On the way back, the car moved slowly.
It was as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button, and the scenery outside unfolded inch by inch, every frame seemingly ready to be frozen in time forever.
"I'm telling you, you have to go and talk to Mary when we get back. Do everything you can to convince her to stay! Do you hear me?"
Lisa bared her tiny, tiger-like teeth, her tone fierce.
Miles, one hand on the steering wheel, glanced at her and smirked. "Oh? A little trip outside, and now you don't know who's in charge, huh? Did you forget who the boss is?"
"Miles! I'm being serious here!"
Lisa's expression shifted, her tone earnest. "If you want to go further, you need capable people by your side. Without them, you won't get very far!"
Without turning his head, Miles asked lazily, "Can't you help me?"
"I can only treat illnesses, damn it!" Lisa glared at him, clearly annoyed. "Or do you actually wish for the day I can?"
"…Alright, fine," Miles muttered, defeated.
"Good, so it's settled. As soon as we're home, you'll apologize to Mary—politely! I'll go with you."
"Why are you coming along?"
"So she can yell at me to blow off some steam. That way, you might feel a bit of heartache for me."
"Heartache? I'm made of steel; I don't give a damn!"
"There you go again, swearing! When we get back, keep Mary here and kick that Nathan out for me!"
…
In the end, Miles couldn't argue against Lisa's persistence.
The moment they returned home, they didn't even step into their own villa. Instead, they went straight to the neighboring Villa 103.
"Wait a second…" Lisa tugged on Miles just as he was about to knock on the door. "Do you still have those handbags, makeup, and designer clothes in your space?"
"Why?"
Lisa placed her hands on her hips like a nagging housewife and snapped, "Bring some of them out! Who goes to someone's house empty-handed?"
"You want me to apologize and bring gifts? Are you serious?" Miles huffed, half amused and half exasperated.
"Are you going to or not?" Lisa bared her little tiger teeth and lowered her voice. "You've hoarded so much stuff at home. What, saving it all for some mistress?"
"Fine, fine, I'll get it!"
With a flick of his gaze, a pile of makeup, clothes, and bags appeared on the ground.
Lisa didn't care about the cold. She crouched down right at the doorstep and began sorting through them. "Tsk tsk tsk, your taste is something else! What's with this Barbie pink bag? Why do you even have this?"
"Whatever, forget it. Keep digging."
Clatter!
Another pile of women's items scattered onto the ground. Lisa, like a chipmunk foraging, squatted in the pile, carefully picking through everything.
"Oh! Look, a brand-new Chanel bag! I don't even have this one… fine, she can have it. And this one's not bad, and this one's pretty too."
"Are you done yet? It's getting dark! You've practically set up a night market at her doorstep!"
Miles had been waiting for half an hour and was about to lose his patience.
"Shut up!"
Lisa turned and shot him a glare.
"Oh, for—!" Miles was about to put his foot down when a voice interrupted him from behind.
"What are you two doing here?"
Aaron stood frozen, staring at the scene in confusion, with Mary standing coldly behind him.
"Ah!"
Lisa shot up from the pile of makeup and ran over to Mary.
Grabbing Mary's hand, she said sweetly, "Sister Mary, we're here to apologize! It was all Miles's fault today. He shouldn't have embarrassed you in front of everyone. It's all his fault!"
"You…"
Mary blinked, caught off guard, her tone awkward as she said flatly, "What is this about?"
Perhaps it was Mary's intimidating aura, but Miles instinctively frowned and muttered, "What do you mean, 'what is this about'?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Lisa spun around and glared at him before tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear and smiling at Mary. "Sister Mary, we've met before, back at the Central City Hospital. Do you remember?"
Mary, sharp as ever, immediately caught on to Lisa's intentions. She wanted to ease the tension, but one look at Miles's impatient expression reignited her anger.
"Alright, what do you want?"
Seeing Mary's indifferent attitude, Miles began to grow agitated. "Hey, you—"
"Can you just shut up?" Lisa snapped, her voice icy as she shot him a glare that could freeze fire.
Even Aaron noticed the awkward tension. He chuckled nervously and quickly pulled Miles aside. "Miles, come on, let's talk over here for a second."
Miles frowned at him. "What, are you planning to avenge your sister?"
"…No!"
Aaron froze for a moment, then mustered his courage and dragged Miles away.
Once they were out of earshot, Aaron lowered his voice. "Miles, my sister's like that—cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Don't take it personally, alright?"
Miles scratched his nose. "Is your sister hitting menopause early or something?"
Bang!
"Miles!"
From the door, a furious Mary hurled a makeup box straight at him.
…
Inside Villa 103.
The two women sat across from each other for the first time, face to face. Lisa's expression was bright and cheerful, while Mary's was icy and distant—a stark contrast.
Lisa was the first to break the silence. "Sister Mary, I picked out some clothes and makeup for you. See if you like any of them."
Mary didn't even glance at the items. Instead, she looked at Lisa with mild confusion and asked, "Is it worth it? Doing all this for him? Don't tell me you actually have feelings for him."
Lisa didn't answer directly. Instead, she replied half-jokingly, "But he said he likes me. What can I do?"
"Hah."
Mary couldn't help but chuckle softly. Then she added, "We have no personal grudge. Today… I lost my composure. For the things I said, I owe you an apology."
If Mary had harbored any misunderstandings about Lisa before, they dissipated now.
The fact that Lisa was willing to set aside her pride and come here to make amends showed that she wasn't just clinging to Miles for his resources.
"Oh, don't worry about it. That's all in the past."
Lisa waved her hand with a big, carefree smile. "Miles wasn't targeting you on purpose either. You know how it is in times like these—no matter how well-off he seems, deep down, he's bound to have some issues. You wouldn't believe the chaos we faced at the start—thousands of people in the neighborhood…"
"Good thing we managed to hold them off!"
"Since then, he's been like a maniac, constantly ranting about his 'master-servant' theories. Drove me insane!"
"Do you know when he finally snapped out of it?" Lisa asked, her tone serious as she looked at Mary. "It was the day you told him you'd help him rise to the top in Chicago."
Mary's expression faltered, but she said nothing.
"There isn't a man alive who's content with mediocrity, least of all Miles," Lisa said softly, her eyes gleaming. "But I can't help him. Right now, only you can."
Mary stared at her for a long moment before breaking into a smile. "And you're not afraid I'll steal him from you?"