"So why exactly do you want me to come along?" Lily Ling asked when we were all in the car. Riley Rong hesitated for a moment, looking out of the window in silence. Then he took a deep breath and tried not to grumble.
"My son is currently hospitalized, but he refuses to undergo a checkup unless he gets to see the lady who saved him."
…so the kid forgot that I also saved him? He only remembered Lily and wanted to see her, but he completely forgot about me? What in ungrateful brat. Well, I wasn't petty so I honestly didn't care. I was the sort who got along well with kids anyway, so I could understand his attitude. I probably was self-centered and spoilt when I was young too.
Ugh. I could still remember the mischief I got to when I was about his age. Teasing my cousins, hiding their stuff, blaming stuff on my brother, etc.
At least I had changed over the years. As for the kid, his journey was only beginning.
"Roland was throwing a tantrum and crying, refusing to let any doctors near him until he gets to see you."
"What…?" Lily looked as if she was annoyed, a bead of perspiration rolling down her face. She shook her head and sighed, making an expression as if to say, "kids…"
"I don't know what you said to my son, but please come with me this time!"
"I don't think Lily actually said anything to him," I muttered. "I was the one doing most of the talking."
"What did you say to my son?!" Riley Rong stormed at me. Wow, the guy really needed to chill. I was pretty sure normal CEOs didn't behave like this. If you wanted to survive in the business world, you couldn't have such a short temper. Otherwise you would piss off your clients and nobody would want to do any business with you.
But I guess female readers loved the overbearing CEO trope because they wanted him to be polite and gentle only to the female lead (not at first, she has to slowly tame him so that he will thaw out in time). What a load of rubbish. Evidently none of these authors had met an actual CEO in reality.
"I only asked him if he was all right and told him not to worry so that the medics can check on him." I then folded my arms and smirked. "The same medics you refused to let near your son earlier."
Riley Rong didn't respond to that. We spent the rest of the journey in relative silence, and before we knew it, he brought us to the luxurious private room where his son was being hospitalized. For some reason, Riley Rong stayed outside and watched from behind a window…wait, why did a hospital have such a luxurious room with a see-through window in the interior of the building? This made no sense. Did the artist not do research on what interiors of a hospital were like?
In any event, Lily was inside the room, happily playing with Roland. She was fascinated with the young toddler, stroking his hair and indulging him.
But I chose to stay outside because it wasn't me that the kid wanted to meet. I think he actually completely forgot about my existence, the ungrateful brat. Whatever, I was too much of an adult to hold a grudge over such nonsensical matters.
What mattered was that he was safe and healthy. As long as he wasn't hurt by the kidnappers, that was the most important thing.
Riley Rong didn't seem like he wanted me to meet his son, anyway. He had shot me a warning glare earlier and I ended up staying outside with him, waiting for Lily.
Meanwhile, one of his subordinates hurried into the corridor, presenting a file of documents to him.
"President Rong! We have conducted an investigation. The kidnappers are also from the same group as the kidnappers from two years ago."
"What? Your son got kidnapped two years ago?" I asked, but Riley Rong and his subordinates ignored me. Fine, be that way then.
"You mean the Black Mandala Group? Them again?!" Riley Rong scowled furiously. As for me, I did my best not to laugh. Black Mandala Group?! Seriously? What sort of stupid name was that?! I rolled my eyes and turned around so that the Rong Group people couldn't see me snorting in laughter. Someone really needed to rename their stupid group. Or did the author not know what a mandala was?
Meanwhile, inside the hospital room, Lily passed an orange to Roland Rong, who received it with both hands.
"Roland, would you like to eat an orange?" she asked gently as she pointed at his face. I almost scoffed at that. Lily, shouldn't you be asking that before you gave him the orange, not after?
Well, Roland nodded eagerly, so I guess it wasn't that bad…
"Good boy!" Lily patted his head affectionately while the two of them sat on a bed. After they tussled for a bit, Lily leaned backward and frowned. "Your dad said that you wanted to see me. So I originally thought that you were a naughty boy. I didn't expect you to be so quiet."
She then held a hand out for the orange again, smiling. "I'll help you peel the orange," she offered. Again, she should have asked him that before handing the orange to him. Now she was taking it back, which kind of defeated the whole purpose of giving it to him in the first place.
Then a newcomer walked into the room, knocking on the door. A handsome young man, he smiled brilliantly when he caught sight of Lily.
"Hello, beauty. I'm Richard Rong, Riley's brother." He did a short bow. "My bodyguard said that my brother brought you here?"
Richard Rong stroked his chin thoughtfully as he studied her. The bastard didn't even spare me a single glimpse when he walked past me. Either he was too besotted with Lily's beauty or he couldn't care less about men.
"You are the first girl who he allowed to sit in his front passenger seat," Richard Rong whispered to himself with a satisfied nod. "This is huge news!"
He then grinned mischievously. "You and my brother…could it be that you both have that kind of relationship?"
"Are you crazy?" Lily snapped. Roland frowned and stepped forward, cutely stretching his hands out on either side of him.
"No one is allowed to bully her!"
"Okay, okay." Richard Rong waved a white flag. "Sorry, I won't bully her again, okay? I was just curious, that's all."
After the exchange, Roland lowered his head, looking a little depressed for no reason. I didn't understand why, but it was clear to Lily that he needed a little affection. She quickly pulled him into a warm hug.
"Thank you for protecting me, Roland."
That helped him warm up and he smiled, all traces of his depression disappearing. It didn't last long, however. While Richard Rong sat in a corner and Lily continued to play with Roland on the bed, Riley Rong walked into the room.
"Eh?" Lily was surprised to see him as he approached them, stopping a short distance away from the bed and looking all grave. She forced a nervous smile. "Hello, President Rong."
"You saw your heroic aunt," Riley Rong said to Roland without responding to Lily's awkward greeting. "As part of our deal, you must undergo a checkup now."
"No…" Roland whispered and clung to Lily tighter than before. Riley Rong scowled at him.
"Do you want to break your promise? Are you sure, Roland? Is that the kind of person you want to be when you grow up? A man who cannot keep his word?"
"I…" Roland sighed and then let go of Lily, hopping off the bed. Riley Rong looked at him, satisfied, then turned to Richard Rong.
"Richard, bring Roland to the doctor for a checkup."
"Okay," Richard agreed readily with a smile. While he carried Roland and left the room, the toddler looked over his shoulder and stared helplessly at Lily. She waved at him encouragingly, but it was clear that he couldn't bear to leave her.
"President Rong, will Roland be all right?" Lily asked, worried. "He seems a little…quiet for a kid his age."
"He was kidnapped two years ago, and since then he has been…quite withdrawn." Riley Rong didn't seem enthusiastic to explain, but he didn't act all mysterious. Then he turned to Lily, his arms folded. "Oh, and not only that…from now on, you will move to my house and live with me."
"Eh? Live with you?" Lily repeated incredulously. She shook her head. "No, you can't do that."
Unfortunately, the decision had already been made. Riley Rong was gesturing to one of his subordinates in a suit and sunglasses.
"Bring her luggage to my villa."
"Yes!"
"Hey! You can't do that!" I shouted angrily. "She's my fiancée!"
"So?"
"Wait, President Rong!" Lily also protested. "You can't do that! I'm not that kind of person!"
Huh? What of person? What was with that response? Unfortunately, Riley Rong was not interested in hearing any objections. He was a pushy bastard who forced his decisions upon others.
Getting fed up, I interposed myself between the subordinate and Lily, barring him access. I glared him down before glowering at Riley Rong.
"This is kidnapping. You can't do that. It's illegal. It's also highly inappropriate. You know she is my fiancée, yet you are forcing her to live with you?"
"So what? You will cancel your engagement with her and leave her forever. She is my woman from now on."
What the hell was wrong with this fucker?
"Besides, it's not as if I have an ulterior motive. The group that kidnapped Roland has a very notorious reputation for their underhanded means. You ruined their plan, so they will most likely come after you. You will be safe if you live with me."
He thought for a moment and nodded.
"And if you go out, you will need at least two bodyguards."
"I can protect her and provide bodyguards," I snapped, annoyed. "She's already living with me."
"She will be safer with me than with the likes of you," Riley Rong sneered. I threw up my hands and scoffed.
"You couldn't even prevent your own son from being kidnapped, whereas not only did I protect my fiancée, I saved your son while at it. And you think she will be safer with you than with me? Is there a problem with your brain?"
"Uh…" Riley Rong trailed off, realizing that I was right. Lily was having none of it too.
"That's right," she snapped. "I'm staying with Trevor. You can fuck off with that overbearing attitude of yours. You can't even make a request politely and you expect people to listen to you? And you want to steal some other guy's woman? I think you also need a checkup, President Rong. Go visit a psychiatrist."