“Calm down!” George pressed a firm hand on his shoulder. “Maybe… it’s just someone who looks like her.”
Even as he said it, George couldn’t convince himself.
After all, how could two people look so incredibly alike?
Unless-unless that woman was Lillian’s twin sister.
But was such a coincidence even possible?
“Ethan, I’ve been waiting for you! Come, let me introduce you to a few of my old friends.”
Ethan had just started to turn when, in the next instant, a figure moved in fast. Instinctively, he pulled Lillian close, securing an arm around her waist before swiftly catching an outstretched hand reaching toward Lillian.
At the same time, he found himself face-to-face with an intense, razor-sharp gaze.
He observed the man in front of him without a word. Conrad, on the other hand, was doing the same.
Both were men in the business world, and within seconds, they had already retrieved each other’s background information in their minds.
Yet neither was willing to speak first.
“Mr. Conrad?” Mr. Jones’s voice carried a hint of nervousness, unsure what had triggered this stormy presence.
“Oh, Mr. Conrad, perfect timing! Let me introduce you two-this is Mr. Ethan. Mr. Conrad, I assume you’ve already heard of him?”
But Conrad’s eyes were locked onto Lillian’s face.
“Ethan, this is Mr. Conrad, chairman of the Brown Family Group,” Mr. Jones continued.
“An honor to meet you.” Ethan extended his hand toward Conrad as if that brief moment of tension had never occurred. His composure was impeccable.
Conrad, however, ignored the outstretched hand entirely. “When did you come back?”
His voice, unconsciously, softened-gentler than he intended.
There was even a trace of grievance in it.
George and the others grew anxious, afraid that Conrad might simply grab Lillian and leave. More than that, they were desperate for answers. Where had Lillian been all these years? Who was the child? And who exactly was this man beside her?
They quickly crowded in.
“You… You are Lillian, aren’t you?” Hogan asked uncertainly.
The commotion had already drawn the attention of the entire banquet hall. Every guest had turned their gaze toward them-only the band continued to play, oblivious to the storm brewing.
“Indeed, long time no see,” she said, smiling. Her voice was just as it had been before-soft, alluring, yet distant. “How have you all been?”
Five years.
He had waited five years.
Yearned for her for five years.
And now, she finally stood before him-
Yet she looked at him as though he were a stranger.
And with the most indifferent tone, she simply said, “Long time no see.”
A breath caught in Conrad’s throat, lodged like a heavy fist against his chest.
His hands clenched into fists, knuckles cracking as an unbearable turmoil surged inside him with nowhere to go.
She hadn’t forgotten him.
She hadn’t lost her memory.
She hadn’t suffered some unknown accident.
She had simply chosen-to hide.
A thousand questions burned inside him-Why didn’t you keep hiding, then? Why are you showing up now?
But none of those words made it out.
Because, in the end, none of that mattered.
She had returned.
Whole. Safe. Unharmed.
And that-was enough.
“Barbara has told me about all of you before,” Ethan suddenly spoke. “I never expected everyone to be so concerned about her.”
Lillian met his gaze, an unshakable trust passing between them-one that no one else could break into.
At that moment, a soft, childlike voice piped up, “Daddy, Mommy, can I have a little pudding cake?”
Everyone lowered their heads, staring at the little boy standing beside Lillian.
Conrad’s pupils contracted sharply as he locked his gaze on the child.
For a moment, his ears went completely deaf.
After a brief, hollow silence, a dull ringing sound stretched endlessly in his mind.
“Dad? Mom?!” Hogan, incapable of holding back, repeated the words loudly before turning to Lillian. “You got married? No way!”
Five years ago, Conrad had already registered their marriage. Who could she have married?!
His voice was so loud that it startled the child.
The boy instinctively shrank closer to Ethan and murmured, “Daddy?”
Ethan gently ruffled the boy’s hair in a reassuring gesture. “Go ahead,” he said.
A waiter nearby quickly stepped forward and led the little one toward the dessert section.
“Sorry, kids don’t always understand boundaries,” Ethan said calmly. “Barbara is my fiancee. We plan to hold the wedding after her new film is released. Quincy just hasn’t gotten used to it-he likes calling her ‘Mom’.”
Hogan let out a breath of relief-then suddenly realized what he had just heard. “She’s your fiancee?!”
Lionel exhaled deeply and muttered, “We’re not deaf. You don’t have to repeat it.”
As if the madman standing next to them wasn’t already unstable enough. If he got provoked any further, no one could predict what would happen next.
“Fiancee,” Conrad finally spoke, his gaze settling on their linked arms. “Then what about the child?”
“He’s mine.” Before Ethan could respond, Lillian spoke first, looking straight at Conrad. “Quincy is my son.”
Conrad opened his mouth slightly but said nothing. He turned his eyes toward the little boy, who seemed about the same age as Jasmine.
Maybe he was even a little taller than Jasmine.
Could it be…?
A hundred possibilities flashed through his mind in an instant.
But Lillian had already moved on. “Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Ethan and I have prepared a golden anniversary gift for you. We wish you both a lifetime of happiness. I hope tonight’s little incident hasn’t ruined your evening.”
“Not at all,” Mrs. Jones responded warmly. “I’m delighted that you could come. That film you made about women’s issues-I’ve watched it over and over, and it moves me every single time. Ethan told me you’ve never been one for public appearances, nor have you accepted any international interviews. The fact that you’re here tonight… it truly means a lot to me.”
With that, Lillian smiled and brushed past Conrad.
The faint scent of her perfume lingered in the air, drifting into his breath.
It was completely different from five years ago.
She had a fiance now. A child with someone else.
And on top of that-she was the director who had skyrocketed to fame last year.
Meanwhile, he… he had long become nothing but a part of her past.
Her presence here tonight, walking so openly, so confidently, meant only one thing-
She didn’t care if he found out.
She didn’t care that he was here.
That realization made Conrad’s chest tighten, suffocating him.
His face turned frighteningly pale.
George frowned when he noticed the blood on Conrad’s palm. “Every time it’s something about Lillian, you either cough up blood or end up injured,” he said flatly.
Gripping Conrad’s shoulder, he added, “Come on. Let’s go to the lounge.”
He knew one thing for sure-this Ethan, Lillian, and even that little boy… they all needed to be carefully analyzed with a clear head.
And just like that, the storm settled.
There was no dramatic scandal for the guests to feast on.
But one thing was certain-Lillian was back.
And just like a single stone thrown into still water, she had stirred up a thousand waves.
The woman who had once driven Conrad to madness.
The legendary beauty.
Those who missed tonight’s event were undoubtedly pounding their chests in regret.
Over the past few years, all of Lillian’s photos had completely disappeared-rumor had it that Conrad had them all under his control.
Even those who really wanted to dig up something could only find a few blurry images at best.
It was said that she had been born into a wealthy family, raised in luxury and privilege.
Then, after her family went bankrupt, she ended up with Conrad.
He kept her hidden for three years, and when she refused to accept his arranged marriage with the White family’s heiress, it caused a series of scandals.
She was also rumored to have had an ambiguous relationship with both Gordon and George-
Some even claimed she had played all three men in the palm of her hand.
For those who didn’t know her personally, her reputation had been blown up to the level of a femme fatale.
Some said she had died five years ago.
Others claimed she had given birth to Conrad’s child, taken a massive payout, and disappeared overseas to enjoy her life.
Either way, she had remained a mystery.
And yet, today, the very subject of all these speculations had appeared in the flesh-
Graceful. Poised. Casually exchanging pleasantries with Conrad.
With a fiance. And a child.
So, whose child was it, really?