Chapter 56 Visiting Lily at the Hospital
Lily just nodded. She felt jealous of Rossie's fate. Even though Alex Thorne was neutral and only wanted to save his family's auction, the result still benefited Rossie.
"Why do so many people want to protect that slut? Who is she anyway?" Lily complained, squeezing her blanket in annoyance.
"I also noticed that when Rossie flirted with Mrs. Carolina Cavendish, it seemed like the old woman wanted to speak for her. What's the point of protecting her? Isn't she just a woman whom the Cavendish brothers are pampering?" Miranda complained, snorting in annoyance.
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled as if she had found something.
"What is it, Auntie?" asked Lily.
"Hmm, nothing, I just think that Carolina is trying to speak for Rossie because they share a similar fate, both coming from lower-class families who are trying to climb up the social ladder. Even Carolina is a kept woman," added Miranda.
Carolina is Rossie's stepmother, but she married Rossie's father a few months after Rossie's biological mother died. Furthermore, Carolina was a woman approved by Rossie's biological mother because of their kinship.
"I will not allow Rossie to become part of the Cavendish family through marriage." Miranda furrowed her eyebrows, her gaze cold.
"The most influential person is Mr. Cavendish senior. I heard from Gerald that he is challenging to deal with and that he cares deeply about the family's reputation. "
" Dominic is the eldest son whom he is grooming to be his heir. He must have been betrothed to a girl from a wealthy and influential family. Mr. Cavendish would never stand for his son marrying a poor girl like Rossie! We still have plenty of time. Let the fox be happy for a few days. I'll make him cry sooner or later! "
Miranda had just finished her sentence when the door to the treatment room suddenly opened. The tall, handsome figure of Bryce stood in the doorway.
" Bryce." Lily trembled, this time not because of her pitiful condition, but because she was frightened, remembering how Bryce had behaved before she fainted.
"I have to ask you something."
Lily clutched her blanket tighter and turned to her aunt for protection.
"Bryce, Lily just woke up after a shock. We should wait until she recovers to ask her anything." Miranda tried to convince him gently.
"This question must be answered now!" Bryce said coldly.
"Mr. Johansen! This is all my fault!" Daisy thought it better to admit her mistake. She couldn't let this problem affect her daughter and ruin her chance to marry into the Johansen family.
"Our family is in financial trouble. Our cash flow has dried up, and our stores are closing one by one. When we didn't get help from the Johansen group, we had no other choice..."
"I had discussed it with Lily's father and decided to sell some of the family's assets for the sake of our company's finances. I didn't know that the jewelry auctioned by the Nexus group was a special gift from you!"
"If I had known it was a symbol of your love for Lily, I wouldn't have sold it. It's okay for us to live in poverty as long as we can save the symbol of your love."
Lily quietly sighed in relief before pretending to be surprised. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she cried, "Mom... why did you do this? That was the most precious necklace to me, and it meant more than anything!"
Bryce didn't even blink as he said calmly, "That's not what I wanted to ask."
The necklace was no longer as necessary to him as the false accusations against Rossie. Although he was still upset to see the gift he had given her sincerely end up at auction, he could understand and forgive her, especially since she herself had refused to help the Jones family financially.
But twisting the truth and framing someone could not be forgiven.
"Did you hurt yourself on purpose? Or was it Rossie? Or did you grab it and break it on purpose? If she let go on purpose, there wouldn't be any marks on her hands." Bryce said without giving Lily a chance to defend herself. But she had to keep looking sad.
"Bryce, are you saying I'm an evil woman who framed Rossie?" Lily cried, pretending to be innocent.
"You think I intended to compete with your ex-wife, who cheated on you emotionally?"
Bryce smiled cynically, "Catherine never lies. She said Rossie touched you."
"Catherine is autistic, she's not sane! You know that, Bryce. Besides, she was hiding at the time. It's hard to say if she saw anything," Miranda quickly stepped in to calm the situation.
Bryce's lips curved slightly. "Is it appropriate for a mother to insult her daughter like this in front of other people? I don't know, because I don't have a mother."
Miranda's face immediately paled. She was usually as enthusiastic as a zombie at home. But now, when she replied, she was full of energy!
"So, Lily, why are you doing this? I've chosen you, I'll never go back to Rossie. So why are you picking a fight with him?"
Bryce held back his frustration, which felt like heavy chains binding his heart, making him feel suffocated.
Bryce still called her "Lily" because of their twenty-year friendship, the feelings they shared, and the redemption she brought during his dark childhood.
He was afraid the light in his life would fade and that he had made the wrong choice by betting everything on her.
"No… I didn't." Lily shouted, pounding the bed. The redness in her eyes now replaced her usual gentle gaze.
"She stole my man! And now she wants to make me the scapegoat! Kelly said Rossie and Catherine were very close when she was still part of Johansen. They must have conspired against me! Bryce, do you believe them over me? Are you in love with Rossie? Don't you want me anymore?!"
"I've always been yours. Even during the three years I was married to Rossie. My feelings for you never changed, and I never even touched her." Bryce looked at Lily, who was trembling.
He remembered how Rossie had taken the blame for the suspicion, how her wrists had been injured. He also remembered the tears on her face, revealing her deep disappointment.
Bryce took a deep breath, but a severe headache blurred his vision. "But Lily, I'm having trouble understanding everything you've been doing lately. Are you trying to push me towards her?"
"No, no! Bryce! Bryce!"
Bryce left without looking back at her. Lily scrambled out of bed and ran to the door. However, the door slammed shut with a loud bang in front of her face.
Lily kicked the hospital room door in anger. However, she screamed in pain and jumped up and down on the spot because she had used too much force.
"Rossie! I won't let you get away with this! You swear to be my enemy? You wait!" thought Lily.