Chapter 755
Lillian's eyelashes fluttered lightly as memories of Jackson over the past few days flashed before her eyes.
Jackson's gentle attentiveness, his various ways of protecting and respecting her, his cautious attempts to get closer.
And also, his vulnerability and sadness, his forceful entanglement...
She thought of what Mike and Terry had said, remembered their mutual comfort in the cemetery last night, and recalled the hopeful look in Jackson's eyes this morning when the golden sunlight shone on his pale face.
Lillian's throat tightened for a moment, and she finally compromised with herself.
In fact, deep down, she had long since wavered. She didn't know when she had stopped blaming him, nor when her strong defenses had been gradually broken down by Jackson.
But she turned to look at Jackson, "Terry said that night you went to the outskirts because Star said she would agree to go abroad if you went?"
Jackson didn't expect Lillian to suddenly ask this.
He was stunned for a moment, his expression slightly panicked, "Why did Terry tell you that?"
That night had long become a taboo.
Jackson knew that mentioning it, recalling it, would only bring pain to Lillian and regret to himself.
"Is that true?" Lillian continued to look at Jackson.
Jackson nodded, "Yes, at that time I had already assigned bodyguards to watch over Wendy, and I knew you would mind, so I didn't want to go.
'Star cried and said she had never experienced such a situation and was too scared. Dominic was bedridden, and she said that as long as Henry's child was born safely, she would be willing to go abroad. So I agreed to go."
Jackson held Lillian's slightly cold hands, "I didn't expect what happened that night. There were still more than two months before your due date. I wanted to handle these matters and send Star abroad before your due date so I could take good care of you and Taylor."
But things didn't go as planned.
In hindsight, Star's insistence on crying and demanding that he go to the outskirts, even agreeing to go abroad, was clearly a ploy to lure him away.
Unfortunately, the Price family was well-prepared for this, and to this day, there is no substantial evidence.
Lillian held Jackson's large hand in return, "Why didn't you tell me at the time?"
Jackson pulled a wry smile, a hint of self-mockery in his expression. "What difference would it have made? I didn't want to make excuses for myself."
No matter what, Taylor was gone, and he wasn't there to protect Lillian when she needed him the most.
These are unchangeable facts.
No matter how many reasons he had, it wouldn't change the established facts or the harm caused.
Moreover, in that situation, even if he had told her, Lillian would have just thought he was making excuses.
"But Star didn't go abroad afterward. Her plans to go abroad fell through." Lillian stared at Jackson, her eyes probing.
Jackson's eyes narrowed slightly, and he suddenly wrapped his arms around Lillian's slender waist, pulling her gently.
Lillian couldn't help but turn around and fall onto his lap.
"Do you think I still have feelings for her and let her off easy?"
Lillian raised an eyebrow slightly, "Isn't that the case? You two grew up together; old feelings are hard to break."
Lillian's tone was light, and her words were airy.
Jackson couldn't tell if she was saying this to provoke him or if she truly believed it.
Jackson felt a mix of urgency and frustration, tightening his arm around Lillian's waist.
"Is that really what you think of me?" Jackson's voice carried endless grievance and questioning, as if suppressing anger, it sounded hoarse near her neck, as if he might bite her at any moment.
Lillian's body trembled slightly, and she turned her head slightly.
Thinking of Jackson's Star Group and the Price Group still closely collaborating, and Star still appearing at Star Group events as the future president's wife, Lillian found it was possible.
Even the executives at Star Group were giving Star unlimited green lights.
She curled her red lips into a cold smile, "What? Did I hit a nerve, and now you're angry and feeling guilty?"
Lillian's eyes lifted slightly, cold and alluring.
Clearly, she was throwing a tantrum at him, deliberately misinterpreting his intentions, but Jackson couldn't bring himself to be angry with her.
He lifted Lillian's chin, his handsome face suddenly very close.
Close enough for their noses to touch, their breaths to mingle.
Lillian held her breath, her eyes questioning what he was going to do.
Jackson stared at her intently, his thin lips moving slightly, "Take a good look, where do I look guilty?"
His lips moved, barely brushing against hers.
Lillian leaned back slightly, avoiding his breath, "If you have something to say, say it properly. Don't use these tricks."
"What tricks?" Jackson raised an eyebrow, a hint of teasing in his eyes.
Of course, it was the seductive trick.
But Lillian didn't want to say it, or it would sound like admitting she had no resistance to Jackson's seduction.
She glared at Jackson, who lowered his head and chuckled, endlessly amused.
Only then did he restrain his expression before Lillian got angry, patiently explaining.
"Back then, when she and I were kidnapped together, I was also a victim. I didn't owe her anything. The guilt I felt was just my own hurdle to overcome. Over the years, I've done my best to help the Price family, taking care of Dominic and the others, finding Star, stabilizing the stock market for the Price family, and ensuring Henry's posthumous child was born safely. If there was any debt, I've long repaid it."
Jackson's eyes suddenly turned cold. "In fact, I discovered something. When Star and I were kidnapped, there was a municipal project up for bidding, which was already in the bag for the Frane Group, just waiting for the formalities.
"But because of the kidnapping, the Frane family was busy searching and tracking, delaying the project.
"During this time, Dominic managed to pull some strings. Later, I was found, but Star was still missing.
"The Frane family felt guilty towards the Price family, and my grandmother decided to give up the project to the Price family, withdrawing from the bid."
At the time, Jackson was too young to remember this incident.
Later, he learned about it but trusted the Price family so much that he didn't investigate further.
After Lillian's incident, he deeply suspected the Price family and re-investigated the past.
Then he discovered that the Price family had been in decline. It was the project given up by the Frane Group that revived the declining Price family.
Securing that project was crucial for the Price family.
Lillian stared at Jackson, her thoughts stirring, frowning. "But that doesn't make sense. Wasn't it said that Dominic and his wife were deeply in love and cherished Star since childhood?
"If the Frane family delayed the project due to the kidnapping, Dominic also lost his daughter. Shouldn't he have been busy searching for her and devastated? How did he manage to pull strings and focus on the project competition?"
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