5. She really had an accident?

"What are you talking about, Ly? Did Alger hurt you that you had to ask Auntie that?"

Lily shook her head with a faint smile. "I'm sorry, Auntie. I'm not accusing or anything, but you know that I lost my memory after the accident. I don't even remember Mom's passing, so isn't it fair for me to ask you about Alger? Who knows, maybe you know something about his past, and maybe… he did have a connection with me back then?"

Helena looked flustered but tried to maintain her elegant demeanor.

"I didn't choose you as some sort of revenge, even if you did have a past with Alger, Ly. My intentions are good. You need someone to take care of you right now. I've already considered you as my own daughter. As for Alger's past—or yours—it's just the past. We can't let ourselves be trapped in what once was, can we?"

Lily kept staring at her suspiciously, her sharp eyes scanning Helena's face. "Are you sure you're not hiding anything? Do you really not know anything about Alger's past relationship with me, Auntie?"

"Not at all," she replied, gently holding Lily's hand. "I have no intention of making your life harder, Ly. Alger is actually a good person—trust me. I gave birth to him, so I know exactly what kind of person he is."

Lily remained silent, lost in thought. The accident had truly turned her into a fool—someone who knew nothing about her own life.

Helena glanced at the watch on her wrist before standing up. "I just remembered—I have an event today. You don't mind if I leave first, do you?"

Lily snapped out of her daze and gave a small nod. "I'll be heading back to the office soon too, Auntie."

"Don't overthink things, and don't force yourself to remember. Let everything unfold as it should."

Lily offered a faint smile as she walked Helena to her car. She waved as the woman got into her vehicle and drove away from the café.

After driving a little farther, Helena finally rolled up her car window with a deep sigh. "If you knew the truth, would you hate me and Uncle, Ly? I'm sorry. I'm not doing this just so you can make Alger fall in love. I just want to atone for all my past mistakes."

She glanced back, still able to see Lily standing in the same spot.

"I hope your memories never return… so you won't be disappointed when you learn the truth."

Meanwhile, Lily was still staring at Helena's car as it disappeared into the traffic. She sighed before getting into her own car.

"Maybe I'm just overreacting," she murmured as she walked toward her vehicle. "I shouldn't have accused her like that, especially since Aunt Helena and Uncle Daniel have been nothing but kind to my family."

Since her lunch break was almost over, Lily decided to return to the office. She didn't want to give Alger any reason to scold her again. She knew very well that he was just looking for an excuse to make her quit, but she didn't care. It was mentally exhausting, sure, but no matter what, she needed this job to support herself.

As always, the moment she stepped into the office, Lily put on a bright, effortless smile. To everyone around her, she probably seemed like the perfect woman—flawless, free of problems, always professional. But in reality, that was far from the truth. Lily carried a mountain of burdens behind that sweet smile. And to her, no one needed to know. Her problems were between her and God.

"You look really pale, Ly. Are you sick?" Eliza asked while handing a few documents to her. "Give these to Mr. Alger. These are the revised notes from yesterday's meeting."

Lily nodded and took the papers. "Just a little sleep-deprived, so I have a headache."

Eliza glanced at her watch before leaning in slightly. "You still have ten minutes. Stop working all the time. Go take a nap or something. Mr. Alger isn't even here yet, right?"

"I have too much work to do, Lisa. And there's another meeting today."

"You need to take care of yourself too, Ly. You don't have to be perfect all the time just to impress the boss. Yeah, sure, he demands perfection—but are you really okay with being by his side 24/7? If you were his wife, fine. But you're not. You're not a robot. You need rest too."

Lily chuckled softly and nodded. "You're quite caring, Lis. Makes me suspicious that this is your way of trying to replace me."

Elliza rolled her eyes in exasperation and straightened her posture. "Get real. If I wanted to be like you, Ly, I'd have to be perfect. I'm just a mere speck of dust compared to you."

Lily didn't respond, only laughing quietly as she watched Elliza walk away. But as soon as Alger entered, she immediately stood up.

"To my office. Now."

"Yes, sir," Lily responded swiftly, grabbing the documents from Elliza.

She stepped into Alger's office and placed the documents on his desk. "These are from Elliza, sir. Everything has been revised according to your request."

"Did you check them?"

"Didn't you say earlier in the meeting room that you wanted to check them yourself?"

Alger shot her a sharp look and roughly pushed the documents back toward her. "They say you're my father's top secretary, but you can't even handle this properly?"

Lily closed her eyes briefly before nodding and taking the documents back. "Understood, sir. Is there anything else I need to do?"

"Book an entire café for tonight. I'm having dinner."

"Dinner?" Lily repeated.

"Yes. Is there a problem? But don't get the wrong idea—I'm not having dinner with you. I'm meeting Genifer. So, I don't care how you do it, just make sure you book the best place for me and Genifer."

"Understood. Anything else?"

Alger's eyes locked onto Lily. Why did she look so calm, not even the slightest bit jealous? She was supposed to be upset—after all, she was his fiancée. Why was she acting like this?

"Sir?" Lily called out, waving her hand in front of his face.

Alger blinked a few times and shook his head. "Make sure it's a romantic dinner," he repeated, emphasizing his words.

But Lily showed no reaction—no anger, no irritation. She simply nodded before stepping back and leaving his office, heading toward her own workspace.

"She really didn't react at all? That's strange. Could she already suspect that I'm doing this out of revenge?"

Alger shook his head, his gaze fixed on the transparent glass wall that allowed him to see into Lily's office. "But good. I refuse to believe she won't feel tortured when I start playing with fire with Genifer, even though I've already chosen her as my fiancée. You'll feel the pain you once inflicted on me, Ly. You're not the only one who knows how to hurt someone—I can do it too."

Lily placed the documents down roughly, a faint smirk forming on her lips as her gaze locked onto Alger's office door. "Looks like Aunt Helena was wrong about Alger being indifferent and cold toward women. The proof? He just arrived and is already planning a date with another girl. So, who's the manipulative one here—me or him?"

She massaged her temples, feeling the pounding headache intensify. "Ugh, this is annoying. I still have so much work to do, so why do I keep getting these headaches lately?"

Just as she was about to stand up to grab another document, a sudden flash of memory struck her—visions of her accident replaying in her mind. She gripped the desk beside her, pressing her fingers harder against her temples.

"Argh… Who was I trying to save? Why do these memories keep haunting me?" she muttered under her breath, continuing to massage her head.

Inside his office, Alger was still watching her through the glass, his brows furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong with her?"

A second later, his eyes widened as Lily collapsed.

Even though his mind and heart constantly rejected Lily's presence, even though he held onto his grudge against her, Alger's body moved on instinct. He immediately left his office, striding toward her.

"Stop pretending," Alger hissed, standing over Lily. "I know you're faking this just to stop me from having dinner with Genifer, aren't you? Such a hypocrite."

Lily remained motionless.

Alger crouched down, lightly patting her cheek.

"Whoa! Why is Lily lying there, Al?" James suddenly chimed in as he passed by Alger's office.

"She's probably fainted, right?" Instead of helping, Alger just threw the question back at James.

James smacked his forehead and pushed Alger's shoulder lightly. "If she fainted, then carry her, Mr. Alger, instead of just staring at her! Sure, Lily is beautiful, but right now, her life is more important. Don't tell me you overworked her until she passed out—that's on you."

"What? I didn't even give her any heavy workload."

"Yeah, maybe not physically. But you're making her brain work overtime. She's highly professional, but that doesn't mean she can handle so much mental stress, especially after the accident."

"Accident?"

James didn't answer. He simply pushed Alger's shoulder again before checking his watch. "No time for questions. Just take her to the hospital. I have a meeting coming up."

Without another word, Alger scooped Lily into his arms and carried her out of the office.

The entire office erupted in gasps and whispers as they watched their CEO carry Lily.

"Oh my God! This is insane! Lily actually ended up in Mr. Alger's arms!"

"She really is the boss's favorite. Not just the big boss, but Mr. Alger too! I swear, after this, the headlines will be 'CEO Falls for His Secretary.'"

"Besides being smart and sophisticated, Lily also has the looks. No wonder she's trusted by the higher-ups."

"Totally! Even though she doesn't remember everything, her work is still top-notch."

"I'm so jealous. If only I could be like Lily."

Alger ignored all the gossip as he got into his car, placing Lily in the passenger seat before sliding into the driver's seat.

"So it's true… Lily really did have an accident?"