If you recite song lyrics to someone you like, it’s a subtle way of confessing your feelings, making it a beautiful and thrilling moment. But if you do it for someone you don’t care for, or worse, someone you dislike, it’s like performing a farce just for their amusement. For Lily Bennett, this was one of those forced farces. Still, if this ordeal meant she wouldn’t have to see Maxwell Thornton again, then so be it.
Lily turned to Maxwell, "If I sing, will you step outside so we can talk?"
Maxwell nodded without any hesitation.
Lily stood up. “Alright then!”
The people in the room eagerly awaited Lily's choice of song, but she took a while to make her selection. Finally, she asked the attendant, “Could you select ‘La Traviata’ for me?”
Maxwell was speechless, Are you seriously going to sing opera to me?
The attendant looked at Lily apologetically, “I’m sorry, but that song isn’t in our library.”
A man sitting across from them, holding a microphone, smiled warmly and addressed the room.
"We've had enough singing for now. This is the first time our Chairman Thornton has brought his girlfriend here, so she doesn’t have to sing, but she must drink with us."
Girlfriend?!!!
Lily awkwardly waved her hands in denial, “Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not Mr. Thornton’s girlfriend.”
“She’s my fiancée,” Maxwell interjected with a smile.
Immediately, one of the men handed Lily a glass of wine, sweetly saying, “Then we should call you sister-in-law! Please join us for a toast, sister-in-law.”
He downed his glass in one go. All eyes were on Lily, waiting for her to do the same. Knowing she couldn’t refuse in Maxwell’s territory, and since she could handle her liquor, she planned to drink the glass and then leave. But before she could, Maxwell reached out and took the glass from her hand.
“She’ll be driving me home later, so I’ll drink on her behalf.”
Maxwell downed the wine in one gulp, while everyone else looked on in admiration. Lily, trying to explain herself, spoke up again, “I really am not Mr. Thornton’s fiancée...”
“We understand, sister-in-law. Just make sure to take good care of Maxwell’s health. He has a sensitive stomach,” the man said with a bright smile.
Realizing that no explanation would make a difference, Lily turned to Maxwell and said, “Can we go outside and talk?”
Maxwell casually played with a lock of Lily’s hair, wrapping it around his finger lazily. Annoyed, Lily furrowed her brow and grabbed Maxwell’s hand, pulling him out of the room. Maxwell followed her without resistance but not before instructing Simon, “Take my wife’s bouquet to the car.”
Lily froze, staring blankly at the man in front of her. Wasn’t that bouquet from him? How did it suddenly become something I gave him? How thick-skinned can one person be?
In the background, envious voices chimed in, “Wow, look how much Chairman Thornton’s wife loves him. She must have put in a lot of effort to fold such a bouquet.”
In the hallway, Lily slammed her hand against the railing in frustration.
“Maxwell Thornton, did I offend your ancestors or something? Just tell me, what do you want from me?”
Lily’s eyes, clear and innocent like a doe’s, stared intently at Maxwell. “I didn’t leak your medical information, and the news articles have all been taken down. In a month, people will have forgotten about this.”
Maxwell watched her quietly, and after a moment of silence, he slowly said, “I’m hungry.”
Lily felt her frustration boiling over, to the point where it was making her physically ill. She glared at Maxwell. Before she could say anything, Maxwell wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in close, whispering softly:
“What do you want to eat?”
His voice, rich and alluring, seemed to hold a powerful charm. Lily had to concentrate hard to push him away. Despite her anger, her tone carried a hint of resignation, almost pleading.
“Did you say something to the department head? Why haven’t I had a single patient in my clinic these past few days? Are you trying to cut off my livelihood? If this keeps up, I won’t even have water to drink. Mr. Thornton, I can’t handle your pressure. Please, just let me go.”
“I’ll take care of you, okay?”
Maxwell’s deep, dark eyes, like an endless ocean, gazed steadily into Lily’s.
In all her years, this was the first time Lily Bennett had ever heard a man say he wanted to take care of her, and with such seriousness that it left no room for doubt. She looked at Maxwell Thornton’s eyes, trying to discern any hidden intent, but all she could see was genuine sincerity. Turning away to compose herself, she let out a small, mocking laugh before speaking.
“I have my own hands and feet; I don’t need someone to take care of me.”
Maxwell’s expression darkened. “If not that, then I’ll love you.”
“I’m not a pet that needs someone’s love.”
Maxwell hadn’t expected Lily to be so stubborn, outright rejecting his feelings. Ignoring her words, he instead asked, “You can drive, can’t you?”
Lily, determined to keep her distance, coldly responded, “No, I don’t know how to drive.”
Maxwell sighed and shook his head. “If you drive me home, you’ll have more time to discuss your work at the hospital. If not, I’ll manage on my own.”
With that, Maxwell turned to leave, but Lily quickly grabbed his hand. She held out her hand toward him.
“Give me the car keys!”
Placing the keys in her palm, Maxwell’s cool fingers lightly brushed against her skin. She immediately withdrew her hand and turned to head to the elevator. Once they reached the parking lot, Maxwell settled into the passenger seat while Lily fastened her seatbelt and started the car. But before Maxwell could secure his seatbelt, the engine abruptly stalled. Although Lily had had her driver’s license for a while, she didn’t own a car and usually relied on public transportation. Emily Hayes had suggested multiple times that Lily buy a car, but she always declined. She didn’t even want a motorbike, let alone a car, knowing how costly they were to maintain.
Embarrassed, Lily twisted the key again, glancing at Maxwell, who seemed perfectly at ease as he buckled his seatbelt. Her momentary distraction caused her to release the clutch too quickly, stalling the car once more. Maxwell turned his head, his voice tinged with doubt.
“Do you really know how to drive?”
“I know a little, but I’ve never driven a car this high-end before.” Lily’s face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to start the car again.
The proud and composed doctor had now vanished, replaced by a flustered and clumsy woman, which brought a smile to Maxwell’s face.
“It’s okay, take your time. If you really can’t drive, we’ll just sleep in the car tonight.”
Spend the night in the car with a man? What a miserable thought.
Finally, with great effort, Lily managed to get the car running, but she accidentally stepped on the gas too hard, causing the car to lurch forward like a released arrow.
“I didn’t mean to…” Lily’s hands gripped the steering wheel in panic, her fingers turning white from the pressure.
Maxwell leaned over, placing his hand over her delicate one, his deep voice reassuring her.
“It’s okay, the car is fully insured.”
Lily didn’t dare pull her hand away, noting how calm Maxwell remained. He gently reminded her, “Keep your position steady, don’t move.”
With that, he softly patted her hand, his thumb lightly rubbing her knuckles, helping guide her in the right direction.
For the first time, Lily quietly murmured, “Thank you,” to the Thornton Chairman.
“It’s nothing. Now, ease off the gas and lightly press the brake. You were over the speed limit on that last stretch.”
With that, Maxwell released her hand. The second time they touched wasn’t bad—better than the first, in fact.
Lily glanced at Maxwell. “If you know how to drive, why don’t you just drive yourself home?”
Before she could finish, Maxwell interrupted, “It’s against the law to drink and drive.”
What about your assistant? Lily bit her lip, turning the wheel to the left. Watching her precise and graceful maneuvering, Maxwell smirked, recognizing that she had definitely driven a luxury car before, despite her earlier lie.
Though securely buckled in, Maxwell had no trouble leaning over to plant a quick kiss on Lily’s cheek. His warm breath brushed against her face, leaving her momentarily stunned, her legs going weak. With no control, the car suddenly collided with the median barrier, resulting in a loud crash.
“Thud!”