Maxwell Thornton had just arrived at the office when Simon hurriedly stopped him.
"Chairman, the security guard from your house just called. He said Dr. Bennett was trying to leave with a suitcase. The security team stopped her, suspecting that her suitcase contained valuables from your home..."
Lily Bennett, you’re really something. I barely arrive at the office, and you’re already planning to run away? Maxwell smirked.
Sensing the chairman's suspicion, Simon added, "The neighborhood management said that your mother visited your home earlier, but when she left, she didn't seem to be in a good mood."
So, my mother went to see her, and now Lily is packing up to leave. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
Maxwell calmly looked at Simon. "Report to me everything that happened this morning."
Simon hesitated for a moment before saying, "Chairman, you have the quarterly meeting with all departments at 9:30. You’ll be late if you listen to the report now."
"What time is it?" Maxwell’s voice was cold.
Simon immediately glanced at his watch. "It’s 9:25."
"So why are you standing outside the elevator, waiting for me to be late?" Maxwell raised an eyebrow.
Hearing Maxwell’s words, Simon couldn’t help but feel confused. Wasn't the chairman planning to go back home to stop his girlfriend? Instead, he seemed intent on attending the quarterly meeting as if nothing had happened.
Simon pressed the elevator button. Having worked with Maxwell for many years, he knew the chairman was a workaholic, someone who never delayed business for personal matters, not even for someone as important as Dr. Bennett. Initially, Simon thought that Lily was an exception in his boss’s life, but now it seemed like he had misunderstood. No woman had ever been an exception in Chairman Thornton's life.
Holding the tablet in his hands, Simon followed behind Maxwell. As they reached the door to the conference room, Maxwell suddenly turned to him and said, "Have the security team keep her there."
Without waiting for Simon's reaction, Maxwell opened the door and entered the meeting room.
Simon stared after the chairman, then glanced down at his phone. There was no misunderstanding! Dr. Bennett really was an exception in the chairman's life—just that his way of showing concern was a bit unconventional.
Simon immediately called the security office and instructed them to keep Lily there until the homeowner could verify the house’s belongings.
Lily only wanted to leave before Maxwell returned because she didn’t want to argue with him. She hoped to come back and talk things through once she had calmed down. But just as she stepped out, the security guards stopped her, insisting she couldn’t leave until the homeowner confirmed everything inside the house was accounted for.
Frustrated, Lily left her suitcase behind, grabbed her wallet, and turned to leave the security office. The guards couldn’t stop her from walking out without the suitcase. When Maxwell came out of the meeting, Simon informed him that Lily had left without her luggage, and that he had sent someone to follow her.
Simon handed Maxwell the address of Lily’s current residence. Taking the car keys from Simon, Maxwell headed toward the parking lot. He didn’t know what his mother had said to Lily, but he was sure that his strong-willed woman was about to start a rebellion.
After leaving the security office, Lily returned to her house. The home was under Emily Hayes’ name. After Lily found out she was pregnant, to avoid attracting her family’s attention, Emily's parents helped her fly abroad to give birth and stay there for a year. When she returned to the country, the only people willing to help her were Emily’s family.
Although Emily was merely a school friend, her entire family went out of their way to support Lily, which puzzled her. Yet, her gratitude outweighed her doubts. Emily, with her beauty, had always been a well-known figure in school, and even Zelda Bennett had been jealous of her. If Lily and Emily had anything in common, it was that they had once liked the same person during high school.
When Lily stood in front of Emily's house holding her baby, Emily didn’t hesitate to let her move in, offering her a place to stay without saying a word. Lily would never forget this kindness for the rest of her life, even if she didn’t fully understand why they had helped her so much. Later, when Lily earned enough money, she officially bought the house from Emily. Initially, Emily didn’t want to accept the money, but Lily insisted she would move out if Emily didn’t take it. Reluctantly, Emily agreed. Now, it seemed Lily had nowhere to go but this house.
Just as Lily was about to call a real estate agent to sell the house, the doorbell rang. Emily and her child had said they would return tomorrow, so it couldn’t be them. Cautiously, Lily peered through the peephole, only to see a man with a refined face standing outside, arms crossed. No one other than Chairman Thornton had come looking for her.
After waiting a while and realizing no one was opening the door, Maxwell reached into his pocket, about to pull out his phone. Lily's first reaction was to turn off her phone's ringer and put it on silent mode. But Maxwell knew she was inside and was deliberately ignoring his call. He patiently pressed the doorbell again and then sent her a short message: [Open the door.]
The command was straightforward. Lily looked at her phone, unsure of what to do. All she had to do was turn it off, right? But as if reading her mind, the man outside the door called out.
"Lily, I’ve got your passport with me. Do you want to come out and get it yourself, or should I have someone open the door and hand it to you?"
Lily suddenly remembered that she had left her passport in her suitcase. While she was hesitating, Maxwell started speaking again. "Simon, call someone to open the lock..."
Before he could finish, the door opened. Lily reached out toward Maxwell, her eyes filled with anger.
"Where's my passport?"
Maxwell hung up the phone, grabbed her outstretched hand, and pulled her into his arms, closing the door behind them. Lily’s phone slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor, the sound of the screen shattering echoing through the room.
Only two-thirds of the day had passed, but Lily felt like it was already a complete disaster. Seeing Maxwell now, her mind grew even more confused. She didn’t want to be swayed by his sweet words or heart-melting gestures, so she didn’t even bother to look at her broken phone.
Frowning, Lily pushed Maxwell away. "Let go of me, I have something to say to you!"
Maxwell was curious about what she wanted to say. He released her, only to see her turn around and pull out a light blue envelope, which she handed to him. "This should cover everything I owe you. Let’s end our contract here."
Maxwell didn’t reply, his lips curling into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Lily, maybe I’ve spoiled you too much."
His voice was deep and soothing, carrying a kind of alluring, quiet tone. The way he spoke felt like a soft breeze blowing directly into her ear. This was something Lily had always found hard to resist about him. And once she locked eyes with him, it was all too easy to forget who she was and what her intentions had been.
He says he loves me, but does he really?