Chapter 211
Ryan froze, his wildly beating heart impossible to hide.
Lily's voice was low, but it rang crystal clear in Ryan's ears.
"I know we met at the wrong time, but I still fell in love with you. Loving you has made me insecure… oversensitive. I'm afraid of losing you one day, afraid that we'll end up fighting until there’s nothing left between us. I don’t even recognize who I’ve become anymore."
"I admit, I thought about it—maybe we should just end things now, part ways while we still have good memories of each other."
"I know you'll think I'm selfish, but after we separated, I was in pain all the time. That's when I realized I’ll probably never be able to forget you."
"Now I've figured it out. I can't change the past. What happened will always be there, but I can work hard for our future."
"I just hope I haven't realized this too late, and that you can still accept me as I am."
By this point, Lily's voice was already choked with emotion.
She looked up to see Ryan's expression, but he cupped her face and kissed her hard!
"I'm dirty..."
Lily tried to struggle, but Ryan held the back of her head firmly.
No matter how hard Lily pushed, she couldn't move him.
Finally, she just gave in to Ryan's will.
The kiss was long and deep.
When Ryan finally released Lily, his eyes were already red.
His slightly trembling fingers gently caressed Lily's cheek.
He managed a faint, strained smile, though his voice betrayed him. “Lily, I’ve been waiting for you to come back. If you choose me—really choose me—I'm begging you."
Please...
Lily's tears fell uncontrollably, like broken beads on a string.
Ryan frantically tried to wipe them away, but couldn't keep up.
Ryan's heart ached.
"Don't cry. Did I say something wrong just now? Tell me, okay? I'll change! I can change everything!"
He reached for tissues on the nightstand and gently wiped her face.
Only then did Lily realize what was happening.
She had actually cried in front of Ryan.
This was so embarrassing!
Lily sniffled and covered her face, turning away to try to hide.
Ryan helplessly turned her back around, "Why are you hiding?"
Lily looked at him through teary eyes and suddenly said something out of the blue.
"Ryan, I'm really grateful to your parents."
They were in the middle of a tender moment—why was Lily suddenly bringing up his parents?
Lily choked up, "Your parents really know how to raise a son. They raised you so well—so gentle and you can even cook."
Ryan raised an eyebrow and said narcissistically, "Is it possible that I became this excellent all on my own?"
Lily asked, "Your good looks too?"
"Well, not that."
Ryan drew Lily gently into his side, a warm smile tugging at his lips. “Then I’ll take you home someday. You can thank them yourself."
Lily paused, not responding.
She actually wasn't ready to meet his parents yet.
Seeing this, Ryan tactfully changed the subject, "You must be hungry? I've already made dinner. Want to eat first?"
Lily looked down at herself, all sticky.
"I'll take a shower first."
"Okay, I'll go heat up the food."
Lily got out of bed, grabbed her clothes, and went to shower.
Ryan walked to the kitchen with light steps to heat up the food.
The long-missed smell of home-cooked food made Lily feel a bit dazed.
"This is really good."
Ryan looked at her tenderly and smiled.
After dinner, Ryan said, "Move in with me."
After a two-second pause, Lily nodded in agreement.
But this time Ryan insisted on watching Lily cancel her lease, then took her home.
Something major happened at the Blair Group.
The Blair Group was anonymously reported for tax evasion, and the evidence was solid—there wasn't even room to maneuver.
Before this matter was resolved, several major accidents from previous projects that the Blair Group had covered up were also exposed.
The Blair Group's cash flow already had problems, but before, they could still maintain appearances.
But after these incidents, the bank directly cut off loans and demanded repayment of previous loans.
The entire Blair family was in chaos.
Rowan's plan to break off the engagement with Chris had to be put on hold for now.
Jason told me all this as entertainment over tea.
As for the two thugs who bullied Lily, they were arranged by Barry under Rowan's orders.
She really got herself into big trouble this time.
I shook my head and made myself some juice.
At the restaurant.
Rowan took off her sunglasses and looked at Chris sitting across from her.
She took a deep breath before continuing, "Chris, you know what’s happening already—our family is facing an unprecedented crisis. I need your help."
"You're my future husband. You'll help me, won't you?"
As she said this, Rowan's hand under the table unconsciously clenched tight.
Chris remained calm, picking up his water glass for a sip.
"I'm sorry, I'm also worried about the Blair family's current situation, but I hope you can understand—the Miller family is also in a difficult position right now. We really can't help, even if we want to."
Rowan's fist clenched tighter, her sharp nails digging deep into her palm, causing piercing pain!
She never imagined Chris could be so heartless!
Right now, the Miller family was the Blair family's only hope. She couldn't just let this go.
Rowan, usually so proud—bit her lip and slowly lowered herself, reaching for Chris's hand.
"Chris, we're going to be husband and wife, family. No matter what, you have to help us."
Chris remained unmoved, calmly pulling his hand away.
"I'm sorry, I can't help."
"I have other matters to attend to. I'm leaving."
Dropping that final line, Chris left without looking back.
He had never had feelings for Rowan anyway.
Elite family marriages were ultimately about interests.
Now that the Blair family had no value, his marriage to Rowan was obviously off.
Asking him to sacrifice the Miller family's interests to help the Blair family?
Impossible.
Rowan watched Chris's retreating back with resentment.
What a selfish, heartless man!
Without the Miller family's help, the Blair family couldn't find any other capital injection.
Plus, after Barry was arrested, he immediately gave up Rowan to save himself.
The Blair family collapsed in just a few days and went completely bankrupt.
Besides that, there was good news.
Lily and Ryan finally got together—they got their marriage certificate and got married!
I was lying on the couch playing on my phone when I saw Lily's post, and my eyes lit up immediately!
These two finally got their marriage certificate!
After all their ups and downs, it really wasn't easy.
They finally stopped making things difficult for themselves.
I immediately commented: [Congratulations! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!]
Thinking about how the newlyweds must be all lovey-dovey with endless sweet talk, I didn't call Lily.
I was thinking I'd find time later to meet up with Lily for shopping and satisfy my gossipy heart.
Just then, my phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
Because of Tyler, I now had an instinctive resistance to unknown numbers.
After hesitating for a moment, I still answered.
"Hello?"