Chapter 56 Fairness
Lily was carried out of the room, filled with shattered pieces.
He placed her on the couch.
Dennis glared down at her, "Next time I tell you not to move, just stay put! If you can't think straight, don't run around!"
Lily felt the sting of his rebuke.
She looked down, "I didn't think I'd bump into the vase!"
Her face grew warm, grateful the lights were out to hide her embarrassment.
Dennis pulled out his phone and made a call, his voice icy, "Find out why the power's out."
Lily glanced around at the darkness, then back at Dennis, the only source of light from his phone.
She asked, "Where's Eric? Didn't he come back with you?"
"He went to the bar. He's not coming back tonight."
"Why didn't you go?"
Lily knew that adults, especially the rich kids, liked to hit the bars to unwind. It was pretty standard.
Even the Roberts brothers used to go, mostly for socializing.
Dennis's voice was calm, "Too noisy."
Lily wasn't surprised by his answer.
Dennis did prefer quiet.
She was curious, "I gotta ask, how did someone as quiet as you become friends with someone as outgoing as Eric? He talks so much!"
Dennis was the opposite.
Logically, two people so different shouldn't be friends.
Dennis thought for a moment, "My grandma said I don't talk much, so I should find a friend who talks a lot, so I don't end up mute."
Lily found Dennis's grandma amusing.
She couldn't help but ask, "So you and Eric have known each other since you were kids?"
Dennis realized he had said too much and paused, "Why?"
"I'm just envious that you have such good friends."
Her tone carried a hint of sadness.
It was too dark for Dennis to see her expression, but he asked, "Didn't you have friends when you were little?"
"I did, but after my parents died in a car accident, I was sick for a while and forgot everything about the accident. I was in a bad place emotionally, so my old friends drifted away. Not long after, Sophie came to live with us. You know what happened after that, because of Sophie, I was isolated at school and never had any friends."
Dennis's lips pressed into a thin line when she mentioned the accident.
His throat moved slightly, "All these years, you haven't remembered anything about the accident?"
"No, and I don't want to remember something so painful."
Lily sighed, "If it weren't for that accident, my parents wouldn't have died, Sophie wouldn't be in my life, and my relationship with my brothers might not have gotten to this point."
Dennis looked in Lily's direction, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"Do you hate the person who caused the accident?"
His voice trembled slightly, filled with an emotion he couldn't quite express.
In the darkness, they couldn't see each other's faces.
"Hate!"
Lily's voice was firm and cold.
Dennis swallowed hard, "Have you ever thought about finding that person?"
"They ran away and found a scapegoat to take the blame. The Roberts family has been searching for years without any leads."
Lily also wanted to find the person responsible for her parents' deaths.
His voice came again, "If you found them..."
"I'd make them pay!"
Lily's eyes were filled with determination.
She was set on finding the person responsible for the accident.
Dennis sat on the couch, not moving for a long time. He felt like he could barely breathe.
After a while, Lily couldn't help but ask, "When will the power come back on?"
Dennis checked his phone, then stood up, "They're repairing the lines. It might take a while. You should head back to your room. I'll take you."
Lily fumbled off the couch, and a pair of long, graceful hands reached out to help her.
She looked up.
His deep voice came from above her, "You should hold onto me!"
Lily coughed, "No need."
As soon as her foot touched the ground, she kicked the table leg, wincing in pain.
"Sit down, let me see."
Dennis knelt in front of her, shining his phone's flashlight on her foot.
Lily stared at the man in front of her, his side profile illuminated by the dim light, making him look even more handsome.
She couldn't help but ask, "Are you always this nice to girls?"
Dennis looked up, his eyes dark.
He stood up, "Depends on the person."
"Do you have a girlfriend? I saw you having dinner with a pretty woman at a restaurant once."
Dennis paused and looked at her, "Just a friend."
Lily lowered her eyes.
Dennis grabbed her wrist, "You might not be very smart, but you sure talk a lot."
Lily followed him, feeling the warmth of his hand on her wrist, her face getting warmer.
Dennis walked her to her room but stayed at the door.
The next day, when Lily woke up, the power was back.
She checked the game forum and found a post about herself.
[Who's the man behind Sweetlemon?]Lily was curious about the headline and clicked on it, seeing a screenshot from last night's stream.
[The Roberts Group CEO Michael spent over ten grand on gifts in her stream last night, showing their close relationship. But she had a fallout with her sponsor, as evidenced by streamer Sophie's public accusations. That's why she started streaming on Crayfish and doesn't show her face, afraid her sponsor will find out who she is.]
Lily found it ridiculous. What was this nonsense?
But many people started discussing it, saying she had a sponsor backing her, which was why she could ignore Austin's invitation.
Even trolls began to say she was a kept woman.
Violet saw this and angrily posted anonymously: [Your thoughts are filthy. Lemon and the Roberts family aren't like that. I'm her classmate and can recognize her voice.]
Soon, someone replied: [Finally, someone said it. Is Lemon the Roberts family's daughter, Lily?]
The post exploded.
Trolls immediately countered: [If she were Lily, why would she stream on Crayfish? She'd be on GreenFruit. Lying without even trying!]
[Lily is a gaming prodigy. How could they let her go solo?]
[Lemon wants to pretend to be Lily? She should look at the reality. Not everyone can pull off a twelve-hit combo!]
After the trolls stirred things up, most people leaned towards Lily not being SweetLemon.
Then Lily's phone rang. She answered, and Michael's voice came through.
"Lily, Sophie told me you went shopping yesterday. I've unfrozen your credit card. You can use it anytime. I even restored your limit; now it's the same as Sophie's allowance."
Lily's eyes filled with disdain.
Even though she was the Roberts family's daughter, every time she had a conflict with Sophie, Michael would reduce her allowance to compensate Sophie.
Lily coldly refused, "I said I wouldn't spend a dime of the Roberts family's money."
"Lily, I know you're unhappy about the allowance. But Sophie's father was kind to our family. I have to be fair to avoid gossip."
"Your idea of fairness is making me constantly lose out, sacrificing my interests, right?"
"Lily, how can you think that way? As the Roberts family's daughter, you should be generous to Sophie to show your magnanimity."
Lily's eyes turned cold.