Chapter 2 Heartless Man

I put some distance between us and was about to leave, but Lily jumped out of the car and ran straight at me. She pulled on my arm as hard as she could.

"Anthony's a good person, and he's taken care of me for the last few years. Please be kind to him after you're married."

I noticed the look in her eyes. It spoke of a woman who refused to admit defeat until it was dragged out of her. Every word she said disgusted me enough to make my stomach churn.

I swung her hand away, but Lily used the momentum to slap herself hard. From where Anthony stood, it would seem like I was the one who slapped her.

Anthony strode ahead and pulled Lily behind him. He nervously checked her swollen cheek, and when he turned back to me, his eyes were filled with rage.

"You act like you don't care about the license, and now you're hitting someone else to vent?"

He led Lily away. Halfway there, he stopped and turned slightly toward me. His voice was cold. "If your parents saw the kind of woman you became, they'd be severely disappointed."

I wanted to explain, but then I swallowed every single word. I was rooted to my spot, and the smoke the car whipped up blurred my vision.

Eventually, the buzzing of my phone pulled my mind back to my body.

"Ms. Ginger, your second brain scan is out. The results don't look good."

After receiving the diagnosis from my attending physician, I sat on a roadside bench for a very long time. I had mid-to-late stage brain cancer.

"It's not too late to get a procedure done." The doctor's words kept echoing in my ears.

Ten years ago, my parents died in a tsunami while saving Anthony. Following their untimely demise was the bankruptcy of our family's company, Ginger Group.

I only managed to grow up because Samantha took me in to repay her debt to my parents. My savings were not even enough for a single procedure.

I deliberated over the matter and finally decided to go to Anthony's company. His office's door was wide open, and Lily was inside, fiddling with the flowers beside his desk.

My footsteps stopped. I had dated Anthony for years, and I knew he hated flowers. But apparently, even his preferences could change when the gift came from Lily.

Anthony saw me the moment he looked up. He sat straighter, and the warmth on his face faded almost instantly. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I take a loan? I'll pay you back," I said honestly. After all, I still wanted to survive if I could.

"Ms. Ginger, I heard you've been living with the Slims after your parents' deaths, and you rely on their money for your expenses. Asking for a loan is pushing it. Are you only marrying Anthony for his money?" Lily asked with displeasure. She looked at me with a silent challenge in her eyes.

I ignored her ramblings, my eyes still on Anthony. He looked away and said coldly, "She's right. Figure it out yourself. Once we get married, I'll have repaid your parents."

My clenched fists slowly loosened. That answer disappointed me. Beneath the desk, his fingers were intertwined with Lily's. The ring my parents left was still around his finger.

"You don't have to wait that long," I said raspily.

Anthony was bemused, but then he realized what I was talking about. "You're threatening me again? Is that the only trick you know? So what if your parents saved my life? Doesn't mean I owe you forever."

His patience had run out, and he told the security guards to remove me from the building. Then, as if to prove a point, right after I was thrown out, he bought Lily an eighty-million-dollar cruise ship.