Chapter 238

Chapter 238
Lily's POV
When I woke up, I found myself in my own bed, still wearing my clothes from yesterday. I felt both pleased and slightly disappointed.
Pleased that William had been a gentleman and hadn't taken advantage of the situation; disappointed because, well, I'm so attractive—why didn't he try anything?
I walked downstairs and smelled something delicious that immediately sparked my appetite.
"William?" I called out tentatively.
William poked his head out from the kitchen and, seeing my sleepy appearance, smiled. "I'm cooking. It'll be ready soon."
This sight left me staring in shock. Who would have thought that the eldest son of the Sterling family, the CEO of Sterling Group, the "Ice Man of Wall Street," would be standing in a kitchen cooking?
Entering the kitchen, I saw William wearing an apron, flour dusting his face, holding a spatula. He looked like a house husband.
The contrast with his usual cold executive image was so stark that I couldn't help teasing him: "William, if you've been kidnapped, just blink twice."
"I haven't been kidnapped, nor have I taken the wrong medication," William glanced at me, lips pressed together. "I just worried you hadn't eaten properly for several days, so I wanted to make something for you."
The mention of food reminded me of James forcing me to eat: "Well, you guessed wrong. James made me eat constantly so I'd be ready for surgery sooner. I've basically had every delicacy imaginable these past few days. Eating more would be impolite."
"So, you're not planning to eat?" William raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of threat.
"Of course I'll eat! The great William Sterling cooking for the first time—I wouldn't miss it," I quickly sat at the table, surprised by the abundance of food. "William, I couldn't make this much delicious food. How did you manage it?"
"This isn't actually my first time cooking," William gave me a strange look.
My smile froze as I immediately imagined him learning to cook for an ex-girlfriend.
Jealousy instantly flared up.
"Oh, and what did she think of your cooking?" My voice already had a hint of jealousy, but William didn't notice and replied casually: "He said it was okay, but eating too much might kill someone."
I immediately grew angry, slapping my chopsticks on the table. "Well, you must have really cared about your ex-girlfriend!"
William seemed confused by my sudden mention of an ex. "What ex-girlfriend?"
"Didn't you learn to cook for your ex-girlfriend before?" I asked sourly.
William shook his head emphatically. "Not for an ex-girlfriend. I just learned recently."
Realizing I'd misunderstood, I lowered my head shyly. "So you learned for me?"
William answered with a straight face: "No, I learned for myself."
"Why?" I was confused.
William looked at my expression and continued: "The salad you made last time made me realize that if our meals depended on you, neither of us would survive very long."
After hesitating briefly, he added: "I never imagined someone could make something as simple as a salad so..."
I raised an eyebrow. "Terrible?"
William shook his head. "Terrible doesn't begin to describe it. You should know that Michael had diarrhea for three days after eating your salad..."
I was speechless, only able to complain silently in my heart.
"This guy, still so sharp-tongued. But he does look cute learning to cook for me."
After dinner, Lucas called me.
"Lily, I found Samuel's biological father."
I was startled, quickly remembering that I had asked Lucas to investigate Smith Group and Samuel, things I'd forgotten about, but Lucas hadn't.
William noticed my reaction and asked: "What's wrong?"
"Lucas found Samuel's biological father."
"He's not dead?"
I nodded. "Should we meet him?"
Soon, I met with William and Lucas in a room.
A man dressed in black entered.
He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with steady steps and a robust build—clearly the result of years of fitness training.
"Hello, may I ask your name?" I inquired politely.
The man glanced at William beside me, his gaze flickering. "Yale Zunderwood."
"I have many questions," I said.
William spoke up: "I have many questions too. You go first."
Yale nodded.
"I want to know, is it true that Samuel recently broke ties with the Sterling family over his identity?"
William and I exchanged glances, and we both nodded.
"Yes."
"Does he believe his parents were killed by the Sterling family?"
"Yes."
"Could I... meet Samuel?"
"Yale, may I ask how you survived back then?" I questioned.
"When the vehicles collided, I was thrown into the sea and miraculously survived," he explained.
I was about to ask something else when Yale continued: "I wasn't wearing a seatbelt."
Surprised, I carefully asked: "And your wife...?"
"She died in that accident. It was my fault."
Yale answered calmly, but the pain in his eyes was unmistakable.
I realized I'd touched a sensitive wound and apologetically said: "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's fine. It's been decades. I've made my peace with it," Yale replied. His expression softened when mentioning the past, but I could sense the hidden sorrow in his voice.
He gently caressed his ring, a simple gold band that looked worn, probably from years of constant wear.
"If you're still alive, why didn't you look for him?" I asked curiously, not understanding why a father wouldn't search for his son for so many years.
After a long silence, Yale slowly explained: "It was selfish of me. He was young, and after I recovered, I heard he'd been adopted by the Sterling family. I wanted him to have a good life with them, so I left New York under a different identity."
"All these years, I've been watching him from afar. It wasn't until recently, when I heard Samuel had broken ties with the Sterling family, that I rushed back," he revealed, his eyes showing deep regret and longing.
William stood quietly nearby, his expression complex.
Mentioning Samuel sparked anger in me, but I tried to compose myself: "Yale, Samuel's personality has become particularly twisted over the years—competitive and difficult. He might not listen to you."
Yale's sad, desperate eyes gazed into the distance: "It's all my fault. I'm sorry. Samuel becoming like this is entirely my doing. If I hadn't been greedy for wealth, if I hadn't wanted Samuel to have a better life, he wouldn't have..."
Looking at this repentant father, I suddenly felt a spark of hope: "If you do meet, talk to him properly. I think as his biological father, you might be able to persuade him."
"How about this—I have urgent matters to attend to now, but once I've handled them, I'll arrange for you to meet Samuel. How does that sound?"
Yale's face showed gratitude: "Thank you, Lily."
I took out a card and handed it to Yale: "There's ten million in this. Take it."
Yale quickly refused: "I couldn't possibly..."
I insisted: "Yes, you can. Yale, if you can persuade Samuel to stop targeting the Sterling family, then ten million is nothing."
Finally, Yale accepted the card, though with embarrassment.