Chapter 20 Not Bringing Disgrace to the Sinclair Family
Unable to withstand Angela's probing look, Lillian raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, I'll tell! But you have to promise me, after you hear it, no screaming—stay calm!"
"You should be saying that to Wendy, she's the one who can't keep her cool," Angela replied, settling back into the couch with a coffee in hand, nodding at Lillian encouragingly, "Go on."
Lillian's lips pressed together tightly as she looked at her friends; closing her eyes as if steeling herself for a great decision, she blurted out, "I got married!"
"What?" As expected, Wendy couldn't contain her shock and exclaimed, "Married?"
Her shriek garnered the attention of others. She composed herself a bit and asked, “Who did you marry?"
Angela was clearly taken aback as well, straightening up from the couch in disbelief, and asked, "Are you serious?"
Lillian nodded gravely, "Yes. I married Mr. Sinclair."
"Ah? Alexander Sinclair?" Wendy's voice rose again in disbelief, "You married Alexander Sinclair?"
Lillian jumped with fright and sat down beside her, clasping a hand over her mouth and whispering urgently, "Calm down! Just calm down!"
Wendy removed Lillian's hand, her eyes alight with surprise and disbelief as she asked again, "Lillian, did you really marry Alexander? Alexander Sinclair, the richest man in Rihegde, from the Sinclair family? Are you serious?"
Lillian gave a small nod.
"Oh my god! Lillian, that’s amazing! How did you manage to marry him?" Wendy's eyes were again filled with admiration.
Angela yanked Wendy's head away and asked sternly, "What's going on here?"
Lillian briefly recounted the events to them.
"That's outrageous!" Wendy slammed her hand on the table, visibly upset.
Angela couldn't stay calm either, fuming, "Adam is such a jerk, a bastard. He deserves to die!"
Lillian was touched by their concern but couldn't help consoling them, "Don't be angry. I haven't been mistreated. Our contract is just for a year and it'll pass quickly."
Angela poked Lillian's forehead in frustration, "Silly girl, after your divorce in a year, it'll be tough for you to find a boyfriend!" She added, "And I bet his parents are going to want grandkids. If even your husband starts scheduling that, you'll have no choice but to bear him a child!"
"Really?" Lillian rubbed her forehead, "I thought that was just something he said to placate his mother."
"Lillian," Wendy interjected seriously, "you shouldn’t be worrying about these things now. You're married, and that's unchangeable. Shouldn't you rather be thinking about the sixty-six thousand dollars? Do you really intend to pay him back in instalments over thirty years? Once you're no longer husband and wife, will he agree to that?"
"I don't see it that way. In Rihegde, the Sinclair family is powerful. Why would they hound Lillian over a sum of money?" Angela countered Wendy's point.
"Lisa is just awful! She's such a miser, shameless!" After berating Adam, Wendy started on Lisa.
Angela waved a hand dismissively and said to Lillian, "You can take your time thinking about how to repay the money. It needs careful planning." She then looked at Wendy and continued, "Today is Christmas Eve. Let's enjoy ourselves thoroughly and set aside all troubles."
"Yeah!" They all agreed enthusiastically.
Together they browsed the lively streets, devoured delicious food, purchased charming trinkets that girls adore, and reveled in the joy of the day. It wasn't until dusk fell and fireworks began to light up over the river that Lillian finally remembered to check the time.
"It's already past eight o'clock!" Lillian became anxious, fearing that if she returned late, Alexander would be unhappy.
"The movie doesn't start until 9:10 PM. We've got time," Wendy said nonchalantly.
Lillian didn't want to spoil the evening, but after hesitating for a moment, she spoke up, "Wendy, Angela, I really need to go back, it's getting late."
"Are you leaving so soon?" Wendy pouted, showing her displeasure, "We haven't even started watching the movie."
"Let's do it some other time," Angela suggested, "Let's go home. Lillian, how are you getting back?"
"By subway."
"You, a lady of such high society, taking the subway," Wendy teased, "You can just walk straight from here to the subway entrance. Make sure you let us know when you get home."
Lillian smiled helplessly, waved goodbye to them, and then left.
Angela and Wendy watched as Lillian's figure disappeared into the crowd, exchanged glances, and then they too walked away in another direction.
"Angela, what do you think about Lillian's marriage?" Wendy suddenly asked.
Angela paused for a moment before responding, "It's complicated. Even if Mr. Sinclair honors the one-year agreement, Lisa and Adam won't give up that cash cow so easily. They wouldn't dare cross Mr. Sinclair, so they'll only put the pressure on Lillian. They'll definitely cause her trouble in the future!"
"Poor Lillian," Wendy said with sympathy.
"Yeah," Angela responded, draping an arm over her shoulder, "We need to look after her more. She didn't tell us about such a big thing, and tonight, she was in a hurry to get back home just past eight. She may not complain, but I can tell she's not doing well at the Sinclair Villa."
"So what do we do?"
"All we can do is watch over her," Angela said helplessly, "You and I can't help her directly, so let's just silently support her from the background."
Wendy nodded emphatically.
Lillian hurried home and as soon as she entered, she saw Alexander lounging on the sofa, legs crossed, leisurely playing on his phone.
He seemed quite absorbed, so she didn't want to draw his attention and hugged the wall on her way to her room. In her mind, she repeated, 'Ignore me, ignore me...'
"Lillian?" Suddenly, a chilling voice startled her, sending a shiver down her spine. She stood pressed against the wall, forcing an unnatural smile, and asked, "Mr. Sinclair, why haven't you gone to sleep yet?"
"How could I possibly go to sleep before you got back?" Alexander said with a tinge of sarcasm.
"Mr. Sinclair, please feel free to give any instructions, but could you change your tone?" Lillian wanted to cry. She could tell that Alexander was angry.
"Do you still remember that I'm your boss? I thought by staying a few days at Sinclair Villa, you had become the master here!" Alexander said, his voice teasing. After speaking, he raised an eyebrow at her, his gaze sharp like a blade.
"Mr. Sinclair, I just went out to have some fun with a couple of girlfriends today. They are all women, and I did nothing to disgrace the Sinclair family," Lillian responded calmly.
