Chapter 32 I Do Not Accept
The air was suddenly filled with white powder.
Ethan's face went pale. "Lily, what the heck are you doing?"
Ethan had met all kinds of women, but none who'd ever charged at him with a fire extinguisher!
After putting down the extinguisher, Lily looked annoyed. "I don't like you, and I don't want to see these outside of school!"
She was already in a bad mood because her period was approaching.
And now Ethan had to come and bother her.
"Lily, you're something else. I think I'm really starting to like you. You've got spunk!"
Lily turned and sprayed Ethan with the fire extinguisher again, making him curse loudly as his entourage scrambled to shield him.
Lily tossed the extinguisher on the ground, her demeanor cool and detached. "Don't mess with me!"
With exams coming up, she didn't want to waste time dealing with someone like Ethan.
"Lily, how can you treat Mr. Murphy like that? He confessed to you in front of everyone because he likes you. Even if you don't like him, you can't just break his heart like that, can you?"
Sophie appeared, graceful as ever.
Lily's face showed her impatience. "What business is it of yours? Just get lost!"
Sophie looked taken aback, clearly not expecting the usually composed Lily to lose her temper and curse.
Lily dusted off the dry powder from her hands, the smell unpleasant.
Ever since her conversation with David at the restaurant yesterday, she'd been struggling to keep her emotions in check.
Lily was about to leave, but Ethan, humiliated, yelled, "Lily, stop right there! Who said you could leave?"
Lily didn't even turn around, her attitude defiant.
Ethan, feeling even more embarrassed, shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Grab Lily for me!"
Sophie stood by silently, a cold smile on her lips.
Lily was such an idiot. How dare she reject Ethan so bluntly?
Having offended Ethan, Sophie was curious to see how Lily would manage in the coming days.
She hoped Lily would be so affected that her SAT scores would suffer.
"Who dares touch her!"
Austin ran over from across the street, his expression dark with anger.
Lily was momentarily stunned when she saw Austin, remembering that he had messaged her last night, asking to meet at the coffee shop across the street after school.
She had deleted Austin's contact information and didn't reply.
She had no intention of going.
But here Austin was.
Austin glared at Ethan. "You dare to hit on Lily without checking with her six brothers first?"
Ethan's expression turned uneasy when he saw Austin.
But as a wealthy kid from Empire City, he looked down on the elites of Imperial City.
Ethan was also angry. "But she sprayed me with a fire extinguisher. How are we going to settle this?"
"I saw everything. You were harassing her first. She used the fire extinguisher to protect herself. Her actions were completely justified!"
Austin continued, "Even though you have connections, this is Imperial City. If you want to stay here peacefully, you'd better not cause trouble!"
Ethan's face turned red with anger. "Say that again!"
Sophie tried to smooth things over. "Austin, it's not entirely Mr. Murphy's fault. Lily could have just rejected him directly. I'm sure Mr. Murphy wouldn't have persisted. But using a fire extinguisher was a bit much, don't you think?"
Ethan took the opportunity to back down. "That's right. I'm too popular to be hung up on one person. With Lily's attitude, I'm not interested."
Austin frowned at Sophie, finding her words annoying.
"Lily was being harassed. She had every right to reject him. Why should she have to be respectful about it?"
Austin glared at Ethan. "I don't want to argue with you. If this happens again, I'll talk with your parents!"
With that, Austin grabbed Lily's wrist. "Let's go. Get in the car!"
Lily instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Austin forced her into the car.
Sophie ran after them. "Austin, are you mad at me for what I said? I was just being honest. I didn't want you two to fight. After all, Ethan has family in Empire City. If things get out of hand here, it could make things difficult for David when he deals with the Murphy family."
Austin was pretty angry.
But when Sophie mentioned David, he calmed down. "If David found out Ethan was harassing Lily, he'd definitely cause trouble for the Murphy family!"
Sophie felt a bit uncomfortable, her expression souring for a moment before returning to normal.
Of course, being a biological sister came with different privileges.
But why was Austin here?
Sophie asked, "Austin, aren't you usually busy? How come you had time to pick us up from school today?"
Austin glanced at Lily, who was staring out the window, seemingly ignoring the conversation in the car.
Austin was a bit annoyed by Lily's attitude, but quickly controlled his temper.
He was here to make amends with Lily, after all.
Austin said, "I've been living on my own for a while. I wanted to check on you guys."
Sophie noticed Austin's focus on Lily and guessed why he was here.
The team probably hadn't found a suitable replacement yet.
Lily stared out the window, feeling annoyed.
When she came to, she realized they weren't going to the Roberts house but had stopped at the training base.
She saw the Titan Team posters and promotional photos.
Lily hadn't expected to come here.
As she got out of the car, a group of people surrounded her.
"Welcome to the team, Lily!"
"Lily, can I get your autograph?"
"Lily, can you teach me how to do a twelve-hit combo?"
Lily frowned. She hadn't agreed to join the team.
Austin seized the moment. "Alright, don't scare Lily. Let's eat."
Lily was ushered into the training base's cafeteria.
Sophie struggled to maintain her composure.
Austin noticed Sophie's expression and explained quietly, "Sophie, you know the team hasn't found a suitable gunner. Lily is the best fit, so I want to make amends with her."
"Austin, I understand. You don't need to explain. I was involved in what happened last time. I'll apologize to you and hope Lily forgives us. In the future, we'll all be on the same team, and I'll support you guys."
Sophie's sweet demeanor reassured Austin.
He knew Sophie wasn't petty like Lily.
But after Austin left, Sophie's smile faded, though she quickly regained her composure and followed the others.
Lily was led into the cafeteria, where a large banner read, "Welcome Lily to the Team!"
She realized something was off.
She took out her phone and messaged Dennis: [Can you pick me up?]
She shared the address.
Austin approached her, looking a bit uneasy. "I know I was wrong to act impulsively during the resurrection match. I've reflected on my actions and deeply regret them. Today, in front of everyone, I formally apologize. I hope you can forgive me."
Lily stood still, glancing at the banner. She found it all quite amusing.
Slowly, she looked up, her eyes dark.
Some people just needed a good beating.