Chapter 45 Conspiracy
"And I was worried I couldn't handle Lisa, and if he didn't know about it, he'd end up blaming me anyway."
Angela said, "Lisa and Adam don't believe you, so why don't you just pretend in front of them? Like today, you could've just told them, 'My husband's not home, so you'll have to come back later.' Show some assertiveness and they won't dare to mess with you. Right now, they see you as a cash cow, and they don't want to offend you."
Lillian pondered quietly, looking down in silence.
"It's just that you're too honest and straightforward, but that won't do in this case," Angela continued. "They're fully prepared to rely on you, so you need to have some strategies of your own."
Angela was right. Lillian was too soft-hearted and indecisive. She trembled in fear when speaking with Alexander and whatever she said, Lisa wouldn't believe her. In the end, she was the one who suffered.
"So, play it by ear?" Lillian asked with a downcast expression, "I'm not smart enough, afraid of being scolded."
"Practice brings wisdom. You'll have to figure it out as you go," Angela said, resting her arm on the table and studying Lillian intently, frowning slightly in serious thought. "Do you think, with your looks, you could win over Alexander?"
Lillian spit out her coffee in a spray.
"Hey! My wool carpet!" Angela exclaimed, hastily wiping it with paper towels.
"Angela, I'm sorry, it's just that your question was so odd," Lillian said with an apologetic smile, wiping her mouth.
Angela gave her a stern look. "Odd? You two live together every day. It's not strange for feelings to develop over time. Did you really need such a strong reaction?"
Lillian sighed. "You don't know how much he dislikes me!"
"Dislikes you a lot?" Angela asked anxiously. "Has he hit you?"
"Oh, no, nothing like that. He just punishes me with chores and is very sharp-tongued with me. He's quick to anger, and if I say something wrong, he'll erupt," Lillian recalled with a shiver, "Let's not talk about him anymore."
Angela looked at her worriedly, at a loss for words. What kind of life was Lillian leading? It seemed very tough.
"With such a good nature, he still dislikes you?" Angela asked, puzzled. "I think he probably lumps you in with Lisa and the rest, and that's why he treats you this way."
"Then if he knows how despicable Adam is and doesn't like it, why did he marry me? Do you think he's got a disorder? What's he up to?"
Lillian was annoyed just thinking about it, she always felt this arrangement was doing neither of them any good.
"What he's up to, we probably won't know, but there must be a reason," Angela said, gazing at Lillian's radiant face. She patted her shoulder firmly and added, "Maybe you look a lot like someone he loved. You might just be a substitute!"
Lillian scoffed, "I don't think so. If he wanted a substitute, it'd be easy peasy. I have a feeling it's not that simple."
Angela noticed Lillian deep in thought and playfully nudged her. "Quit racking your brain if you can't figure it out. Better spend that energy figuring out how to outsmart your aunt."
"Man, now whenever she calls me, my heart skips a beat," Lillian said as she casually swiped through her phone.
In their besties' group chat, Wendy sent out an SOS.
Wendy: [Guys, I'm stuck. My mom's pushing me into another blind date. Come find me at the Peninsula Cafe.]
"Oh look, Wendy's on the dating scene again," Lillian said with a chuckle. "She wants us to go rescue her."
Angela snorted, "She's even more naive than you. What kind of guy is going to be a match for her?"
"She'll find someone eventually," Lillian teased. "Look who's talking! At least she's trying. You? Buried in work and practically a stranger to men."
"I'm career-driven, not naive like Wendy," Angela stood up from the floor and started rummaging through her closet for clothes. "Let's head out today and see what kind of guys Wendy's been meeting."
"Her parents are both college professors, so they tend to set her up with guys from the education field. She told me her last date with a gym teacher nearly knocked her out. The guy's muscles scared her so much she almost fainted on the spot."
"Wendy is truly a romantic at heart," Lillian observed. "I bet she'd like someone like your husband. Tall, rich, and handsome – exactly her type."
"That would be awesome! I should introduce them sometime."
"Dope, I meant check out Alexander's friends to find someone suitable for Wendy, not your husband, you goof!"
Lillian smirked, "Wow, you think highly of me."
They had intended to leave right after breakfast, but Lillian underestimated Angela's dawdling—it took another hour before they finally left the house.
An impatient Wendy kept texting in the group chat:
Wendy: [Are you two ever going to make it? The guy's gone, and you're still not here.]
Angela, driving leisurely, replied.
Angela: [What's the rush? We're almost there.]
Lillian gazed out the car window, muttering to herself that Angela obviously wasn't the one waiting.
At the Peninsula Cafe, Wendy sat by the window. Seeing Angela's car lazily pull into a parking spot, she turned her head away in displeasure.
The two friends sat down, and Lillian asked, "So, how did it go? What's the guy like?"
Wendy shook her head, "Not telling. You were late!"
Angela tossed her car keys on the table, dismissive. "Doesn't matter; I already figured. You wouldn't be here fuming if it had gone well. You would've messaged us right away."
"Just so you know," Wendy said to her, "you treat Lillian and me a treat at a fancy restaurant!"
"Of course," Angela casually flagged down a waiter.
Wendy ordered a lot of food and as she ate, she complained, "I don't know why my mom is in such a hurry, always trying to set me up with guys. I like them handsome, but why does she keep introducing me to these not-so-good-looking ones? It's driving me crazy!"
She lifted her phone to show them.
Lillian and Angela couldn't help but burst into giggles at the sight of the man in the photo; he was indeed quite unattractive, even looked significantly older, almost as old as her father.
"See what I mean? And my mom says he's steady, doesn't cause trouble, pretty good in her book," Wendy shook her head with a sigh.
When close friends get together, there's always an endless supply of conversation, laughter, and stress relief, which made them all feel much better.
Suddenly, someone stood by their table with a teasing tone, "Well, if it isn't Mrs. Sinclair. Where's Alexander?"
The three girls looked over, puzzled.
Lillian's expression faltered as she recognized the person and courteously said, "Mr. Nelson, what a coincidence."
