Chapter 69 Drawing Boundaries

Chapter 69 Drawing Boundaries

She had heard about Ursa before, the woman who had watched Henry grow up and had taken special care of him.

Henry's voice came from the balcony, unusually patient: "Mrs. Martin, please don't cry. Take your time and tell me what's wrong." The sobs on the other end of the phone filtered through the glass, intermittent, with words like "self-harm" and "begging you" faintly audible.

Not long after, Henry came back inside, his face no longer relaxed, his brows furrowed: "I need to go to Lily's place."

"Now?" Lon put down the bottle opener, sounding a bit surprised. "What's she up to now, making you go over in the middle of the night?"

"Not sure, I'll find out when I get there." Henry picked up the jacket draped over the sofa and looked at Amelia, his tone apologetic. "Sorry, I can't stay and drink with you guys tonight."

"I'll drive you over." Amelia stood up. "I was heading home anyway."

Lon also stood up. "How about I drive you both? I have a driver, no need for you to make the trip."

"No need." Amelia politely declined. "You've had some drinks, just stay home and rest. We'll go ourselves."

Without further delay, the two left Lon's house.

In the car, Amelia started the engine and glanced at Henry beside her.

He leaned back in the seat, staring out the window, his expression serious, the usual smile on his lips replaced by a tight line.

The drive was silent, the only sounds were the hum of the engine and the occasional turn signal.

By the time the car stopped outside Lily's building, it was late at night.

Henry unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to Amelia, his tone softer than usual. "Text me when you get home, so I know you're safe."

"Okay." Amelia nodded, watching him walk into the hospital before driving off towards her own home.

When Henry entered the room, Lily was lying in bed receiving an IV, her face pale and her eyes swollen from crying. Ursa sat by the bed, clutching a tissue. Seeing Henry, she quickly stood up, her voice full of guilt. "Henry, I'm sorry to trouble you again. Lily's been so difficult, causing so many problems, and now making you come here..."

"Mrs. Martin, let's not talk about that now." Henry interrupted, his gaze fixed on Lily. "What happened?"

"It's all because of the contract termination. She got so upset that she made herself sick." Ursa sighed, her voice trembling. "She hasn't eaten or drunk anything for days, and this morning she suddenly fainted. The doctor said it's acute gastritis. Henry, I'm begging you, for the sake of our families' long-standing relationship, for the sake of you growing up with Lily, can you not terminate the contract? Give her a chance, please?"

Henry looked at Ursa's tear-filled eyes, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

He hadn't grown up with his biological mother, and Ursa had treated him like her own child. When he was bullied by the other kids in the Phillips family, it was Ursa who protected him; when he was sick, it was Ursa who brought porridge to the Phillips Villa. He had always remembered this kindness.

But reason told him he couldn't let personal feelings interfere with work. After a moment of silence, he said to Ursa, "Mrs. Martin, please step out for a moment. I want to talk to Lily alone."

Lily weakly spoke up, "Mom, please go out."

Ursa reluctantly left the room, reminding them as she closed the door, "Talk it out, don't argue."

Now it was just the two of them.

Henry walked to the bedside, looking at Lily's pale face, his tone devoid of sympathy. "Go ahead, say everything you want to say. Don't waste the effort you put into making yourself sick."

His words cut like a knife, hitting Lily's sore spot.

She looked up sharply, her eyes full of resentment and grievance. "Henry... do you really like Amelia? Have you really fallen for her? We've grown up together, I've been with you for so many years, what does she have that I don't?"

Henry looked at her red eyes, his tone calm to the point of coldness. "Lily, do you know why I turned a blind eye to your little tricks before? It's not because I liked you, it's because of Mrs. Martin."

"Impossible!" Lily tried to sit up, but the IV tugged painfully. "Then why were you so nice to me before? You promised to celebrate my birthday and to go to the movies with me. Were those all lies?"

"They were lies." Henry mercilessly shattered her illusions. "Those were part of our deal. You helped me put on a show for the Phillips family, making them lower their guard, and I helped you get resources. Now you've taken the act too seriously, mistaking fiction for reality."

Lily's body went rigid, as if all her strength had been drained, slumping against the pillow, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "I don't believe it... I don't believe that you have no feelings for me at all..."

"From the first time you expressed your feelings, I told you I only saw you as a sister." Henry's tone was unwavering. "If I had known you'd get so deeply involved, I would have chosen someone else to work with. You want to be an actress, right? You should know what makes a good actor." Henry stood up, pausing before continuing. "When the director calls 'cut,' you need to step out of the role, distinguish between life and drama. Now, I'm calling 'cut,' and I hope you can distinguish too."

This statement completely crushed Lily.

She knew Henry's words meant he wanted to sever even their "acting" relationship.

She clutched at Henry's sleeve, her voice pleading. "Henry, I was wrong. I won't cause trouble anymore; I'll control my temper and cooperate with you. Please don't terminate the contract, don't cut ties with me, okay?"

Henry gently pried her hand away, his tone unwavering. "If you still want to be an artist, I'll help you find a reliable company. The Phillips Group will claim that our contract has expired; that way, it won't affect your reputation, and the penalty will be waived. Consider it your performance fee. If you don't want to stay in this industry, I'll give you enough money to live comfortably."

He paused, then added, "And Mrs. Martin, I'll buy her a villa downtown as a thank you for all her care over the years."

"You're really cutting ties with us?" Lily's voice was filled with despair.

"Yes." Henry nodded, his tone firm. "It's best if we don't see each other again. It's better for everyone."

With that, he turned and walked towards the door without looking back.

Lily's sobs echoed behind him, but he didn't turn around, his steps unwavering, leaving the cries completely shut out behind the door.