Aria's eyes dropped to her chest, and she asked a blunt question.
"Edmond is not young anymore. He's been holding back for years, and now you two are alone together. You're so attractive, I tell you, sooner or later, he won't be able to resist. If he really wants you, will you give in or not?"
Lily had actually thought about this while soaking in the bath earlier.
"I will. Why not? We're a real couple, not a fake one."
She thought that if Edmond wanted to live a good life, they should live a good life together. This kind of thing was inevitable.
It had to happen sooner or later, it was part of the process. Since they were already married, there was no need to stubbornly resist.
Aria was pleased with her answer. Relieved, she rested her chin on her hand and sighed.
"It's only been a little over three months, and you've already changed men, got married, and started living together. Soon enough, you'll probably have a child. Meanwhile, I'm still stuck at the engagement stage. Comparing ourselves to others can be so frustrating."
Lily asked about her progress with Alistair, and Aria looked disheartened.
"No progress. I haven't seen him lately. He's been avoiding me, and he didn't even come home for the holidays."
When it came to meeting Alistair, Lily could help.
"Edmond said he'd pick me up tomorrow afternoon. Then, in the evening, he has a party and wants to introduce me to his friends. There will be nine people there, and Alistair will definitely be one of them. Do you want to come?"
Aria's eyes lit up even through the screen.
"I want to, but in this kind of setting, would it be appropriate for me to go? Wouldn't Alistair be angry?"
Lily told her not to worry. "With me there, what are you afraid of? Just get a good night's sleep and dress up beautifully tomorrow. Don't worry about anything else."
Early the next morning, Lily was woken up by a call from her father.
"Come home right now, immediately! I'm waiting for you!"
Lily looked at the time—it was only 7:30. She said "okay" but then silenced her phone and went back to sleep.
She slept until ten, stretched, and got up. As expected, there were dozens of missed calls. It seemed her father had learned about her marriage to Edmond.
Her apartment was far from the family home, and it would take hours to go back and forth. She also had to move in the afternoon, so Lily didn't plan on going back today.
Too much hassle.
She made herself some oatmeal and fried eggs, and after setting them on the table, she called Brooks back.
As soon as the call connected, before he could start yelling, she spoke first. "Dad, think carefully before you scold me. I'm Edmond's wife now."
Brooks, who had been simmering with anger all morning, was momentarily choked. He took several deep breaths and, gritting his teeth, emphasized his position. "I am your father, I raised you. What's wrong with scolding you a bit? Are you so precious now that I can't say a word?"
Lily blew on her hot porridge. "Okay, then go ahead."
She set her phone aside, took an egg from the bowl, and started peeling it carefully.
Brooks: "..."
Her nonchalant tone left Brooks unable to scold her. He urgently asked the important question. "Did you register your marriage with Edmond on the tenth day of the first lunar month?"
When he first heard about it, Brooks thought he was still dreaming.
Last night, he had been out socializing and got dead drunk. He came home and fell asleep immediately.
When he woke up the next morning, he found dozens of missed calls and a bombarded WeChat.
[Brooks, you're something else, secretly becoming Edmond's father-in-law without a word.]
Seeing this message, Brooks thought he had woken up too quickly.
He lay back down, cleared his head, and then looked at his phone again.
[You registered your marriage right after the New Year, and you kept it so tight-lipped. How could you hide a son-in-law like Edmond?]
There were too many messages for him to read them all, so he asked someone to find out what was going on.
It turned out that Edmond had taken Lily home yesterday, and they had already registered their marriage.
The news had spread from the Zhou family, and though no one knew who leaked it, many people already knew.
As her father, Brooks was the last to find out.
Was he angry? He was furious.
Brooks wasn't angry about the marriage itself; in fact, when he first found out, he was overjoyed.
This was a great thing, an immensely good thing. Edmond becoming his son-in-law—how could it not be a good thing? But after calming down and thinking it over, he felt he had been played.
"You registered your marriage less than half a month after our bet," Brooks questioned Lily.
"So, when you made the bet with me, you already had a way to secure Edmond. You knew you'd win and deliberately set me up to get those 9% shares for free."
Lily took a bite of her egg and admitted frankly. "Yes, congratulations on guessing right."
Brooks nearly choked on his breath.
That wretched girl! It was his own fault for not believing she could secure Edmond. She used the lure of Changhuai Road as bait.
The hook was too big, and he took it hook, line, and sinker.
Brooks had been waiting for her all morning and, when she didn't show up, he had gone to the office. Now in his office, still furious, he took a sip of his already cold coffee.
"You wagered Changhuai Road back then. You knew I couldn't refuse such a big stake. Why didn't you ask for more?"
He asked mockingly, "Why didn't you directly ask for equal shares with your brother? I might have agreed if I were in a gambling mood."
Lily swallowed her egg and took a sip of oatmeal.
"Because I know you. If I used the biggest stake, just 1% more than Zoya, you'd think I was trying to outdo Zoya and boasting. That's the only way you'd gamble with me."
If she had asked for too much, it would have been like opening a lion's mouth. Brooks, with his suspicions as deep as the Yellow River, would have guessed she was confident in securing Edmond and wouldn't have gambled with her.
Because whether they gambled or not, Edmond would still become her husband.
"Dad, you can't blame me for this. Blame yourself. Think about it: if you won, Changhuai Road would be yours. If I won, Edmond would be your son-in-law. You couldn't lose."
Lily mimicked his earlier mocking tone for the last sentence.
"You just believed that a man like Edmond could never marry a 'loser' like me."
Brooks: "..."
She had hit the nail on the head. Indeed, he had agreed to the bet because he thought he couldn't lose. He didn't believe Edmond would marry Lily.
Even now, he still couldn't believe it.
Mainly, he didn't believe Edmond would marry a woman his nephew had rejected.
"So, how did you make him marry you? Everyone outside is saying you used a life-saving debt to force him."
Lily found the porridge tasteless and went to the kitchen for sugar, adding a spoonful to her bowl. She tasted it, added another spoonful, and only when it was sweet did she eat it.
"Yes, I threatened to jump off the top of the Jingxiu Group building if he didn't marry me."
Brooks: "..."
Lily changed the subject.
"I'm not going back today. We signed an agreement. You get the paperwork done and let me know when I need to sign. Don't renege, or I'll hold a banner in front of L&S Group saying you don't keep your word."
Brooks: "..."
The matter was settled. Although Brooks was still a bit angry, the fact that Edmond had become his son-in-law was worth celebrating.
"Since you got the marriage certificate, when will you bring him home for dinner?"
Lily answered his question with another question. "Dad, why don't you ask me why, even though we got the marriage certificate long ago, it wasn't made public until yesterday?"
Brooks, in his happiness, had almost forgotten about this. "Yes, why was it kept secret for so long?"
Lily: "It wasn't me who wanted to keep it secret. It was Edmond."
"Why would he want to keep it secret?"
"Why do you think? Of course, marrying me is embarrassing for him. He's annoyed with me now."
"That doesn't make sense. I heard he treated you well at the Zhou family's last night."
"That's just in front of others. For someone like him, the persona of a doting husband is very important. In private, he doesn't even talk to me."
"Really?"
"Of course. So, if you need anything, don't ask me for help. Even if you do, I won't help. When I make Edmond fall in love with me and have a say in front of him, then I can help you."
Brooks: "..."
How long would that take? Why did he feel like she was setting him up again? Lily had planned to pack in the afternoon, but as soon as she got her suitcase out, she received a call from Aria.
"Ahhh, I can't decide what to wear. Everything looks bad. Come shopping with me this afternoon."