Chapter 248 Ask Yourself Before Choosing Others, Love Yourself Before Loving Others
The car stopped at the hotel entrance. Before Lily got out, Jack suddenly called out to her.
"Lily."
Lily froze. The atmosphere in the car was suffocating, and she worried that Jack might impulsively say something he shouldn't.
She smiled and said, "Thanks for today. Go home and rest. See you."
A few seconds of awkwardness flashed across Jack's face. He forced a smile and said, "See you. Let's go to the hospital together tomorrow morning. I'll pick you up."
Lily said, "If you're busy, I can go by myself. Do what you need to do."
Jack said, "I'm not busy. I'll pick you up tomorrow."
The car's interior was cramped, and even their exchanging glances felt awkwardly intimate. Lily quickly got out and jogged into the hotel.
Not until Lily returned to her room and the light came on at the window did Jack, peering through the gap in the curtains at the building below, confirm she was safe before driving away.
It was almost midnight. Lily lay on the bed with her exhausted body, hidden completely in the darkness, but her mind was unusually alert.
She didn't deny that Jack was excellent—his looks, personality, education, and career all put him among those doing well overseas. But when it came to dating, they weren't really suitable for each other.
First, long-distance relationships didn't work for her. The vast distance standing between their feelings was the most impossible factor. She wouldn't leave her family to come to Eldoria.
Second, her career was in Aquilonia. Lily never believed women needed to rely on men for support, nor did she think marriage meant giving up one's career.
Everyone should live their own life. Even if she got married, she would maintain her professional identity—marriage could be a spice of life, but never a necessity. Having her own career meant having the freedom to say "no."
Before you chose a partner, understood what you really needed; before you loved someone, learned to love yourself first.
So, if something had no future, didn't start it, and definitely didn't let anything happen.
When a man's hormones kicked in, some woman ended up suffering.
Lily closed her eyes. Once dawn came, everything would return to calm.
The next day.
Jack's car stopped at the hotel entrance. He calculated the time and waited a bit longer before Lily hurried downstairs.
As soon as she got in, she apologized, "Sorry, I just dealt with a customer complaint, and it took some time."
Jack smiled gently, his face restored to its usual refined look. He took a bag from the back seat and placed it in her lap. "You haven't had breakfast, right? I made this myself, don't mind it."
Lily really hadn't eaten breakfast. "I'm not hungry, give it to Mr. Wipere."
"I made him a portion too."
"Alright then, thanks."
Opening the food bag, she found two croissants with butter and blueberry jam, plus a cup of coffee.
Lily took a bite of the croissant. "There's even coffee."
Jack said, "I ground it by hand. Tell me what you think."
Lily took a sip and commented, "Five-star rating."
Jack's car merged into traffic. Looking at the straight road ahead, he said, "If my skills are good, how about I open a hand-ground coffee shop when I return home?"
Lily laughed. "A lawyer opening a coffee shop? Only you would think of that."
Jack said, "There's nothing much for me here anyway. I've been wanting to go back for a while."
Lily gradually stopped laughing. His words didn't sound like a joke.
"As far as I know, getting a law license in Italy is very difficult. You worked so hard to get it, and you're familiar with the environment here and have your own client base. It would be such a waste to give it up now."
Jack just smiled without speaking.
Lily chewed on her croissant. "What are you smiling about?"
Jack said, "Only if you can't let go would you think it's a waste. Do I look like someone who can't let go?"
Lily chewed very slowly, not wanting to engage. The conversation was veering toward emotional topics—not a good sign. "We're all adults. Everyone decides their own future." Lily took a sip of coffee. "Where did you buy these coffee beans?"
"Like it?"
"Yeah, not bad."
Jack said with a laugh, "Give up hope. Airlines here don't allow bags of coffee beans on planes. If you like it, come to Eldoria often, and I'll brew it for you."
Lily smiled awkwardly but politely.
Entering the hospital room, they saw Leopold using a damp cotton swab to wipe Dash's mouth—the doctor's orders still didn't allow him to drink water.
Seeing Dash awake, Lily came to the bedside. "Dash, does it hurt?"
Dash groaned in pain. "It hurts. How could it not? My head's still dizzy."
Lily laughed. "Good that it hurts. Let the pain teach you a lesson."
Dash's coughing made his insides hurt even more, and it pulled at the wound on his head. He furrowed his brow and toughed out the pain before saying, "I'm a patient right now. Have some sympathy."
"Sympathy for your recklessness? Let me do it." Lily handed the breakfast to Leopold and took the cotton swab from him. While wiping Dash's lips, she said, "You won't learn unless you suffer."
Dash said weakly, "I don't need you. You're too mean."
"Don't move." Lily pressed his forehead, and Dash let out a muffled groan of pain.
Leopold sat to the side, eating breakfast. Just as he bit into the croissant, his phone rang in his pocket. Seeing the number, he quickly put down his coffee, swallowed hastily, and answered.
Lily could tell he was talking with Federico. After a few brief sentences, he hung up.
He said, "Federico found a rehabilitation center. They'll send Dash there to keep him protected."
Hearing this, Dash asked in a trembling voice, "Is it safe?"
Leopold said, "Don't worry, no one will be able to find you. As long as the police find Mario, your suspicion will be cleared."
"Can't I go back to Aquilonia now?" Dash asked.
Leopold said, "As long as the suspicion against you isn't cleared, you can't go anywhere."
Dash turned his head to the other side.
"Your parents' flight arrives in Eldoria tonight. They're coming to take care of you."
Dash whipped his head around, and the pain brought tears to his eyes.
Leopold glanced at him with a smile. "Lying to you would lower my IQ."
Since things were more or less settled, Dash's family should step in. Besides, he wouldn't recover from his hospitalization anytime soon, and having a relative to care for him would be more convenient. For any subsequent legal issues, Jack would handle everything and represent Dash.
That night, Dash was covertly transferred to the rehabilitation center.
The former manager of the Eldoria hotel was under investigation for suspected criminal involvement, so his position was naturally removed. Besides managing the hotel's daily operations, Leopold also had to find a new manager to take over.
Based on Leopold's requirements, Lily first screened three candidates. Leopold looked through the materials and pulled out one. "She's the one. Tell her to come for an interview tomorrow."
"Yes, Mr. Wipere."
After Leopold's handling, the Eldoria hotel incident was barely suppressed online. With the hotel manager position filled, he and Lily could head back home.
The new manager's resume was impressive—she had years of hotel management experience and had served as manager of a five-star luxury hotel in Eldoria a year and a half ago, leaving due to illness.
With both matters resolved, Leopold reported to Preston about Dash's situation and had Lily book plane tickets back to Seaside City for Saturday.
Seaside City.
Caroline left her home and stood waiting for the elevator. The moment the elevator doors opened, Nash was standing inside, head down, fiddling with his phone, looking very busy.
The person outside the elevator didn't move. Without looking up, Nash lifted his eyelids to look at her. "Morning, Ms. Tudor. Not going to work?"
Caroline said, "I'll wait for the next one."
Nash smiled and let the doors close.
Running into him first thing in the morning—what bad luck.
Just as Nash had said, his home was here, he hadn't done anything to harm her, so what could she tell the police—to make him move out of the complex?
Caroline decided to call the renovation company during the day to ask about the progress on her new place. If they could finish early, she hoped to move as soon as possible.