Maxwell Thornton took off his wet shirt, revealing his toned and captivating body. Lily Bennett nearly choked on her own spit at the sight. Fortunately, the bathtub had no water, or she might have drowned her eyes in it, avoiding looking at him entirely. Realizing the awkward situation, Lily quickly stood up and said, “Well, you can take your time with the bath. I’ll head out.”
“Stop right there!” Maxwell's cold voice echoed.
Lily froze in place, stepping out of the bathtub but not moving forward. Maxwell’s deep, intense gaze locked onto the woman in front of him.
“If you take another step, I’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed for a week. Try me.”
“…” Of course, Lily believed him.
She silently retracted her foot and sat back in the tub, hugging her knees like a bullied little girl. She looked up at Maxwell with wide, innocent eyes before quickly lowering her gaze again, looking as pitiful as a stray kitten.
Maxwell wasn’t some pervert who wanted her to watch him bathe, but he was certain that if he let her leave, she would definitely run away. Given the situation tonight, there was a high chance she’d flee to William Edsel.
Wrapping himself in a towel, Maxwell smirked and said, “You seemed so confident back at the clinic, but now you’re feeling shy?” His voice was teasing as he crouched down in front of Lily, towel draped over him.
Lily looked up at him but said nothing.
“Do you regret it now?” His long fingers lifted her sharp chin as he asked.
Without hesitation, Lily nodded, “I was wrong.”
“What was your mistake?” he asked.
“I shouldn’t have tried to put out the fire in that way… I should’ve used another method,” she mumbled, biting her lip.
Maxwell wasn’t done yet. He traced his finger over her lips. “So, do you really want to help me? Is this the way you’d do it?”
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on her soft, red lips. The memory of their first encounter surfaced in Lily’s mind, simple but unforgettable. Now, seeing him looking at her like that, her face flushed as hot as a boiled lobster. She quickly stood up in the bathtub, looking down at him.
“You’ll die if you don’t tease me, won’t you?” Lily was furious, her eyes burning as she glared at Maxwell.
No longer in the mood to tease, Maxwell simply told Lily to sleep in his room while he stepped out to the balcony. Through the closed door, he stood watching her sleep soundly on his bed. Such a fragile woman, yet she had overpowered four men with her bare hands. Did she still expect him to believe she was just an ordinary woman?
Maxwell recalled how Monica had once trained at the police academy. She had been an excellent fighter. Because the students’ information was entirely confidential, Monica’s private life had always been a mystery. Even though they had been together for three years, Maxwell hadn’t known much about her, and the same was true for Monica. After tonight, Maxwell began to suspect that Lily might be Monica under a new identity, though she stubbornly refused to admit it. What had happened to her during those years?
Maxwell grabbed his phone and called Elias. “I need you to find out if those men who attacked Lily Bennett tonight were hired by Zelda Bennett.”
The Thornton family’s security system was very tight. Even though Angus Thornton’s birthday party was large, it would have been nearly impossible for four men to sneak in so easily unless someone had let them in. The only person with a strong grudge against Lily was Zelda Bennett, who hated her deeply. Maxwell couldn’t think of anyone else who would have orchestrated this.
After hanging up, Maxwell walked out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette, his gaze growing darker by the second. He hadn’t smelled smoke in a long time, but suddenly the sharp scent hit his nose. He coughed twice softly, and just then, the woman sleeping on the bed stirred, as if in the midst of a nightmare. She suddenly sat up, gasping for air.
Extinguishing the cigarette, Maxwell rushed over to her, sitting down beside Lily and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
Feeling the warmth of his embrace, Lily remained silent for a moment, then smiled and shook her head. She lay back down and soon drifted off into sleep once more. Maxwell sat by the bed, lost in thought about her until late into the night. The next morning, when he woke, she was gone.
Maxwell went downstairs, casually ruffling his slightly messy hair, and asked the housekeeper, “Where is she?”
Of course, the housekeeper knew who he meant. She smiled and replied cheerfully, “Miss Bennett made breakfast for you. She said she had something to do and went out.”
Made breakfast?
Maxwell raised an eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, Lily had always insisted she didn’t know how to cook. Why would she suddenly volunteer to make breakfast? The housekeeper brought a bowl of chicken soup from the kitchen and set it on the table in front of him, not missing the chance to praise Lily for being such a graceful and admirable woman.
Ever since Maxwell left the Thornton mansion to live on his own, the housekeeper had been the one to take care of him, preparing his meals each day. She had previously worked for the Thornton family and knew Maxwell was a man of few words, so she rarely spoke. But since Lily’s arrival, the house had taken on a warmer, more homely atmosphere, making the housekeeper chat a little more to brighten the place.
Maxwell lifted the bowl of soup to his nose—it smelled delicious. He took a sip, and it tasted just as good as it smelled. Liam Bennett hadn’t been lying; Lily really did have excellent cooking skills. The question was whether she’d ever willingly cook for him. Up until now, she had always refused. But today, she’d gone into the kitchen… Perhaps this soup wasn’t even for him. Maybe she had made it for William Edsel at the hospital.
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, and no matter how good the soup was, Maxwell found it hard to enjoy.