Chapter 416
She hugged me tight. "I'll try to talk to her first. If that doesn't work, I'll have to avoid her. Once the plan kicks off, I'll need to lay low for a bit. You gotta take good care of Amelia!"
I sighed, "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her."
Before I left Katherine's office, she dropped a cryptic line, "This time, don't rush. What you see and hear might not be the truth. Be patient!"
I nodded. She'd said this before, and because I didn't get it, Jenny ended up in trouble again.
I thought, 'Is this about Jenny again?'
I really wanted to ask her why she couldn't just spell it out. Guessing was so draining.
But I knew Katherine's temper. If she didn't want to say, asking wouldn't help.
If she wanted to, she'd tell me without me asking.
Back in my office, I saw someone busy at work. Who else but Nicole!
Nicole asked softly, "Mr. Cena, you're back."
I sneered, "Who let you into my office?"
"Mr. Cena, I miss you!"
Nicole came closer, and I quickly raised my hand to stop her. "Nicole, wait, you can't just say stuff like that."
"Mr. Cena!" Nicole pouted and blinked her big eyes. "Don't you miss me?"
"No."
I snorted and went back to my seat. Nicole obediently followed, kneeling in front of me and skillfully serving me.
"Mr. Cena, I behaved while you were away!"
She mumbled as she worked.
I patted her face. "Go lock the door!"
She quickly ran to lock the door and then came back.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked.
"No, I really don't. I just want to serve Mr. Cena well."
Kneeling there, she looked like a little puppy begging for attention.
Even when I was away from Sevan City, she sent me photos and videos every day without fail.
"Can a flirt like you hold back?"
"I can hold back as long as I think of Mr. Cena!"
"How's Lucas doing?"
"I've got him under control. He listens to me now and does whatever I tell him to," she said proudly.
"Good, not bad!"
"Mr. Cena, don't you need an assistant? Can I be your assistant?"
"Isn't being a leader in the marketing department good?"
"No, I just want to stay by your side and serve you well."
I didn't believe her. Nicole must have been struggling in the marketing department. I'd already sidelined her, and no one paid attention to her.
As a deputy director, her authority was even less than that of a team leader.
But being an assistant to the vice president was different. She'd have power in every department, and others would treat her with respect.
However, Charlotte wasn't suitable for the assistant role either. Nicole, though flirtatious and lacking ability. But I just needed a puppet.
"Let's see how you behave." I decided to test her for a few days.
Nicole worked even harder. "Okay, I'll do my best!"
After some interaction, Nicole took a sip of water and carefully cleaned me up.
"Mr. Cena, did I do well?"
I responded, "Not bad!"
"I'll keep it up and do even better next time."
"You should go now. It wouldn't be good if someone saw you."
She licked her lips, seemingly unsatisfied. "Okay. If you need anything, just message me!"
With that, she swayed her hips and left.
I checked the time. It was almost eleven. I took a cab to the Pearl Tower in Sevan City and booked a private room at the Crystal Cove Club.
Looking at the view below, I waited for Lily.
About twenty minutes later, she showed up.
She had light makeup on and had redone her hair, looking much prettier.
Compared to a month ago, she had this kind of morbid beauty that I had only seen in Abigail before.
I didn't think it was a good thing.
"You're here, have a seat!"
She nodded and sat across from me, very poised, devoid of her earlier arrogance. She appeared guarded, as if afraid of provoking my ire.
I felt really uncomfortable.
"What's happened to you?"
I didn't ask if she was okay because just seeing her, I knew she wasn't.
She lowered her head. "Do I look uglier?"
I forced a smile. "No! You've lost weight!"
After a few words, I didn't know what to say. I racked my brain, and she said, "Congrats on your promotion!"
"Thank you," I said, and the atmosphere fell silent again.
We didn't speak until the food arrived. It wasn't awkward, just that we didn't know what to say.
"Let's eat."
I poured her a glass of red wine.
"Thank you!" Lily nodded, looking very restrained.
The oppressive atmosphere was unbearable. I took a deep breath. "Let's talk like we used to. Seeing you like this makes me uncomfortable."
Lily was stunned, then smiled bitterly. "Better not. I know how unreasonable I used to be."
I forced myself to ask, "Did something happen to you? Or is it because of me? If so, I apologize. I didn't expect to hurt you so much."
Lily smiled. "It's a good thing. At least it made me see myself clearly."
I still felt uncomfortable, so I said, "Let's be honest. I didn't add your contact before, because..."
Before I could finish, Lily interrupted, "Is it because of Eloise?"
I nodded. "Yes!"
"I've cut ties with her," Lily said.
I was shocked. "Weren't you best friends?"
Lily said, "We used to be! Her kindness to me went beyond that of a normal friend. Do you understand what I mean?"
"You mean she likes you?"
I was stunned. No wonder I always felt Eloise was overly nice to Lily. What kind of friend would be so clingy? It was all for herself.
"Yes! Her possessiveness is too strong!"
Lily looked at me with guilt. "I'm sorry for making you suffer."
I shook my head. "It's all in the past."
"Can we get back together?" She looked at me with a mix of hope and fear.
I thought, 'Reject her again?'
I sighed, holding her hand. "We can, but you have to tell me what's really going on."
Neither Eloise nor I could have caused Lily to be like this.
I also noticed that Lily was wearing ordinary clothes and carrying a regular bag.
A girl who had been pampered and received a noble education couldn't possibly dress like this.
Since I met her, she always wore branded clothes, and her bags were worth half my annual salary. She used high-end perfumes.
So this was too unusual.
My intuition told me she was hiding something.
"Nothing, really!"
"Then we have nothing to talk about." I withdrew my hand. "Without basic trust, what's the point of getting back together?"
"But there's really nothing." As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
I shook my head, walked over, and gently hugged her. She was so light, she had lost a lot of weight!
I felt heartbroken. "Tell me, what happened?"
She buried her face in my chest. "My family went bankrupt!"
I frowned. Lily's family went bankrupt.
"What's going on?"
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