The next day, Lillian was supposed to visit her grandmother.
Conrad seemed to be ignoring her now, and she felt relieved.
However, when she arrived at the hospital, she noticed that John’s family was also there. It had been a while since they had seen each other, and John appeared quite agitated. But that didn’t concern Lillian; now, she didn’t have to worry about their opinions.
“Rare visitor.” Lillian laid the flowers down and replaced the ones from yesterday.
Fanny stared at her intensely, with a forced smile, “You actually came? I thought Grandma would receive excellent care from you. Instead, you don’t even show up and let Frank handle it. Lillian, how many men do you have on the side? Playing multiple games at once, right?”
Fanny’s words slipped out, she didn’t even realize how much her jealousy was starting to overflow. Of course, Grace was on her daughter’s side.
Lillian arranged the flowers, pulling off the excess branches and leaves, then said, “If you’re here to argue with me, take it outside. Grandma likes peace and quiet.”
Grandma was a woman of great refinement, and if she were aware of these words, she’d surely be furious.
Fanny was so angry her teeth were practically grinding. She wanted to jump up and call Lillian a temptress. She had finally found a good match, and Lillian showed up! And she deliberately flirted with Justin! When Fanny got home, her mom had angrily called Justin’s mother to ask about it, only for his mother to start asking about Lillian – clearly on Justin’s behalf!
This bad Lillian, every time she ran into her, nothing good ever came of it.
“Lillian,” John spoke up, coming over to help. “Your grandma changed her attending physician, and you didn’t even let us know. I’ve been trying to track it down for a while.”
Lillian looked at the middle-aged man in front of her. He had truly cared for her when she was a child, visiting her during holidays, and treating her better than he treated Fanny. But that had changed quickly, and she had been caught off guard when he had turned on her multiple times.
“Uncle, you never miss an opportunity to show up uninvited. Spare me the pleasantries and get to the point. What do you want?”
John smiled, “I know you’re clever. It’s about my company’s goods.? About Mark’s situation, I made a mistake, and now he’s not working with me anymore. A batch of goods is stuck in my warehouse. Lillian, you’re close to Mr. Conrad, right? Can you help your uncle this one time and help clear the goods?”
Lillian had grown tired of John’s petty issues. He just wasn’t cut out for business. Plus, Grace had dragged all her relatives into the company, and the small-scale operation had turned into a family affair. The results were predictable.
Lillian could play along and stall him, but John would undoubtedly go to Conrad to get something in return. He wouldn’t just give away the rights to her grandmother’s care or her ID documents for nothing.
“Uncle, do you know what my position is with Mr. Conrad? To put it bluntly, I’m just one of his many mistresses. Small favors are hard to come by, and big ones… I don’t even know how I could help you with that.”
“Lillian, you have plenty of abilities. Mr. Mark himself told me that. Are you really not planning to help me?”
Lillian knew how difficult John could be, so she decided to be direct. “I don’t think you’ve understood me properly. Right now, you don’t have any leverage on me. So why should I help you?”
“Hey, you little bitch!” Grace suddenly snapped, rushing up to hit Lillian.
Lillian tilted her head back slightly and pressed the call button.
Outside the VIP room, Conrad had arranged for security. First, to guard against the White family, and second, in case Lillian tried to escape with her grandma. While the second scenario was unlikely, Conrad preferred to be thorough.
When the call bell sounded, two bodyguards walked in with grim expressions.
Grace, who had raised her hand, quickly lowered it, awkwardly smiling at them.
“Miss Lillian, do you need us to kick them out?” one of the bodyguards asked.
Lillian glanced at John, about to say yes when she noticed movement on the surveillance monitor behind her.
“Quick, call the doctor!”
This was the first time Lillian had seen the famous specialist. The man was very serious. As soon as he arrived, he ordered that Lillian and the others be asked to leave the room.
Fanny wasn’t willing to wait any longer. After twenty minutes, she started to get impatient and insisted on leaving. Grace didn’t want to either, but they still needed Lillian as a liaison.
“Stop making noise!” Lillian snapped, turning sharply to warn them.
Fanny, who had been complaining non-stop, was already holding back her anger. When she saw that Lillian dared to snap at her, she almost wanted to yell at her, thinking Lillian still saw herself as the Lewis family’s precious young lady.
But John stopped her.
The group stood at the door, and Lillian felt her legs going numb. The door was suddenly thrown open.
“Doctor, how is my grandmother?”
“The patient has been very conscious, and it seems she must have been under a great deal of stress earlier. She needs to avoid any emotional fluctuations. The biggest issue right now is that if surgery is necessary, we need to address her other medical conditions as well. There is a high risk of complications during the procedure, so we will need to have a conference with doctors in the country.”
Lillian nodded. “Okay, okay, I’ll cooperate fully and await further notice.”
Once Dr. Beck and the team of specialists left, John immediately spoke up. “Lillian, you’ve got to help me. You don’t want your grandmother lying unconscious while she has to worry about family matters, do you?”
Lillian gazed through the glass at her grandmother lying in the hospital bed. She casually replied, “I’ll talk to Mr. Conrad. And next time, don’t come to the hospital. If anything happens to my grandmother because of your family, it’s going to be a complete break between us.”
She turned to John. “Uncle, you know I have nothing left. All I have is my grandmother, and I’d do anything for her.”
John stiffened. Over the years, no matter what he asked for, Lillian always agreed as long as it was for the sake of her grandmother. He knew very well that their family ties were fragile, just a thin sheet of paper that could tear at any moment.
“Alright, alright. We won’t come anymore. But you know, I do have to rely on you. If things go south at home, there’s nowhere else to turn.”
Lillian turned away. “Just leave.”
She didn’t want to see John and his family anymore.
Conrad wasn’t someone she could rely on either. She felt like she was surrounded by enemies, with no one truly on her side.
Everyone who had been kind to her seemed to want something in return, and what did she have left to give?
She didn’t know how long John and his family stayed, but she could always tell when John pretended to scold Fanny; his eyes would flash with a protective gleam.
She had once been loved. When her father was alive, no one dared to bully her.
He used to say, “Lillian, you are Daddy’s little princess. If anyone makes you cry, I’ll knock them down.”
“Our little princess is so beautiful, you deserve the best of everything in this world.”
Thinking about her father, Lillian felt a lump in her chest. After leaving the hospital room, she climbed the stairs, opened the door to the rooftop, and walked to the edge. She stood there, gazing at the tall buildings in the distance, at the people below, and at the scenes outside the hospital. She tilted her head back, taking deep breaths, trying to suppress the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
“Why do you always end up crying when I see you?” A light, teasing voice interrupted her thoughts.