Edmond’s Surprise for Her

She hadn't even warmed the keys in her hand before she gave them to him, and she didn't ask for rent either, telling him to use the place as he pleased.

At that time, she had no idea that when he said he needed the place, it was actually to prepare a surprise for her.

When she and Aria were scouting locations for the studio, they couldn't find anything satisfactory.

Just when her legs felt like they were going to give out, Edmond handed her two keys.

The keys were for this place.

The two spaces—one on the left was renovated into the studio, and the one on the right became a dessert shop.

The left side was for work, while the right side had a dessert shop on the first floor and a small living area on the second floor.

It was a cozy one-bedroom setup with a living room, bedroom, and bathroom.

Why a dessert shop? Edmond explained, "Aria mentioned you like to eat sweets when you're tired.

There's no place on this street for that, and if you wanted some, you'd have to cross the road and walk several kilometers.

So why not open one next to the studio? But don't eat too much.

The chef is someone I found, and I'll instruct them to limit your portions."

What surprised Lily the most was the studio.

The renovation style was entirely to her taste.

When she asked if Aria had suggested it, Edmond said yes.

But the truth was, Edmond had seen her previous studio's style and had the design plans of the home she and Royce had once planned together.

He handed both the design plans and photos of her previous studio to a highly acclaimed designer, who skillfully deciphered her preferences.

He didn't want to bring up the old home, so he asked Aria to keep it a secret.

Aria was more than happy to comply.

In fact, she even secretly hindered Lily's search for a location.

She knew about Edmond's plan to gift Lily a studio, so when Lily dragged her around looking at potential places, Aria always found numerous faults with the ones Lily liked.

Thankfully, Edmond worked fast and got the keys to Lily in time; otherwise, she feared Lily might sew her lips shut if she criticized any more places.

Lily was there today for a final check-up.

When Edmond gave her the keys, most of the work was done.

The remaining tasks, like setting up the photography studio, wardrobe area, makeup zone, and reception, as well as arranging computers and furniture, were left to her.

After a busy month, she had everything nearly ready, and she was just checking for any missed details.

Aria had been called out by Alistair's mother for shopping again, likely to persuade her not to break off the engagement.

She wouldn't be back until evening, so Lily was alone today.

Given her recent streak of bad luck, she had consulted a so-called fortune-teller to pick an auspicious date.

He probably was a swindler, but he said the Dragon Boat Festival was her lucky day, the best day to open the studio, a day that would break her bad luck.

What nonsense! The Dragon Boat Festival was her birthday, which she considered her unlucky day, full of disasters.

When Brooks called her again, Lily had just left the studio.

"Still not done today, wait a bit, I'll contact you when I'm finished."

Brooks waited another half a month until the last day of March.

Knowing Lily would come over the next day, he gave his aunt a list of instructions over dinner.

"Tomorrow night, Lily and her husband are coming over for dinner.

Pay attention to the dishes, I'll give you a list later… the fruits need to be the freshest… and the tea leaves…"

He waved his hand.

"I'll handle the tea leaves, cigarettes, and alcohol.

You just take care of the dishes and fruits.

And one more thing!"

He thought of the most important thing and turned to the butler.

"Every time Lily comes over, it's like a tornado swept through.

She leaves nothing untouched.

Hide all my treasures."

Butler: "...Got it."

Layla waited until he finished instructing everyone to ask, "Are you sure she's coming tomorrow? Last time you called her, she didn't show up."

Lily had stood them up several times in a row.

They had no idea if she would really come this time.

Layla would have gone over to discipline her daughter long ago if she weren't busy arranging blind dates for her son.

Brooks was in an excellent mood today and spoke to Layla patiently.

"Didn't you see her post on social media after the call?"

Layla hurriedly took out her phone and scrolled through her WeChat moments.

There were many updates, but she found Lily's after a while.

Lily: [Going home tomorrow to swat flies and mess with Dad, happiness level +10000.

]

Layla was speechless and helpless.

Every time Lily planned to visit, she posted a similar update with the exact wording.

If she posted, she would definitely come the next day.

Swatting flies clearly referred to Zoya.

She made no secret of her animosity towards Zoya, and her WeChat nickname was: [Lily's Fly Swatting Tool].

What kind of high-born lady uses a name like that? She had used it for five years, refusing to change it.

Anyone who didn't know her would think she sold fly swatters.

After dinner, Brooks went to the wine cellar to pick out wine.

Before leaving, he reminded Layla.

"Call Leopold and tell him to come back early tomorrow."

The company was busiest at the end of the year and the beginning of the next.

Leopold had been very busy lately, juggling work and the blind dates Layla arranged, which left him quite exhausted.

He had been staying at his apartment near the company.

Layla initially wanted to arrange a blind date for her son tomorrow night, but agreed when she heard Edmond would be coming.

"Alright, what about Zoya? Should she come too?"

Zoya had gone on a business trip to avoid Layla's arranged dates but would be back by noon tomorrow.

Brooks said to Layla, "Of course, didn't Lily say Zoya was interested in Edmond? Now that Edmond is her brother-in-law, it's a good chance to clear things up."

Lily had previously claimed Zoya had a thing for Edmond, but Brooks hadn't noticed anything.

Still...

"Zoya is not getting any younger.

She should get married.

You should help her meet potential matches.

The sooner she settles down, the better."

Lily was only 24 and already married.

Zoya was 30 and still unmarried.

If she didn't marry soon, it would be an embarrassment, and people would accuse him of favoritism....

Lily had asked Edmond whether they should go to the Jian family home for dinner.

She expected him to refuse, but he agreed.

"I have something to discuss with Chairman Jian."

She didn't ask what it was.

She trusted that Edmond wouldn't be taken advantage of by her father.

Edmond let her pick the date, and she specifically chose April Fools' Day.

Knowing her father's greedy nature, he would likely try to set traps at the dinner table and ask Edmond for projects.

She had it all planned out.

No matter what her father asked for, she would agree, then after dinner, take what she could and leave.

After all, it was April Fools' Day; she could always claim it was a joke.

She waited until the evening before April Fools' Day to call her father, catching him off guard.

She wanted him so happy that he wouldn't have time to think and would obediently bring out his best wine.

After posting on social media, she excitedly rolled around in bed, thinking about her father's treasured collection and which pieces would suit her new studio.

Edmond was in his study on a video conference call.

When he came out at 10:30, he found Lily sprawled on the bed in a revealing nightgown, lost in thought.

The atmosphere was thick with an alluring scent.

Lily preferred dim lighting, so the room was only illuminated by a warm floor lamp.

The soft glow mingled with the fragrance of her body wash, creating an enticing ambiance.

The sight of her roused a strong reaction in Edmond.

He approached and sat at the edge of the bed, leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on her lips.

Lily, having heard his footsteps, had already opened her eyes.

Seeing the heat in his gaze, she didn't shy away but lay there quietly, meeting his eyes and accepting his suggestive kiss.

This mutual gaze had become a regular occurrence.

Their second intimate encounter had happened when Lily's face no longer required bandages.

That night, though Edmond was still somewhat inexperienced, he wasn't as clumsy as before.

He had somehow learned to ask about her feelings with every move, completely following her lead.

Initially, she found his questions irritating, but eventually, her eyes were drawn to his well-toned muscles and his intense expression.

As she watched him lose control, she felt there was no need for her to hold back either.

Letting go of her shyness and reservations, she couldn't deny that the experience between husband and wife was indeed enjoyable.

Given that it was pleasurable and Edmond had quickly improved to the point where she no longer suffered, she decided to just go with the flow.