Chapter 304

At that moment, Mark was the perfect example of the saying that friends are meant to take the bullet for you.

He placed a firm hand on Finley's shoulder, his voice tinged with genial concern. "You don't get it, man. I'm worried that if I get a girlfriend, Finley here will feel left out. Out of the three of us, only the two of us are still single. I can't just leave him hanging, right?"

Mark punctuated his words with a playful wink at Finley.

But Finley wasn't having it. He smiled and gently removed Mark's hand from his shoulder. "You don't need to worry about me. Just focus on your own stuff. I'll find a girlfriend first, thanks for your concern."

Mark's response was a contemplative silence.

Lily, on the other hand, was laughing so hard she could barely stay upright. "Who said we're good friends? You're so full of yourself!"

The meal ended on a cheerful note, with Henry, Mark, and Finley reminiscing about their time studying abroad.

Lily, uninterested, excused herself to the restroom and dragged Amelia, who was still engrossed in her food, along with her.

As soon as the door closed, Amelia looked wary and covered her chest with her hands. "Lily, I get that you're upset about being single, but I really don't like women! Please don't do this!"

Lily's mouth twitched, and she swatted Amelia's hands away. "What are you talking about? I want to ask you if you know about Finley and Bronte."

Regardless of the time or place, gossip always commanded attention.

Especially since Amelia had recently had a falling out with Finley over this very issue.

Hearing that Lily knew something, Amelia quickly asked, "I really don't know. Tell me! I can't sleep thinking about it! Look at my dark circles."

Lily took a closer look and indeed saw two big dark circles under Amelia's eyes, which looked quite cute.

Lily couldn't resist pinching Amelia's cheek. "You won't believe it. Like I said, you can't hate someone this much without having loved them first. They used to be a couple, but unlike you and Mr. Anderson, they weren't openly dating. It was more of a sugar daddy and mistress situation."

Amelia's jaw dropped. "What! You mean Bronte was his mistress?"

Lily nodded solemnly. "Can you believe it? Bronte is so gentle and beautiful. Finley was really lucky to have her!"

Amelia was stunned. No wonder the three of them were so reticent about discussing their past.

After all, the relationship between Bronte and Finley was far from innocent.

Such a scandal was indeed awkward.

"But why did they end up like this? And whose child is Bronte's?" Amelia's mind was awash with questions.

She felt that negotiating business deals was less complicated than this.

As they strolled along, lost in conversation, they didn't notice the person in front of them until they almost bumped into him.

Just as they were about to apologize, they saw who it was and swallowed their words.

It was Kenneth, the very guy Mark had used to rile up Lily earlier, standing there with an unreadable expression.

Next to him was the woman Lily had seen shopping with Kenneth.

The atmosphere froze instantly, a palpable chill descending upon them.

The excitement of gossiping had almost entirely dissipated for Lily and Amelia.

Gossiping was fun and all, but when you became the subject, it was a whole different story.

Even the usually carefree Lily stood there stiffly, unsure of how to react.

Her expression shifted to one of awkward stiffness.

Amelia quickly smiled and said, "What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you and your... friend here."

Amelia had intended to say "girlfriend," but wisely chose not to assume without Kenneth's confirmation, particularly to avoid further distressing Lily.

Kenneth gave Amelia a meaningful look before nodding. "Yeah, are you here for dinner too?"

Amelia felt the conversation was forced but had no choice. They couldn't pretend not to see each other after such a direct encounter.

She gently tugged Lily's hand, hoping for a reaction.

Yet Lily, typically sharp-tongued and ready with a quip, kept her gaze fixed downward in silence.

Even Amelia, who spent every day with her, couldn't tell what was going through Lily's mind.

In this awkward moment, Kenneth broke the silence. "Mr. Anderson and the others must be here too, right?"

After all, wherever Amelia was, Henry was usually not far behind. This was common knowledge.

Amelia glanced at Lily, who still had her head down, showing no sign of responding.

Amelia sighed and answered, "Yes, they're inside discussing something. We came out for some fresh air."

She thought the conversation would end there, but Kenneth nodded. "I should go say hello to Mr. Anderson. Where are they?"

Reluctantly, Amelia pointed to one of the rooms.

The woman next to Kenneth maintained a polite smile, showing no change in emotion.

Perhaps in her eyes, Lily was nothing more than a child, posing no threat whatsoever.

Sometimes, being disregarded was the deepest insult.

Once Kenneth and the woman were out of sight, Amelia anxiously looked at Lily. "Are you okay? If you're upset, please tell me. Don't keep it all inside."

Lily smiled and nodded, but her eyes were lifeless, bereft of the usual light.

It wasn't Lily's fault. Even though she forced herself to stop liking the wrong person, years of feelings aren't easily discarded.

Amelia gripped her hand tightly, attempting to convey some solace.

Lily felt Amelia's kindness and smiled faintly. "I'm really fine. Everyone goes through a few heartbreaks in life. I'm not as fragile as you think. Don't worry."

Amelia nodded, but as she was about to move forward, Lily suddenly gave a bitter smile. "Amelia, you know, I really envy you."