Ch. 1156..1160

Chapter 1156 Sylvia was suffocating from the hug. "Odell, I can't breathe." The man's grim expression softened and loosened his hug. Ittook him a while to hide his frosty look, and only then he released her. He stroked her face and said, Til go make a call Rest if you are tired. | be back soon." Sylvia asked, "Why are you making a call at this hour? Who are you calling?" His face was emotionless. “It's a work-related call.” Sylvia was worried "Odell, I've gotten over it already, so please don't do this. Don't start a war with the Springsteens, or whatever you're going to do.”

The Springsteen Corporationmight not be as big as Carter Corporation, but the family was still one of the biggest families in Westchester, and they were Carter Corporation's

business partner.

Odell smiled

"Don't worry.

| know how to differentiate private and work matters." "Great." Sylvia sighed a breath of relief.

She went to the closet and changed into her pajamas.

Odell took his phone outside.

The moment he stepped outside, a layer of severity shadowed his handsome features.

He called Clif

The call got through in less than a second.

"Sir, what is it?" "How's the progress on the project with the Springsteen Corporation?" "It's progressing smoothly. We have just reached the final phase of the project." "Put it on hold first.

I'll give you a notice on when we will resume." "Huh? Why, sir? We are moving towards the most important phase. If we pause or stop now, it will kill the project in the cradle, and we will suffer a huge financial loss."

"Who will losemore? Us or the Springsteens?" "The Springsteens, of course.

They have invested a huge amount of manpower and funds into this project.

If this project dies, they will probably end up in a huge financial crisis."

"How huge?"

Cliffwas slightly stunned

"Uh

Given their recorded cash flow, if this project dies, and they don't have the cash to continue operations, they won't beable to invest in another project and their financial chain will be broken.

The whole company will come to a stop. All operations will cease, and they might even face bankruptcy." "What about our losses?"

“A large sum of money.”

"Then, putit on pause.

‘tell you when | have the mood to continue." Cliff nodded.

“Alright, sir

‘ll make the necessary arrangements.” Odell hung up the phone and returned to the room.

Cliff was still working in the office

He stared at the black screen of his phone and pursed his lips helplessly.

His boss should know better than anyone how much this project cost and how much damage it would do to the Springsteens if it wasceased He wondered what the Springsteens could have done to invoke his boss's wrath

Back at the Springsteens' residence, Master Springsteen scolded his wife as soon as he retumed home. He berated Madam Springsteen in front of the family and did not hold back with hisremarks.

Madam Springsteen sulked in silence as she could not do anything,

Lily was like a soulless puppet as she, too, was scolded

After the tirade, she returned to her room, locked herself in, and even skipped lunch

DI Both her mother and her grandmother knocked on the door, but she refused to answer.

Chapter 1157 She sat in front of her piano by the window with furrowed brows. Her eyes stared out of the window blankly. Her grandfather had rightfully scolded her, and it made sense, but she refused to accept it. She refused to accept defeat from Sylvia, not in this terrible way. Ding.

Her phone rang Her assistant from the company called her. Annoyed, she answered the call and put the phone next to her ear. “What is it?”

“Ms. Springsteen, something has happened to the project with Carter Corporation. They just informed us that they have some problem at their side and are taking back their workers. They said they wanted to pause the project.”

Lily bolted up. “Pause? What happened? Why are they taking back their workers?”

While the Springsteen Corporation might have proposed and become the major stakeholder of the project, the core personnel and workers were mostly supplied by Carter Corporation. Carter Corporation was needed to solve many of the critical problems, and the project could not be paused even for a day as it entered the final phase.

The assistant said, “Ms. Springsteen, | asked Cliff about it, but he only revealed that there‘s something important that is holding them back. He didn't reveal any more. The workers that were summoned back don't know what happened either.”

Lily‘s face turned pale. “They were summoned back on short notice?”

“Yes, madam.” The assistant continued in a smaller voice, “Ms. Springsteen, did we do something wrong, or did we make Master Carter mad?”

Lily thought of what happened back at the competition venue, especially about how Odell had questioned Haytham about what he did to Sylvia.

She clenched her teeth tightly. “Settle our men first and try to continue as much as possible. I'll deal with Carter Corporation.” She hung up the phone and immediately gave Odell a call.

However, all she got was a busy tone. Lily frowned. She went on her social media and searched for Odell‘s contact. She typed a long message and texted him. Unfortunately, the system informed her that she was no longer on his friend list and that the message could only be sent with his consent.

Lily's expression froze.

Odell had deleted her from his contact list. The anger and disbelief made her eyes teary. She smashed the phone on the floor and started crying on the bed.

She was the eldest daughter of the Springsteens! She lived like a princess who was adored by many, and she had merely taught Sylvia a lesson, so why would he punish her in return?

How could Odell not consider the profits and losses of both companies? Or had he never taken her seriously? She was the eldest daughter, the heir to the Springsteen Corporation, yet he did not care.

Smashing her phone on the ground caught the attention of her mother and grandmother. Mrs. Springsteen and Madam Springsteen came to her door and knocked.

“Lily, what happened in there?” “Are you crying? Open the door. Don't scare us.”

Lily clenched her teeth and wiped her tears away. “I'm fine. Leave me alone.”

Madam Springsteen said, “Lily, she‘s just someone who can paint better. Even if she's Mrs. Carter, she will never be your equal or better. You are the eldest daughter of the family, our precious princess. Forget about what

happened in the morning. It's not worth your time.” Lily was annoyed by her grandmother. “I know. Stop it. Leave me alone!” That woman was not just someone who could paint better. In fact, she might be the best painter in all of Westchester.

Even though that woman came from a family that resented her, it should not have become the reason why others looked down on her. It was out of her control as she could not choose her family.

Lily‘s tears trickled down her face as the words of her assistant echoed in her mind, and she thought of how Odell had deleted her from the contact list.

She wiped her tears, and together with her tears, her pride. She said in a small voice, “I was wrong...”

Chapter 1158 Both Madam Springsteen and Mrs. Springsteen stuck their ears to the door to listen to the noises inside. Their eyes widened in disbelief when they thought they heard Lily say sorry.

Madam Springsteen got nervous. “Lily, what are you talking about? Open the door now. Don't scare me.”

Given her understanding of Lily, the girl would never say something like this. Something must have happened.

Just before Madam Springsteen left to find the spare key, the door opened. With teary eyes, Lily appeared behind the door.

Both Madam Springsteen and Mrs. Springsteen looked at her in shock.

Madam Springsteen said, “Lily, don‘t be sad. She’s just better than you at painting. You don't need to be mad about someone of her status.”

“She's better than me at drawing, she's better looking than me, and she’s better than me at almost everything,” Lily said as she looked at her grandmother calmly.“ Grandmother , you don't need to cheer me up anymore. Please don't look down on Sylvia either. Grandfather is right. Acknowledging my own shortcomings is not

something that | should be ashamed of.” Madam Springsteen was stunned.

Mrs. Springsteen smiled happily. “Lily, I'm glad that you finally understand. But don't you deny your own talents as well. You are a beautiful girl, and you can play the piano well. You're good at a lot of things as well. It's just that...” Lily looked at her mother. “What is it, Mom? Just tell

me.

Mrs. Springsteen sighed and held her hand. “Lily, listen to me. Forget Odell Carter. Remove him from your life.” Lily smiled bitterly. “Mm-—hmm. I've thought it through. The feelings were one-sided from the start, and he agreed to work with us purely out of profit and only agreed to fake the engagement because of manners.” She lowered her head as she continued to choke on her feelings. “Mom, I've made a huge mistake.”

Mrs. Springsteen asked, “What is it?” Madam Springsteen looked at her. “Lily, don't cry. Tell us what happened. I'll do whatever | can to help.”

“Master Carter paused the project and took his men back. We have another project coming next month, so we can't pause or stop the project at all. If we stop the project for more than three days, the Springsteen Corporation will

face a huge financial crisis.” Mrs. Springsteen was shocked.

“What?!” Madam Springsteen cried. She bellowed, “It must be that woman who instigated him to stop the project! I'll go and reason with her!” Lily frowned, but before she could say a word, Mrs. Springsteen shouted, “Stop it, Mom!” Madam Springsteen had never been yelled at by her daughter-in-law before, hence the surprised expression. Mrs. Springsteen sighed. “Have you forgotten what Dad said just now?”

Madam Springsteen sulked and looked away.

Mrs. Springsteen added, “Mom, it's been a while since you and Lily set Sylvia up, and if she really wanted to take revenge, she would have done it a long time ago.”

Madam Springsteen‘s expression changed , but she did not say a word. She continued to sulk in silence.

Lily walked to her grandmother. “Grandmother , Mom‘s right. | was blinded by prejudice and | never saw Sylvia as a person before. She's actually quite nice. If she wanted to take revenge on us through Odell, she would have done it a long time ago.”

Madam Springsteen eased her sulking expression, but she remained silent. Mrs. Springsteen said, “Lily, have you called Master Carter about this?” Lily said, “He blocked my number.”

Both Madam Springsteen and Mrs. Springsteen were rendered speechless.

Chapter 1159 “What should we do now?” A thought rushed into Madam Springsteen‘s mind and made her say, “Why don't you go to your grandfather and ask him to contact Odell?”

Lily pursed her lips. She debated the idea for a moment and said, “Grandfather is not young anymore. He's upset after learning what | have done today. I'll go to Sylvia and apologize to her.”

Madam Springsteen said, “No! How could you lower yourself and apologize to that woman?” “Stop it!” Mrs. Springsteen said, “I came from a lesser family too. Are you going to be prejudiced against me as well?”

Shocked , Madam Springsteen was rendered speechless .

“Enough, you two. Don't worry. | know what | am doing.” Lily then went back into the room and locked it.

Mrs. Springsteen glared at her mother-in-law, and the annoyance drove her to walk away. “Alison, | didn‘t mean...”

Madam Springsteen was left alone without having the chance to explain herself. Grievance caused her to stomp her feet before she left in the other direction.

Behind the shadowy corner stood Master Springsteen , who had overheard the conversation. His furrowed brows eased as he sighed.

Sylvia received a call from Lily while she was watching the latest drama series with Isabel while munching on snacks in the kids room.

The number shown on the screen was an unregistered number, but she answered it nevertheless. As soon as she put the phone near her ear, she heard Lily's voice.

“Ms. Ross?”

Surprised, she replied, “Ms. Springsteen?”

Isabel and Liam immediately looked at their mother.

Even Flint, who was playing with his toy, crawled over to his siblings and then made his way to his mother.

Lily said, “Yeah, it's me. Is this a good time?”

Sylvia was shocked by her unusual tone. “Are you really Lily Springsteen?’

Lily choked. “It's really me. | want to meet you in person. | wonder if you'll be free in a day or two.”

Sylvia found the request baffling. “What is this about?”

Lily frowned. “Have you not heard?”

“About what?” Sylvia continued with a confused tone.

Lily said, “I want to apologize for what | have done to you in the past.” Sylvia was even more confused. She switched to a politer tone and added, “It's okay. It's history. You can just apologize through the phone, so there’s no need for a meeting.” The call went silent for a few seconds.

Lily said, “Sylvia, please give me a chance to apologize to you in person.”

She sounded like she had been preparing for this, and judging from her tone, she was serious. It was just that it sounded a little awkward and clunky when she said it out loud.

Sylvia remained baffled. Did the morning‘s incident cause this drastic change in Lily? Sylvia pondered. “Ms. Springsteen, is there anything else you want to tell me other than apologizing?”

“Yes. There’s something else. Can we speak face to face?” Afraid that Sylvia would reject her, Lily immediately added, “Tomorrow morning at the Old District. There‘s a coffee shop near the Carters‘ residence. Can we meet there?”

Sylvia looked at her kids who were also watching her. She softened her tone and said, “Alright. Ten o‘clock tomorrow morning. | have time.”

Lily immediately said, “Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow morning.”

Chapter 1160 As soon Sylvia hung up the phone, Isabel asked,” Mommy, what did that bad lady say to you?” Liam and Flint also looked at their mother in confusion.

Sylvia patted their heads. “She's just trying to apologize in person.” Shock widened Isabel's eyes. Liam was baffled as well. He asked, “Why is she apologizing all of a sudden?”

Sylvia pondered. “Maybe her family scolded her?”

There was a crowd when they had confronted Haytham earlier, and Master Springsteen might have witnessed it himself. Even if he was not present, the news would have reached his ears soon enough.

Sylvia might have only seen the man a few times, but she could tell he was unlike Lily or Madam Springsteen. If he found out about what they had done to her, he would be unhappy.

She wondered what Lily wanted to talk to her about other than apologizing Sylvia left the kids‘ room after putting them to sleep and returned to her room.

Odell came back from the study and had washed up for bed. He lay on the bed in a dark green sleeping robe. He looked at her. “Are the little rascals asleep?”

Sylvia nodded and went straight to the shower.

Before she could step inside, however, a pair of long arms hugged her from behind and stopped her. He lowered his head to her shoulder and tickled her ear with his warm breath. “Hold up. Go in later.” Sylvia blushed and tapped his hand. “Odell, let me go.”

He refused and silenced her with a kiss.

The kiss numbed her body and rendered her defenseless. She mustered her remaining strength and said, “Odell, I'm really tired today.”

He silenced her mouth and ravaged her with his lips. “I know. You just have to lie down.”

Speechless, Sylvia was not given the chance to speak and was lifted onto the bed.

The passionate lovemaking lasted until midnight.

Drenched in sweat, Odell carried Sylvia into the shower and bathed together with her. He then carried her back to the bed. Sylvia tiredly lay beside him. When she was about to shut

her eyes, the thought of tomorrow‘s meeting gushed into her mind. She said, “Odell, Lily just called me.”

The man‘s gaze turned frosty. “What did she say to you?”

Sylvia closed her eyes in exhaustion and said, “She apologized and wanted to meet me in person. | am going to meet her tomorrow at the coffee shop near our house at 10 in the morning. But | think she wants to talk about other things as well.”

“What other things?”

“| don't know. She didn't mention it on the phone.”

Odell pursed his lips with a grim look.

In a short time, Sylvia leaned on his broad chest and fell asleep.

Eventually, he switched off the lamp and hugged her to sleep.

The next morning, after breakfast, Sylvia carried Flint to the door and saw Isabel and Liam off to school.

She returned to the living room and saw Odell drinking tea with a book in his hand casually. He did not seem to be going to work.

“Shouldn't you be at work?” His eyes were glued to the book. “There’s nothing urgent

in the morning. I'll go in the afternoon.”