Lily refused, "No need."
She had just been discharged from the hospital, and her stomach couldn't handle a binge. If she drank too much, she'd suffer the consequences herself.
After a simple wash, the two lay down under the same blanket. Aria listened to the whole story of the birthday party, nearly having a heart attack from anger.
"Does Zoya ever stop? She already has everything she wanted. Why won't she leave you alone?"
Zoya and Nadia's scheme had killed three birds with one stone.
First, it exacerbated the conflict between Lily and the Jian family. Zoya had been doing this since childhood, causing Lily to have a strained relationship with her family.
Second, it showed everyone that she was more cherished and valuable than Lily, establishing herself as the true eldest daughter of the Jian family.
Third, it pushed Lily and Royce to quarrel, aiming to prevent Lily from marrying into the Zhou family.
"Zoya has been jealous of you since childhood, competing with you in everything. There's no better family in Jiang Yu than the Zhou family. Whoever she marries, she can't surpass you. So she's going to great lengths to break you two up. If you break with Royce, she'll be delighted."
Aria asked Lily, "No matter how I tried to persuade you before, you wouldn't listen. Are you really giving up this time? Will you really not regret it?"
Lily stared at the ceiling, her tear-swollen eyes aching unbearably. "My diary is full, all the points deducted. He just doesn't love me anymore. How can I keep deceiving myself?"
This path was wrong, and the further she went, the worse it got. Break down before building up. If she didn't wake up and kept persisting, she would eventually become someone she hated. So, it was time to end it. She would let Royce go, let him be, and let go of the young man she had loved. And she would let herself go, too.
Aria hugged her and sighed deeply. How could she put it? Royce had once protected Lily so much that even she was moved. They had loved each other. But their separation was inevitable. From the moment Lily saved Edmond, their love had a bomb planted in it.
The Zhou family was very complicated, with intense internal strife. Royce's father was the old man's favorite, and if not for Edmond, his father would have been the head of the Zhou family. Royce's mother resented Lily mainly because she had saved Edmond. She had often spoken ill of Lily to Royce.
A young man in love doesn't consider the future. When Royce was young and committed to Lily, he wouldn't be swayed. But living in such a powerful family, with a mother who wasn't a kind person, one day he would touch power and be driven by desire. One day, he would think if Lily hadn't saved Edmond, he would be the heir to the corporation. Then he would blame Lily.
Their breakup was inevitable. But Royce falling in love with someone else while still in a betrothal and a relationship with Lily was disgusting. Aria didn't mention Royce, the vile man, anymore. She thought of something else. "You said Zoya likes Edmond?"
Lily replied, "That's what Assistant Pan said, so it should be true." She couldn't figure out what Zoya was doing. She had an underground affair with Leopold but still coveted Edmond? Octavian had no reason to lie. The most likely scenario was that Zoya knew she had no future with Leopold and so set her sights on Edmond. Zoya had always had great ambitions.
Aria said, "You mentioned Edmond owes you one more favor, and he said it could be anything, right?"
Lily almost couldn't keep up with her train of thought. "Yes."
"Ha!"
Aria sat up in bed, excitedly slapping Lily's arm. "You should go to Edmond tomorrow and tell him that he should repay his life-saving debt by marrying you!"
Lily was baffled, "?"
Aria, lost in her own thoughts, smiled brilliantly. "Listen to my analysis."
After a half-hour analysis, she concluded the same as Octavian's: Edmond was Lily's best way out. She should seize the opportunity to marry Edmond, allowing her to retaliate against everyone and find a strong backer.
Lily pulled Aria back to bed. "Go to sleep. In dreams, anything is possible."
She would love to, but she couldn't dare to make such a bold request. Aria lay down beside her, still trying to persuade her. "I'm serious. Tomorrow, go to Edmond. He said anything, right? And he's not married, so give it a shot."
This topic was meaningless, so Lily closed her eyes to sleep, dismissing it. "Edmond will probably look for Royce tomorrow. Let's talk after the wedding is called off."
The next morning at 7:30, Royce's car drove into the underground parking lot of the Jingxiu Group.
Nadia sat in the passenger seat, nervous all the way.
Ever since Edmond had asked Royce to meet, she had been torn between excitement and fear. She was excited because it seemed their plan had succeeded.
Nadia knew about Lily's numerical messages. Royce had drunkenly mentioned them to her as a joke.
Such things might not convince men, but many women, like her and Zoya, would believe them.