Conflicted Embrace

If this continued, it would lead to something terrible.

After an intimate night in Ethan's master bedroom, the sky had already darkened. Ethan held her tightly as he slept, but Lily lay there, wide awake, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Carefully, she wriggled free from Ethan's arm, slipped on a nightgown, and quietly walked to the balcony after opening the floor-to-ceiling windows. The night breeze was cold, a sharp contrast to the warmth of the air-conditioned room.

It was as if the cool air instantly blew away the fog in her mind.

Her phone displayed the time: 23:59.

Slowly, the time crossed over into the next day.

Alex Carter.

Happy birthday.

Congratulations on your wedding.

May you always be happy.

Lily silently wished him well in her heart, letting the warm tears flow down her cheeks. The pain in her chest was so intense that it left her speechless.

It had been nine years since they last saw each other. Nine years in which her birthdays didn't include him, and his didn't include her.

From now on, their lives would never intersect again.

He had his beautiful bride, whom he adored, and she had become a plaything for a devil. They were two people headed in entirely different directions, growing further apart after crossing paths.

So far apart that they would never touch again.

Slowly, Lily squatted down beside the balcony, silently crying, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Alex, I miss you. I really... miss you.

"Lily!"

The commanding voice startled her.

The floor-to-ceiling window was suddenly pushed open.

Lily flinched, hastily wiping away her tears before turning around.

Ethan stood there, shirtless, a frown on his face as he looked at her, his tone impatient, "What's wrong this time?"

Why is this woman always crying?

What did I do now?

"Nothing. Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep," Ethan replied coldly. His arms had noticed the absence of her weight—how could he not?

So, she had sneaked out here to cry on her own...

"Are you hungry? I can make you some noodles."

Lily felt embarrassed as she stood up. Why did he always catch her crying? It made her seem like she was constantly in tears.

"Mm," Ethan grunted in response.

He hated women's tears and didn't know how to deal with them.

When I hurt her badly, she doesn't shed a single tear. But the moment I turned my back, she started crying.

Am I bullying her too much?

With that thought, Ethan walked over and pulled Lily back inside. His large hand awkwardly patted her head as if trying to comfort her.

Lily looked at his stern face in confusion. I didn't upset him this time, did I?

By now, all the servants at the Blackwood villa had gone to bed.

In the kitchen, Lily boiled noodles, cracked two eggs, and quickly chopped tomatoes and other ingredients to stir in.

Now wearing a robe, Ethan leaned against the kitchen door, watching her work. "When did you learn to cook?"

How had a spoiled, pampered heiress like her adapted so quickly to the life of a Cinderella?

He had wanted to ask this the last time he saw her making sweet and sour fish.

It was completely unexpected to see her working so diligently on household chores without complaint. She used to be as proud as a peacock, someone who would scream at the sight of grease.

Now, she was his mistress, restored to her status as a society woman. The scandals she covered for him should have earned her enough to buy all kinds of brand-name clothes, yet she still wore the same old dresses and sweaters repeatedly, never growing tired of them.

"Since the first year of middle school." Lily didn't even need to think about her answer. Her life had taken a sharp turn in the first year of middle school—everything had changed.

When had she started wearing old clothes? Since the first year of middle school.

"She stopped sleeping with her dolls, learned to do household chores, started picking up loose change from the ground, and began avoiding her old classmates and friends in the first year of middle school."

So many things had changed.

"The noodles are ready," Lily said, pulling herself together as she served two and set them on the dining table. She smiled at Ethan, who was still standing in the doorway. "Come eat. You said you were hungry."

"Mm." Ethan walked over and sat down, picking up his chopsticks to take a bite. The noodles were simple but delicious—better than what he had made back then.

He and Lily were opposites.

The same year she went from a pampered heiress to a Cinderella, he had been brought back into the Blackwood family, transforming from a street thug to the third young master of the Blackwoods.

Since then, he had yet to cook a single meal himself.

"How does it taste?" Lily wasn't hungry; she just watched him eat.

"It's okay," Ethan replied grudgingly, though he didn't stop eating.

What a stubborn man.

If it had been Alex, no matter how terrible the food tasted, he would have said, in the gentlest voice in the world, "Lily, this is delicious. You did a great job."

Lily watched Ethan eat silently, her mind suddenly drifting, imagining Alex's gentle smile.

When she saw him about to cut the noodles with his chopsticks, Lily leaned forward in alarm and pressed her hand on his, her voice filled with urgency. "Don't cut the noodles. It's bad luck."

"What?" Ethan frowned, staring at her hand on his. Her fingers were cold—had the wind outside chilled her?

Realizing what she had said, Lily quickly pulled her hand back, forcing a small, awkward smile. "You're not supposed to cut the noodles. It's bad for longevity."

"Lily, are you really that superstitious?" Ethan asked, his tone filled with disbelief as he stirred the noodles in his bowl. "Besides, it's not like we're eating birthday noodles."

He was right. It wasn't his birthday, so why was she thinking about longevity noodles?

Lily lowered her head and picked up her chopsticks, trying to eat, but as soon as she lifted the noodles to her mouth, they broke and fell back into the bowl.

Her eyes began to sting again, and she felt a familiar ache in her chest.

"Emily's new film 'Kill' is our most significant investment this year. We're preparing to take it to the international market. Ethan said between bites, "You will handle the exclusive media coverage for the movie.

It took Lily a moment to blink back her tears and process his words. When she did, she looked up at him, surprised. "The whole thing? You're giving me the exclusive?"

'Kill' had already made waves in the domestic market before filming was completed, and everything surrounding it was shrouded in mystery. Now, she was being given media coverage for such a vast project. How many of her competitors would be envious? Her aunt's pockets were about to get a lot heavier.

"Can't handle it?" Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"I can!" Lily quickly replied, afraid he might change his mind. Only an idiot would turn down such an offer.

On Alex's birthday, she had finally found something worth smiling about. It felt… good.

Ethan's expression flickered with a moment of surprise.

Her face, which had been crying just moments ago, was now lit up with a soft smile. Her almond-shaped eyes curved slightly as if she were trying to contain her excitement.

Although there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes, it was one of the rare smiles he had seen from her.

This girl…

She's so easy to please.

While he did enjoy seeing her submit to him, he had to admit that her genuine happiness was even more captivating. It was pure, without a trace of pretense.

If that's the case, I'll give her more exclusives.

As long as she smiles because of me, I'm satisfied.

After finishing their late-night snack, Ethan still wasn't tired. He insisted on holding her on the couch as they watched a movie together. The film was a typical commercial production, filled with every cliché imaginable—action, drama, romance—and yet, it was so dull that it felt like a sleep aid.

Before long, Lily had fallen asleep in his arms.

For the first time since the first year of middle school, on Alex's birthday, she hadn't suffered from insomnia. Instead, she had slept soundly.

After submitting the nude photos and article for Emily Prescott's new film Kill, Lily stretched her arms and leaned back in her chair, feeling accomplished.

Not long after, her phone buzzed with a new multimedia message from Ethan.

Curious, she opened it and found his photo of them kissing in the car. When had he even saved that photo to his phone?

The shot was taken from a 45-degree angle. He had one arm wrapped around her, his head slightly tilted as he kissed her with a possessive intensity. Despite the roughness of the kiss, a beam of light in the background softened the entire image.

This childish man.

Lily shook her head, her finger hovering over the delete button. After a moment of hesitation, she decided against deleting it. Ultimately, she owed him for helping her sleep so well, so she would let the picture stay.

Just then, her phone rang. The call was from an unfamiliar number, replacing the photo on her screen. She answered with a faint smile, "Hello, this is Lily."

"This is Emily Prescott." The seductive voice on the other end was laced with arrogance. "I have an hour free. You can come to the Blackwood Enterprise headquarters for an exclusive interview."

Emily's voice initially startled Lily, but she soon remembered what Ethan had told her the night before. He had given her exclusive coverage for Kill, which included interviewing Emily.

As the newly crowned Best Actress, an interview with Emily was incredibly valuable.

But… Blackwood Enterprise's headquarters was in the city's most prestigious district, miles from her small magazine office.

"Ms. Prescott, I'll be there as soon as I can," Lily quickly replied, her smile fading as she grabbed her bag and rushed out.

"Yeah, hurry up. My time isn't something I waste on third-rate magazines like yours," Emily said sarcastically. "I'm having lunch with Ethan later, so don't keep me waiting... Oh, Ethan, you're out of your meeting already? I've been waiting for you.

Is Emily in Ethan's office?

"Mm… ah…" Emily's delicate moans echoed through the phone, vividly depicting what was happening on the other side.

Lily frowned and immediately hung up.

Ethan, you can't even stay focused on work during the day? You're shameless.

Furious, Lily pulled up the photo of their kiss from earlier and angrily deleted it. I can't believe I let myself think even slightly better of this player!

I just hope that by the time I get to Blackwood Enterprise, they'll finish their little "session." I don't need to witness that.

Sitting in the back of a taxi, Lily felt irritated and restless. Emily's moans echoed in her mind, giving her a headache…

The taxi hit a traffic jam as they entered the busy part of the city. The long line of cars stretched out like a sleeping dragon, unmoving.

"Are you in a hurry, miss?" the driver asked, trying to make conversation. "Who knows when this traffic will clear up..."

"It's okay, I'm not in a rush," Lily replied with a polite smile, rolling down the window to take in the view. She first saw the large Carter Mall, part of the Carter Group.

A massive screen on the side of the mall was playing an advertisement on a loop.

The noise of the bustling city made it impossible to hear the ad, but the subtitles on the screen were crystal clear.

"Alex Carter, CEO of Carter Group, stars in a nostalgic commercial for our mall, reminiscing on the memories of our youth."

Lily stared in a daze, leaning against the car window as she watched the screen.

The driver noticed and started chatting again. "I've been seeing this ad everywhere lately. It's all over the place. These rich kids, blowing money to star in their commercials…"

Alex isn't the type to seek vanity.

Lily wanted to argue, but her eyes were glued to the screen.

On the screen, the color palette was a soft green. In a small kindergarten, children played happily. Alex, dressed in a classic English-style shirt and vest, walked through the playground, bathed in warm sunlight.

By the swings, a little boy and girl laughed and played.

Then, as the two children's images slowly faded into transparency, only Alex stood alone by the swing, watching it sway back and forth in the breeze.

The final text appeared: If you still remember me, meet me by the swings like that year. Please don't leave until we meet.

Just like that year, meet me by the swings. Please don't leave until we meet.

Alex had said, Wait to leave until we meet.