“I’m called Renren.”
Lily raised an eyebrow at the mention of the name. However, she chose not to say anything and let Renren continue.
“I just turned 31 two months ago. Single and never had a girlfriend.”
Lily’s instantaneous soft giggle made the atmosphere lighter. Single and never had a girlfriend? Just what kind of man would say something like this when introducing themselves? Ah… she had stumbled into a clown! Lily awkwardly turned her giggles into coughs when she noticed the man eyeing her.
With the lights from the streets illuminating his face, Lily was able to partially see the man’s features. For a minute, she was speechless. This man’s face was very symmetrical! His prominent jaw was curved at the right places which immediately reminded her of Brad Pitt. Though she still could not see his face entirely, Lily knew that this new driver of hers was very good-looking. She woke up from her stupor when she noticed that the man was looking straight at her with an expression that she could not put a finger on. Just like a child caught stealing a candy, Lily immediately turned her eyes away from Renren.
“Ehem, eyes on the road,” she uttered, avoiding the man’s gaze. She instantly chastised herself for laughing at his words earlier. “Please drive faster… I have an emergency that I need to attend to.”
“Alright,” Zhuo Jingren answered calmly. For some reason, the nervousness that he felt earlier was now completely gone. In fact, he even felt comfortable in her presence. Zhuo Jingren did not hesitate to rev up the engine and hit the accelerator, picking up speed.
In less than fifteen minutes, the beetle arrived at the parking lot of Lily’s apartment. Without another word, she got out of the car and dashed towards the elevator with Zhuo Jingren in tow.
‘Ding’
Lily pressed the all too familiar button and tapped her key card at the card reader located right at the bottom of the elevator control panel. The elevator began to move, taking them to the top floor. “Why are you following me?” she asked Renren before slowly turning her head to face him. And what she saw did not disappoint her.
The man was more than a foot taller than her. He had short black hair and a pair of dark brown eyes which were framed by beautiful thick lashes. Lily watched as the man stared at her for a second before he answered, “Security protocol.”
Lily nodded approvingly at the Zhuo Jingren. He was her driver and security personnel so it was only reasonable for him to stay close to her until she gets home. As expected of an employee of the top security agency of the country.
Another awkward silence ensued inside the elevator. “Your car is too small,” Zhuo Jingren muttered in the most stoic voice that he could muster.
“Hmmm… you are too tall,” Lily answered almost immediately. “I will ask someone to deliver another car tomorrow,” she answered. Though she loved her beetle, it would be really unfair to her driver if he had to squeeze himself in her car all the time. Once again, a small smile escaped Lily’s lips when she thought about how the six foot two man beside her was struggling to fit into her beetle just moments ago.
Zhuo Jingren nodded in response. According to his intel, Lily had a collection of customized cars in her garage and she would never ride in any other car except in one of her own. However, his research also revealed that Lily had never driven a car before. If that was the case, then how was she able to ensure that her customization worked and was safe without testing them after that? Zhuo Jingren found this absolutely interesting. The woman was known to be extremely picky and would not even allow her maids to go inside her garage. He can’t help but wonder what could a small woman like her do in her garage alone.
‘Ding’
Lily once again tapped her key card at the card reader to open the elevator that immediately led her to the foyer of her apartment. Her brows scrunched up when she heard two distinct voices arguing. She strode towards the living room of her penthouse apartment.
“Lily is nothing like that!” Li Shanshan gritted her teeth while staring daggers at the woman across her. “If you are here just to insult…”
“I am not insulting her! I am merely speaking the truth! She came from a mental hospital and everyone in Europe will know that if she does not…”
“Threats?” Lily’s cold voice echoed inside the living room, interrupting Mrs. Arison. “I am not good with threats Mrs. Arison,” she said as she walked towards Li Shanshan.
“Lily… I… I did not mean it that way darling… I was just having a conversation with Shanshan…” Mrs. Arison gave a fake laugh, turning to look at Lily.
“I heard that Liam got into an accident?” Lily said, ignoring the woman’s words. “May I know why you are here instead of tending to your son in the hospital?”
“Lily!” A shocked expression flashed on Mrs. Arison’s face. Lily’s blunt words obviously surprised her. She remembered that whenever she visited the Facci Villa in the past, she would see how docile and sweet Lily was around her grandmother and she was always respectful towards her. Why was she disrespecting her now? Was it all an act in front of her grandmother? A facade?
Of course, Sofia Arison was unaware of Lily’s true nature, that was infamous in the business world. As someone who was born into a rich family and married rich as well, Sofia didn’t have to work or worry about money and was clueless about the business world. Moreover, Sofia couldn’t see through Lily’s ‘innocent’ smiles and thought that she was an easy prey. This was the reason why she worked so hard just to convince Old Madam Facci agree to have Lily marry Liam.
Who would have thought that Lily would cancel the wedding a month after her grandmother’s death?
Sofia was furious because she had worked hard to make this engagement happen. Disregarding her husband’s warnings, she sent her son to follow Lily to Hong Kong, hoping that the two could patch things up. And since that did not work out, Sofia decided to see Lily personally so that she could pressure her to continue with this engagement.
Lily was born to become an Arison. And no matter the cost, Sofia Arison would make sure that this will happen.
….
Editor: Swaning
