Beating Up Royce

The three of them had grown up together, forming a tight trio in their childhood.

Franklin had always been a bit of a troublemaker.

When Lily had her accident, he failed his college entrance exams and was sent abroad by his parents, though to a different place than Lily.

 He had returned a year earlier than Lily and, finding himself with nothing to do and no place in the family business, invested money in this bar.

Franklin's stance on Lily and Royce's relationship was clear.

While Royce was his cousin, he sided with Lily. If Royce had fallen out of love and wanted to break up with Lily, he could have accepted it.

But for Royce to have a change of heart while Lily was abroad receiving treatment was a matter of principle and character—an act of a scoundrel.

Franklin had tried countless times to persuade his cousin, to no avail. He had also tried to convince Lily to give up on Royce, but with no success. One was a scoundrel, the other a hopeless romantic.

Unable to help either, he had opted for peace and embarked on a world tour, only returning the day before.

Upon his return, he heard that Lily had forgotten Royce.

This was good news, but before he could celebrate, he learned that Lily was now pursuing Uncle Edmond, which alarmed Franklin enough to summon her for a talk.

She could pursue anyone, just not Uncle Edmond.

That man was like opium, too dangerous to handle. Lily might have a brain injury, but Edmond was perfectly sane.

Despite owing her a life debt, there was no way Edmond would marry her.

 If this matter blew up, it would be Lily who would suffer the most.

To preserve her last shred of dignity, Franklin earnestly tried to persuade her.

"Lily, even if you don't believe anyone else, you have to believe me. You really have it wrong. You and my Uncle Edmond never even spoke to each other before—"

"Who the hell—" Franklin was abruptly yanked off his stool, and just as he was about to explode in anger, he looked up and saw his cousin's expressionless face, his brows immediately furrowing. Why was this scoundrel here?

Royce sat down in Franklin's place, his eyes fixed on Lily. "How long are you going to keep this up?"

Lily didn't even glance at him. Franklin moved forward, positioning himself partially in front of Lily.

"Bro, weren't you annoyed with Lily clinging to you? Now that she's forgotten you, you should be happy. Stop causing trouble."

Royce's lips tightened as he glared at Franklin. "This is between Lily and me. Move."

Lily pulled Franklin aside and pushed him away.

"Get back. Don't let blood splatter on you."

Franklin:"..."

What did she mean? Was she going to start a fight?

Some people had already recognized Royce and Lily, and a crowd was beginning to gather, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Lily turned to face Royce, speaking seriously.

"Recently, I've heard a lot of rumors about us. To summarize:we were childhood sweethearts, got engaged, and then you cheated on your secretary.

 I was your lapdog, knew you were scum, but kept clinging to you. Then I fell down the stairs, hit my head, and forgot about you. Is that right?"

Royce stared at her coldly, as if trying to see through her pretense.

"Stop pretending, Lily. You haven't lost your memory. You're just trying to make me miserable. Memory confusion? Ha, you remember everyone except me? How is that possible?"

"Why not? Everyone's brain works differently. Like yours is full of shit, and mine is full of knowledge."

Royce:"..."

"If you really think I'm pretending, then why don't you jump off the second floor headfirst and see for yourself? Make sure to position yourself correctly, head down."

She eyed his face, thought for a moment, and offered a suggestion. "But I'd advise against it. You're already ugly. If you mess up your face, you'd be even uglier."

"Lily!" Royce's anger was on the verge of eruption. He was already the center of public attention and didn't want to become a bigger laughingstock.

As more people gathered, he struggled to maintain his composure.

"Come with me." He grabbed Lily's arm, squeezing it so hard it felt like her bones might snap.

Ignoring her cries of pain, he pulled her off the stool. Lily almost twisted her ankle.

Seeing Lily in pain, Franklin moved to help but then hesitated.

Bang! Lily smashed the empty glass she had been holding onto the ground.

Royce turned at the noise, pausing. Lily seized the moment to step forward, standing face to face with him. Then she raised her free hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Lily! Are you insane?" Royce licked his lips, staring at her in disbelief. He hadn't expected her to hit him.

Lily didn't respond. Taking advantage of his shock, she yanked her arm free and slapped him again. This time, Royce blocked it, his teeth clenched. "Lily, enough!"

Ignoring him, Lily stepped back, grabbed her seven-centimeter high heel, and, under everyone's gaze, charged at Royce with the shoe in hand, attacking him furiously.

"I've heard enough about us lately. I know I used to cling to you, know you cheated on me with your secretary, know we were both unhappy."

Her voice rose, filled with anger.