Conrad asked once, but Lillian didn’t respond. He tilted his head, thought for a moment, and simply walked over to close her laptop.
That was when Lillian finally snapped back to reality.
“What time is it, Director Lillian? Are you skipping lunch?”
“I’ll eat once I’m done here.”
Just as she was about to reopen her laptop, Conrad pressed her hand down.
“As your assistant, it’s my duty to remind you that a healthy body is the foundation of everything. So, how about eating first?”
“If I refuse, do you have another way to make me go?”
Conrad turned her chair to face him. “You could say that. Besides, lunch takes no more than thirty minutes. You’ve tried the Brown Family Group cafeteria before and even said the food suits your taste. Because of that one comment, we haven’t changed the chefs all these years.”
Lillian thought that if Conrad weren’t so annoying with his words, he might actually be a considerate guy in action.
“Well, since my newly appointed assistant is so pushy, I guess I don’t have much of a choice. Let’s go.”
Conrad glanced at the storyboard she had drawn-it was vivid and visually striking, capturing even the subtle micro-expressions of fear.
As he got up to follow her, he suddenly asked, “Have you ever drawn me?”
Lillian pushed the door open. “I’ve tried. But no matter how I drew you, the result was never as good as the way you look in my heart… so I stopped.”
The glass door closed behind her.
Conrad stood still, replaying her words in his head.
Through the glass, he saw her pause and turn back to wait for him.
He blinked, and for a moment, it felt as if an icy glacier had finally sprouted a single green leaf-cracks spreading through the frozen walls around him.
Conrad pushed open the door and walked toward her, reaching out to take her hand.
As if the barriers between them had long since been broken by their own hands.
Inside the elevator, his fingers absentmindedly tapped against the handrail.
Lillian glanced at him. “What are you so happy about?”
“That obvious?”
“Yes.”
“Lillian, next month is my maternal grandfather’s birthday. Will you come with me and Jasmine to see him? I’d also like to show you where I grew up.”
Lillian turned her head, looking a little uneasy. “I… I’m not ready.”
“You’re Jasmine’s mother. You should be there.” He held her hand. “Don’t worry. He’s just an old man-strict with men, but he won’t be hard on you.”
Lillian didn’t know much about Conrad’s maternal family, but she had heard they were an influential family.
She wasn’t worried about etiquette, but after disappearing for five years, she feared the old man might have some harsh words for her.
She had always felt like a negligent mother to Jasmine.
When they arrived at the employee cafeteria, the air was thick with the scent of various dishes. Employees lined up, swiping their ID cards as they waited for their turn.
The moment they spotted Conrad, the last few people in line immediately stiffened.
But to their surprise, Conrad merely smiled slightly and joined the line behind them, picking up a tray like everyone else.
“Mr. Conrad, you can go ahead of me-I’m not in a rush.”
“It’s fine, stay in line.” He was deliberately taking this opportunity to let the whole company see their boss’s wife.
Lillian could feel curious gazes coming from all directions. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she turned her head away.
“Tell them to stop staring at me.”
“That’s out of my control. Can’t blame them when you look this good.”
“Did you dip your tongue in honey or something?”
Conrad loved teasing her. “Relax. They won’t dare stare at you too openly.”
Lillian sighed. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”
“You’ll have to face them sooner or later. Are you not picking up our daughter tomorrow? Besides, there’s an entire floor in Brown Family Group that the R&D department moved out of. If you want to turn it into your studio, you won’t have to pay rent. What do you think? You’d also have access to the company cafeteria, employee benefits, gym, and even the in-house beauty salon. The place is spacious, safe, and well-located with great transportation. If you set up your studio here, it’d be easier to recruit people. And after work, I could pick you and our daughter up.”
“I’m just a director. Most of the time, I’ll be on set, traveling all over the place. What would I do with such a big studio?”
“It’s for coordinating work. You’re just one person, but your employees can’t all follow you around the world. You’ll need a proper office for interviews and meetings. Besides, take advantage of whatever perks you can. You already had my kid-why are you still being so distant with me?” Conrad went on and on about Brown Family Group’s prime location, emphasizing that it was the best in City N.
The employees in line perked up their ears, but they were terrified of getting caught gossiping by Ford.
Wait a minute. If they weren’t mistaken…
Wasn’t Mr. Conrad-the same man whom countless business owners in City N begged to work with-currently lowering himself, practically pleading for his woman to check out his office space?
Mr. Conrad, you sound an awful lot like a real estate agent right now.
Lillian was almost convinced by his sales pitch.
“Be honest-are you trying to lure me in with all these benefits on purpose today?”
“If I have the means, why wouldn’t I? It’s not like I don’t want to.” Conrad was completely upfront about it. He had obviously come prepared for this.
The cafeteria had a wide variety of dishes, including options from different cuisines since the company had many foreign employees.
Lillian had grown tired of foreign food while living abroad, so she usually cooked for herself.
But what she hadn’t expected was to see Conrad, looking just like any regular person, carrying a tray, searching for a seat, and even fetching a knife and fork for her.
The sight of him like this… made her feel as if she was getting to know this man all over again.
Even though no one dared sit nearby, the two of them still had a little private space to themselves.
“Try this. Back when you worked here, wasn’t this your favorite? See if the taste has changed.”
“You remember that?” she asked, looking up at him.
“I never made a conscious effort to, but every time I think about it, I remember everything clearly.” Conrad watched her as she ate. “Coming back here… does it feel uncomfortable?”
“A little,” she admitted. “After all, I don’t have the best memories of this place.”
Back then, their relationship had been full of distrust, fear, and uncertainty.
The two of them had never spent time together like this-without any reservations or tension.
And the scars that occasionally peeked out from Conrad’s wrist were proof that the past hadn’t truly been left behind. It had merely found another way to stay with them.
“Then from now on, let’s create together, okay?”
Lillian shoved a piece of meat into his mouth. “Alright.”
To Conrad, that wasn’t just food-it felt like his entire fate.
By the time lunch was over, the employees’ gossip radars were practically exploding.
Especially when they saw Mr. Conrad casually hooking a finger around Lillian’s hair as they slowly walked toward the elevator. He even lowered his head slightly while listening to her, responding with remarkable patience.
That once-unapproachable, ice-cold man… was melting.
Oh my god, was this the power of love?!
Back in the meeting room, after an entire afternoon of analyzing and planning, Lillian finally made her decision-she would take on the project.
But before getting started, she needed to arrange for her equipment overseas to be shipped back and reach out to her team abroad to see if any of them were willing to come to City N and help.
Conrad watched her standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, making phone calls.
Just then, Ford walked in to deliver some documents.
“Mr. Conrad?”
Conrad took the papers and barely stopped himself from scrawling “Lillian” all over them.
Ford stared hard-fortunately, this hopelessly love-struck fool didn’t actually sign Lillian’s name. Breathing a sigh of relief, he turned and left.
Another day, another battle to keep things professional.