After Maxwell Thornton finished speaking, he sent a text message to Lily Bennett, informing her that he would be on a business trip for a week and that Simon would come to pick her up after that week. Simon, after receiving the instructions, promptly turned and left the room.
Not long after, Zelda Bennett entered. As always, her makeup was impeccably applied, and her attire was alluring—she was the type of woman who always wanted to look radiant and beautiful in everyone’s eyes. Yet, no matter how carefully she concealed it, the weariness and sorrow still showed on her delicate face.
"Maxwell..."
"Take a seat," Maxwell gestured toward the sofa across from him as he took a seat himself.
Zelda elegantly sat down, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She looked up at the cold man sitting across from her and softly spoke, "I really didn’t mean to hide the truth about my sister. If you're still angry about it…"
"This has nothing to do with me, I don’t care, and of course, I’m not angry." Zelda hadn’t even finished her sentence before Maxwell cut her off.
Did he mean that because there was no relationship between them, he had no interest in her personal matters? Then who did he care about? Was it Lily Bennett? Why did the woman who ended up taking the man she loved have to be her?
Zelda glared at Maxwell, her eyes filled with bitterness. "You don't mind that she had a child with another man?"
"Zelda Bennett, let me remind you, what happens in my life is my business, and it concerns no one else."
"So, you see me as an outsider? And what about what we have between us?" Zelda’s beautiful eyes shimmered with tears, her voice trembling with frustration.
Maxwell remained calm, his lips curving into a faint smile. "You are you, and I am me. There is no 'us' here. If you're only interested in a marriage of convenience to benefit your family, does that really seem fair to you? Do you truly want to enter a loveless marriage? Besides, I didn’t think your father would resort to this. Is his business really beyond saving?"
"Maxwell, how could you say that? You know I love you, how can you say there’s no love involved?" Zelda’s voice quivered, making her pain all too evident.
Without hesitation, Maxwell replied, "But I don’t love you. As a woman, it’s better to find a man who loves you than to suffer living with one who doesn’t. Zelda, please, go home. And in time, if things settle, you may call me... brother-in-law."
Zelda frowned, holding back the anger swelling in her beautiful eyes. Eventually, a forced smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "Is that so? Then I wish you both a lifetime of happiness..."
Zelda’s eyes reddened as she grabbed her handbag and quickly left the office. The elevator descended to the underground parking lot. When Zelda stepped into her car, the tears that had been threatening to spill had already dried up. From the very first time she laid eyes on Maxwell Thornton, she knew he was the man for her. No one could take him away from her, least of all a woman like Lily Bennett! Besides, marrying Maxwell would be a great help to her father’s struggling business. Yet, her love for him was real, not just a means to an end.
As she stared into the rearview mirror, her expression darkened. Zelda muttered her sister’s name under her breath, “Lily Bennett…”
Meanwhile, Lily was happily playing with her son in their hotel room when, suddenly, she sneezed. Wrapping her arms around the little boy, she rolled them both onto the large, soft bed. The feeling of freedom and contentment was truly wonderful.
"Lily, are you getting a cold?" Liam rolled off the bed and started rummaging through the suitcase.
Sitting up, Lily smiled, "What are you looking for?"
"Cold medicine. I brought it with us," Liam said, still searching through the suitcase.
Lily’s heart filled with warmth. She crawled down to sit beside her son and reached out to hug him. "I’m not catching a cold, sweetheart. Please, don’t grow up too fast. All I want is for you to stay carefree and happy, relying on me for your whole life!"
Liam, imitating adults, gently patted his mother’s head and said seriously, "Lily, I have to grow up so I can take care of you. You're a woman, and a woman needs a man to care for her… But Lily, why did my father die so soon?"
Lily’s gaze clouded as she looked at her son, unsure of how to answer his question.
At that moment, Maxwell Thornton, sitting in his white Audi on his way to a business trip, sneezed several times, making Simon glance at him with concern.
Lily stroked her son’s head, her words deliberately evasive as she answered Liam’s question. "If your father were still alive, he would love you very much. After all, there isn’t a child as smart and handsome as you. Come on now, let’s go get something to eat. What would you like for dinner?"