George’s eyes, hidden behind his glasses, flickered slightly. “This matter was indeed our oversight.”
“It was your arranged doctor who sent Lillian and her grandmother to Boyd Town. You said a doctor would be there, but there was no timely treatment. They even got caught in a chain car accident, and we couldn’t reach you. George, what do you want me to say? If you have any conscience, from today, keep your good friend away from Lillian. I’ll thank you for that.”
Melissa finished speaking and turned to leave, but George grabbed her back.
“This was both an accident and not an accident. We need time to investigate thoroughly, but there was indeed negligence.”
If Conrad hadn’t been poisoned, such a thing would never have happened!
This was entirely beyond their expectations.
Now Grandma Kristin was gone, and the rift would forever remain.
Melissa shook off his hand. “As you said, the accident has happened and can’t be undone, so let it be.”
George’s hand lingered in the air as he watched Melissa quickly walk away.
His heart clenched in pain, an unfamiliar emotion tying him down.
It was a feeling of losing control, like something slipping away rapidly.
The death certificate and other formalities had been taken care of, and the arrangements in Boyd Town were settled.
Lillian refused to ride in Conrad’s car and insisted on personally taking her grandmother back. Conrad simply followed her into the car.
Lillian couldn’t even be bothered to look at him, focusing instead on tidying her grandmother’s appearance.
She whispered childhood anecdotes into her ear, repeating stories from when she was little to when she grew up, over and over again. As if, by doing so, her grandmother would return.
But everyone knew.
Once gone, it was final.
There was no coming back.
Conrad remained silent in the car.
The black convoy, like a long dragon, headed toward Boyd Town.
Everything followed the old customs of Boyd Town.
Lillian hadn’t grown up in Boyd Town, but when the elderly villagers arrived, Conrad came to call her over.
Since they had made prior arrangements, the villagers helping to welcome the guests knew what they were doing.
Lillian hardly had to worry. There were people greeting and seeing off those who came to offer their condolences.
She didn’t even realize how many relatives and friends her grandmother had until the day of the funeral. Even the county government leaders showed up.
The people who had argued with her grandmother in the hospital were also there, but their expressions were completely different now.
Lillian had no time to care about why they had come or what they planned to do.
She simply stood numbly by the memorial tablet, bowing each time someone arrived.
She listened to their words of sympathy.
After all, it was her grandmother’s funeral, and Conrad didn’t want to cause any conflict with Lillian over this. Frank, who had come from City N, stood firmly outside the courtyard, which wasn’t ideal, so they let him in.
The villagers didn’t say much about Grandma Kristin’s passing, but they were more interested in her granddaughter, who had found a powerful boyfriend, and they eagerly discussed that.
From the moment they walked in until they left, the air around them was filled with an aura that clearly indicated they were not ordinary people.
Some even waited from early morning just for a chance to meet Conrad, helping out with the funeral arrangements, and transporting people, all just to make an impression on him.
Lillian hadn’t expected Kama and her schoolmates to come as well.
When Jack arrived, he hadn’t expected this to be real. “Such a big thing, and you didn’t even tell us. Lillian, my condolences.”
Lillian deeply bowed. “Thank you, thank you for coming.”
She knew who was behind all of this. But some things couldn’t be forgiven just by saying the word.
“Take care of yourself. We’ll handle things at school.”
“Okay.”
Naturally, there were people who noticed Conrad standing beside Lillian. They were surprised at first, but then quickly fell silent.
Lillian had lost interest in explaining or hiding anything.
She had been with Conrad for three years, and that was the truth-it couldn’t be changed.
On the day of the cremation, neither John nor Helen showed up. Lillian didn’t want to dwell on whether they didn’t want to come, couldn’t come, or were just afraid to come.
Anyway, no one in the village muttered anything in front of her.
She didn’t want them to show up.
Although she had prepared herself, when she watched the body enter the cremation furnace, Lillian still knelt and couldn’t rise.
From now on, she had no family left in this world.
None. There was no one anymore.
Conrad supported her from behind.
She hadn’t properly rested these days.
She hadn’t even seen how she managed to sleep. Her previous illness hadn’t fully healed.
When the day of the funeral, a light rain began to fall.
After returning from the mountain cemetery, Conrad had the guests he brought taken to the hotel for dinner, while Melissa accompanied Lillian upstairs, helped her change clothes, and stayed with her, talking.
Gordon handed Conrad a cigarette. “What’s your plan next?”
“First, I’ll take her back to Hillside Villa.”
“What if she refuses?”
“You know I won’t let go. Don’t bother trying to convince me.”
Gordon sighed lightly. “I used to just watch her live carefully and cautiously, after all, there are many girls like her. But as I watched, I began to feel pity for her-she’s stubborn and resilient. But now, Conrad, I think you should stop pushing her.”
Conrad curled his lips, not sure whether it was a smile or just him trying to move his stiff face. “If I let her go, who will let me go?”
The wheel of fate had been turning since the moment she rushed toward him.
Life and death were beyond one’s control.
After the funeral, the guests had to return to the city, and Ford arranged for drivers to take everyone home. Everything was prepared meticulously.
The only downside, unfortunately, was Lillian, who had lost her loved one.
There was some noise coming from the staircase, and Melissa quickly closed the door and came out. It was indeed Conrad coming up.
“How is she?”
Melissa shook her head. “She still doesn’t want to talk much. Her grandmother just passed; she’s going to need a long time to recover. Could you let her stay with me?”
“Aren’t you living in your own house?”
Melissa had recently moved back to her parents’ home to ease things about her divorce from George. Their relationship wasn’t exactly great when they met now.
Melissa wasn’t surprised. Conrad remembered her situation clearly.
“Your family has so many people. Lillian just lost her grandmother, and I don’t want her to go to your house and feel uncomfortable.”
“My parents…” Melissa fell silent.
When Lillian’s family had trouble before, her family hadn’t offered much help. Now, it was true that what Conrad had said might happen.
“Lillian can stay at my place.” Frank, who had appeared out of nowhere, stood at the corner of the stairs, ready to come up.