10. What is love

"What is love? I don't know love. Now, only hatred exists within me," Alger muttered while staring at the ceiling of his room. The man seemed deep in thought about what Genifer had just said. How could Genifer say that Alger had feelings for Lily when it was clear that he harbored nothing but hatred for her after she had hurt him so deeply?

Alger sat up from his bed, ruffling his hair in frustration. "What's wrong with me?" he grumbled.

It was already late—eight in the evening—but Alger's mind was still fixated on Lily, who, for some reason, kept disturbing his thoughts.

His focus shifted to the sound of the heavy rain pouring outside. The downpour reminded him of Lily, whom he had told to wait for Genifer's car.

"Lily? Is she still out there? Has she not gone home yet?" he mumbled softly.

Without hesitation, he turned on the lamp and grabbed his phone from the table. But instead of calling Lily, he dialed Genifer to check if Lily had reached her home.

"Hello, Al. What's up?" Genifer answered from the other end.

"Has Lily returned your car? She's there now, right?"

"That's what I wanted to ask. Why hasn't she arrived yet? She should have been here by now."

Alger immediately ended the call and got out of bed. He grabbed his car keys, his worry starting to take over his mind. It was already 9:30 PM.

Meanwhile, at a gas station, Lily was still waiting in line, repeatedly sighing as she looked out the window at the relentless rain.

"So annoying. He said the car broke down, but it turns out it just ran out of fuel. Did he do this on purpose just to mess with me?"

She glanced at the heavy rain outside and then at her watch.

"If I keep driving in this rain, will it be dangerous?" She shook her head. "I think it'll be fine."

Lily waited about fifteen minutes to refuel while also hoping the rain would subside a little.

Sure enough, when she finally left the gas station, the rain wasn't as heavy as before. As she focused on driving, her phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number, but she had a hunch about who it was.

She quickly grabbed her earphones and swiped the screen to answer.

"Hello?"

"Lily, where are you? Don't tell me you ran off with my car. It's been almost two hours, and you're still not here!" Genifer's voice came from the other end.

Lily clicked her tongue in annoyance and shook her head.

"Is accusing me the only thing you know how to do? First, the car runs out of gas, and you say it broke down. Now, there's heavy rain. If something happens to your car, whose fault will it be? Mine again, right?"

Genifer fell silent. It seemed like Alger's suggestion had completely backfired, making her seem like the villain in front of Lily. In truth, Genifer had no idea what kind of relationship existed between Alger and Lily.

"I'll be there soon, so be patient," Lily said irritably before ending the call.

She took a deep breath. For some reason, her patience was always tested whenever she was around Alger and Genifer. It was a stark contrast to how she behaved at work.

Just then, she slammed on the brakes as a motorcycle suddenly cut her off. She clutched her head as a memory flashed before her eyes.

"Why does that image keep appearing? Who is that man?" Lily whispered in confusion.

Her breathing was also ragged, and her head throbbed slightly.

"Papa said I got into an accident because I was helping someone, right? Who was that person? Are they still alive now?"

Lily's thoughts scattered when a car horn kept blaring from behind her.

With effort, she restarted the car and continued driving toward Ganifer's luxurious house.

As the car entered the residential complex, Ganifer could already be seen waiting on the terrace. More precisely, she was waiting for her car.

Lily got out and immediately handed over the keys.

"Next time, check the fuel first before saying the car broke down," Lily stated firmly.

"It's still raining, Ly. Wouldn't it be better if you waited here for a while? As an apology, I'll make you some tea. You must've been waiting for the car for quite a while, right?"

Lily raised an eyebrow. Earlier, Ganifer had been furious at her for not returning immediately, and now she was suddenly acting like a kind girl, offering her tea? Was this a joke?

She glanced at the watch on her wrist and took out her phone from her bag. "It's late. I want to go straight home."

"It'll be hard to find a taxi in this rain. You should stay here for now."

"For what? So you can find out about my relationship with Mr. Alger? Don't worry, Jen. Mr. Alger and I are nothing more than a secretary and her boss. Nothing beyond that," Lily replied.

She turned to leave the terrace, but Ganifer's next question made her stop in her tracks.

"Didn't you have a past relationship with Alger, Ly? Is that true?"

Lily stayed silent for a moment before turning back around.

The beautiful woman shook her head. "Ask Mr. Alger yourself. But in my opinion, you shouldn't dig too deep into his past. You might end up hurting yourself."

"If I could get an answer from Alger, I wouldn't be asking you, Ly."

"There's no point in asking me because you won't get any answers from me. I don't remember anything about the past. Let alone my past with Mr. Alger—I don't even remember my mother's death."

Ganifer furrowed her brows even more, looking confused. "What do you mean? Why does it sound like you—"

"Three years ago, I was in an accident. It left me with memory impairment. That's why I said, don't dwell on the past. If you want to have a relationship, look forward, not backward."

"You're not jealous?"

Ganifer's ridiculous question made Lily chuckle mockingly and shake her head.

"Why would I be? I already told you—Mr. Alger and I only have a professional relationship. Nothing more than that."

"Even though I'm going to marry him, I'll make sure it's only to repay Aunt Helena, nothing more," she continued in her heart.

"Al and I..." Before she could finish her sentence, a black car entered Ganifer's residential area. Lily knew exactly whose car it was, making her wave her hand dismissively.

"Looks like someone already missed me after being apart for just a moment," Lily said, then lifted her phone again. "My taxi is already here. I'm going home now."

"But, Ly—"

Lily didn't listen to Ganifer's words and walked to the yard, using her bag as a shield so her head wouldn't get wet.

At the same time, Alger stepped out of his car with a black umbrella and immediately shielded Lily.

"Get in."

Lily stopped and pointed at herself.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll drive you home. Don't get ahead of yourself—it was my mom who asked about you and got mad at me, so I came back to pick you up."

A logical excuse to cover his pride.

Lily shook her head and looked straight ahead. "I already ordered a taxi. It's waiting in front, so don't bother. If you want to see your dear Jennie, just go there instead. Don't let her get jealous and make my life miserable."

"This isn't a drama."

"Exactly. That's why I don't want my storyline to change and get labeled as a homewrecker."

Alger grabbed Lily's hand and forced her into the passenger seat. "Enough with the drama. Get in. Now."

"But my taxi—"

"I already sent it away."

Lily gaped in disbelief at his words. She watched as Alger walked around the car without even acknowledging Ganifer, who was staring at him from the terrace.

"What kind of relationship is that? He didn't even greet his girlfriend, just stood there like a rock."

"I heard that, Ly."

"Good. I said it loud enough for you to hear on purpose," Lily replied fearlessly.

"What were you even doing for two hours with Ganifer's car?"

"You should be asking yourself that, Sir. If you hadn't said her car broke down, I wouldn't have waited for the mechanic to come and gotten soaked like this. You totally set me up."

Alger took off his jacket and handed it to Lily.

"What's this for?"

"So you don't catch a cold," he replied briefly. "If you get sick, your work will be delayed, and that'll be a loss for the company."

Lily, who had been smiling as she accepted the jacket, immediately changed her expression. She was just about to praise Alger for being a little kind to her.

"Good thing I didn't say it out loud."

"I don't need your praise."

Lily pouted as she put on the jacket. If she didn't take medicine tonight, Alger's words might come true—she'd get sick, and her work would pile up. And who would suffer? Definitely her, because Alger wouldn't bother with any of the tasks she handled. He just wanted everything done for him.

Alger started driving away from Ganifer's house, making Ganifer smirk.

"No matter how much you deny it, your actions speak clearly, Al. You like your secretary. And there's no way you just got here and already fell in love. I know you too well—you're always indifferent and don't care about women."

"I have to find out," she murmured with a cryptic smile.