Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Different sides of the story
I called Alicia.
??No answer.
??I tried again.
??Still nothing.
??This ti, it went straight to voicemail.
??I assud she was angry and didn’t want to pick up.
??After a mont of hesitation, I typed a ssage:
??*"Lilian is severely injured. Her call earlier was a cry for help. I have an unavoidable responsibility and will stay with her tonight. We’ll talk tomorrow when I return. Please stay ho and wait for ."*
I sent the ssage.
??I stood outside for a while before returning to the hospital room.
??The next morning, I checked my phone and opened my chat with Alicia.
??No reply.
??I stepped into the hallway and called her again.
??Still turned off.
??I paused for a mont, then dialed Maria’s number.
??"Sir, is there sothing you need?" she answered.
??"Maria, can you hand the phone to Alicia. I need to speak with her."
??"Sure."
??A few minutes passed.
??When she returned, her voice sounded careful—almost helpless.
??"Sir... Miss Alicia said she won’t speak to you."
??I fell silent.
??Then I said quietly,
??"If she won’t answer, then so be it."
??---
??Before long, Lilian woke up.
??Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was
standing by her bedside.
??Relief spread across her face imdiately.
??She reached for my hand.
??I didn’t pull away.
??I sat down beside her.
??"How are you feeling?" I asked.
??"It hurts..." Lilian’s voice was weak.
??"I’ll call the doctor," Kendra said quickly.
??But Lilian tightened her grip on my hand.
??"Alexander..."
??Her voice trembled.
??"I was so scared. Why didn’t you answer my call yesterday? I thought... you didn’t love
anymore."
??Her eyes filled with tears.
??"I was trapped. The fire was everywhere. I kept screaming, but no one ca. It hurt so much... I thought I was going to die."
??She swallowed shakily.
??"If you didn’t love
anymore... I thought maybe it was better to just die there."
??A faint shift passed through my expression.
??But inside, there was no real emotional reaction.
??I simply said,
??"Don’t think like that. I just didn’t hear it."
??Lilian tightened her grip again.
??"It’s not your fault... just stay with , Alexander. You will stay, won’t you?"
??"Don’t talk too much," I replied calmly. "Focus on resting. You need to recover."
??A faint smile ford on her lips.
??"As long as you’re here... I’ll heal."
??The doctor entered the room shortly after.
??I stepped out to give them space
Around 10 AM, Kendra had already arranged for visitors to co.
It wasn’t a small matter when a model was injured during a live production, especially since the investors were from Arclaire Entertainnt Group, and the injured person was Lilian. The crew had been extrely proactive in coordinating everything with Kendra.
Five people arrived to visit—an assistant director, a representative from the production company, Aiden, and two other models.
When they entered and saw , the assistant director stepped forward first.
"CEO Blackwood."
The others quickly followed.
"CEO Blackwood."
"I didn’t expect you to be here," the assistant director said carefully. "Are you here visiting Miss Lilian?"
"Yes," I replied. "I’ll step outside for a bit. Don’t let
interrupt you. Please go ahead."
I left the room to give them space.
I walked around outside for a while.
After so ti, I assud the group would be leaving soon, so I turned back toward the room.
As I passed a corner in the hallway, I overheard a conversation between the production representative and Aiden.
"You weren’t there at the ti, right?" the production staff asked. "It shouldn’t have been that serious, should it?"
Aiden recalled the incident slowly.
"Everyone was really panicked at the ti. But thankfully, the rescue team got there quickly, so the fire didn’t spread much."
He paused.
"When I was pulled out, I only rember her left pant leg being burned. I didn’t see any other major injuries, though I might have missed sothing."
The production representative frowned slightly.
"Maybe you didn’t miss anything."
He lowered his voice.
"I heard the sa thing from others—the skin underneath was fine, and only the outer clothing was damaged. How serious could it really have been?"
He gave a small, dismissive laugh.
"These days, talent agencies know how to exaggerate situations for publicity."
"If Lilian’s dical report gets released, fans will probably attack the production team. It’ll turn into a sympathy campaign for her."
He clicked his tongue.
"They already told her to be careful."
I stood still.
Listening.
"Let’s not talk about this," Aiden said calmly. "Regardless of the reasons, her injury is a fact. That’s still a production oversight. Director Holland is staying positive, and we’ll cooperate fully."
??One of the producers added, lowering his voice slightly.
??"I heard CEO Blackwood stayed at the hospital all night because of it. Seems like he really cares about Miss Lilian."
??Aiden gave a small nod.
??"That’s rare, indeed."
??No one said anything further.
??Shortly after, the remaining crew mbers returned, and the group left together.
??I watched their retreating figures for a long mont, deep in thought.
??Sothing didn’t sit right.
??Aiden’s version of events was completely different from Kendra’s.
??Aiden said the rescue had been quick and controlled.
??Kendra insisted there had been major delays due to production negligence.
??Aiden and the producer both claid the burns were mostly limited to the left leg and not severe.
??But Kendra had said Lilian suffered burns over more than twenty percent of her body.
??Two completely different accounts.
??And from the producer’s tone earlier, it almost sounded like Lilian’s condition might not have been entirely accidental—or at least not as straightforward as it was being presented.
??Logic told
not to jump to conclusions.
??But Alicia’s status update suddenly flashed through my mind again, disturbing my judgnt.
??I searched online for footage of the incident.
??Most clips were short—too chaotic to understand clearly.
??Flas.
??Smoke.
??People shouting.
??Then the screen cutting off.
??After a mont of silence, I called Jane.
??"Jane, send
the full footage of Lilian’s injury."
??"Understood, CEO Blackwood. I’ll retrieve it imdiately."
??I ended the call.
??Then I dialed Michael Livingston.
??"Hello, Alexander," Michael answered. "You were looking for ?"
??"Yes." My voice was steady. "I need to ask you sothing. And I want the truth."
??"Alright," he replied cautiously. "Ask."
??"Who told you to co find
yesterday?"
??Silence.
??A pause stretched between us.
??"Who told you Lilian’s injuries were serious enough to pull
away?"
??Michael didn’t respond.
??My expression cooled slightly.
??"Michael," I said calmly, "I know you’re close to Lilian. But you should be careful who you trust."
??He quickly spoke up.
??"Alexander, bro, don’t say that. Of course I see you as a friend."
??"Then answer ."
??Another pause.
??"Before I do," Michael said slowly, "I have a question."
??"Ask."
??"After you left yesterday... Alicia said she’s your wife. That you two are married. Is that true?"
??A brief silence.
??"Yes," I said quietly.
??Michael froze.
??"Bro... what? Since when? Why didn’t I know about this?"
??"Two years ago."
??His voice rose slightly.
??"Two years ago?"
??Then he hesitated.
??"...So what you’re saying is... Alexander, you’re cheating?"
??My expression didn’t change.
??"Answer my question first. Who told you to co yesterday? Who told you about Lilian’s condition?"...Michael exhaled sharply.
??"I’ll tell you—but don’t expose ."
??A pause.
??"...It was Lilian."
??My eyes darkened slightly.
??"Lilian?"....
??
Reviews
All reviews (0)