The next day, when Conrad showed up at the CEO’s office, he was unusually upbeat and in high spirits.
Even when someone’s proposal didn’t meet expectations, he didn’t shout at them. Instead, he simply asked them to make revisions and move on.
The people who were initially nervous found themselves wishing they could go home and thank the gods for their good fortune.
The news of the CEO’s good mood spread quickly, and the line of people waiting to submit their documents grew longer.
Once Conrad finished his work, he glanced at the time, and he had received a call from the old house. His grandmother wanted him to come home for dinner.
Conrad nodded, “Has Lillian woken up?”
“No news from the villa yet.”
“Send someone to wake her up. Even if it’s the weekend and she’s not working, she still needs to eat before going back to sleep.”
Ford had already gotten used to Conrad’s motherly concern for Lillian.
“Okay, I’ll contact her right away.”
Lillian had slept until noon because she had drunk too much the night before.
Her body felt like it had been trampled by bulls. There were marks all over her body from the kisses, and as she lay naked under the covers, when she tried to get up, it felt like her waist wasn’t even her own anymore.
That maniac.
The pounding headache from her hangover returned.
How much had she drunk last night? Lillian couldn’t even count it.
But without the alcohol, her mind and body rejected that man completely.
How could she get close to him without any reservations?
There was a knock at the door.
Lillian tiredly lifted her gaze, and Nancy’s soft voice came through, “Miss Lillian, Mr. Conrad said if you’re awake, you should come downstairs to eat first, then go back to sleep. He’ll be back early tonight.”
Lillian didn’t want him back.
She lowered her eyes and simply muttered, “Got it.”
Nancy felt like Lillian wasn’t happy this time, but thinking about it, she had just lost her last family member, and her relatives were all like that.
It was a huge change, and it was natural to feel upset. Who could get over something like that so quickly?
When Conrad got into the car, he heard that Lillian had woken up.
He immediately made a video call.
Lillian let the phone ring for a while before reluctantly answering the second call.
“Awake?”
“Mm.”
Conrad saw her standing on the balcony, “Have you eaten?”
He was a bit at a loss for words.
In fact, over the past three years, there had been very few conversations like this. Whenever he came back to find her, it was usually for sex.
Lillian had once hoped he would show more concern for her, but it was hard to bring up. Now that she didn’t want it anymore, he was starting to do it.
“I’ve eaten.”
“Eat more, there will be more sex tonight.”
Lillian closed her eyes, the images from last night replaying in her mind. She spoke with a hint of self-loathing, “Aren’t you busy tonight?”
“You’re the priority right now.”
She listened to his words, which could be considered tender, but it didn’t stir any emotion in her.
Conrad fell silent, just watching her in the video, zoning out for a long time. Even Ford couldn’t help but glance back at him.
“I want to take a nap.”
Conrad wanted to tell her not to sleep so much during the day, but she had already ended the call.
This was a reaction he had never gotten before.
However, Conrad silently put his phone away.
Ford quietly turned back around.
It was clear now that Lillian’s changes had seeped into every corner of her being.
The most obvious change was that she no longer tiptoed around things, and no longer prioritized Conrad’s feelings.
She had even started to care less about him.
“Mr. Conrad, Miss Lillian…”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Mr. Conrad, it seems like she has changed quite a bit. Though, personally, I think this version of Miss Lillian suits you better.”
The old Lillian had been too fragile. She probably didn’t even understand what staying by Conrad’s side truly meant.
She had just followed the tasks assigned to her, doing what she was paid for, scared of being replaced.
But the current Lillian, if Mr. Conrad let her go, she’d probably be nothing but grateful.
A woman’s love or lack of love is actually quite obvious.
Ford thought that the current Lillian was ruthless both toward others and herself. Such a woman, by Conrad’s side, would at least be able to protect them both better.
“What I want isn’t just ‘suitable.'”
Ford was stunned, suddenly realizing what Conrad had meant.
The shock inside him was just as strong as his previous assumptions.
When Conrad entered the old house, Ford stood with Andrew.
The two men had nothing to say but both spoke at the same time.
“You go ahead.”
“I think Mr. Conrad is probably so in love with her that he couldn’t pull himself out.”
“Yeah.”
Ford didn’t have much to say. It was already a settled fact.
From the moment Conrad had considered throwing himself off a cliff for her, Ford had realized something was off.
But over the years, Conrad had always been so determined about Lillian, so it never felt like there was any real tension.
Plus, everyone knew Conrad was carrying the weight of the entire Brown Family Group on his shoulders, along with the military forces behind him, and the pressure from his maternal grandfather wasn’t light either.
The chances of him marrying Lillian were slim to none.
So, everyone had thought it was just a fleeting romance.
But today, Conrad had said that he would prefer the Lillian from before.
This meant he clearly knew something had changed, something he couldn’t hold onto or let go of.
Prideful as Conrad was, anything he liked, once touched by someone else, or once there was a crack or stain in it, would seem dirty to him. He’d want to discard it.
But what did Lillian represent to him?
She was an enigma, someone he wouldn’t let go of, no matter the circumstances.
A man like Conrad driven by profit would rather give up his interests than let her slip away.
But this ‘ship’ had long been broken-how could it withstand the storm?
Could his obsessive determination change anything?
When Conrad returned, he saw several uninvited guests at the house.
Booth now felt guilty every time he saw Conrad, especially after the night he had spent with Evelyn. The morning after, he even feared he might have been castrated.
But in the past few days, his second uncle hadn’t shown any concern for him, so Booth had finally relaxed.
Who would’ve known that during dinner, Conrad had come back?
“Conrad, you’re back.” Old Mrs. Brown smiled and asked.
Conrad observed everyone’s reactions, sneering. It seemed the only person in the family who would give him a normal response was his grandmother. The others looked like they would run the moment they saw him.
When Kenneth came out from the backyard and saw Conrad at a glance, his face darkened.
Conrad stood with his hands in his pockets, looking slovenly, staring directly at Kenneth, including the handsome man following behind him.
The man didn’t look like either Kenneth or Conrad, but the moment he lowered his head, he resembled that slut in the same way.
Conrad sneered and immediately pulled out his gun.
“What are you doing?!” Kenneth shouted the moment he saw it, and the man beside him immediately raised his gun, aiming it at Conrad.