Absolutely Not

 Edmond didn't understand. "Why not?"

Lily replied, "Because of Mi Shan. Alistair would have to take care of her for life, and that's absolutely not acceptable. No woman can tolerate her partner taking care of another woman for life."

Edmond was taken aback, his grip on her waist tightening, his breath quickening. "Even without feelings? Alistair has no feelings for Mi Shan; it's just a sense of guilt. If he could fully love Aria, wouldn't that be enough?"

"No."

Lily saw no point in discussing this further. Mi Shan had a possessive hold on Alistair, bullying Aria multiple times. The two couldn't coexist. Even if Alistair fell in love with Aria, there was always a chance... How to put it? If both Aria and Mi Shan fell into the sea, Alistair might not save Aria first. Why? Because some men have a heavy sense of responsibility. Like Edmond, who was willing to marry her due to a life-saving grace.

The last day of August was Lily's most exhausting day of the year. She woke up at four in the morning and returned at four in the afternoon, too tired to eat, collapsing into bed. When she woke up, she remembered Alistair's sudden departure and was so upset she barely touched her chicken soup. She waited for Edmond to return, hoping to vent a bit. Somehow, she said something wrong, and he became a wolf for the entire night.

She wondered where he got his energy from. He had also woken up at four and spent four hours commuting, which should have made him more tired than her. Yet past midnight, he was still like a starving wolf, ravaging her thoroughly. Lily couldn't withstand his onslaught and tried to shift his focus by mentioning the autograph. But this man denied everything!

"I don't know any celebrities. Isn't Aria's sister-in-law the editor-in-chief of 'Win'? She can get it for you. Sorry, I can't help."

"But you were the one who brought it up earlier, even saying you'd call Octavian."

Lily wasn't desperate for Selena's autograph. She was a fan of the show, not a die-hard fan. The autograph was just a nice-to-have. Her main issue was that he had offered first, claiming he could get it.

Edmond replied, "I drank some fake wine today and was bragging."

Lily: "..."

---

September 1st, Lily got busy immediately. She spent the morning retouching photos in the studio, finishing around eleven thirty and sending them to Aria. Aria scrutinized each photo, unable to find any flaws, finally stretching with satisfaction.

Then she sighed, "Mi Shan got such a bargain."

Lily was enjoying tiramisu from a nearby dessert shop. "We also took advantage of her. Professionally, we owe her nothing. Personally, we'll settle scores later. For now, let's bear with it. When I can step on her in my career, I'll make her wait twenty-four hours."

Aria stared at her thoughtfully. "Lily, you've changed."

Lily nodded. "I think I've become prettier recently. I almost cried seeing my beauty in the mirror this morning."

Aria: "..."

"I meant you've changed in how you handle things. You're less impulsive."

Previously, Lily would have tolerated Mi Shan for the sake of her and her sister-in-law, but once the photos were in hand, her temper would have flared, likely resulting in a fight.

Lily stuffed another bite of tiramisu into her mouth, not looking up. "I have no choice. Edmond doesn't let me fight. He says if I get hurt, he'll be heartbroken."

"Oh... So it's strict husband control."

Aria's elongated tone made Lily blush. Just as she was about to change the subject, Aria continued, "Lily, I think Edmond loves you."

---

In the afternoon, Aria went to visit her sister-in-law, taking the retouched photos with her. Lily had some free time and after lunch, drove to the L&S Group. Brooks, having received her call, asked his secretary to fetch her. As he waited, he called his son.

"When we talk later, keep an eye out. If that little rascal tries to trap me, cough to warn me."

Leopold: "..."

"Dad, I'm in the middle of a new product seminar. A whole room of people is waiting for me. You called me urgently for this?"

Leopold was speechless.

"Why do you get so flustered about Lily's matters now? You never used to."

In the past, when Lily was aggressive, his father would simply yell. A few years ago, when Lily was particularly troublesome, his father had even slapped her.

"It's different now. She's Edmond's wife."

Brooks recounted the incident when Lily smashed the family photo.

"You didn't see it. When Lily went berserk and he saw it, he didn't react much. He just had Franklin take her away and then picked up a baseball bat and pointed it at me."

Brooks still remembered that day vividly, unable to sleep at night. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw either Lily's madness or Edmond pointing a bat at him. The aftermath was even more severe. To prove he wasn't bluffing, Edmond openly seized several L&S projects and invested in two companies with similar core competencies to L&S. When competitors saw Edmond pressuring L&S and tried to seize market share, Edmond turned around and helped L&S defend their territory, making his intentions even more inscrutable. Outside, people couldn't figure out Edmond's game plan, but Brooks knew exactly what was going on.

Edmond said the rise and fall of L&S were tied to Lily's well-being. If Lily wasn't happy, L&S wouldn't thrive. If Lily was happy, L&S would flourish. He was proving this point. Therefore, Brooks had to maintain a good relationship with Lily.

---

Knock, knock—the secretary entered with Lily.

"Oh, big brother is here too."

Lily bypassed the secretary, heading straight for the sofa, sitting beside Leopold.

"Not on a blind date today, big brother?"

Leopold felt uneasy when she called him big brother, and his mood worsened at the mention of blind dates.

Brooks sat in a single chair next to them, intending to discuss the matter. "It's settled. Chairman Wang's youngest daughter, after the Mid-Autumn Festival, our families will meet. I was just about to tell you to bring Edmond to the dinner."

Brooks was very satisfied with this marriage arrangement. Although Wang's youngest daughter was in poor health, her marriage brought significant benefits. Marrying Wang Nian Nian meant that the bank controlled by the Wang family would be like their own, making future financing and loans for L&S much easier.

Chairman Wang's youngest daughter? Wang Nian Nian? With Leopold? That's a mismatched pair! Lily and Wang Nian Nian were classmates from elementary to high school but weren't close. Wang Nian Nian was quiet, preferring solitude due to her poor health, often taking sick leave.

Lily remembered two things about her: her shy, sweet round face and her performance of "Souvenir" on the violin during the New Year's Eve party in sophomore year.

---

"You're playing matchmaker again."

In the chairman's office of L&S Group, Lily sat lazily on the sofa, crossing her legs, looking exasperated at her father. Brooks couldn't stand such unladylike behavior and pushed her legs down.

"How is this mismatched? Your brother and she are quite a match."

A match? In what way? Setting aside Leopold's second marriage and age, Wang Nian Nian would be unhappy marrying into the Jian family. Firstly, the relationship with her mother-in-law would be difficult. Layla might have agreed due to the Wang family's bank, but she wouldn't like a sickly daughter-in-law. Then there was Leopold's relationship with Zoya. If unresolved, Wang Nian Nian would suffer. Even if resolved, Zoya's possessiveness would still make life hard for Wang Nian Nian. Her gentle nature couldn't compete with Zoya's aggressiveness and would eventually be bullied to death.