I Am Edmond

That was money! A wasteful man! Edmond asked again, and Lily, amidst her hesitant responses, gave a faint "uh-huh." Edmond conveniently ignored the hesitant part and heard only the "uh-huh."

Well, she agreed.

So, once Lily fell asleep, he took her phone, used her hand to unlock it, and went straight to Royce's chat. He sent three messages in a row.

Lily: [About your father's wedding drama? She already knows. I told her. You can drink your coffee by yourself.]

Lily: [Don't play these petty tricks anymore. If you're still a man, come directly to me.]

Lily: [I am Edmond.]

...Royce was destined for a sleepless night.

When he heard his mother's heart-wrenching screams, he stood frozen, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead, unable to move a step.

He stood outside the study for a long time, hearing a lot.

"Nelson, if I had known you and your father were fighting over the same woman, I wouldn't have married you. So many men wanted to marry me back then, I must have been blind to choose you."

"Yes, Guan Ling did nothing wrong, but I hate her anyway. Why did you love her so much without her doing anything? Why did you still love her even when she was far away from you?"

"Edmond marrying Lily has vented half of my anger. Guan Ling's son married the woman my son didn't want. My son helped me get back at her."

"You say he's so ridiculous, marrying Lily and coming up with so many grand reasons. Who doesn't know he did it to spite the old man? If it weren't for the old man forcing the marriage back then, Guan Ling wouldn't have been ruined."

"That silly girl Lily, thinking Edmond loves her so much. Ha, she's just a pawn. I'm waiting to see her make a fool of herself."

"..."

His mother said many disjointed things, leaving Royce in a daze.

He didn't enter the room afterward. He grabbed his car keys and went out, needing to clear his head.

He drove to the river, but still couldn't calm down.

This was the first time he had heard about these things. Though he had been curious about Uncle Edmond's mother before, his grandfather forbade anyone from mentioning her, and everyone was deeply tabooed about the name 'Guan Ling.'

Even his mother, who hated Uncle Edmond, had never mentioned her.

So, grandfather stole his father's love interest.

After finishing two cigarettes, Royce's chaotic feelings began to settle.

Once he could think normally, he realized that the past grudges, aside from shock and disbelief, didn't impact him much as it was the previous generation's feud.

His main concern was Uncle Edmond's reason for marrying Lily.

So, Uncle Edmond really married Lily just to spite his grandfather? Royce didn't know how to feel. Knowing this made him strangely relieved. He could accept this reason better.

That there was no love, no affection, only revenge between Uncle Edmond and Lily was easier to accept.

Before returning from the river, he sent a message to Lily.

Why send a message? He couldn't stand Lily's smug face, her air of 'Edmond loves me so much.'

He didn't want anyone to think that Lily was doing better without him.

Sent at five o'clock, he waited until the early hours of the morning to receive a reply: [I am Edmond.]

Well done, Lily, well done!

...Edmond didn't delete the messages he sent to Royce.

Lily saw them the next day.

She could imagine Royce's expression upon seeing the messages.

Especially the last one: [I am Edmond.]

Royce must be furious.

Serves him right. She thought the response was great. The thought of Royce's twisted, angry face made her feel good.

Next time Royce sends a message, she'll let Edmond reply! Royce didn't bother her again. After the family group incident, no one dared to provoke her, and Lily enjoyed a few peaceful days.

Just a few peaceful days.

The day after Aria returned from Yang City, she went to "Win" to see her sister-in-law.

They finalized the collaboration. The shoot was initially scheduled for the end of the hot season but was delayed a few days due to Misha's sudden change in schedule.

The shoot was rescheduled to the last day of August.

This was Aria's first project since becoming an agent, with Misha as the model, so she made thorough preparations. With Lily lacking an assistant, she personally took charge.

The appointment was for six o'clock.

Misha's team had set the time due to her tight schedule, only freeing up that slot.

Aria dragged Lily to the studio at five. Although Edmond didn't make any demands last night and she went to bed early, she was still sleepy, her eyelids heavy.

Knowing how much Aria valued and stressed over this shoot, she didn't complain, obediently drinking coffee to stay awake.

The coffee worked, and her temper flared.

She finished a cup in four minutes, and Misha was four hours late.

The appointment was for six; it was now ten, and Misha was nowhere to be seen. They had been waiting for five hours since arriving at five.

Damn, it had been a long time since she hit someone. Her hands were itching.

...Aria had wanted to call her sister-in-law several times but held back, explaining to Lily.

"My sister-in-law said she sensed something during a meeting. The magazine is getting a new boss, and the new boss is reportedly close to the deputy editor. If that's true, my sister-in-law might lose her position."

Aria's phone was tightly gripped, her emotions fluctuating.

"Lily, I'm sorry. Actually, when Misha postponed and rescheduled to six, I had a hunch today's shoot wouldn't go well."

"My sister-in-law said Misha's team insisted on using the magazine's photographer but then suddenly changed their minds."

Aria suspected Misha might want revenge for the previous incident.

But she also thought, since this was Misha's comeback magazine, crucial for her career, she wouldn't make too much trouble.

But she was so late.

"Alistair gave Misha this opportunity. My sister-in-law didn't want me to take it, but I insisted."

"The deputy editor has always opposed my sister-in-law. She made a military pledge to secure this for us."

The military pledge was something Aria only learned about this morning.

Her sister-in-law didn't want to pressure her, so she didn't mention it. The assistant told her quietly when she came to deliver something.

If she had known her sister-in-law staked her position on this, she wouldn't have taken the opportunity, wouldn't have acted rashly.

"Lily, was I too impulsive? If Misha refuses to cooperate, this shoot fails, and my sister-in-law might lose her job even before the new boss arrives."

Lily listened quietly, then said, "Did you forget what I used to do?"

Her tone was serious, and Aria was momentarily stunned.

"What?"

Lily: "I used to photograph wild animals. No matter how fierce Misha is, can she be scarier than a tiger?"

Just as she finished speaking, voices came from the door, and a few people walked in laughing.

Lily turned to look, her fists clenching.

Well, not only was Misha here, but Alistair the big bear was also here.

They were supposed to start at six.

Misha arrived at ten-thirty, four and a half hours late.

She came with three people: Alistair, "Win's" deputy editor, and her own agent.

Alistair's gaze first fell on Aria, pausing for a few seconds before turning to Lily, smiling as he greeted her.

"I heard you were here today, so I came to visit."

Lily drank half a bottle of mineral water and smiled back.

"Special visit? Our appointment was for six, and it's ten-thirty now, four and a half hours late. If we started at six, we'd be done by now. Brother Alistair, are you and Misha messing with us?"

Alistair's face changed slightly at this, turning to Misha with a frown.

"Six o'clock? Didn't you say eleven?"

Misha removed her sunglasses, her blue tight dress accentuating her figure. Facing Alistair's question, she remained unfazed, shrugging innocently: "I stayed at your place last night, stayed up late, and knew I couldn't get up early, so I changed the time."

She glanced at Aria as she spoke.

Stayed at your place... stayed up late... morning...