The Family Portrait

"At that time, she wasn't greedy. As long as Uncle Jian gave her some care, she would have even given Changhuai Street to him. She said she had no use for that much money. Unfortunately, Uncle Jian and his wife gradually pushed away their obedient and sensible daughter."

"They broke their promise and then wanted to take back Changhuai Street. Lily exploded. They had a big fight that day. Lily gave them a chance. She said if they threw her an adult ceremony, she would let bygones be bygones. If they didn't, they would sever ties, and she would no longer bear the surname Jian."

Then things went wrong. Edmond knew what happened afterward. During the argument, Brooks and Layla didn't back down and even slapped Lily, which made her run away.

Then, the incident happened.

That was the time when Lily's life was almost destroyed. Even though it seemed like she had moved past it, it left an indelible scar that would never fully heal.

When Edmond and Franklin arrived at the Jian family old residence, Lily had just smashed the family portrait on the wall.

The Jian family had taken this family portrait when Lily was twelve. That year, Zoya turned eighteen. Brooks and Layla had thrown her a grand coming-of-age party. She made a wish, pointing at the family photo on the wall, saying her greatest wish was to become a real member of the family.

Then the previous family photo was taken down and replaced with the new one. Lily had smashed this photo once before when she was eighteen. That year, after smashing the family photo, Layla slapped her, and Lily ran away.

Later, Zoya took the photo for restoration and hung it back up. After returning to China, Zoya pointed to the photo and asked Lily if the restoration was well done. Lily, who was no longer easily angered, scoffed at the outdated photography technique. She had won that round and maintained her composure until now.

But they kept pushing her, stuffing a metaphorical rag down her throat to disgust her. Lily swung the baseball bat with full force, shattering the frame and creating a dent in the wall, accompanied by loud bangs.

Zoya was out of town, Leopold stayed at the company, and only Brooks, Layla, and a few terrified servants were at home. Everyone stood in the kitchen, too scared to move a step forward, let alone stop the rampaging Lily. Layla, angry, complained to her husband.

"Why did you bring up her birthday? You know she cares the most about that! Were you bored or something?"

Hearing this, the emotions in Lily's eyes deepened. They knew she cared. They knew all along.

When Edmond walked in, he saw Lily tirelessly swinging the baseball bat, striking the wall repeatedly. Shards of broken glass from the frame cut into her right hand, and blood stained her grip. She seemed oblivious to it. Her expression was eerily calm, no yelling or crying, just numbness.

Lily didn't know how many times she had swung when someone grabbed her wrist. Mechanically, she turned her head and saw Edmond. She was stunned for a long time, her sluggish brain slowly coming back to reality.

"Edmond? You... why are you here?"

Edmond's lips were tightly pressed, his gaze falling on her bloodstained hand.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

Lily followed his gaze and only then felt the discomfort in her hand, realizing what she had been doing. The mess on the floor and the bat in her hand reminded her of her sorry and frenzied state.

Since marrying Edmond, although she had been brazen a few times, she had always behaved obediently in front of him. Exposing her violent and ugly side for the first time made Lily feel awkward. She tensed up and tried to explain.

"They made me angry. I was really angry, so... so..."

Her brain, unusually stumped, stammered without knowing how to explain. In her anxious state, Edmond took the bat from her hand. His warm fingers gently brushed over her palm, removing the bloodstained glass shards, and he asked again.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

Lily tilted her chin up, staring blankly at him. Her normally suppressed emotions suddenly started to crack, making her eyes redden.

"It doesn't hurt."

She pressed her lips together, her teeth clenched tightly. Edmond stared at her stubborn little face, his Adam's apple moving, a flash of helplessness crossing his stern features.

He called for the housekeeper to bring a first aid kit, then handed it directly to Franklin, instructing him to take Lily outside. Once they left, the entire living room fell silent.

Edmond toyed with the bat in his hand, his demeanor calm yet terrifying, with a sense of impending doom. Brooks stepped forward.

"Edmond, Lily she..."

His voice abruptly stopped as Edmond turned and pointed the bat at him. Layla, in a panic, rushed over and pulled her husband back by the arm.

"Edmond, please calm down. No matter what, we're still Lily's parents and your elders. Put the bat down first."

Edmond ignored Layla, his dark eyes fixed on Brooks.

"I know what you're up to. Stop it. If you don't love her, at least don't use her. Mr. Jian, you are an elder, so I won't use my fists, but..."

He paused, his tone steady.

"I will say this, from now on, the fate of L&S Group depends on how you treat Lily. Use her again, and L&S will find it hard to survive in Jiangyu. Mr. Jian, weigh your options carefully."

What scheme was Brooks plotting? Edmond could guess accurately. Today's incident was partly his fault too.

After hearing those words from Aria, he was particularly eager to know why Brooks had adopted Zoya. As Aria mentioned, Lily's grandmother, who loved her dearly, had inexplicably tolerated Zoya's absurd ghost stories. There had to be a reason.

So when Brooks wanted a project, Edmond made it a condition for Brooks to tell him the truth behind adopting Zoya. From Brooks' reaction, it was clear there was a reason, but he kept dodging, only saying she was an old classmate's daughter he took in out of pity. No matter how Edmond pressed or threatened, Brooks remained tight-lipped, even willing to forgo the amusement park project. Edmond lost his temper that day and lashed out at Brooks, but even then, Brooks said nothing. He had a hunch... Brooks seemed to be protecting some secret.

Unable to figure it out, Edmond had been investigating, looking into Zoya's biological parents and her history before coming to the Jian family. But it had been too long, and he had found nothing substantial yet. At this time, Brooks brought up Lily's birthday, with a clear purpose.

The day the deal fell through, Edmond had cut Brooks out of the amusement park project and ignored his subsequent attempts to contact him. Angrily, he had even intercepted one of L&S's projects. Brooks was getting desperate. Throwing a grand birthday party for Lily was just a way to convey two messages to the outside world: First, his father-daughter relationship with Lily was good; second, Lily had married into the Zhou family, making him Edmond's father-in-law. If he couldn't get the amusement park project, he wanted to leverage his 'Edmond's father-in-law' status to attract other projects.

Lily sat in the car, feeling defeated.

"Franklin, was I scary just now?"

Franklin was dressing her wound and didn't look up as he replied.

"Pretty scary, mostly because your technique is poor. Next time, let me do it. I'm better at baseball. This old house wouldn't withstand two swings from me."

Lily slapped him on the head. "Braggart."

Edmond opened the door and got in. Franklin packed up the first aid kit and sensibly moved to the passenger seat, leaving the back seat to them. Lily sat rigidly as Edmond moved closer. Once they were side by side, he gently pressed her head onto his shoulder, his voice low and magnetic.

"My shoulder is here for you. If you want to cry, go ahead. I won't laugh at you."

Lily didn't cry. She couldn't, but resting her head on his shoulder, she didn't resist. His broad shoulder gave her a sense of security.