Lillian hung up the phone, grabbed her bag, and a few bodyguards followed her.
When she returned this time, Conrad hadn’t taken all of her luggage. She could still grab her things and leave whenever she wanted. But she needed to wait for the right moment.
She made a few turns and ended up at an old market near Kama’s house to buy some ingredients.
It was rush hour, and many residents from the area were around.
Lillian was haggling with the vendor when she suddenly noticed a gap beside her.
Turning her head, she found Conrad standing right next to her.
He was wearing custom-made leather shoes, which he now stood on the still-wet ground of the market.
At this time, he had appeared right when she left, meaning he must have left right after she did. It was surprising that he’d come to such a place.
“What did you buy?” he asked, his expression calm.
Lillian lowered her eyes. “Some ingredients.”
“Did you get everything?”
“Almost.”
Conrad directly asked the vendor for the price, paid, and then handed the bag to his bodyguard. He took Lillian by the arm and led her out of the market.
This area didn’t allow parking, but Conrad’s car wasn’t restricted. It was parked right in the middle of the intersection. People on electric scooters had to navigate around it, muttering curses under their breath.
But Conrad didn’t seem in a hurry to leave.
“Do you come here often?” he asked.
“Not really.”
“Then why did you come? Looking for Kama?”
Lillian casually adjusted the bag on her shoulder. “I just remembered that the ingredients here are fresher than in the supermarket. Is that a problem? What, can’t I come to look for Kama?”
Conrad smirked but didn’t respond.
They both knew this was just a game of probing each other.
He didn’t get in the car. Instead, he continued walking, pulling her along without any clear direction.
After turning past a wall of flowers, Conrad noticed a huge wedding dress poster across from him. He suddenly asked, “Lillian, do we have any pictures together?”
Her pupils shrank slightly, and she turned her face away. “No.”
“Then let’s go.” He suddenly grabbed her and tried to pull her into the bridal shop.
But Lillian stopped dead in her tracks, refusing to move forward despite his pulling.
Conrad didn’t care what she thought. The answer was obvious. No matter how many times he asked, she’d always say no. But he didn’t want to hear that.
Without waiting for a response, he picked her up in his arms and pushed open the door of the bridal shop.
“Hello, our business hours are over…” The saleswoman, hearing the noise, came out and was about to suggest they make an appointment for another time.
But when she saw Conrad, her tone shifted immediately. “Hello, Mr. Conrad.”
Conrad felt she at least had some sense. “What wedding dress styles are popular right now?”
“Oh, the latest styles are featured in a brochure in our shop. Mr. Conrad, please come this way, I’ll recommend something for you.”
“What do you want to do?” Lillian asked, confused. “I shouldn’t have come to this kind of place with you.”
But before the saleswoman could bring the tablet, Conrad was already holding Lillian and looking at the models on display.
“Fitted, with a slit, highlighting the shoulder and neckline, with simple but elegant treatments at the waist and hips, satin, no huge lace or trains, simple and elegant.” Conrad provided a few keywords. “Call over your best photographer. I want to take a simple set of photos.”
After his command, seven or eight salespeople rushed around, gathering all the dresses that fit his description.
He picked one out and forcefully dragged Lillian into the fitting room.
The bridal shop’s fitting room had mirrors everywhere, and the curtain was drawn.
Lillian was quickly stripped by him, not even left with her underwear.
He always enjoyed lingering over her body, and Lillian knew exactly which part he liked most.
But after three years together, he hardly ever dressed her.
Every time he did, it was when he was apologizing.
Now, he was carefully dressing her in a wedding gown.
Lillian had never imagined that one day, Conrad would be the one to help her into a wedding dress.
“This dress isn’t much. I’ll get you the best, the most expensive, in the future. It’s missing a necklace with some design. Only then will it truly suit you.” He spoke like a designer, preparing how to adorn her.
“You brought me here. What do you really want to do?”
“I don’t know, I just wanted to do this. Maybe… I wanted to see a woman standing by my side in a wedding dress. I want that woman to be you.”
Lillian stared at him, as if seeing a ghost.
He silently stood behind her, holding her.
“Do you like this dress?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“You can give your opinion.”
“I don’t like any of the ones you’ve picked. Mm!”
Before she could say more, he turned her face to his and kissed her deeply.
His large hand gripped her waist, holding her by the back of the neck.
It was a mix of restraint and longing.
The roughness gradually softened, and as he savored her sweetness, he hoped she would respond in some way. Even just a little, like before.
But she remained unresponsive, her eyes empty, too tired to even look at the mirror.
Conrad’s thumb gently traced her lips. “Don’t like wearing wedding dresses?”
Lillian thought this man was quite skilled at blocking out things that might be unfavorable to him.
“The wedding dress is beautiful, but there’s someone else I don’t like.”
She just didn’t want to wear it with him.
“Too bad,” Conrad said. “Today, not only did you wear it for me, but I also put it on you with my own hands. In the future, it will always be me standing by your side.”
After he spoke, the suit had been delivered.
“Change into it for me.” He ordered.
He grabbed Lillian’s wrist and pressed it against the belt buckle.
“Do you feel happy making such domineering demands on others all your life?”
“If it gets the job done, it doesn’t matter what methods I use.” While speaking, he had already unbuttoned his own shirt.
Conrad’s body was undoubtedly attractive, though the scars crisscrossing his skin had become his battle medals.
As Lillian’s hand brushed over his chest, she saw the knife scar on his back in the mirror.
That was the mark she had personally given him.
Conrad held her and kissed her gently.
After she buttoned the last button for him, she said slowly, “Didn’t you want to take pictures? Are we still going to take them?”
Conrad brushed a lock of her hair away, his voice hoarse. “Alright.”
When they stepped out from behind the curtain, a group of service staff gasped in awe.
Even without makeup, their striking features were already breathtaking.
It was hard to imagine how stunning they would look with makeup.
Lillian only had the makeup artist do a light touch-up.
The setting was indoors.
She had imagined countless times what it would be like to take a photo with Conrad, thinking it might be a wedding picture.
Just the thought of it would make her blush, as it felt like an impossible dream.
But when it finally happened, all she felt was pity for the version of herself that once lived in constant anxiety, always fearing loss.
After stepping away from the perspective of an admirer, she realized how naive and foolish she had been.
The set was simple, with white and black curtains behind them.
Because they both looked so good, they didn’t need any extravagant props to enhance the scene.
Conrad didn’t want anything flashy. He just wanted to sit with Lillian and take the simplest picture together.
Let’s see who dares to say they never had a photo together.
It was almost closing time, and yet they were still being pulled in for a photo shoot by the famous City N overlord.
The photographer felt a huge amount of pressure.
The assistant stood at attention.
The lighting was carefully adjusted, careful not to blind Conrad, as if worried their hands would slip up at any moment.
In commercial photography, it was routine to direct clients into the most photogenic poses.
The same thing every time.
But the couple, with their story and emotions, standing there, conveyed so much more than just an image.
The photographer’s shutter practically didn’t stop.
The instructions were simple.
“Come a bit closer, perfect. Mr. Conrad, could you look here?”
But it didn’t really matter. From start to finish, Conrad only had eyes for Lillian.
It was in the last shot that he smiled at the camera while holding Lillian’s hand.
The rebelliousness in his eyes, and the slight curve of his lips, all showed how in control he was of their relationship.