Lia was set to officially start working at Ravencroft Group next Monday, so she had these few days to spend with her grandmother at the hospital.
"Lia, why are you here again? Don't worry about me. Grandma's fine. I don't want you to waste all your time on me," her grandmother said, hoping her granddaughter would spend more time with her boyfriend.
"Grandma, he's busy with work," Lia replied, feeling a twinge of guilt.
Lia had learned the hard way that telling one lie often required many more to keep it going.
After telling her grandmother about her "boyfriend," the old lady became very curious.
"So, Lia, what does that boy do for a living?" she asked eagerly.
Lia hesitated for a moment, then said, "He… works in a company."
Every time she lied, she felt a knot of guilt in her stomach.
"Is the job stable? I don't care about wealth, but I just want to make sure he has a stable job. It's important for your future," her grandmother added with concern.
Lia understood her grandmother's worry. The world had become fast-paced and impetuous, and Grandma feared for her granddaughter's future—especially without the support of her own family. She couldn't help but wonder if Lia would be taken advantage of by her husband's family one day.
"It's stable, Grandma, don't worry too much," Lia reassured her.
Grandma nodded slowly, but still seemed uneasy. "Our family's conditions aren't great. I just don't want you to marry someone who might make life difficult for you. You're such a good girl, I want the best for you."
Lia wrapped her arms around her grandmother and said, "Grandma, without you, I would've ended up in an orphanage, who knows where? You're my lucky star."
"You're my lucky star too, such a sensible child," her grandmother said with a soft smile.
Lia chatted and laughed with her grandmother, and the hours flew by. Just before noon, Karen arrived with lunch.
"Lia, Karen's here. You should go and rest," her grandmother said.
"Yes, Lia, go work hard so you can make money," Karen added, clearly thinking about Lia's financial situation. She had no job herself, caring for her mother-in-law, but she kept her eyes on her adopted daughter's earnings, knowing that Lia's salary had to be helping in some way.
"Karen, don't think about work all the time. Lia, you should go out and spend time with your boyfriend," Grandma said with a hint of displeasure, upset by how much Karen focused on money.
Karen tried to cover it up with a smile. "Haha, Mom, don't get upset. Lia, you should go, I'll take care of things here."
Grandma gave a small smile. "Go, Lia, enjoy your time with your boyfriend."
Lia understood what her grandmother was doing—she was purposely trying to make Karen uncomfortable by mentioning the boyfriend, so Lia nodded. "Alright, Grandma, Mom, I'll head out now."
As she was leaving, Karen called after her. "You really have a boyfriend? Are you sure about him?"
"Yes," Lia said with a smile, but her tone was a bit guarded.
Karen wasn't pleased, though. "What kind of boyfriend is he? Does he have a stable job? What about his family? We can't afford to have you marry into a poor family."
Lia rolled her eyes inwardly. She knew what her adoptive mother was getting at. Karen had always been more concerned with money than relationships.
"Mom, we're just getting to know each other. We'll figure things out," Lia explained, trying to dodge Karen's probing.
Karen gave her a suspicious look. "So, does he have a house or not? Where are you going to live when the time comes? You can't live in a rented place, right? Have you thought that through?"
Lia kept her calm. "Mom, we're just getting started, don't worry so much."
"Well, you should make sure to understand everything clearly. If it doesn't work out, it's better to break up now rather than later," Karen added, her tone laced with judgment.
Grandma, clearly irritated, glanced at Karen. "Look at you, always thinking about money. As long as Lia is happy, that's all that matters."
"Mom, that's not what I meant," Karen quickly backtracked, though it was clear she was more concerned about financial security than Lia's happiness. "Of course, I want Lia to find a good husband."
Lia felt the tension rise, but she kept her composure. "Grandma, Mom, his family is okay. They treat me well."
Karen's voice had a strange edge to it. "How 'okay' are they? Don't tell me they don't even have a house. How are you going to live like that?"
Lia clenched her jaw but didn't respond. "Mom, we're still figuring things out," Lia said, trying to get the conversation to end.
Grandma seemed to sense Lia's discomfort and gave her a smile. "Go, Lia. Go have some fun with your boyfriend."
Lia knew it was Grandma's way of cutting the tension, and she nodded. "Alright, I'm leaving now."
As Lia left the hospital, she received a strange phone call. "You bitch! You're the reason Lucas broke up with me! Do you think you can stay with him forever? Dream on!"
"Alicia, I've already resigned from Valen Group. If you want to talk to Lucas, call him yourself. I'm not his secretary anymore, and I don't need to hear this nonsense from you," Lia said, her tone flat.
"What? You've resigned?" Alicia on the other end of the phone sounded stunned.
"Are you lying to me? Why would you resign? Did Lucas reject you?" Alicia was getting worked up.
Lia pinched her temples, trying to stay calm. "Alicia, I have nothing to do with him anymore."
"You think I'll believe that?" Alicia shot back, clearly unwilling to accept that Lia had cut ties with Lucas.
"Believe it or not, I was never his to begin with. Nothing happened. Goodbye." Lia hung up the phone, feeling a strange sense of peace settle over her.
Looking up at the bright sky and the fluffy clouds, a faint smile tugged at her lips. It was time to move on. Her phone number was about to change too.
She had nothing left to do with the Valen family. But what would come next?
Lia had spent years living in the shadows of Lucas, her world revolving around his whims. Now, as she flipped through her contacts, there was only one person who might offer a chance at something different—Elena, her only real friend. But Elena was probably busy with work, so Lia felt it would be awkward to reach out just yet.
As she scrolled through her phone, she saw mostly colleagues, clients, or Lucas' friends—people she had connected with because of him.
But then, a name caught her eye: Cassius.
Boyfriend?