Rear-Ended

Alistair had been hiding out in Edmond's apartment for a week, and he was getting bored to death. When he received a message from his cousin saying she had seen Lily, he perked up immediately and headed straight to the Jingxiu building that afternoon.

With a cast on his leg, Alistair sat in a wheelchair as his driver pushed him into the lobby, where Octavian personally greeted him and escorted him to Edmond's office.

"Does Franklin have a thing for Lily?"

After several cups of tea and piecing together the story he had heard, Alistair still found it hard to believe. Edmond took a sip from his teacup, his expression unreadable.

Seeing Edmond's silence, Alistair sighed, and then kicked him lightly with his good foot. "You're something else, you know that? You knew Franklin liked Lily and still asked him for advice on how to pursue her. What kind of Uncle Edmond are you? Poor Franklin. You're shameless."

Edmond put down his cup, a slight ripple of emotion passing through his eyes. "Franklin has always had more opportunities than me. He had countless chances to act, but he lacked the courage and was too concerned with other things. You can't blame me for acting quickly."

As for why he had Franklin help him with his pursuit of Lily—"Ever since the night Lily and I went public, Franklin has been watching me, testing to see if I was worth her trust. I told him my true feelings for Lily to put his mind at ease."

He couldn't let Franklin have Lily, so he supported him in his career instead. When he brought him into headquarters under the guise of needing help with the vase incident, it was partly because of Franklin's abilities but primarily to support his ambitions.

Alistair changed the subject. "So, did his advice work?"

Edmond replied, "He does understand Lily very well, but my main reason for playing along today was to confirm something."

Alistair was intrigued. "Confirm what?"

Edmond lit a cigarette, tossing one to Alistair as well, his gaze growing distant. "I wanted to see what game Franklin is playing."

Alistair was puzzled. "?"

---

Lily had been visiting the Jingxiu building every day for a week.

She hadn't seen the short-haired woman again; Franklin had mentioned that the woman was there for a project, which was now concluded, and she had gone on a business trip.

Good riddance.

Lily was quite self-aware. She could go wild and cause a scene with someone like Nadia, but she was genuinely intimidated by the short-haired woman. The woman was elegant and formidable, while Lily was young and pretty. But the woman was in the same business circles as Edmond and clearly wealthier. The comparison was stark; Lily couldn't compete on those fronts.

Since a head-on confrontation wasn't an option, Lily decided to play it soft.

For a week, she aligned her schedule with Edmond's.

Normally, Edmond would wake up at six, go for a half-hour run, shower, have breakfast, and leave at seven, arriving at the office by 7:20.

Lily woke up with him, accompanied him on his run, shared breakfast, and saw him off. Once he left, she would immediately go back to bed.

She needed the extra sleep—her body couldn't take it.

After that day in the office when she had teased Edmond, they had indulged in nightly passions. Lily's strategy was to keep him satisfied at home so he wouldn't seek pleasure elsewhere. She let him have his way, hoping he'd be too exhausted to look elsewhere.

But she had overestimated herself.

Edmond was a different person in bed than out. He was a gentleman by day but a beast by night, never seeming to tire. Lily, on the other hand, was constantly sore and aching.

Despite the exhaustion, the intense activity had its benefits.

Previously, she had been plagued by nightmares and anxiety, feeling like she was sinking into an abyss. Now, the nightly exertion left her physically exhausted but free from nightmares, waking up feeling rested but sore.

It was a fair trade—better physical soreness than haunting dreams.

Edmond insisted she didn't need to wake up early, but she wanted to show him a positive, routine-oriented side of herself.

Not only was she upbeat and diligent, but she also made a point of bringing Edmond lunch every day for a week.

After returning home from delivering lunch, she would spend her afternoons in the study reading, chatting with Aunty Fang, or tending to the garden.

In the evenings, she waited for Edmond to come home for dinner. After dinner, he would work in the study until 10:30, while she watched TV in the living room.

Anticipating Edmond's routine, she would head to bed, shower, and wait for him, ready for another night.

This week had felt wonderfully ordinary, like a regular couple's life.

---

However, such indulgent and comfortable days lasted only for eight days.

On the eighth night, Aria called Lily on a video chat.

"I'm coming back to Jiangyu the day after tomorrow with my sister-in-law. We have a big surprise for you."

Despite the promise of a surprise, Lily couldn't detect any excitement in Aria's tone or expression.

"You look like you could crush a mosquito with that frown. Is it a surprise or a shock?"

Aria rubbed her temples. "Trust me, it's a big surprise. I've got an opportunity for you that will make you famous. Your career is about to take off."

No matter how much Lily prodded for details, Aria insisted on discussing it in person and then changed the subject before ending the call.

Lily knew Aria was dealing with something significant but chose not to press further.

The day after tomorrow would come soon enough.

With Aria's arrival, things would get busy, but she could still deliver one more lunch to Edmond the next day.

On the ninth day, a Monday, Lily left the house with the food container prepared by Aunty Fang.

She should have checked her horoscope before leaving.

---

The moment the car hit hers, Lily's mind went blank.

One second, she was thinking about Aria's situation, and the next, her head hit the steering wheel.

As she regained her senses, cold sweat broke out across her back, and it took her a while to clear her head.

Her forehead throbbed painfully.

She wanted to curse.

Damn it, it was a red light, and her car had been stationary. How could someone still manage to hit her?

Lily unbuckled her seatbelt, got out, and walked to the car that hit hers. She knocked on the window.

When the window rolled down, she bent down to see, "Can you even drive—"

She was about to scold the driver when she recognized them. "Nadia?"

Her eyes shifted to the passenger seat, widening in surprise. "Royce?"

No wonder someone managed to rear-end her stationary car; it was these two.

Nadia as the driver explained it all.

The day she and Royce were taking their wedding photos, Nadia had rear-ended another car parked on the side of the road.

Even back then, the car she rear-ended was more securely parked, yet Nadia had managed to hit it. She was a marvel.

That time, she hadn't even been hurt and had specifically called Royce to come over.

Royce, who was in the middle of their wedding photoshoot, had rushed to her side without even informing Lily.

That incident had led Lily to slap Nadia, and Royce had slapped Lily in return.

The man's strength had left her face swollen for days.

It was that slap that had nearly extinguished her feelings for Royce.

Now, she wanted to thank Nadia for taking Royce away from her.

A man who could be stolen wasn't worth keeping.

---

Nadia, sitting in the driver's seat, was equally startled.

She had been arguing with Royce, her mind filled with chaos, emotionally unstable and agitated.

She hadn't noticed the red light. By the time Royce alerted her, it was too late; the collision had already happened.

Realizing they had been in an accident, her mind went blank, and she lowered the window instinctively when someone knocked.

She hadn't expected to see Lily.

Nadia glanced at Royce in the passenger seat.

Royce had hit his chest in the crash and closed his eyes in pain. When he heard the knock, he opened them.

He was just as surprised to see that the car they had hit belonged to Lily.

Royce rubbed his chest and got out of the car, followed by Nadia, who took a quick look at Lily's vehicle.

After returning to China, Lily had driven a black Cayenne. On the night of the Lantern Festival, she had driven a red Ferrari.