Chapter 129

She had a better plan to win Edmond back.

Zhang Zhen asked her what the plan was.

Selena touched her face and, after a long silence, finally said, "Last night, you told me about Lily and Royce. I thought about it all night."

"To make Lily stay away from Edmond for good, the best way is to make her believe she has become... Nadia in my and Edmond's story."

After leaving Selena's hospital room, Lily was nestled in Edmond's arms, as limp as a boneless creature.

She had been like this since she was a child.

When isolated and under extreme stress, she could hold out for a long time, enduring pain and fatigue without shedding a tear, her back straight and unyielding.

But when someone protected her, she became utterly soft, like clay without any backbone, unwilling to even lift a finger.

While the doctor examined her shoulder, she kept her face buried in Edmond's neck, answering only when the doctor asked her a question and crying out when it hurt.

After various checks, the doctor concluded: severe impact had caused shoulder dislocation, and the pain and inability to lift her arm were due to the joint misalignment.

Fortunately, it was only a dislocation, with no damage to the surrounding tissues, no fractures, and no ligament injuries.

Lily didn't know what the doctor did, but after a few manipulations, it hurt much less. The doctor said with proper rest, it would heal within a month.

Leaving the hospital, Lily still had to go to the police station to give a statement.

The driver and Selena gave their statements to the police at the hospital, and she could have done the same, but she wanted to see those four scumbags.

The police station was only a ten-minute drive from the hospital.

While Lily was giving her statement, Edmond waited in the lobby. As soon as Lily was out of sight, Octavian hurried over, his expression grave.

"Mr. Zhou, they insist it was just a drunken, spur-of-the-moment act."

Octavian had arrived ahead of them.

Edmond suspected that today's incident wasn't just a random encounter with drunkards.

Selena had arranged to meet Lily in such a remote suburb, and then four drunkards just happened to show up and cause trouble... He couldn't help but suspect a connection with Selena.

So while he took Lily to see the doctor, he had sent Octavian ahead.

Following instructions, Octavian had called the nearest branch office for a legal advisor and met with the four hulking men.

He asked all the necessary questions, made threats, used both soft and hard tactics, and clearly explained the consequences of lying.

Despite everything, they stuck to their story, claiming they were drunk and merely acted on impulse because Lily and Selena were beautiful.

Although they stuck to their story, Octavian said, "Mr. Zhou, your suspicions are probably correct."

Edmond lifted his chin slightly, his cold eyes staring at the passing vehicles outside.

...Lily had just finished her statement when she received a call from Selena.

The call lasted only two minutes, mostly Selena talking while Lily remained silent, responding only with a hum at the end.

Lily didn't see Edmond in the lobby, so she waited where she was.

Edmond had stepped out to take a call from Leopold, who was anxiously waiting in the conference room, asking when he would return.

After telling Leopold to go back first, he called Alistair.

After hanging up, Edmond entered and immediately saw Lily sitting on a chair. He sat down beside her and gently rubbed her head.

"Finished?"

Lily nodded, and Edmond took her hand. "Octavian and the lawyer are waiting for us. Let's go."

Lily held his hand tightly, her fair fingers gripping his clothes, pouting as she said, "Forget it. Let's leave it at that. I won't pursue it."

Edmond was stunned. "Why?"

Lily recounted Selena's phone call.

"She meant that if today's incident got out, it would cause a huge stir in the media and among gossip sites. Her film is almost finished; she can't afford any more trouble."

Edmond was silent for a moment, then gently lifted her chin to make her look at him.

"Don't worry about Selena. Her problems are her own. You got hurt; we have to get justice."

Lily felt both happy and aggrieved. "It's enough that you said that. I still won't pursue it. Selena got hurt saving me, so I'll let it go this time as a favor."

Edmond disagreed. "What about Zhang Zhen, who scolded you for half an hour? Should we let that slide too?"

Lily got angry at the mention of Zhang Zhen but nodded. "Yes, let it go this time."

Revenge is a dish best served cold. This was the second time she had let Zhang Zhen off, and she remembered it clearly. Besides... Lily noticed Edmond's expression darken and, holding his hand, smiled. "Don't be mad. I'm smart. When I called the police from the restaurant, I reported not just the disturbance but also attempted rape. This is a criminal case, not something that can be settled privately."

When recounting the restaurant incident to Edmond, Lily had deliberately avoided mentioning "attempted rape."

Now, seeing Edmond's face darken with a storm brewing, she quickly kissed his lips.

"I'm fine. They only tore my clothes a bit and pinched my face. They didn't take much advantage."

Indeed, at the time, she had recalled unpleasant memories due to their actions, but they had only pinched her face and tugged at her clothes.

She hadn't been touched, or she wouldn't be okay now. She would have gone crazy.

Selena had intervened just in time. Seeing blood on Selena's face had scared the men, and her driver had arrived shortly after.

Edmond's face remained dark, silent.

Lily scratched his palm, her long eyelashes fluttering as she spoke softly.

"I'm just not pursuing it. You find a good lawyer; they'll get at least three years."

... Lily didn't pursue the assault charges, leaving the rest to Octavian and the lawyers while Edmond took her home first.

On the way, Lily leaned against Edmond, rubbing her face with his hand, and lamented.

"Edmond, I don't like Selena anymore. I'm no longer her fan."

Edmond lowered his head, his fingers caressing her fair, soft cheek. Before he could speak, Lily sighed.

"In today's situation, from her perspective, she wasn't wrong. She's a big star, filming a major director's movie. Any disturbance would be blown out of proportion by the media and gossip sites, causing her trouble."

"I understand her. She said she wanted to be friends with me, but now I don't want that."

Nadia had once been her friend, only to betray her later.

So she was sensitive to the term "friend." It wasn't a title she gave lightly, but one she would protect with her life.

This incident made her reluctant to consider Selena a friend worth protecting.

She genuinely liked Selena, but Selena's sensitive position meant she often had no choice.

Lily could go to great lengths for friends, but if she became friends with Selena, she'd end up constantly hurt.

"Mostly because of Zhang Zhen. Selena admitted she sometimes disapproved of Zhang Zhen's ideas and actions, but Zhang Zhen had been with her since her debut. Their relationship was too deep, their interests too intertwined for Selena to abandon her."

Lily and Zhang Zhen couldn't get along. If they were together all the time, they'd fight constantly, and Selena would be caught in the middle.

Selena might tolerate that, but Lily couldn't.

In this life, only Franklin and Aria were friends she would endure such tension for.

Edmond listened quietly, his hand gently stroking her determined, delicate face. Thinking of her mentioning being pinched, he lowered his head and kissed every part of her cheeks.

Then, his hot kisses moved from her closed eyes to her lips, fiercely intertwining with her soft tongue. Amidst the confusion of his passionate kisses, Lily heard him say,

"I'm sorry."

As his kisses gradually calmed her emotions, finally bringing peace to her soul after the turbulent afternoon, she fell asleep in his arms, her mind no longer burdened by his heavy guilt.

Edmond held her, his fingers repeatedly stroking her long hair, his gaze fixed on her injured right shoulder, his expression cold and stern.