Nathaniel hugged her from behind and hurriedly apologized, โDonโt be angry, Mel. Itโs all my fault! I shouldnโt have gotten angry and shouted at you because I care for you and not just the baby. Both of you are equally important.โ He kissed the back of her neck as he explained himself.โWhy donโt you look at this if you donโt believe me?โ Nathaniel pulled out a small velvet box. He had planned to propose to her formally, but it did not matter anymore as her smile was more important.Melanie looked at the box as it opened up before her eyes. Inside lay a large dazzling diamond ring that captured her heart; her tears stopped immediately. She stared at the ring as Nathaniel walked in front of her and went down on one knee.โI know youโve suffered a lot being by my side all these years, Mel. I also know youโre working hard to help me. Itโs been hard on you. Therefore, Iโd like to ask you to give me a chance to take care of you and our child. Let me spoil you for a lifetime and give you
Today was special, so Lily called Alexander early to greet him. At first, she thought he would disagree. Unexpectedly, he quickly agreed without fuss. She even wondered if she had misheard. However, since she did not have much time, she decided to concentrate on the experiment. After tonight, when the product was a success, she would take some time off and rest for a few days. She would be able to spend some proper time with Alexander too. Upon having that thought, she returned her focus to repeating the test steps, careful not to miss anything.After washing her face with cold water, Oliva felt more awake. She had barely taken a few steps out of the washroom when she saw the back of a man. He was tall and was heading toward the lab with two big bags in his hands.โFreeze!โ Olivia shouted immediately. Then she ran after him and blocked his path. โWho are you, and why are you here?โ Oliva held her head high as she sized up the man before her.The man was so tall that Olvia reached
โAnd you areโฆโ Only at this point did Olivia realize something was off.โItโs going to be cold tonight. Here are Ms. Christianโs jacket, blanket, and some food. I will trouble you to hand it to her.โ Edward stepped in front of Olivia, saw her stunned expression, stuffed the items into her hands, then turned around to leave.After all, his job was to deliver the items. He did not necessarily have to see Lily.โHuh, youโฆโ Olivia returned to her senses. This person was tall and had long legs. Within three steps, he was already in the elevator.Olivia returned to the lab with the items in her hands. She saw Lily sitting there, concentrating on her sample.โDelivery!โ Olivia shouted from outside the door.Lily heard the noise. When she turned around, she saw Olivia carrying two large bags. She was surprised. โDidnโt you go to wash your face? Why is there delivery? Thatโs very efficient of you.โโWhat delivery service had a speed like this? She was barely gone for a few minutes.โโI
Perhaps Oliviaโs taste was a little not so mainstream.โWhatever. Youโre hungry, so come have some food.โThe takeout in the bag was still hot. Incidentally, Lily was feeling hungry. She decided to take the food to the table outside to eat together.She no longer focused on this question. However, Olivia was still fixated on the โIs there something wrong with your taste?โ remark. Even after they sat down and picked up their cutleries, she could not help raising her head and asking, โWhich part of my description is inaccurate?โLily was speechless.โFine, then tell me, in what way was he awkward in the way he does things?โThinking about it, Lily decided that things like appearance were in the eyes of the beholder. However, the way Alexander did work was far from awkward.โI asked him who he was and why he was here, and he took ages to answer me simply that he was from the company. Think about it. Weโre talking about me. Not long after I arrived, I met everybody here. With one lo
Lily was confused when Olivia asked, "Wait! How many boyfriends do you have?"Lily stared at her, and Olivia immediately shut up.Olivia then frowned and pondered, "If we're not talking about the same person, then it's not your boyfriend who came to deliver things just now? Thatโs impossible! He was carrying so many things, including your personal stuff, in the middle of the night. He didnโt even say anything. He just passed them to me and left.โ Listening to this, Lily had somewhat figured it out. She glanced at Olivia and said, "Wait!"She pulled out her phone from her pocket. Lily did not have any photos of Edward, and she could not locate any online either.Glancing at Olivia, who was staring at her, Lily opened WhatsApp and sent Alexander a text, "Send me a photo of Edward."If she guessed correctly, it was probably Edward who came just now instead of Alexander. If Alexander came over in person, he would not leave after giving her things to Olivia. This was not his style.
"It's not him." Shaking her head, Lily continued to eat with a sigh.What the hell? It was all a misunderstanding. Recalling that she had just compared Oliviaโs description of Edward to Alexander, Lily felt silly.Although the shot was blurry, Lily could tell that Alexander was in the car with Edward because he replied quickly, and the photo looked like it had just been taken.Before Lily could figure out where he was, she received another text from Alexander, "Do you want more?" Lily knew he meant Edward's photos, so she quickly replied, "No need, thatโs enough."Why would she need so many photos of Edward? She just wanted to show Olivia to clear up their confusion. Then more texts came."Are you sure you don't need it?""Donโt you want mine?""Pfftโฆ Cough..." Seeing the last text, Lily spat out a mouthful of water, choking and coughing.Although it's just a line of text from the cold phone screen, she could feel Alexanderโs unhappiness. Was he complaining that she didn't as
Olivia stood up to throw away the trash and approached Lily, trying to remember. The name seemed familiar; she should have known it but could not recall it immediately.Seeing Olivia thinking hard, Lily raised her hand and patted her shoulder. "Itโs the President of La Beautรฉ Group." "Ohโฆ That's right! I knew I had heard this name before! It's the President of La Beauโฆ"Olivia choked on her own words. She looked at Lily in shock, her eyes full of disbelief.Her reaction did not surprise Lily. She had expected it. In fact, Lily was impressed by her own boldness. She was unsure why Alexander would agree to her โproposal.โ Even then, Lily could not figure out why Alexander would help and pamper her like this. However, her status as Mrs. Russell was very much real. "La Beautรฉ! The President of La Beautรฉ?!" Olivia swallowed hard and finally finished her words. She could not comprehend this piece of information. It was utterly earth-shattering to her. Olivia only knew that Lily ha
If Olivia, who had been by her side for years, reacted that way, Lily could not imagine how shocking this news would be to others.This proved that the relationship between her and Alexander could not be made public just yet."No!" Putting her hands on Oliviaโs shoulders, Lily said patiently, "Listen to me. You know very well what his status is like. If I made our relationship public, can you imagine the effects on my current situation? It's hard even for you to accept it, let alone other people. I wouldnโt be able to deal with that kind of publicity and gossip. Thereโd be no time and energy left for me to do what I want.""It's not that I canโt accept it. I just didnโt expectโฆ" Olivia quickly explained. How could she not accept it? She would be the first to be happy for Lily if it were true! "I understand, I understand! Still, not everyone thinks like you," Lily interrupted her, "With his status if this were made public, itโd be hard for the both of us. Before that, I want to wor
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, โThereโs something I find strange.โโWhat is it?โ Mike asked after comforting his son.โInstead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldnโt we reach him?โAfter some thought, Mike answered, โThere are two possibilities. Itโs probably due to poor signals, or he doesnโt want us to contact him.โThe two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.โWhy canโt we contact Ross? Is he planning something?โโฆThree days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queenโs leg and looked up at her, saying, โYou should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, itโll take some time before you can stand.โSuddenly, Lily chuckled.โWhy are you laughing?โ Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, โOf course, you wouldnโt.โโThatโsโฆ quite a pity,โ the queen murmured thoughtfully.โWell, thereโs a price to pay for everything. Thatโs how the world balances itself,โ Lily continued, โI canโt stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I wonโt witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isnโt something youโll regret.โLily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasminโs legs. โYour Majesty, those needlesโโThe queen waved dismissively. โItโs okay. Lily will remove them later.โEven so, Rick was wary. โYouโre being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that womanโโโShe wouldnโt,โ Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.โTell me. What do you want?โ The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lilyโs request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you donโt punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasnโt sure if youโd blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didnโt you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.โThatโs it?!โ Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.โI havenโt felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldnโt mind waiting for three more days.โโAre you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?โ Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, โI canโt guarantee that youโll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you havenโt used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, youโll recover slowly.โYasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
โBecause only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""Iโฆ don't trust anyone." Yasminโs expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? Youโve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Arenโt you tired of living a lonely life?โLily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasminโs back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, โSightsee, huh? Iโve forgotten what thatโs like.โYasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lilyโs suggestion.Lily asked, โWhat if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldnโt bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father whoโs willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against youโ Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.โHowever, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""Youโฆ" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, โBring Lily over. Iโd like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.โ"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must youโ"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, โHer Majesty wants to see you.โLily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. โYou stay.โ"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesnโt wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queenโs attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, โIf any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They wonโt do that to me. Itโs natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. Iโm the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.โAfter a short silence, Lily said, โYouโre right.โ She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, โMe too.โDominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, โThanks, you guys!โ"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and donโt be rash like you promised," Aust