Ch. 431..440
Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 431
When Alexander noticed the change in her face, he understood it might be a sensitive topic and immediately said, “If you don‘t want to talk about it, you don‘t have to.”
Lily was grateful for how considerate he was. His thoughtfulness had shown in the past few days that they spent together, and she allowed herself to let her guard down completely.
Now that she thought about it, Nathaniel had never shared his life before, and it was the same for her.
Although the two of them had been together for so long, there was no proper bond between them. They hid secrets from each other while having their walls up. Therefore, it was inevitable that they became what they are now.
“I‘ve never told you about my family,” Lily said as she warmly took his hand and led him to the sofa.
Seeing how gentle she was, Alexander quickly quieted down and took her hand, nodding slightly. “Yes.”
“I was born in Brown City,” she said slowly. “I‘m from the Lodge family of Brown City.”
“The Lodge family?”
“Yeah.”
Almost everyone knew who the Lodge family of Brown City was, just like everyone knew of the Russel family of Sapphine, the Tanner family of Ruby City, and the Richards from the capital. No matter how low key the Lodge family was, they were the only family known for their ancient kickboxing technique. Little was known about the Lodges than the other three families, giving them a mysterious vibe. The Lodge family had always kept a low profile. Hence, the public only knew the prominent figures of the family. Other than that, no one
knew much about the children and other in–laws of the Lodge Family. This was why Alexander did not know that Lily was related to them. “Wilfred Lodge is my maternal grandfather. That‘s why I didn‘t inherit the Lodge surname,” she explained as she looked into his eyes. These were the words she had kept within her for so many years.
Although her surname was not Lodge currently, she used to be known as Lily Lodge. At 18, she left the Lodge family and went off to college. Later, after she made jokes about working in the perfume industry and insisted on staying with Nathaniel, she and the Lodge family were on the verge of severing ties. Lily, too, wanted to leave them. She wanted to rid herself of the toxic environment that made her feel suffocated and depressed, so Nathaniel was not just her boyfriend. He was the lifeline that allowed her to leave the Lodge family.
The Lodge family did not reach out to her for the longest time. It was as if they had kicked her out of the household.
However, Lily knew that this was impossible! She would never be free of the Lodge family in this lifetime. After all, she still had their blood flowing in her veins.
Sure enough, Justin found her some time ago and kept showing up at her place. Most importantly, she felt a power awakening in her, as if she had been asleep all this while and was slowly waking up.
Alexander was smart, and he quickly connected the dots. “So, this crane is for your grandfather?”
Alexander knew Wilfred was about to celebrate his 70th birthday. Since he was a family friend to the Lodge family, Alexander had prepared a gift for Wilfred. However, Alexander did not expect his wife to be related to them.
“Yeah.” Lily turned to look at the crane before continuing, “Do you remember that pair of wooden dolls?”
“The pair that made you want to birth twins?” He joked. Lily shot him a stern look and explained, “I wanted to ask the young man from the woodcarving shop to carve a meaningful sculpture as my grandfather‘s birthday gift. However, Benedict suddenly quit his job, and I couldn‘t find him after. I did not expect him to do the piece and send it to me.”
“Benedict?”
Although the main point of her explanation was that Benedict had suddenly disappeared and reappeared out of nowhere, Alexander seemed to only focus on the fact that it was a young man.
“Yes, he‘s very young. He‘s about my brother‘s age. That‘s it!” Lily said and rubbed his hair, trying to soothe his jealousy. This guy is possessive. How can he get jealous over just a few words? Does he think all the guys in this world are his rivals?‘
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“I didn‘t even say anything!” Alexander puffed his cheek arrogantly.
“Even if the birthday gift is here, I still haven‘t figured out how to send it to him.” Lily sighed as she rubbed her temples. Even thinking about it bothered her. “Aren‘t you going to go back?” Alexander asked. It did not seem like she was planning to personally send the gift over from what she said.
Lily shook her head and sighed again. “I didn‘t consider that.”
“Why not?” After a pause, he questioned again, “Is there anyone back there that makes you not want to go back? Or is it something else? What about your parents?”
Alexander had never heard Lily mention her parents before. Back when he looked into her background, he did not find any information on them either. It seemed that she had covered her tracks.
“They‘re no longer around,” she said calmly. “They passed away together in a plane crash.” Alexander did not know what to say. Her calmness bothered him. How could she say such terrible things so casually?
Then, he reached out to pull her into his embrace. “That‘s all in the past. You have me from now on!”
She snuggled deeper into his arms. ‘You‘re right. I‘ll have you in the future.
Occasionally, Lily would wonder why she fell for him so quickly and trusted him wholeheartedly. It was something she had never done before. Was it because he gave her a sense of security she had never experienced?
Lily had not experienced this peace of mind in years, not even back when she was staying with the Lodge family.
“If you don‘t want to go, I‘ll get someone to send it over. If you want to go, but you still have your concerns, I can accompany you,” Alexander said softly. Lily was surprised to hear this. Her head snapped up to look at him.
In the face of her shock, he laughed and stroked her hair with one hand. His gaze was extraordinarily gentle, and one look from him soothed her restless heart.
Then, Alexander calmly explained, “The Russel family and the Lodge family are friends. I‘d naturally have to prepare a gift for Wilfred‘s birthday. However, I didn‘t expect that...
“Well, whatever the case is, if you don‘t feel like going, I‘ll get someone to send our gifts together. That way, we‘d let people know about our relationship. However, I‘ll accompany you there if you want to go!” As he tightened his grip around her hand, he said, “I‘ll always be with you, no matter what you‘re
going through.” There was nothing Lily could be afraid of after hearing these words. So, she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. “I‘m so lucky to have you.”
“That can‘t be it!” Alexander turned to her with a smile and pressed his lips to hers.
After being on guard the whole day, Nathaniel finally felt at ease.
Lily had not responded the whole day, and the public‘s opinion on the Internet was slowly improving. Even the rate of product returns had reduced. He repackaged the old product and rebranded it along the theme of “a timeless piece.” Nathaniel had already begun to promote it, and once the company officially launched the product in the upcoming week, he could foresee it being well–received and profitable.
It seemed like he had no choice but to rely on himself to turn the tide! He had barely had a good night‘s sleep these past few days.
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However, his dreams were about to come crashing down. Nathaniel had never imagined that instead of being greeted by a doubling in sales or profit, he would get shot down, bullet after bullet.
At 9:00 AM, a famous verified account posted three videos. The first video was nothing serious. It was a financial interview that Nathaniel did a long time ago. In the video, he proudly talked about his perfume with his head held high. He told the host about his optimistic view on the prospects of the perfume industry and lamented the lack of top–tier perfumers in this country. He also emphasized developing and researching new products, stating that perfumers could discuss with him whenever they have a new idea.
Nathaniel mentioned that if the perfumers were keen to proceed with their fragrance, he would personally supervise the development and preparation of the perfume throughout the entire process. Before he ended, he also brought up the difficulty of being a perfumer in this time and space.
The second video was a press conference held by MN Inc. when Lily was about to leave the company. In the video, when Lily refused to apologize, someone caught the slight panic in Nathaniel‘s eyes, alongside Melanie‘s slight gestures and repeated eye contact on camera. The footage also included the embarrassing aftermath of the situation. It seemed like the video was shot with an excellent camera, as all the details were precise.
Lastly, the third video was a humiliating clip of authorities escorting Nathaniel from a lobby with a bouquet of 99 roses in his arms. At the end of the video, the account attached his apology letter, with some words circled in red.
They were along the lines of how Nathaniel had been wholly ignorant and deceived, how he was preoccupied with the company and its business that he did not have time to oversee the production. He mentioned that everything was under Melanie‘s control and that she had betrayed his trust.
The account that posted the three videos did not write anything. The lack of a statement was a statement in itself, allowing the world to judge the critical points of the videos by themselves.
It seemed to be telling the world, “Look. I‘ve highlighted the key parts for you. I didn‘t say anything. It‘s all Nathaniel.”
That was the last straw for him. Besides a perfunctory sentence, “The Internet will always remember,” no words were attached to the videos.”
Nathaniel was in shambles. Even if the Internet remembered, he didn‘t.
He had forgotten about what he had said so many years ago. How could Nathaniel remember what he said, bragged about, and what lies he told during the countless interviews he accepted?
Whoever did this was patient. They waited for the dust to settle and compared the current situation with the past. It was a slap in the face for Nathaniel.
He mentioned in an interview how he would personally supervise the production process, only to say that he played no part in it and was entirely in the dark about everything. That itself was self–contradictory. Even if his latter statement were false, he would have already lost the public‘s trust.
Besides that, compared to the balloons he had released at Rebirth, his expression and exchanges with Melanie at the press conference were clearly of a new love, old flame kind of situation. Regardless, he was still a sc*mbag in any of the situations.
At this point, Nathaniel was fuming with annoyance. He had no idea how to fight back. Just as he was about to sue for defamation, another bullet shot him.
At 10:30 am, certificates, prizes, and trophies of the International Perfumery Competition got uploaded onto Rebirth‘s official website. There was a sense of jubilation as congratulatory messages constantly flowed in.
It seemed like the whole industry celebrated with Lily‘s name appearing more than a few times. She was the glory of perfumers across Hyderland.
For years, none of the perfumers from Hyderland managed to make a name for themselves. Every time any one of them went abroad, they would be ridiculed and despised by people. However, this time, Lily won first place on the international scene.
Although most of the competitors were new, it allowed her to showcase her capabilities. Information about how Lily refused Wesley‘s offer to join his company also spread, despite his optimism about Lily‘s growth with him.
Lily‘s name resounded among the perfumers like the echo of thunder.
Although this whole commotion was initially not a direct attack on Nathaniel, the fact that he had just been slandered more than an hour ago boosted Lily‘s achievements and proved she was indeed powerful.
Not only was she outstanding in Hyderland, but she also managed to make a name for herself abroad. How would this look on a lousy perfumer like Melanie?
Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 434
Lily did not need to take a stand as she had already won everyone‘s recognition.
Those who had doubted her came forward to apologize, and it quickly began to trend on the Internet.
On the other hand, this morning had been a nightmare for Nathaniel. Just when he thought it was over, another wave crashed over him. Just as it was about time to get off work, a few more pieces of news popped up. This news was about whether he and Lily had really been together or entangled in unrequited love.
In the video, Nathaniel and Melanie‘s classmates from universities–be they their friends or classmates who did not know much about the relationship or despised Lily‘s introverted personality–had no idea of Nathaniel and Lily‘s relationship. They all felt that he and Melanie were a natural pair.
However, the tides had turned. The video continued, and one of their tutors, who was a professor, showed up on the screen.
It was an honorable thing to be Lily‘s tutor, so he happily participated in the interview. The main highlight of this interview was that the tutor knew of her relationship with Nathaniel. After all, Lily was a scholar then, and Nathaniel needed her for many reasons. Later, he saw her potential in creating perfumes and wanted her to work for him.
Although the other students knew nothing, Nathaniel often picked Lily up when she stayed back to help with experiments. Lily‘s tutor was aware of this. This time, no one could argue with the tutor‘s testimony.
People tended to trust professors more due to their reputations.
On the other hand, one may have a good or bad relationship with one‘s classmates. Everyone would have their own interests in mind and might spit out a lie or two to help their friends. However, professors could not lie about such things.
At this point, Nathaniel had already crumbled. His reputation and credibility were out the window. There was no need for any more pieces of evidence as the whole internet was already hating on him.“Nathaniel Hall is a liar, a sc*mbag, and a piece of trash.”
He was battered and kicked to the ground. He was utterly dumbfounded.
In comparison to Nathaniel, Lily looked like she was throwing a party. Olivia felt highly tempted to set off some fireworks to celebrate. “I understand now! I finally understand why you made me wait so long! This is amazing!” Olivia held the wine glass in her hands and cheered, “I’m so, so happy!” All these times she had to suppress herself had finally paid off. She did not expect that she would get to see Nathaniel crash and burn in this lifetime.
“Don‘t drink so much,” Lily reprimanded as she shook her head, holding the glass of juice in her hand.
Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 435
Lily once had too much alcohol when hanging out with Jenny and Olivia, and since then, she did not allow herself to get drunk again. So, right now, she only drank sparingly.
“Why wouldn‘t you have a drink on such a happy occasion?!” Olivia reached out to take Lily‘s glass. “Have a drink! I‘ll send you back if you‘re drunk.” “Forget it. I‘d rather rely on myself.” Lily barely reached the door the last time Olivia sent her home, but fortunately, she bumped into Alexander.
Olivia immediately knew what Lily meant and explained, “It‘ll be different this time! If I can‘t get in this time, I‘ll call someone to get you.”
Jenny, who stood aside listening, shook her head and intervened. “Stop trying to get her to drink. It‘s not a good thing, you know? Right, Lily, I‘m curious. What were you waiting for? I‘m sure you didn‘t collect all these pieces of evidence today; why did you have to wait until now before publishing it?”
Was it so that sc*mbag would have a few days of pride, only
for him to fall and crash onto the ground in frustration?
“Although I have the videos, the results of the competition and the awards will only come out within these two days,” Lily took a sip of her juice and calmly explained. It finally clicked in the other two women‘s minds when they noticed Lily‘s calm expression. “You‘ve been waiting for the results of the competition in Westwood!”
“To be honest, the competition results weren‘t a big deal. However, since I‘m already planning to ruin Nate, I might as well see it through to the end. That way, he will never be able to get up again.”
That was why Lily gathered all the evidence and materials before publishing them simultaneously. At this time, Nathaniel had no chance to react since Lily had released several videos of him in one go. He had already shot him to the ground.
Now, no one would believe anything Nathaniel said. It would be useless no matter how much he tried to turn things around.
The most crucial part of all this was that Lily only had one official Twitter account that only posted about new products or any company–related content. She never used that account to participate in any discussion.
She had never refuted or blocked any comments, even at the time when others slandered her severely. Lily completely detached herself from social media and only concentrated on her work. She did not care about the slander and abuse at all.
In the beginning, a few people were beginning to suspect that she was only staying silent because of her guilt. Those who previously ridiculed Lily rushed to apologize and show their support after seeing the posts that proved her innocence.
On the other hand, her fans began to sing their praises for her, telling Lily how proud they were of her unique vision and how they had always trusted her. News spread like wildfire in the information age. It was no wonder Lily allowed the comments to go wild back then.
As Lily predicted, she had beaten Nathaniel to the ground, and he could no longer salvage his reputation.
There would still be a saving grace if this matter only revolved around his personal life. However, the company‘s credibility was in the mix, and everyone now knew Lily was the one who created MN Inc.‘s previous products.
After releasing the fruits of her labor as their own, the company even shunned Lily. Yet, after being wronged and slandered, Lily did not besmirch MN Inc. This whole thing put Lily in a good light, showing her kindness.
MN Inc.‘s rate of product return rose at an extraordinary rate. On the other hand, there was a sharp contrast between MN Inc. and Rebirth, whose sales rate shot up. Many had turned to buying Rebirth‘s products to express their support for Lily. Most of Lily‘s products were close to being sold out in a blink of an eye.
With the sudden burst of additional orders, Rebirth‘s sales had climbed unprecedentedly. Seeing the current situation, MN Inc.‘s shareholders began withdrawing their shares one after the other while questioning and criticizing Nathaniel endlessly.
At this point, a CEO change still would not solve the problem as MN Inc.‘s reputation was tainted. Later, rumors began spreading about how the company name was based on Melanie and Nathaniel‘s initials.
That this was a public show of affection between those two made everyone feel even more disgusted. The trash cans along the streets were full of MN–labeled perfume bottles for a while.
Nathaniel sat in his empty office as he stared blankly ahead, dishearted. This is it. I‘m completely ruined! This time, even God can’t save me.’
Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 436
He picked up the phone in befuddlement and wanted to call his mother. However, on the verge of pressing the dial button, he remembered her stern warning, “Don‘t call me!”
That was right. Eloise was a busy woman. How could she have time to answer his phone calls? Even if she had answered, it was useless as there was nothing she could do. After a brief pause, he exited the call interface, opened a text messenger, and typed, “I lost, sorry, and goodbye.”
“Mr. Hall…” His secretary was waiting for him at the door, a box in her hands.
Nathaniel motioned for her to leave with a feeble wave of his hand. “Leave. You should leave!”
He forced himself to stand up, walked over to the floor–to ceiling windows, and looked out. This city still had plenty of life, prosperity, and glimmering beauty, but none of it belonged to him.
He vaguely remembered the first time he moved into the office. It had just been established, but the sales from the perfumes developed by Lily were doing very well. It became popular as soon as it hit the shelves. The product price was not high and fell within the affordable range.
Still, owing to the high quality and widespread praise, orders were constantly coming in, and the company was thriving. It was like today’s Rebirth in many ways. Nathaniel earned a lot of money at the time. He attracted investors and shareholders to inject capital, and the company was developing well. His career was doing great, and his love life...
He had Lily, who dedicated her life to him, and Melanie, who was gentle and sweet in his arms. He was simply a winner in life.
Nathaniel had once thought that everything would develop toward a bright future. He would have it all – wealth, status, reputation, and power. He wanted to prove to his mother that he could succeed without her support. One day, he could step into the wealthy circle, too.
This was supposed to be the start of something, but he had no idea it would also be the end. ‘When did things start to go south? Where did things go astray?‘.
Nathaniel could not think anymore. He only knew he would never have the chance to turn things around. For him, it was game over.
Nathaniel staggered out of the bar drunk. He stumbled a few steps before he leaned against the wall and puked. Even so, he refused to let go of the beer bottle. Alcohol was the only thing that could numb his mind and make him forget everything for a while.
He took a few more sips as he staggered forward. He muttered something vaguely along the way. Suddenly, he tripped on something and fell to the ground.
Crash!
The beer bottle shattered and cut his palm, but he did not realize it was bleeding. He just laid on the ground and laughed.
That was when a pair of polished leather shoes appeared before him. He raised his head and looked at the person‘s blurry image. “You...”
Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 437
The temperature dropped every day until it started snowing at night. Since it did not snow very often in Sapphine City, when it did, it only covered a thin layer on the tree and melted before more snow could build up.
Heading toward Brown City, the scenery along the way changed visibly. Snowfall in Sapphine was more akin to sleet fall. It was a rain that contained some ice and looked like crystal droplets. Brown City was different.
The further you went toward Brown City, the heavier the snowfall. It was not tiny droplets but large snowflakes. The snow on the ground also grew thicker. By the time they got to the Lodge house, the snow by the road was already ankle–deep.
“Sapphine City is not far from Brown City. I didn’t expect such a big difference. It snowed heavily here.” Lily got out of the car and reached out to catch a snowflake. She was soon covered in a layer of snow stuck to her head, shoulder, and palm that did not melt away immediately. It had been years since she last saw snow, and her mood improved as she stood in it.
“It‘s the house in front. It‘s been a while since you came back, right?” Alexander put a shawl on her and handed her a cup of hot chocolate. The car had a thermos filled with hot water, and the prepared hot chocolate was very fragrant. Although it was incomparable to home, it was comfortable enough for an outing Lily took a sip and nodded, “Yeah.” She tried to recall, “It‘s probably been... six or seven years!”
She had not returned since she left for college. She stayed on campus during her studies and was busy doing experiments, checking materials, and going to various places to collect information during holidays. In any case, she had many reasons to avoid coming back.
Her grandfather, Wilfred, was stubborn and would never persuade her to return if she did not return on her own. In his words, “If she doesn‘t want to come back, so be it! Do I need to beg her?”
Personally, she did not feel that her grandfather loved her much. There were only endless practices, studies, exercises, and tests in her memory. She could not stop even when she was home. Sleeping peacefully through the night was a luxury to her.
At that time, she felt Wilfred‘s kinship with her disappeared with her mother‘s passing. Most importantly, she probably blamed her mother‘s death on Wilfred and thus could not get close to him.
She might long for familial warmth when she was young, but not when she grew up. She just hoped that she could escape the Lodge Family, escape the suffocating environment and live freely. It was okay, even if she was alone. Looking back, their relationship broke completely when she formally began her relationship with Nathaniel. Her grandfather, who had never cared about her all along, suddenly became furious after knowing she was in a relationship with an ordinary guy. He strictly disagreed with their relationship. At that time, Lily was very rebellious and resisted everything he said. His disagreement made her adamant about being with Nathaniel, so she cut ties with him.
“Lily? Lily.” Lily returned to her senses after being called twice and turned to look at him. Alexander‘s eyes were worried, “Were you reminiscing?”
She grinned and nodded her head.
“If you still find it uncomfortable and don‘t want to face it yet, we can go back,” Alexander offered again.
“No need, It‘s been a long time since I last returned. It‘s time to go back and see grandpa.” Lily had left for many years. Did she want to cut off contact for the rest of her life? She knew in her heart that it was impossible. Now that Lily was in a relationship with Alexander, she should inform her family, regardless of whether they wanted to know.
“Let‘s go!” Alexander could see her insistence as he took her empty cup and threw it into the trash can in the car. Lily smiled and clenched his hand. She was not afraid of anything as long as she had him by her side.
The remaining journey was not too far, and they soon arrived at the Lodge family‘s house.
Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 438
The Lodge family‘s house was not in the center of Brown City but in the suburbs. It was a large estate that covered a vast area with beautiful scenery of the mountains and rivers.
No one knew when the Lodge family first started living here, as it had been many years. The rumor that the Lodge family was an old kickboxing family passed down from generation to generation was also an unconfirmed legend. No one knew whether members of the Lodge family knew kickboxing as no one had seen it with their own eyes and could verify it.
Nowadays, members of the Lodge family are mainly engaged in business. Of course, not everyone was, as there were professors, doctors, and others. They were a large family, and others tended to feel awe when someone mentioned the Lodge family. However, no one knew the direct lineage, which made their family even more mysterious.
There were many cars along the way. The tire marks and the pressed snow on the road were noticeable. It was most likely due to her grandfather‘s upcoming birthday. The car was stopped when it reached the gate as they needed to show their invitation card.
Alexander slightly loosened his collar and was about to take out the invitation card when Lily lowered the car window and looked at the guard, “It‘s me.”
It had been quite some time since her return, so the guard was taken aback. He finally recognized her only after taking a second, closer look.
The guard quickly reacted after he recognized her, “Ms. Lily?! You‘re back!”
“Yeah, I‘m here to celebrate grandpa‘s birthday,” she said in a low voice.
“Quick, open the gate!” He waved his hand, “Go and tell the master Ms. Lily is home!”
They all looked excited. It seemed that they still welcomed her home. Alexander watched her raise the car window with a solemn expression. He did not say anything and just held her hand softly.
It was another ten–minute drive from the manor‘s gate before finally stopping in front of the house. There were already a lot of cars parked at the entrance. Lily glanced out and saw Justin‘s car. It was only natural for him to be here on a day like this.
However, she did not want to go inside in front of so many people. She did not like to socialize on such noisy occasions.
“I‘ll be the representative and bring the gifts in. It shouldn‘t be difficult for you to use other entrances, avoid other people and go in to meet your grandfather, right?” Alexander gave her a plan when he saw her hesitation.
He came today, not only as her husband but also on behalf of the Russell family. This was the necessary social interaction that she did not enjoy partaking in. He also did not want her to be in such an environment that might cause unwanted gossip. Therefore it was better for them to do things separately.
Lily nodded and agreed to his arrangement as it was better for them.
Alexander prepared an art masterpiece packed in a velvet box as a gift. It was easy to carry, but Lily‘s wooden crane sculpture had to be specially transported by car.
Alexander leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead. He said, “I‘ll look for you after I‘ve finished entertaining here.” “Okay!” She replied obediently and watched him get out of the car and walk up the stairs. Edward was following closely behind, holding the velvet box.
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Lily watched Alexander until he disappeared from her sight. Only then did she get out of the car. She saw Justin looking straight at her and seemed to be waiting for her.
She just realized that something was not right. Lily had already shown her face, and the servant had already sent a message. Therefore, it was impossible no one in the family knew she was here. How come there were no servants when she got out of the car?
It seemed like Justin had deliberately arranged it to prevent commotion. She had nothing to hide now that she was back. She gathered up her clothes and walked over to him. Justin looked at his cousin in front of him and said, “You‘re finally back.”
“I said before that I‘ll be back.” Lily‘s words implied that she would keep her promise.
He lightly nodded and said, “Grandpa is waiting for you.”
It was good to have him lead the way as he had cleared the way from other guests, preventing unnecessary trouble.
“I know. Thank you for the information you previously provided.” Lily recalled what Justin had given her and felt it necessary to thank him. Justin did not look back, “There‘s no need to thank me. After all, you didn‘t use it.” While it was true that he gave Lily information documents, she still kept them and did not publicly announce everything.
When Justin approached Lily, she realized the Lodge family knew almost everything about her, even though they seemed to ignore her. Otherwise, they would not be so clear about her situation and be able to collect and give her private information about Nathaniel. “Either way, I still need to say thank you.”
They went in from a small building on the side, passed through the long corridor at the back, and reached the building behind it. The front was for receiving guests, while the back was where the Lodge family lived. Guests would not be able to come and go easily here, so the atmosphere at the back was more tranquil.
“Why did you not include this when you have already announced all the other evidence?” Justin asked while walking, “Do you still love him?” Lily shook her head, “Never force others to a dead end. That‘s what the family taught us since we were kids. Did you forget?” It was, of course, impossible for Justin to forget about this. He was only teasing her. He stopped his steps and grinned. “So you still remember.”
Of course, she still remembered since it was something ingrained deep in her. So much so that she could not forget it even if she wanted to. Lily habitually wanted to go upstairs after entering the building at the back but saw Justin walking straight, turned the corner, and headed to a room on the first floor. Lily was stunned for a while before she followed closely, “Grandpa changed his room?”
“He‘s getting old, and it‘s inconvenient for him to go up and down the stairs. It’s more convenient for him to live on the first floor.” Justin paused briefly and turned to look at her
” You haven‘t been back for too long.” It‘s been too long to the point that she did not even know about this.
Lily remained silent as Justin continued, “Grandpa is old and had some minor health problems, so you‘d better not...” He paused but did not say further. He walked to the door and knocked gently, “Grandpa, it‘s me.” The duo heard sounds of coughing coming from the room. An old but loud voice answered, “Come in.”
Lily had initially thought she could face her grandfather calmly. However, she could not help but feel nervous when she was about to step into the room.
Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 440
The room was huge and carpeted, giving off a tranquil feeling. An older gentleman sat in front of the window, watching the snow falling outside with distant eyes. Such a beautiful scene made one feel peaceful looking at it.
However, the older gentleman was not sitting in an ordinary chair but in a wheelchair. Even though it looked sturdy and high–tech, it was still a wheelchair.
“Grandpa?” Lily called him with a trembling voice.
‘What‘s wrong with him?‘
“You‘re back!” Wilfred answered her in a soft tone but did not shift his sight.
Lily quickly stepped forward and stopped in front of him. She wanted to continue forward but felt a little timid. Only now did the older gentleman turn his wheelchair around to look at her. He was still the same as how Lily remembered.
However, he looked much older and had whiter hair and more wrinkles. His eyes were not as sharp as before and looked more peaceful and kind.
Could it be because Lily had been away for a long time that she felt he had become gentle? At this moment, Lily suddenly felt that maybe her grandfather did not hate her as much as she thought he did.
Wilfred gave her a once–over and said, “You‘ve grown up!” Lily could hear the relief and regret in his voice. The little girl shorter than his waist had grown up, and now he could only sit and look up at her. That was how life went, after all. The younger generation would soon grow up and replace the older generation.
‘His legs look fine, but the wheelchair...‘
“Grandpa, your legs...” Lily looked up and asked hesitantly.
“Grandpa‘s leg is like that due to gout. He can‘t stand or walk most of the time. Occasionally he can stand up when it‘s not too serious.” Justin, who was standing behind her, answered.” It‘s an old ailment. It‘s been so for a few years...”
No one had ever told Lily about her grandfather‘s condition. The Lodge family always kept tabs on Lily, but she was oblivious to what was happening with them.
Her so–called cut–off family ties were just her unilateral belief. Ultimately, she was still a member of the Lodge family.
Lily tried to put her hand lightly on Wilfred‘s knee. She was glad no one reprimanded her for doing this. “The doctors can‘t cure him?”
“There‘s no cure for gout. It‘s usually fine, but when the pain relapses...”
“All right, it‘s not a big deal. It‘s common for old people to get pain and soreness like this.” Wilfred probably felt Justin had said too much and impatiently interjected. Justin stopped explaining and stood there quietly upon being scolded. “I heard you won an award recently?” Wilfred lowered his head and asked.
“Yeah, I won the perfumery competition. It‘s not a big deal either.” Lily said. It was still quite a distance away from her goal, after all.
Wilfred smiled fleetingly, “It surprised me that you can continue doing this. Excellent.” He saw Lily‘s hand still on his knee and held it, “Stand up.”
Lily was stunned when Wilfred held her hands. She looked up at him, and he forcefully led her to stand up. Lily stood, but her eyes involuntarily fell to his knees. ‘It probably hurts a lot even though he says it was nothing.‘