She couldn't believe that Edmond had developed feelings for Lily so quickly. All she knew was that his current coldness and sarcasm were directly impacting her mind. Especially when she saw him smoking, his sexy movements, his tall and straight back, broad shoulders, and narrow waist... Just thinking that such a man wasn't hers but Lily's made her heart seethe with jealousy.
As her words fell, Edmond stopped in his tracks and turned around. Zoya didn't have time to feel happy before she heard him say, "There's something I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Lily had an incident in her senior year of high school. She always insisted that you were the one behind it."
Zoya froze on the spot.
Edmond fixed his gaze on her, slowly speaking amidst her panic and shock. "So, you were involved in what happened back then, weren't you?"
...
Layla pulled Lily into a room, initially asking about her relationship with Edmond.
"During dinner, I noticed Edmond treating you well. He even served you dishes you couldn't reach."
From the moment they entered, Layla had been observing them. Her conclusion was: Edmond was willing to come back with Lily, serve her during meals, and had a friendly attitude towards them. So, Lily's life should be going well.
Seeing Layla's expression, Lily knew what she was getting at. "If our relationship is good, what are you planning to do?"
Layla first brought up Leopold's marriage. "Since the beginning of the year, I've been looking for a good match for your brother. Despite his excellent qualities, a few narrow-minded ones said that being a second marriage, he'd do well to marry someone from a lower status. But in our circle, we need to find someone of a bit higher standing."
Layla would get angry every time she mentioned this matter. The two daughters-in-law she had her eye on politely refused, implying they didn't want a second marriage.
"So what if it's a second marriage? Even as a second marriage, your brother is the best. Those who can't see it are short-sighted, and they'll regret it in the future."
She held Lily's hand. "Now that you're married to Edmond, you should help your brother more. Get Edmond to spend more time with him, take him along to social gatherings, and help him with work, encouraging more collaboration with L&S."
After Layla finished, Lily asked if there was anything else she needed help with.
Layla then brought up Zoya's marriage. "I've introduced many fine young men to your sister, but she always finds them unsuitable. Your father wants me to put in more effort. Are there any good matches in Edmond's circle? Can you keep an eye out?"
Since Lily mentioned Zoya and her son's relationship, Layla had been highly vigilant. But she hadn't found anything suspicious or out of place. She felt that Lily did it on purpose.
However, Zoya did need to get married. The conditions of the men she introduced were good, but Zoya always found various reasons to refuse, probably wanting someone better. Edmond's circle was more influential than the people she knew.
Lily withdrew her hand, didn't refuse, and smiled, "Sure, I'll take care of these two things."
Layla was surprised at how agreeable Lily was today. Lily then said, "One million for each task, two million in total. Pay today, and I'll handle it tomorrow."
Hearing her mention money, Layla was furious and couldn't help but grumble. "Why do you always ask for money? Are you really that money-minded? Every time you come, you rob your father and brother like a bandit, leaving nothing behind."
Holding the fruit platter the servant brought, Lily ate a piece of mango. She glanced at Layla, seemingly not understanding why she was angry. "Haven't you always told me to learn from Zoya? I'm just following her example. When we were kids, if she liked any of my toys, you all gave them to her. Any gifts I received, expensive or not, if she looked at them twice, you gave them to her. How many things did she take from me?"
"She said she envied my bedroom, and you made me give it to her. She still lives in it. When I cried like a pig being slaughtered, you locked me in a dark room to reflect on myself."
"I've been learning from her all along. Take whatever you want. The only difference is I have to fight for it myself, while she gets your help."
"Why do I always take things from the Jian family? Is it really taking? No, it's reclaiming. Everything of Jian's was left to him by our ancestors, and everything here belongs to me and Leopold. Grandma specifically emphasized this before she passed away. Everything in the Jian family belongs only to me and Leopold, nothing to do with Zoya."
"But she's been in the Jian family for nearly twenty years. You've given her the best of everything, which should have been mine. Why can't I take it back?"
"Only an idiot would suffer in silence, and I'm not an idiot. Don't try to brainwash me; it won't work."
Layla was speechless.
Lily stuffed another piece of mango into her mouth. "Unless you tell me why you're so partial to Zoya, I'll keep taking things. Unless you cut ties with me, Zoya won't touch a single thing from the Jian family!"
The atmosphere was tense. Layla heard her son's voice outside and called him in, hoping he could persuade Lily to be less extreme.
Lily was quite obedient. She didn't interrupt while Leopold spoke, quietly eating fruit. When he finished, she asked for her housewarming gift.
Leopold: "..."
Great! All that talk for nothing, a complete waste of breath.
...
Lily had no idea what Edmond and Brooks discussed in the study. She only guessed it wasn't a small matter. When they left that night, Edmond reeked of smoke and spoke very little. Brooks was acting strange too. When she came out of Leopold's collection room with two paintings, he invited her.
"Go to dad's place and take whatever you like."
Dad? Goosebumps covered her body. She thought Edmond's influence must be huge. Since old Jian respected him, she didn't hold back and took a few of his collections for Edmond as well.
But later, something felt off. Old Jian didn't privately message her to scold her or ask her to return anything, unlike before when he would nag endlessly if she took something.
When she asked Edmond what they discussed in the study, he simply said it was project-related. Lily felt uneasy but had no time to dwell on it.
Her biological father suddenly called her one day. "Lily, your birthday is coming up. Let's have a grand celebration this year. Dad will organize it and make it a grand event."
Before he finished, Lily hung up. Birthday? How dare he mention it? Was old Jian planning to cut ties with her?
Recently, Lily's life had been quite comfortable. Whenever she went back to the Jian family for meals, she left with a trunk full of good things. Then came Qingming Festival and the May Day holiday. She went back to the Zhou family with Edmond, and everything was calm and peaceful.
Perhaps it was the vase incident that made everyone cautious. Although Edmond didn't get angry, his presence was felt, and no one dared to stir up trouble. Even Karina behaved herself, speaking kindly and giving her expensive cosmetics to mend their relationship.
Nadia, pressured by her mother-in-law Malika to resign and have children, was in a tense relationship with her, leaving Lily in peace.
After the vase incident, Royce focused on work, especially with Franklin joining the group after the May Day holiday. Royce was busy competing with him, leaving no time for other matters.
After Qingming Festival, Zoya went on a business trip for an L&S project abroad and hadn't returned yet.
When Layla asked for help that day, Lily didn't assist, and surprisingly, Layla didn't call to scold her.
Overall, Lily had enjoyed a peaceful two months.
Peaceful, yet busy.
Her studio hadn't officially opened after moving, but she hadn't been idle.
Aria was now her agent. On the day the studio's renovation was completed, Aria claimed the agent's swivel chair, slamming the desk. "I couldn't stand your previous agent. She was useless and blamed you for bad photos. Fire her; I'll take over!"
When Lily initially set up the studio, she wanted to ease her burden, so she hired an agent to handle a lot of the work.