My legs are strong enough now, and I slowly got into the car by myself.
After he got in from the other side, I turned to him and finally had the chance to ask, "Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you not to get involved in this matter? It might just end up causing trouble."
Daniel instructed the driver to head to the Holburne, and then answered my question.
"I went out to do so work in the morning, and after finishing, I checked the ti and figured you’d be wrapping up soon. So, I thought of coming over to check on you and maybe have a al together once you’re done. But the mont I arrived, I saw those people from the Gordon Family surrounding you aggressively. Your legs haven’t fully recovered; if anything happened, it could lead to a secondary injury, making things more complicated. I panicked and rushed over..."
So that’s what happened.
I was deeply grateful in my heart, yet felt uneasy about Daniel’s actions.
"Thank you for showing up in ti to help out, but... you shouldn’t have said those things to Adrian Gordon just now. Everyone in the Gordon Family is like a mad dog now, attacking whoever they can. I just got divorced, and you announced publicly that we’re getting married. If soone twists the story, it’s bound to cause you trouble. Especially with Adrian Gordon being sick now, and all the ongoing disputes within the Gordon Family, it might seem like you’re taking advantage of them."
Daniel wasn’t too concerned, and he smiled lightly: "When I decided to pursue you, I already considered these issues. If I were afraid of such trouble, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to get close to you."
Gone to such lengths...
I mulled over his words, thinking he’s really becoming less discreet.
I was full of worries, but at that mont, looking into his passionate and sincere eyes, I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything to dampen the mood.
The atmosphere grew quiet. Seeing silent, he reached over, gently holding my hand in his palm.
"Didn’t your friend say today’s a day worth celebrating? You should be happier, not looking so worried."
"Hmm..." I looked at him and tried to smile.
His grip on my hand was warm and dry, making it hard to let go.
Yet inside, I was still weighed down with a sense of unease.
Daniel treated to lunch, saying it wasn’t right for a lady to pay; it wasn’t decent, nor gentlemanly.
It was his first official al with my friends, and there was a feeling like we were announcing sothing by hosting.
Wennie Lane was bold; she imdiately asked Daniel if his "revolution" had succeeded, scaring enough to raise my hand to smack her.
Daniel was friendly, looking at with a smile, and tossed the ball back, "That depends on how Lily Miller sees it. I, for one, think I’ve succeeded."
"Wow~" Wennie Lane raised her eyebrows and imdiately teased , "You’ve been hiding this from ? Are we still best friends or not?"
I was startled and looked at Daniel, feeling both shy and resentful, "When did it succeed? How co I didn’t know?"
Daniel sipped his tea with an elegant motion, smiling shyly while speaking unabashedly: "I held your hand and you didn’t pull away—isn’t that enough?"
"Wow—you two held hands? Besides that, have you already...?" Wennie Lane got even more excited, pouting as she made a kissing gesture.
"Wennie! That’s enough!" My face turned beet red, both angry and embarrassed, and this ti I truly reached out, but she dodged with a laugh.
When I turned back, Daniel was watching , a smile at the corners of his eyes filled with a mischievous allure.
He might not have directly answered Wennie’s question, but his look, his expression, was so full of hormones that anyone with eyes could see.
"Oh~ I get it, I get it!" Wennie imdiately caught on, getting even more excited and couldn’t help gossiping, "Who made the first move?"
I thought of Daniel saying how I took advantage when drunk before, supposedly kissing him and praising his soft lips—and I instantly felt overwheld, instinctively commanding him: "Don’t say it! We can’t talk about this anymore!"
Daniel indeed kept quiet, but the warmth in his gaze grew.
Wennie, being quite sharp, understood almost instantly, her expression becoming excitedly spectacular.
"Lily! You’re being so unfair! You two have progressed this far, and not a word to !"
"No, that’s a misunderstanding, an accident." I tried to explain futilely, then rembered Wennie had suggested the birthday party, so I quickly redirected, "You have so nerve! It’s all because of you, you know that?"
"What does that have to do with ? You two liked each other on your own. I never played matchmaker."
"If it weren’t for you that night—" I almost said it, but thankfully caught myself before the words slipped out.
If Wennie knew Daniel and I "crossed the line" on my birthday and that he stayed to look after my drunk self, she’d definitely go even more crazy with excitent.
Being alone for a night would make anyone assu sothing happened.
If that was the case, it’d be even harder to explain.
Seeing my sudden silence, Wennie’s gossip was piqued, and she quickly probed, "What about ? Finish what you were saying."
"Not talking about it, ti to eat! I’m hungry!"
"Co on, cliffhangers are the worst."
"Not saying it, just to let you suffer."
As we bantered back and forth, Daniel quietly observed, while Cherry laughed till she fell onto the table beside us.
Even after the al, I didn’t satisfy my friend’s curiosity, stubbornly refusing to talk.
She even wanted to dig into the details of the "kiss" between Daniel and , but I kept my lips sealed.
After eating, Wennie stayed at her restaurant, Cherry went back to work, and Daniel drove ho.
As soon as we got into the car and shut the door, the lively noise stopped abruptly.
The car turned quiet, leaving just the two of us in the backseat, making the atmosphere suddenly feel awkwardly intimate.
Thinking of my newfound freedom, Daniel would surely make further moves or gestures, pressing to recognize our relationship sooner, stirred both nervousness and excitent within .
The car was so silent it was unsettling.
Trying to conceal my fidgetiness, I turned to look out the window, pretending to be interested in the scenery.
But out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Daniel watching , unsure if he was staring at my face or sharing the view.
Finally, after an unknown amount of ti, my hand was enveloped by a dry warmth. The unexpected touch made flinch, instinctively pulling away a bit.
"What are you daydreaming about? Weren’t you looking really happy during lunch?" Daniel ignored my dodging, gently holding my hand tighter.
Recalling his words about holding hands aning accepting the relationship, I suddenly felt like retreating, so I subtly twisted my hand free from his grasp.
"Not unhappy, just ate too much, feeling sleepy..."
While replying, I withdrew my hand and fiddled with my hair as a distraction.
Daniel watched , seeming to smile slightly, and gently teased in a low voice, "The little turtle retreating into its shell again."
I blushed even deeper from his teasing, my cheeks burning on both sides.
Luckily, Daniel didn’t push further—instead, he shifted the topic, "Any plans for New Year’s? lissa and so friends arranged a gathering for the countdown; wanna go have so fun?"
New Year’s?
I turned to look at him, suddenly rembering New Year’s was just two days away.
Ti flies.
"I haven’t decided yet; I’ve been quite busy lately, and because of my leg injury I fell behind at work." Now that my leg is getting better, I planned to return to work tomorrow and probably have to work extra hours for a while.
"It’s just the countdown. We can go after work; didn’t you always say no matter how busy, one must rest and balance work and play?"
He was convincing, leaving little room to refuse.
Yet I held my ground, finding another excuse: "I’m not fully recovered. It might not be safe to go where it’s crowded."
"Don’t worry, with around, you won’t get jostled."
"..."
"Or...you’re unwilling to walk openly with in public, afraid others will know about our relationship?"
"No, we are innocent; what am I afraid of!" I imdiately retorted, with confidence, but felt uncertain inside.
"Exactly, since we’re innocent, what are you afraid of? It’s just spending New Year’s Eve together; no one’s keeping you from going ho." He laughed again, with stars sparkling in his eyes, as if casting a spell on soone.
I glanced at him, swallowed, hesitated.
For so reason, I had a premonition that on New Year’s Eve...our relationship would surely make a breakthrough.
And I wasn’t ready yet.
"I’ve t your elders, your friends, so reciprocally—" he dragged out the tone, not finishing the sentence but making the aning clear.
I glanced at him, "I’ve also t your family, your friends, like Young Master Yates."
He nodded: "Exactly, so there’s no need to hide our relationship anymore. What are you still afraid of?"
"..." I was stumped by his question.
Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed the case.
Both our families and circles of friends practically knew about our ambiguous relationship, and avoiding it seed redundant now.
"Let’s see when the ti cos; if I’m not busy, I’ll go." In the end, I compromised in this tug-of-war.
When he took downstairs, Daniel initially wanted to get out of the car and accompany upstairs, but I stopped him.
"I can walk slowly with my leg now; I can go up by myself. You go ahead and focus on your work."
There was also a driver in the car.
But if we went upstairs, once we entered the house, it would only be the two of us.
Right now, I was really afraid of being alone with him, afraid that if he pushed a little harder, I would completely fall for him.
So I had to resist, had to persist.
Daniel seed to notice the turmoil and conflict within , saw my nervousness and fear, and smiled, rcifully letting go. "Okay, you go up by yourself; let know when you get ho."
I nodded, turned, and slowly walked away.
Once I was upstairs and inside the house, I obediently sent him a text, saying I was ho.
He replied with a single "Okay."
For so reason, I felt reluctant inside, and suddenly hurried to the balcony with the fastest pace I could muster, looking downstairs.
Just in ti to see the car that brought back slowly driving away.
I stared blankly at the car’s tail disappearing into the distance, my mood bittersweet, as if swallowing a half-ripe starfruit.
————
The news of my divorce finally spread in the circle.
Friends ca to congratulate , and Nora Saunders and Rachel Boone even ran to the company, using the excuse of a shareholder tour to demand that I treat them to a al.
But upon hearing that I had injured my knee and had trouble moving, they sympathetically suggested postponing it.
Calvin Yance also ca to see ; upon noticing I had been resting for almost a week and still walked awkwardly, he guiltily said, "Had I known, I wouldn’t have invited you to co along. I wanted you to relax, but instead, you got injured this badly."
Thinking of Cherry’s words to before, I intentionally kept my distance from him, "President Yance, don’t feel guilty; it’s my own carelessness, not your fault."
I thought to myself that it was karma—previously, I indirectly caused him to get his head split open by Shirley Turner and needed stitches; now, he indirectly caused to get injured, limping for half a month, which kind of evens things out.
But ultimately, it was my own fault.
At the ti, I was thinking of avoiding Daniel, so when Calvin invited , I didn’t hesitate much and went.
In the end, I couldn’t avoid it; in fact, because of my injury, Daniel’s ticulous care brought us closer.
If analyzed carefully, Calvin could still be called a divine facilitator.
"Preparations for Fashion Week need to start; after New Year’s, we have to go to Veyrona. Your leg..." Calvin’s gaze shifted downwards, his tone hesitant.
I glanced down at myself, straightforwardly said, "Don’t worry, it’s not a big issue."
"That’s good."
Cherry ca in, holding several sets of clothing samples; seeing my engagent at work, Calvin rose and excused himself.
Once the door to the studio was closed, Cherry quietly asked, "Ms. Lily, wasn’t I right? President Yance really cares about you."
I took the clothing samples from her hands, once again emphasizing, "Focus on your work!"
Cherry imdiately promised, "Okay, I won’t ntion this again."
Near the end of the workday, the lawyer called.
Had he not ntioned it, I would have almost forgotten about Amanda Gordon’s case.
"The court date is set for January tenth; prep your work accordingly, and be ready for the hostility from the Gordon Family."
This criminal lawyer was aware of my conflicts with the Gordon Family and Adrian, and prepared in advance.
I had been prepared for this. "Yes, understood, thank you."
The Gordon Family hates , without doubt.
From the day I left the court when Olivia Gray knelt down publicly to plead with , I didn’t change my decision, which surely intensified their hatred.
I’ve been cautious these days, worried that they would go to extres to retaliate against .
Yet everything remained calm.
I slowly relaxed, thinking maybe the Gordon Family was too occupied to deal with .
But as the saying goes, what must co cannot be avoided.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, while I was still asleep, the phone rang out.
In a daze, I answered it, only to hear Daniel’s warm tone slightly serious, "Lily, don’t go out today; avoid going to the company as well."
My mind buzzed, suddenly waking up, eyes wide open, asking anxiously, "Why? What’s going on?"
"There are so unfavorable comnts about you online; I’m handling it. Wait for my update, and just stay indoors."
Unfavorable comnts about ?
I imdiately thought of sothing, "Was it the Gordon Family?"
"It’s unclear yet; I’m having soone investigate."
Feeling uneasy, I got up imdiately, grabbed my tablet, logged into the social platform.
#Lily Miller, Chief Designer of Miller’s Couture, alleged affair with a mysterious tycoon.
#Forr mother-in-law knelt publicly, pleading for rcy, while ex-daughter-in-law coldly unresponsive.
In a glance, I saw several entries related to , most of them were slanderous accusations.
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