From the dark eyes and the veins bulging on Maxwell Thornton’s forehead, Lily Bennett could tell the man was furious. This was the first time in his life that Maxwell felt utterly helpless, faced with a woman who always left him speechless. As a result, the delightful lunch had to end in confusion and discomfort.
Lily had no choice but to escort Maxwell and their son back to the room. As soon as they entered, Maxwell went straight to the bathroom. Liam, looking up at his mother with concern, softly asked, “Will Dad hurt someone?”
Lily glanced towards the bathroom, then forced a smile, “Haha, he probably won’t hit anyone, but he might bite someone.”
Liam looked at her sympathetically, “So, will I still be able to call him Dad?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Lily reassured him. “But I’m going to change him into a better father!”
Liam nodded happily, “Okay.” After thinking for a moment, he asked, “But will Dad still bite?”
“…” Lily was about to respond when Maxwell's deep voice called out from the bathroom, “Lily, bring me some clothes. The suitcase code is my phone password.”
“How would I know what your phone password is?” Lily shouted back without thinking.
There was a brief silence from the bathroom, then Maxwell replied, “Zero-seven-fifteen.”
“What’s zero-seven-fifteen? Are you summoning some spirits? It’s not even ghost month!” Lily waved her fist in the direction of the bathroom.
Liam, standing beside her, couldn’t help but chuckle as he kindly reminded his mom, “I think Dad means the suitcase code is 0715.”
Lily, “…”
She hesitated for a moment before entering the four digits, 0715, and with a click, the lock opened. She turned to her son, who flashed an innocent smile. Smart kid—just like someone else she knew.
Lily grabbed some clothes from the suitcase and knocked on the bathroom door, “If it’s 0715, just say 0715! I thought you were calling for some spirits.”
Maxwell frowned as he reached out from the bathroom, taking the clothes Lily handed over. “Where’s my underwear?” he asked with a raised brow.
In that instant, Lily felt her anger rising. But instead of snapping, she decided to tease him. With a casual tone, she said, “You still want to wear underwear? I thought it’d be more convenient for you not to.” Pervert.
Maxwell thought for a moment, then opened the bathroom door slightly, looking at Lily with a smirk, “You’re right. You know, Mr. Bennett made a good point. Why wear anything at all when I can just walk around the room like this? Wouldn't that be more comfortable?”
Lily quickly spun around, rushing to the suitcase to grab a pair of underwear. She hurried back to the door, eyes closed, and handed them to Maxwell through the slightly ajar door, muttering, “You pervert!”
The corners of Maxwell’s mouth curved into a faint smile as he finally stepped out, fully dressed. Just then, his phone rang. He was drying his hair with a towel and couldn’t pick up.
Lily glanced at the phone, nudging him, “Aren’t you going to answer?”
Maxwell nonchalantly asked, “Who is it?”
“No name saved,” Lily said, checking the screen.
“Well, you answer it for me,” Maxwell replied, turning back towards the bathroom.
Lily stood frozen, staring at the phone ringing wildly in her hand. She picked it up, and before she could speak, a familiar soft female voice came through the line.
“Maxwell, are you busy? I’ve called you several times, why haven’t you answered?”
It was Zelda Bennett. Her voice was getting softer with men lately—so sweet it made Lily’s ears itch.
Lily suddenly recalled how Zelda had answered Maxwell’s phone before, using her words to provoke Lily. Though Lily didn’t want to be tangled up with Maxwell, Zelda had definitely played a part in complicating their already messy relationship. If it weren’t for Zelda, her life wouldn’t be in such a mess. So, Lily smiled to herself. Time to settle the score.
Lily shouted into the phone, “Maxwell, Zelda’s asking if you’re busy! She says she’s called several times—why aren’t you answering? Oh? You don’t want to talk to her? Oh, I see. I’m sorry, Zelda, Maxwell is in the shower, so he can’t talk right now. Maybe try calling back later…”
Before Lily could finish, there was a loud slam on the other end. Zelda had hung up, furious, probably throwing her phone down in anger. Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Maxwell had heard the entire dramatic monologue Lily had performed. As he stepped out, he saw her laughing hysterically on the bed, completely entertained by herself.
“Having fun?” Maxwell asked.
Lily tried to suppress her laughter and nodded.
“Maxwell?” He tossed the towel aside and walked toward her, towering over her petite frame, her cheeks flushed from laughing.
“Does it sound that good?”
Lily instinctively nodded, then quickly realized what he meant and shook her head frantically, “If I didn’t say it like that, she wouldn’t have believed me… Oh, by the way, how’s your… uh… you know, sausage?”
Her voice lowered as she cautiously asked about his… condition. She had been trying to change the subject but didn’t expect Maxwell to pin her down on the bed, his arm wrapped around her slender waist as he smiled.
“Wanna try? I’d like to see if it’s working fine myself.”
Lily shook her head vigorously, trying to divert the conversation back. “If you’re upset about that phone call earlier, why don’t you call Zelda back? Ask her to return, and I’ll apologize for lying.”
Maxwell frowned slightly, about to say something when his phone rang again. This time, it was Simon.
“Chairman, Vice Director Lucas Greek has invited you to dinner at 6 PM on the top floor of the hotel. Do you need me to prepare outfits for Ms. Bennett and her son as well?”
“Simon, how long have you worked for me? Do you need to call and ask me these things?” With that, Maxwell hung up.
By then, Lily had already snuck out of the room, heading to the living room to watch TV with Liam. Maxwell followed, sitting beside the boy, who sweetly turned to him and greeted, “Dad,” with a wide smile. Maxwell, satisfied, ruffled Liam’s hair. The boy offered him some snacks from the table before speaking up.
“Dad, Lily says Mom will eventually break up with you, so it’s not really right for me to keep calling you Dad.”