Conrad gave her a playful smack on the buttocks. “Didn’t you say you were going to kiss it?”
Then he gave her buttocks a hard squeeze. “Haven’t you been eating right lately? You’re getting thinner. If your ass gets any smaller, I’ll have to figure out how to fix you.”
Lillian couldn’t help but think, What does my ass have to do with you? He really did like to overthink things for no reason, didn’t he?
After being together for three years, Conrad should know exactly what was on her mind.
“Yeah, a man works his ass off for power and money-and for sex too,” he said, tugging her closer by her neck.
Lillian knew exactly what was happening. He was being stubborn again. If she didn’t kiss him now, he’d probably make this a big deal and drag it out all day.
“Did you send someone to get the expert from the White family?” she asked, hoping to steer the conversation elsewhere.
Saying “get” was being polite. When Conrad heard “White family,” he looked completely uninterested. “They didn’t appreciate the offer, so I had to take matters into my own hands.”
“Don’t you worry about messing things up…”
“They’re about to get engaged,” she murmured under her breath.
Conrad frowned. “Why are you overthinking this? The process isn’t even done yet. They can’t make decisions for me, and I can always change the engagement partner if I need to.”
The marriage was just a tool. If the White family didn’t want to go through with it, the Brown family could pick someone else.
In the end, it wasn’t up to others to choose for him. If Conrad wanted someone else, he’d make that decision-no one else had a say in it.
Lillian understood. She got it.
Whoever he chose to marry in the future didn’t concern her, and she had no right to interfere. All she wanted was to get out of this without more drama.
But when it came to her grandmother, she was genuinely grateful for Conrad’s help.
So, she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in the way he liked, and kissed him.
Conrad’s eyes narrowed, and her kiss left an imprint on his chest. She moved up, kissing his throat, and then placed a final kiss on the corner of his lips.
Conrad’s lips curled into a small smile.
“Good girl,” he murmured, before asking in a low voice, “Tell me, what did Hunter do to you?”
Lillian knew he was definitely going to ask, but she wasn’t sure how to answer. After all, how long had she been in Hunter’s hands? In that time, she’d been through all kinds of things-some of which she should’ve done, some she definitely shouldn’t have. If she told Conrad everything, would he even believe her?
But that bastard had mistreated her so badly. Lillian wasn’t about to play the saint and let him off the hook.
“He… he licked my earlobe, brought a dog out to scare me, slapped me, tied me up on a cliff and had people crash into me…”
Conrad gritted his teeth. “Alright, go rest. You’ve had enough for now.”
Lillian didn’t insist on staying to take care of him. “Can I go see my grandma?”
“She can’t see anyone right now. When it’s okay, I’ll send someone to take you.”
Lillian felt anxious. “Has the doctor said anything about her condition?”
Conrad gently took her hand, playing with her fingers. “Don’t worry, she’s in good hands with me. Just… you need to be obedient.”
He didn’t want to waste energy on this. Because of her, he’d already let a lot of things slip, and now he had to spend more time at the hospital.
Lillian really wanted to leave, but with her grandma here, she could only nod.
******
Not long after, Hogan and the others showed up in the room.
“That bastard Hunter’s been up to no good for years. The last business deal we did got hijacked, and turns out, he was behind it. I was wondering where he got the nerve, turns out he’s got someone backing him up. That’s why he’s getting so reckless.” Hogan handed Conrad a stack of photos and documents.
Conrad skimmed through them, then leaned back on the sofa with a cigarette in hand.
“Andrew.”
“Yes, sir?”
“What’s the status?”
“He’s in the basement, cursing and going crazy. But his tendons were cut, and he hasn’t moved much the past couple of days. He’s not causing trouble.”
Conrad fiddled with his lighter. “I jumped off a cliff, and had a rescue team sent after her. If I don’t strip something off the Hunter’s family, I’ll be losing out.”
“Don’t worry, his parents will come for him sooner or later. For now, send them one of his fingers and tell them to pay up. If they don’t pay, send them two fingers. And if they still don’t cough up, I’ll send them an eye of his. Most importantly, I want his tongue. Nice and neat. I like symmetry.”
“Understood!” Hogan saw where this was going and immediately knew Hunter’s family was going to take a massive loss. “Conrad, do you think this is… too much?”
“Why? You think the Hunter’s family can find proof that I did it?”
Of course, they couldn’t. But everyone with eyes could put two and two together.
“As for Hunter, fine. But Booth, that little bastard, he’s really going off the rails. He’s forgotten his own name, and now he’s sticking his nose into your business. What does he think he’s doing?”
Conrad narrowed his eyes. “If he didn’t share my last name, his life wouldn’t be worth much.”
“You’re just letting him off the hook like that?”
Conrad smirked but didn’t say anything. The others didn’t press it. Booth wasn’t going to have an easy time in the Brown family from now on.
Booth had been reckless, almost getting Conrad killed. It wasn’t like Conrad was just going to let it slide with a few lashes.
“Forget that for now. Contact Python,” Conrad said.
Hogan was puzzled. “You’re in the hospital. Why would you need him?”
Conrad took a drag from his cigarette, smirking. He pointed to his chest, right where his heart was. “To leave a mark for my medal.”
The group looked over and saw the red lipstick mark on his chest.
They all had the same reaction: their mouths twitched. As usual, Conrad’s thought process was… unconventional.
******
When Nancy brought Lillian her nutritional meal, she made sure to point out which one was for Conrad.
Lillian sipped her soup, not asking why Nancy didn’t deliver it herself. She figured Conrad was the kind of guy who would only eat if he felt like it. If she really just ignored him in the next room, he’d definitely give her a hard time later.
She picked up the food tray and got out of bed. When she opened the door, she saw Evelyn standing there.
The moment Evelyn saw her, pure hatred flashed across her face.
Booth was just helping her teach Lillian a lesson, but who knew how this woman had managed to seduce Conrad, making him go through danger and end up getting hurt? Now everything had blown up.
The Booth family refused to let her visit Booth now. They were planning to send him overseas after Christmas. Just when she had finally managed to establish some connection with the younger generation of the Brown family, everything fell apart, and she even ended up earning the resentment of Booth’s family.
All of this was Lillian’s fault!
Janet had been right-this woman was her nemesis.
It was either her or Lillian; they couldn’t coexist. She had to find another way to get rid of Lillian.