“So what?” Lillian didn’t understand what he meant by saying that.
Conrad turned his head, his face dark, and didn’t say a word.
If this had been before, Lillian would have already softened, tugging at his sleeve. He would have scolded her a couple of times, and it would have been over.
But today, Lillian just stood there, like an invisible person.
Noticing the tension and the oppressive atmosphere between them, one of the staff quickly brought over a video still of Ada from the past few days, along with the daily menu and its activity schedule.
“Young Master Ada and Alice have been getting along really well these past few days. It looks like they’ll soon have some offspring of their own.”
Conrad didn’t respond, so the staff member, sweating nervously, handed the materials to Lillian, afraid that the deal might fall through.
Lillian looked at the picture of Ada taking a walk in the forest. She thought it seemed fine that way-at least Ada had freedom.
Alice was the black dog she’d chosen.
The two of them had been playing and hunting in the woods together. At first, Ada didn’t seem to win Alice’s favor, but after a few days, Alice’s affectionate attitude became clear.
As for food, it was definitely better than what Lillian ate at school, where she had to rush through her meals with just small biscuits and hamburgers.
“It’s good,” she muttered.
“Alright, Mrs. Conrad. We’ll continue to make sure Young Master Ada has a great time here,” the staff said.
Lillian muttered under her breath, “I’m not Mrs. Conrad.”
Conrad turned and glared at her.
After a pause, the staff member added, “Young Master Ada is already in his private room. Mr. Conrad and Mrs. Conrad, you can visit him anytime.”
Ada had been raised in a household, but Alice wasn’t. She still had wild instincts, so the staff didn’t dare let her roam freely around people.
“I’m not going,” Lillian said.
Conrad stopped in his tracks and turned toward her. “Reason?”
“…It’ll get familiar with other people eventually. I’m already gone. What’s the point of me going to see it? If it doesn’t see me, it’ll eventually forget me.”
“So Ada means nothing to you, then?”
Lillian pressed her lips together. “I just don’t want it to have any bad memories.”
“It’s its birthday today. Did you forget?” Conrad said.
That made Lillian remember-it was Ada’s birthday.
Conrad had brought Ada back from the wild. At first, Lillian had been terrified.
Who would have an African wild dog as a pet at home?
After all, it was a wild animal. It was inherently untamable.
You never knew what kind of temperament it might have.
It could easily swipe at you with its claws without warning.
You’d be dead before you even realized it.
Ada had been separated from its mother only three days earlier. Its previous owner had said they were having a baby and couldn’t keep so many dogs, so they’d forced Conrad to take it.
Conrad didn’t like pets. He treated it like an ordinary dogs.
But the energy of a small African wild dog was a hundred times greater than that of an ordinary dog. By the end of the day, all the furniture in the house had been torn up.
Even Conrad’s chair had been torn to pieces, and the sofa had a strong urine smell and was left in tatters.
Conrad had been ready to grab Ada and throw it into the kitchen to stew it.
He had even told Lillian to eat some grilled dog meat that night and choose whatever part she liked.
In the end, it was Lillian holding Ada, both of them looking pitifully at Conrad, that finally got him to impatiently let her take Ada and leave. Otherwise, he would have slaughtered the animal himself.
After that, Ada had become closest to her. Whenever Ada saw Lillian, it’d roll over happily and show its belly.
Lillian’s heart softened, and she finally took a step forward to follow him.
Ada was pacing nervously in the unfamiliar environment.
Just as it was about to lose it, it spotted Conrad. Ada immediately let out a whimper, as if blaming him for bringing it here. It had been so long since it last saw him. Ada anxiously circled around, rubbing its head against the bars, trying to get Conrad to pet it.
When it saw Lillian, Ada rolled over and lay down on the ground, spreading its limbs out, waiting for Lillian to pet it.
Lillian, missing it as well, crouched down and gently patted Ada’s fluffy head.
Conrad pulled out a custom-made cake. It was entirely made of raw meat and had a candle stuck in it. “Kid, happy birthday. Make sure to have some more cubs, don’t embarrass me, got it?”
Lillian was speechless. What kind of birthday wish was that?
She softly said, “Ada, another year older. Be happy. Go home soon and cherish the time you have with Alice, okay?”
Lillian wasn’t sure if Ada understood her, but at least she knew that Conrad wouldn’t leave it here for long.
Ada clearly didn’t expect a treat today, let alone its favorite kind of meat. Excitedly, it jumped up and started licking the meat through the bars, devouring it.
Conrad saw that Ada was doing well, so he ordered the staff to let it out. He planned to give it a bath afterward.
Lillian was about to say she needed to leave, but when she heard Conrad mention the bath, she spoke up. “I…”
“It’s Ada’s birthday. What’s so urgent that you need to leave? There are no taxis around here, and it’s late. I’ll take you home afterward.”
Lillian raised an eyebrow, “You’re going to take me home?”
Conrad’s face darkened. “What? You’re a once-in-a-lifetime beauty, and I have to do something to you?”
“Well, I hope you keep your word.”
Conrad nearly laughed in frustration. This woman was impossible.
While Ada was getting a bath, it couldn’t sit still. It liked to shake the water off its fur. Conrad sprayed it with the hose, and the little dog tried to jump at him, as if it wanted to cling to him.
Lillian couldn’t help but smile as she watched Ada play, but when her and Conrad’s eyes met, she quickly turned her head away, keeping her face expressionless.
Conrad, growing more impatient, turned the hose on Ada with more force, making it uncomfortable.
By the time everything was finished, both of them-despite wearing waterproof suits and rubber shoes-were soaked through from Ada’s antics.
Conrad wanted to change clothes and take a shower, but Lillian insisted that she needed to leave early since it was already dark.
“Can you wait just ten more minutes?”
“I need to wake up early tomorrow. I’m visiting my grandma. If you don’t go back, I’ll ask the staff.”
A loud crash sounded behind them, and Conrad slammed the door shut, walking past her without a word.
Lillian bit her lip and followed him.
As soon as they got into the car, it sped off like an arrow released from a bow.
For the whole ride, neither of them spoke. The silence filled the air, replacing any need for words.
As Lillian felt the pressure of the atmosphere closing in on her, she decided to close her eyes and rest.
In that familiar environment, she unconsciously fell asleep.
Conrad glanced over at her, noticing the peaceful expression on her sleeping face. While stopped at a traffic light, he grabbed the blanket from the back seat and gently draped it over her. He also turned up the air conditioning.
Lillian slept all the way to Taylor Mansion.
When they arrived, Conrad parked the car, but she didn’t wake up.
Upon closer inspection, there were faint dark circles under her eyes.
Conrad reached out, his hand hovering in the air, tracing her silhouette as if he could somehow capture her at that moment.