It wasn't until Edmond's cold, detached voice filled the room that everyone realized another person had entered the living room.
"Uncle Edmond!" Royce's wrist was almost broken. The pain brought him back to his senses. Though his voice lowered, the accusation still lingered. "That marriage certificate is fake, isn't it? You wouldn't marry her. How could you marry her? She was my fiancée!"
Edmond held another red booklet, extending it towards Royce. "It's real. We did get married. This is my copy. Want to see?"
Royce fell silent, not taking it. There was no point. Edmond had admitted it himself; it couldn't be fake.
Edmond released his grip on Royce, withdrew the marriage certificate, glanced at Lily to ensure she was unharmed, and then handed her the car keys. "The gifts you bought are in the trunk. Take Franklin to help you fetch them."
It was a signal to get her out of the room. She had done her part; now it was his turn.
"Okay."
Lily took the keys, turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something. She wrapped her arms around Edmond's neck, lifted herself slightly on tiptoes, and kissed his lips right in front of his stunned eyes.
Edmond's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, his mind blank for a rare moment.
Fragrant, soft, sweet, tingling... By the time he realized she was kissing him, Lily had already pulled away.
A wave of disappointment swept over his blank mind. Edmond restrained himself from hugging her, his eyes fixated on her lips, wanting more.
Why just a few seconds? It was their first kiss, after all.
Blushing from her ears to her neck, Lily let go of him and turned to face Royce, who looked livid.
"See? I have a husband, and I love him. If you keep bothering me with nonsense, I'll have my husband beat you up."
She threw his earlier words back at him.
Finished, she didn't dare look at Edmond, grabbing a dumbfounded Franklin and dragging him outside.
Once they left, all eyes turned to Edmond, filled with various emotions.
"Ahem—" The old man, who had only seen part of the scene, coughed and took a seat on the sofa, speaking first.
"Edmond, explain this. What's going on?"
A single-seat sofa was vacant. Edmond sat down, pressing his lips together to savor the lingering taste of Lily's kiss, then followed the script Lily had given him, explaining their marriage.
... In the yard, inside Edmond's car, Lily sat in the passenger seat, with Franklin in the back.
After listening to the explanation, Franklin looked like he had seen a ghost.
"So, you used a life-saving favor to ask Uncle Edmond to marry you. You're perfectly sane, and you did this to avoid embarrassment today..." Franklin grew angrier as he spoke. "What's our relationship? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Don't you trust me?"
Lily certainly trusted him. Between her and Royce, Franklin had always sided with her. She trusted Aria and Franklin the most.
"It's not that I didn't want to tell you. You went away to relax, and Aria said you were heartbroken, so I didn't want to bother you. When you got back, I thought I'd tell you when Edmond and I went public."
She glanced at Franklin. "I didn't even know you were in a relationship, and then you were heartbroken. You didn't tell me, so we're even. Let's call it even."
Franklin's gaze flickered, avoiding the topic of his heartbreak, but he chuckled. "Alright, even."
He returned to the subject of her marriage. "You were brave to marry Uncle Edmond. Do you know what the Zhou family is like? You've seen how tough Aunt Malika is. The other aunts are no better."
Lily replied, "Do you think I'm easy to deal with? Who have I ever feared?"
Franklin was speechless.
Lily listened to him and suddenly remembered something. "I remember you mentioned that your Aunt Karina often bullied your mom."
Franklin didn't respond.
Lily looked at him, understanding that his silence meant the bullying continued. Outside the window, Butler Zhong was walking towards them, likely sent by Edmond to summon her.
Lily got out of the car and removed her cashmere coat.
Franklin followed her out, lifting his eyes to look at her. His breath caught, and he stammered, "W-why are you taking off your coat? Aren't you cold?"
Lily tossed the coat onto the passenger seat, stood up straight, and smoothed down the outfit Aria had picked for her.
"You don't understand. When I went in just now, they only saw me as Lily. Now, when I go back in, it's my first time facing them as 'Edmond's wife.' I need to make a strong impression."
Franklin genuinely didn't understand her logic. "What's the difference?"
Lily, striding forward in her high heels, cut a striking figure in the dim light.
"Of course, there's a difference. Tonight's battle belongs to 'Edmond's wife,' and it's just beginning."
Franklin:"..."
There were three reasons for Edmond marrying Lily, according to the script she had given the Zhou family.