Chapter 92 She Must Be My Woman!
Debra's perfectly made-up face froze with fear.
"Are we that close? It's not cool to touch me like that," Eric said, pulling his arm away from Debra.
"Eric, I'm sorry. You're Edward's friend, so I see you as a brother. Nothing else," Debra quickly explained, worried he'd dislike her.
"You're his sister, not mine. Be more careful next time," Eric replied and walked away.
He was wearing clothes Lily had given him and didn't want them messed up.
Debra clenched her fists, almost drawing blood from her palms.
Suddenly, Eric stopped, one hand in his pocket, squinting at her.
Debra quickly put on a bright smile, her heart racing.
'See, Eric's cold on the outside but warm on the inside. He must care about me!'
"I really don't get you girls' fashion these days."
"What?" Debra was stunned.
"I've heard of lipstick, but not teeth-stick. This is new," Eric chuckled, walking away.
Debra rushed to the bathroom and saw her front teeth stained with lipstick.
"Ah!" she screamed in shame and anger, wanting to smash the mirror.
In the study, Eric walked in and sat on the sofa casually.
"Debra keeps clinging to me. Why don't these women have any sense? Lily would never act like that."
Edward, reviewing documents, glanced at Eric coldly. "What do you want?"
"Just checking on you, see if you've caught a cold," Eric said, pulling out a cigarette.
"You're quite pleased with yourself," Edward said, his face darkening.
"Not too bad. Better to get in the door than not at all," Eric said, blowing out smoke.
Edward's face tightened with anger.'I've been married to Lily for three years, got drenched in the rain last night, and took a hard slap. Compared to Eric, I'm not doing well.'
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
Eric put out the cigarette, took a deep breath, and walked over to Edward, leaning on the desk.
Edward's face was icy, meeting Eric's intense gaze.
"Edward, I will win Lily over. She will be mine," Eric said sharply.
'Edward treated Lily so poorly, making her suffer for three years and forcing her to divorce. Such a man could be a brother but not a husband. I was truly indignant!'
Edward's breath hitched, his knuckles white as he gripped the pen. "Don't forget, she's with Landon now."
"As long as she's not with you, it's fine," Eric shot back.
Edward's blood boiled, his breath trembling.
"Landon is single, and so is Lily. What's wrong with them being together?" Eric said, raising an eyebrow. "But you, you're about to marry Nicole. Why were you standing in the rain outside Lily's house?"
Edward's heart ached slightly. "I have my reasons."
"Edward, I don't care about your reasons. You have a fiancée, so stop bothering Lily," Eric said bluntly.
"From now on, I won't," Edward said, taking a deep breath. "But if you truly like her, don't add to her troubles. Everyone at Oasis Villa wants her as their daughter-in-law. Your presence might just complicate things."
"The Taylor family is wealthy, and the Clark family isn't?!" Eric snapped. "She won't marry Landon!"
"What did you say?" Edward leaned forward, catching the oddity in Eric's words. "What makes you say that?"
"I have my reasons. Her relationship with Landon isn't what you think! I don't believe she likes him. She's probably with him to spite you! If I were her, I'd find a new lover to show you that even after a divorce, someone still loves me!"Eric blushed and added, "And not just one!"
Last night, Eric couldn't stop thinking about Lily's words: "I won't love anyone except Edward, even after leaving him.."
'Why can't she love anyone else? Why not?!' But he wouldn't tell Edward that. Edward was already smug enough.
Edward felt a delayed shock, his heart tightening painfully. 'Is that how it is, Lily? Would you rather sacrifice a lifetime of happiness just to get back at me?'
The hotel was booming, with occupancy rates up 40% and the restaurant packed daily. The staff was energized, especially after Debra's public apology reassured them that Evelyn would stand up for them if mistreated. With such morale, how could they not work hard?
Evelyn sat in her office, beaming at the monthly financial report. The better she managed the hotel, the closer she got to the CEO position. She had always been ambitious, once trapped in mundane family chores, but now she was full of determination.
"Miss Taylor, Mr. Landon is here," William said, ushering Landon in.
"Landon!" Evelyn ran to him like a joyful butterfly, giving him a sweet hug.
"How are you? Tired lately?" Landon asked, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"Not at all. If I couldn't handle this, how will I survive as CEO?" Evelyn said, blinking her bright eyes. "Landon, I don't mean to push you out. If you want to continue, I'll gladly be your deputy, with no ulterior motives!"
"I'm just afraid you'll back out," Landon said, pinching her nose affectionately. "I'm worried you'll want to travel the world again, and I'll have to delay my retirement."
"I won't," Evelyn said, biting her lip. "I was too selfish before, only caring about my own happiness. I won't be childish anymore. I'm the daughter of the Taylor family, and I should take on its responsibilities."
Before she finished, Evelyn's phone rang. "Landon, wait a moment, I need to take this call."
It was May. Evelyn hesitated before answering, "May, hello."
"Mrs. Wellington," May said longingly.
"I've divorced Edward. Call me Lily from now on," Evelyn gently corrected her.
"I'm used to it. I can't change it, sorry, Ms. Brown."
"It's okay. What's up, May?"
"I used the needles you left for Mr. Wellington. His headache is really gone! And with the ointment you gave me, his bruises have faded!"
"Is that so? That's good," Evelyn said warmly, not wanting to talk about Edward. "May, I have some things to do. I'll contact you later, okay?"
"Mrs. Wellington!" May called out urgently. "Is there really no chance between you and Mr. Wellington?!"
Evelyn calmly replied, "No."
"Ever since you left, the house has been a mess. No one but me cares for Mr. Wellington. He doesn't listen when I tell him to take care of himself."
"He didn't listen when I told him either," Evelyn said with a faint smile. "You'll have to take care of him from now on."
"It's not just that. No one is looking after Molly either."
Evelyn thought of the adorable autistic girl, feeling a pang of worry.
"Mr. Patrick Wellington is too busy, Tiffany doesn't care, and Debra bullies Molly all the time. Molly is covered in injuries, all caused by Debra!"
May was almost in tears. "Mr. Wellington is always busy with work and never home. There's no one to protect Molly! I feel sorry for her, but I'm just a servant. What can I do?"
Evelyn's eyes turned red, clenching her fists tightly.
