In the afternoon, on the way back to the apartment from the hospital, Lily Bennett called her son. Emily Hayes, who was taking some time off, had decided to take Liam Bennett on a little trip to explore new places and experiences. The boy was having such a great time that he didn’t want to come home at all. Honestly, from a selfish perspective, Lily was glad her son wasn't spending too much time around Maxwell Thornton, so the fact that Liam was with Emily right now was a relief.
Standing in front of Thornton Chairman’s apartment, Lily chatted a bit longer with Emily. She shared the story of how she was almost kidnapped at the Thorntons’ villa, and Emily reminded her to be cautious of Zelda Bennett before hanging up. As Lily fumbled through her bag, she realized she had forgotten her keys. Fortunately, the door had a dual lock with a passcode, so she was able to enter the house without much trouble.
The housekeeper hadn't left yet. Upon seeing Lily return, she greeted her with a smile. Before Lily could even return the greeting, a woman lazily descended from the second floor. She was wearing a flimsy white slip dress. The girl looked no older than twenty, her face stiff with obvious traces of silicone. Her large eyes, sharp contrast of black and white, sat on a petite, delicate frame, her pale skin almost translucent.
She wasn't wearing makeup, but her long, lush eyelashes naturally drew attention. Thanks to the cool temperature in the room, she hadn’t caught a cold, though her outfit was hardly appropriate for the weather.
Lily stood still, staring at the woman who had appeared so suddenly. The housekeeper was about to explain who she was when the girl asked first.
"Who are you?"
Lily thought for a moment and then smiled. "If I said I walked into the wrong house, would you believe me?"
The young woman, despite her feminine looks, wasn’t foolish. She had clearly seen Lily enter the door using the passcode.
Her face instantly clouded with irritation. "I'm asking who you are. Answer me properly."
Lily’s smile remained gentle. "Before asking someone who they are, you should probably introduce yourself first."
The girl raised her chin arrogantly. "My name is Kaytlyn. I'm the fiancée of the owner of this house. Who are you? Are you the vixen who’s been seducing my Maxwell?"
If Lily had confirmed that, the girl would no doubt have launched herself at her, tearing at her hair and clothes. Lily wasn’t sure what relationship this girl had with Maxwell, but her instincts told her it was better not to provoke her.
So, Lily calmly replied, "I'm the housekeeper for the afternoon shift, taking over for her."
Kaytlyn glanced at the housekeeper standing beside Lily and spoke haughtily, "Your shift replacement is here, you can go now. Anything that needs to be done, I'll handle."
"I’ll call the master of the house first!" The housekeeper, clearly uncomfortable, looked at Lily, but Kaytlyn impatiently snapped at her. "Since when do you talk this much?"
Lily, noticing the housekeeper’s unease, smiled reassuringly. "You should go home and rest, I’ll be fine."
With that, the housekeeper reluctantly removed her apron and left. Lily observed the unfamiliar girl closely, but she couldn’t believe Maxwell had such a spoiled and arrogant fiancée. However, if a man already had a fiancée yet still entangled himself with another woman, even going so far as to share a bed with her, it would make him irresponsible, if not a complete scoundrel.
This thought made Lily feel a little ashamed. The thing she despised most in life was being the other woman in a relationship, and yet here she was, unknowingly playing that very role. But it wasn’t entirely her fault—Maxwell had never mentioned having a fiancée. A sudden curiosity arose in her. If she was the third party in this situation, what did that make Zelda Bennett? Another third party?
After thinking it over, Lily began to doubt Kaytlyn’s claim.
“Do you know Zelda Bennett?” Lily asked, trying to sound friendly.
Kaytlyn snorted, "I don’t know her. That ugly woman doesn't know her place, always clinging to Maxwell. As if my Maxwell would ever be interested in someone like her!"
She motioned for Lily to sit next to her. “Come here, I want to ask you something.”
Lily took a seat as Kaytlyn asked, “Do you know who the vixen in the media is?”
“I don’t,” Lily replied with a forced smile.
Kaytlyn scoffed disdainfully, “I guess that fox doesn’t matter to Maxwell, just like Zelda Bennett, always hanging around him like a pest.”
Kaytlyn then turned and pulled out two outfits from behind the couch, holding them up. “Which one do you think is prettier?”
Lily blushed. The clothes weren’t much more than fabric scraps, barely covering anything.
"Why would you wear something like that?" she asked awkwardly.
Kaytlyn replied quickly, “To seduce my future husband, of course. Sis, you’ll never have the kind of allure I do. By the way, I noticed that Maxwell’s room is out of condoms. Sis, can you go buy me some? Maxwell is very clean and meticulous, so I need to be well-prepared before he comes back.”
Lily looked at the girl, who had the face of a high schooler, casually discussing sex without a hint of embarrassment. And here she was, a grown woman, blushing furiously at the mere mention of it. She wanted to tell Kaytlyn, “Your Maxwell isn’t exactly the clean freak you think he is, trust me!”
A strange thought crossed her mind—technically, Maxwell was her boyfriend according to their contract, right? Yet here she was, tasked with buying condoms for her boyfriend’s fiancée!
Staring at the two hundred thousand dong Kaytlyn had stuffed into her hand, Lily felt her entire worldview crumble. Not only had Kaytlyn treated her like a servant, but she’d also instructed her to move her luggage into Maxwell’s bedroom and then sent her out to buy condoms. Lily wasn’t sure why she was going along with this, but she was glad for the excuse to leave the suffocating atmosphere of the apartment. She needed to get out of here. But as soon as she opened the door, she was face to face with Maxwell, who had just walked in.
His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her. He thought she was at the hospital, taking care of William Edsel, and his mood instantly soured. “Where are you going?” he asked, his tone full of displeasure.
Lily clenched the money in her hand behind her back and shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere. By the way, your fiancée is here.”
“Fiancée?” Maxwell hadn't even had time to process what she said before Kaytlyn’s voice rang out from the kitchen, her mouth full of grapes. “Are you leaving yet? Don’t forget to buy the best condoms, and make sure to—”
She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Maxwell standing at the doorway. The grape fell from her mouth as she rushed over to him, eyes shining with excitement. But Maxwell wrapped his arm around Lily’s waist, gently sidestepping Kaytlyn’s unwanted embrace.
Unable to stop, Kaytlyn stumbled out the door, and Maxwell slammed it shut, locking her outside without a shred of remorse. The pitiful knocking on the door echoed behind them, leaving Lily stunned at the sudden turn of events. She gaped at Maxwell, utterly shocked by his treatment of Kaytlyn.
After a brief silence, she pointed at the door and asked, “So, she’s really not your fiancée, is she?”
Maxwell’s grip tightened around her waist, his dark eyes glinting with a cold smile as he looked at her. "If she were really my fiancée, would you have gone out to buy condoms so we could use them together?"
Lily wanted to say, Of course not, but his aggressive tone made her want to provoke him instead. “If someone asks for help, naturally I’d do it. Plus, I’d get to keep the change.”
“I don’t like condoms, I thought you knew that,” he murmured, his nose nearly brushing hers. His warm breath sent shivers down her spine, making her turn away from him.