8.Weekend drama

They say it's a grudge, but the more time passes, the less it seems like Alger truly hates Lily. His words may be sharp, but deep down, he still has many questions about Lily's life. The real question is: why is Lily so close to his parents now? Back in high school, Alger never once introduced Lily to them, yet now reality has brought them together in an unexpected way.

"Am I just being too suspicious, or does Lily actually have an ulterior motive? Or maybe... is it my parents who have a hidden agenda?"

Alger shook his head. Instead of relaxing and enjoying his Sunday, he was stuck with thoughts about Lily that had occupied his mind since last night.

"I'll go crazy if I keep thinking about Lily. She's messing with my head so much that I've completely forgotten my original plan."

As his mind wandered far ahead, his daydream was abruptly interrupted by the repeated ringing of his apartment doorbell. Not just once, but multiple times. Alger instantly knew who had arrived.

With a reluctant sigh, he got up and made his way to the door.

"What?" Alger grumbled, glaring at James, who stood on the other side.

James, visibly holding back his irritation, let out a slow breath and returned Alger's gaze. "I should be the one who's mad here, so why are you the one acting annoyed?"

"If you get mad at your boss, say goodbye to your bonus."

"What kind of threat is that?" James scoffed, stepping inside the apartment. "Anyway, what's the deal?"

"Did you plan a romantic dinner with our client, Genifer, last night?"

"No."

"Don't lie. Even Genifer was surprised by the decorations at the café. And now you're denying it?"

"Ask Lily. She planned it."

"Your secretary has been acting weirder ever since she fainted." James commented as he pulled out his phone.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to ask Lily. Maybe the new CEO was set up for a blind date."

"Don't!" Alger quickly grabbed James's phone.

"Why not?" James frowned in confusion.

Alger didn't answer. Instead, he handed the phone back. "It's not important, and it's unnecessary."

"You're acting so weird," James muttered, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

A notification popped up on Alger's phone. He let out a deep sigh before putting it away again.

"I have something to take care of. You should just go home."

"It's the weekend, Al. You should take it easy instead of prioritizing work all the time. Don't you want to go out or do something fun? You'll go crazy if you only think about work."

Alger gave James a blank stare. His personal assistant was incredibly talkative, jumping to conclusions even though he barely knew anything.

"Can you shut up?" Alger muttered, pointing toward the door. "The exit is right there. If you're planning to babysit my apartment, fine. I'll just lock the door from the inside."

"Hey, that's not how this works, Mr. Alger! Fine, I'll leave."

"Hmm."

After James left, Alger quickly grabbed his phone and car keys. A weekend that was supposed to be relaxing turned into another day filled with things he had to take care of.

The same went for Lily. Today was the weekend she had been looking forward to, but her plans were completely ruined when Helena called and asked her to come over. Helena said it was important, but Lily had no idea just how important it could be for her to be summoned this early in the morning.

"My weekend is a total mess. I had a whole list of things planned for today, but in the end, it was all just a dream. As always, I'll end up being controlled by Mr. Alger's family again."

Even though she felt reluctant, Lily finally grabbed her bag and placed a few books inside. She had planned to have a small picnic while reading, but now, it all seemed pointless.

Just as she stepped out of her house, she was startled to see Alger leaning against his car, waiting for her.

"Mr. Alger? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?" he asked, tossing his car keys toward her. "You ruined my weekend, Ly."

Lily scoffed as she picked up the keys that had fallen near her feet.

"You're the one who agreed to the arranged marriage, so why am I the one being blamed? Weird."

"What did you just say?"

Lily quickly smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, Sir. It's just that my emotions are at their peak, and I really want to vent. Too bad there's no outlet for it."

"Didn't ask," Alger replied flatly. "Start the car."

"We're heading straight to the house, right? Aunt Helena must have called you and told you to come over."

Alger didn't respond, making Lily hit the steering wheel in frustration while glaring at the road ahead.

Seeing her irritated expression, Alger smirked slightly and focused on his phone.

"Our wedding is being moved up."

Those five words from Alger's mouth made Lily slam on the brakes abruptly. His phone even slipped from his hand due to her sudden reaction.

"What? No way, Sir! There's been no confirmation with me, and my father isn't even home yet. I can't get married without my father by my side!"

Holding his forehead, Alger clicked his tongue and bent down to pick up his phone from the floor.

"Are you trying to kill me? You want to cancel this wedding by putting me in the hospital? If I had a heart condition, your reckless driving would've already sent me to the afterlife."

Lily grimaced and shook her head. "Sorry, Sir. But that was purely reflex. I was really shocked by this news. Are you seriously going to marry me? You hold a grudge against me, so wouldn't it be better if you just didn't?"

"Isn't this what you wanted? You were the one who said that my parents arranged our marriage, and you agreed because you knew I was a reputable person. So why should I cancel this marriage? And I'm sure that by marrying me, it will be much easier for me to control your life."

Lily dropped her shoulders, as if she had forgotten the promise she made to Alger's parents. If she tried to refuse, wouldn't it jeopardize her father's treatment, which cost a fortune? Even her monthly salary wasn't enough to cover her father's medical expenses.

"Why are you silent? Have you forgotten your purpose?"

Lily remained speechless. She truly didn't know what to say.

Her silence only made Alger more suspicious, filling his mind with questions about his ex-girlfriend.

"If I had a choice, I wouldn't have sacrificed my happiness for this."

Lily's sudden words made Alger furrow his brows. He looked at her with a slight frown.

"Do you want me to pity you again? Are you going to make up another story?"

Lily let out a harsh sigh. It was pointless trying to explain anything to the heartless man beside her.

"There's no need to discuss this. Just forget it. Just think of me as that bad in your eyes."

Alger's car pulled up neatly in front of Daniel's residence. Without hesitation, he got out first, completely ignoring Lily, who was still busy in the car with several bags—not hers, but his. Alger treated her like his personal assistant, expecting her to carry all his belongings wherever they went.

"Why are you alone? Didn't Mom tell you to pick up Lily first?" Helena asked as Alger stepped into the house without Lily beside him.

"Do we really have to walk hand in hand? We're not crossing the street, and she's not blind. What's the point?"

"Alger!" Daniel snapped.

Their conversation was abruptly cut short when they saw Lily struggling to carry Alger's belongings, some of which had just fallen to the ground.

Helena immediately stood up and approached Lily, who was having a hard time holding everything.

"She's your fiancée, Alger. Not your personal assistant," Helena hissed.

Alger simply shrugged and sat down on the couch in the living room.

"Your father never taught you to be this arrogant, Al."

"But she's the one who made me this way. Lily is my past. She's the woman who ruined me all this time. So, I won't just sit back and accept all of this."

"But Lily is still an important part of your life, Al. Lily—"

Daniel didn't finish his sentence as Lily and Helena were already standing beside him, placing the bags on the table.

"You're Alger's fiancée, not his assistant, Ly. Next time he tells you to do something like this, just refuse."

"Mom, are you on my side or hers?" Alger said sarcastically, crossing his arms.

"Both of you are my children now. Your father and I have arranged this marriage, and soon Lily will be your wife. I want you both to live in this house."

"For what?"

"To keep an eye on your behavior. I'm sure you'll mistreat Lily if you don't live here." Helena said firmly.

Alger glanced at Lily before looking back at his mother.

"I'm an adult, and I know what I'm doing. Do you want this wedding to be canceled, or will you let me live in my own apartment?"

"But—"

"Mom," Daniel whispered, shaking his head. "Let's talk about this later."

"We invited you both here to choose wedding attire and vendors for the ceremony. Since you're our only son, this wedding has to be grand and luxurious."

"But I don't want that," Alger replied quickly. "Make it a secret wedding. I don't want anyone to know I'm getting married."

Lily remained silent. Whatever she said wouldn't matter anyway. Besides, the one funding this wedding was Alger's family.

"You're nothing but a puppet, Li," Lily thought as she stared at the three people in front of her, who were still in the middle of a debate.

"Let's ask Lily. The decision is in her hands," Helena finally said, turning toward Lily.

Lily straightened her posture and pointed to herself. "Me?"

"Yes. What do you want? Because it's not just Alger getting married—it's you too."

"I agree with Mr. Alger. There's no need for an extravagant wedding, especially since this isn't a marriage based on love," Lily answered firmly.

"But—"

"Auntie, please don't feel guilty. I will do my best," Lily reassured her.

But deep down, her words contradicted her true feelings. Honestly, she wasn't ready to marry Alger. Even though he was a wealthy man, a marriage built on revenge would only lead to destruction.