Back in the hospital room, Conrad was satisfied and told Lillian to stay with him.
But Ford was already there, waiting with a bunch of business matters that Conrad needed to approve.
The Brown Family Group was involved in infrastructure, entertainment, tech, automotive, real estate, logistics… basically monopolizing industries in City N. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for them.
In City N, when you mentioned the Brown family, everyone knew them.
Conrad’s grandmother came from a prestigious family. His father was a former leader in City N, and his mother was the daughter of a bank founder. When these two families joined forces and then allied with the Brown family, they firmly held the position of the wealthiest family in City N.
Given such a background, Conrad should’ve been a refined and polite man. But the public saw him as ruthless, domineering, and difficult to deal with.
“I’ve got stuff to handle here. You can go watch a movie or play some games, whatever.”
After Conrad spoke, Ford leaned in to report, “Miss Evelyn ran into some trouble. Should we handle it?”
“She just left. What trouble could she have now?” Conrad said, clearly irritated.
Ford reported, “Janet’s parents came over from the hometown.”
“Go handle it,” Conrad waved his hand. “If it’s something you can take care of, don’t bother asking me.”
Ford nodded.
Lillian pretended she didn’t hear, but there was no way she wasn’t affected. When Conrad tried to wrap his arms around her, she instinctively pulled away.
“What’s this? Don’t want me touching you?”
“If you touch me now and then end up touching Evelyn later… I have a bad temper. Mr. Conrad, if I say something that makes you mad, I’m worried we’ll both be uncomfortable. Maybe I should go back to my room?”
“Are you really that bothered by her?”
“Mr. Conrad, you get on my case even if I look at your tattoo artist for a second. Don’t you think I should be concerned about your relationship with Evelyn?”
“Well, get used to it. She’s going to be under your nose for a while.”
Lillian had already expected he wouldn’t change his mind for her, but hearing him say that still made her chest tighten a little.
She suddenly turned her head and gave a forced smile. “So if you just like my face, you could easily find ten more Evelyns. Why do you have to keep me around?”
Conrad lifted his gaze from the computer and looked at her with a mocking smile. “So you think I keep her around because she looks like you? Or do you think you’re the type I like? You think I can’t live without you? I didn’t know you were this full of yourself. Besides, you two don’t look alike at all.”
Conrad tilted her chin, inspecting her face closely. “If I turned you both to ashes, I’d still be able to tell the difference. You’re you, and she’s her. I’d never get confused.”
Lillian turned her face away, feeling something she couldn’t quite describe-like she was on the edge of a cliff. If she fell this time, no one would come to her rescue.
She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the heavy feeling in her chest.
“I’m going to use the bathroom.”
Conrad squinted as he watched her walk away, knowing exactly what she was upset about. But honestly, he didn’t feel like he owed her any explanation.
She had been spoiled by him over the years.
In the past, he did whatever he wanted, and never felt the need to explain himself. Even when she started throwing tantrums, it never crossed his bottom line.
Once or twice, gradually, she had begun to challenge him.
If she kept up with this attitude, it was only a matter of time before she caused trouble. And he certainly couldn’t keep spending all his time on her.
She needed to learn to be independent again, and when it wasn’t the right time to speak, she needed to stay quiet.
And those words she’d said before about breaking up? A decision like that could never happen again.
******
Downstairs, Evelyn was still shaking in the hospital room.
When she’d come down earlier, she had been a little dazed, and then a middle-aged couple had immediately grabbed hold of her!
She hadn’t even had time to react before she realized it was Janet’s parents.
She and Janet had been classmates in middle school and were both from the same hometown. After she came to City N, she ran into Janet working as a cashier in a supermarket. Back then, they were both in similar financial situations and managed to be good friends. But once she’d gotten close to Conrad, Janet had become her follower.
She’d given Janet a lot of good things. But when Janet accidentally offended Mr. Conrad, what was she supposed to do?
Sometimes Evelyn wondered if it was because of Janet that Mr. Conrad had started to dislike her.
Before Janet caused trouble, Evelyn had successfully gotten into H University and even landed a role as the lead in a promotional video.
If it hadn’t been for Janet stirring things up, why would Lillian have outshone her?
And now? She was the one who was in trouble, and her parents were here to confront her!
When Ford came down with his team, they found Evelyn huddled in a corner, clutching her head and screaming.
A pot of chicken soup had spilled all over the hallway, and even the nurses couldn’t pull everyone apart.
Evelyn shook her head frantically, saying, “It’s not my fault! I didn’t know anything about it!”
Ford instructed the security guards to escort Janet’s parents out and told Evelyn to return to her room.
Standing outside the hospital room, Evelyn hesitated before texting Janet’s parents. She told them to direct their grievances to the right person and not her. If they needed help, they could contact her.
Lillian didn’t expect Conrad to be ready to leave the hospital after just one day.
However, the gossip reporters were already swarming downstairs, so Conrad told Ford to park the car by the west gate. Only then did he take Lillian out.
“I can stay at the hospital,” Lillian said.
“Didn’t you say you hate the smell of hospitals?” Conrad shot back.
“My grandma’s still here,” she argued.
“She’s being taken care of. You wouldn’t be able to do anything even if you stayed. You’d just stand around helplessly.”
Conrad wasn’t open to discussion. He hated hospital beds and had already spent two nights there, which was enough. Now, he was determined to drag Lillian home so he could sleep properly.
But as soon as they stepped outside, two older people came out of nowhere, rushing at Lillian with something in their hands.
Conrad reacted instantly, pulling Lillian behind him. Andrew threw off his jacket, shielding Conrad just in time.
“It’s concentrated sulfuric acid!” Andrew exclaimed, quickly discarding the jacket.
The bodyguards pinned the attackers to the ground as Conrad turned to Ford.
“Lillian! My daughter has no grievance with you! You’ve ruined her life!”
“You’ll get what’s coming to you! You little slut!”
Lillian’s face turned pale in an instant. She didn’t even recognize who this couple was.
“Who are these lunatics?”
“They’re Janet’s parents, Mr. Conrad,” Ford replied.
Conrad’s patience snapped. “These two fools managed to get their hands on sulfuric acid? Find out where they got it and send their whole family to the police station!”
The older man screamed, “Conrad, you’ll die a horrible death! Give me back my daughter!”
Conrad sneered. “You think you’re the first to want me dead? Get in line.”
He had lost count of the people who cursed him every year. They clearly didn’t know where his nickname, Conrad the Grim Reaper, came from. Since when did the Reaper fear petty ghosts?
After shoving Lillian into the car, Conrad rolled down the window to address Andrew. “Did you get hurt?”
“The jacket blocked it. I’m fine.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Conrad glanced at the writhing couple on the ground with disdain before rolling the window back up.
Upstairs, Evelyn had seen everything. She shrank into a corner, panicking.
What if those two old fools implicated her?
Why did they have to act so recklessly? Of all times, they chose to strike when Conrad was there. What if they’d injured him instead?
Lost in thought, Evelyn wandered aimlessly and nearly collided with someone coming down the hallway.
“Are you okay?” a calm voice asked.
Evelyn looked up and saw Martin, looking gentle and refined.
For a moment, his gaze lingered on her face, and his initially indifferent tone softened, becoming much more gentle. “Did I just bump into you?”
Evelyn shook her head. The man didn’t exude the overwhelming aura of someone like Conrad, but his attire and demeanor screamed wealth and status.
Blushing, Evelyn quickly replied, “No, no, it’s fine.”
“Are you in the hospital? Would you like me to escort you back to your room as an apology?”
Evelyn froze, her heart racing, unable to utter a word.
Martin said, “I’m sorry, please forgive my forwardness. You remind me a little of someone I care about. I can’t see her now, so just talking to you feels comforting.”