this early?”
The moment he saw her standing there in an apron, all his anger melted away. “What are you doing up this early, anyway?”
He was really getting unpredictable.
Lillian said, “I haven’t cooked in a while, and I felt like having some hamburgers. Now go brush your teeth and wash up.”
Seeing her so sweet and docile put Conrad in a good mood, so he strolled over and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Lillian shivered a little. “Let go. Let’s have breakfast first.”
“I’d rather have a taste of you first.”
He pressed a heated kiss behind her ear!
“Eat first. I went through all this trouble to make it, and if it goes to waste, I’ll be annoyed.”
Today, he was unusually agreeable. “Gotta keep you happy, huh? Not eating your hamburgers, you’ll be all upset.”
When she’d first started hanging around him, she couldn’t even make porridge, but she’d put in the effort to learn fancy dishes just to please his picky taste. Over time, she’d spoiled him to the point that he didn’t want to eat anything but her cooking.
The maids and chefs in the villa had been walking on eggshells lately, scared he’d blow up over something. Now, seeing Lillian back, they all sighed in relief-though none of them said it out loud.
“Hey, can we speed things up with my grandma?” Lillian took the chance to ask.
Just as she finished speaking, Ford walked in. “Mr. Conrad, it’s done.”
Conrad nodded. “Give it to her.”
Ford handed the paperwork to Lillian, which included her passport, essential documents, and the guardianship transfer papers. She nearly teared up with happiness.
Just as she was about to thank him, her eyes landed on a contract that stated she owed him three hundred million…
“What the hell is this?!”