Chapter 77 Compromise
Austin couldn't shake the feeling. The whole Roberts family depended on David.
Whatever David said, nobody dared to defy him.
Not even Lily.
He remembered how scared Lily was of David. She'd never go against his wishes.
Michael was fuming, his stomach churning with anger. "What do you expect me to say? You're just pushing Lily further away!"
Lily wasn't just being stubborn anymore!
"But what can I do? We still haven't found a good player. If she doesn't show up, we'll definitely lose tomorrow's game!"
Austin didn't want to lose the game!
He was just now realizing he had truly lost Lily.
"But you can't force her! Is the game more important than your sister? If you keep this up, you'll lose her for good. Think about it."
Austin finally lowered his head, reluctantly. "Can't Lily understand me just this once? She knows how important this game is to me, but she keeps using it to threaten me."
"Losing the game doesn't matter, but forcing David to pressure her will make you lose her forever."
Michael closed his eyes, not wanting to say more.
Every conversation with Austin left him fuming.
Now he understood Lily's predicament.
Austin stood there, his mind in chaos, and then turned and left the ward.
He found Alvin. "Does Michael know where Lily is staying now?"
"Mr. Austin Roberts, what do you want with Ms. Roberts?"
"To make peace."
Austin had finally accepted that Lily was different now; he had just been in denial.
Alvin thought for a moment and then gave Austin an address.
He hoped Austin truly understood his mistakes.
Austin went straight to the apartment building. He knew Lily lived there, but didn't know which unit.
He stood outside for a long time, waiting until Lily finished her live stream before messaging her.
But when Austin opened the chat, he realized Lily had already deleted him as a friend.
Michael's words echoed in his mind. Had he really been that wrong?
Austin sent a friend request, adding a note: [Lily, I'm downstairs waiting. After all this time, can we talk?]
Lily had just ended her stream when she received a friend request from an unknown number.
She opened it and saw Austin's name and avatar.
With the finals tomorrow, Austin must be desperate.
She glanced at it and ignored it.
Lily walked out of her study and saw Dennis on the balcony, talking on the phone. His profile looked deep and handsome in the dim light.
She slowly approached with a cup, noticing his gentle expression and caring tone.
She thought about the girl Dennis had been seeing.
Was he talking to her now?
Lily suddenly felt very down. She sipped her lemon water to soothe her throat when another message popped up on her phone.
She opened the app and saw Austin's friend request reminder: [If you don't come down, I'll wait here. If the paparazzi see me, your place won't be safe.]
Lily felt annoyed.
She knew Austin often appeared in entertainment headlines and could attract paparazzi.
But she didn't want her peaceful life disrupted.
After some thought, Lily decided to go down.
"Where are you going?"
Dennis's voice came from behind as Lily changed her shoes at the entrance.
She looked up and saw Dennis returning from the balcony, his tall figure imposing.
She noticed his gentle expression, and a sour feeling welled up inside her.
Lily lowered her eyes, feeling embarrassed. "Austin is downstairs. He says he wants to talk."
"And you're just gonna listen to him?"
Dennis frowned. "He's just here to beg you to play in tomorrow's finals."
"I figured as much."
"Then there's no need to go down."
His tone was commanding, almost like an order.
Lily felt a rebellious streak rise within her. She pressed her lips together. "I'll be back soon. You go ahead and do your thing."
With that, she closed the apartment door.
Dennis watched her leave, staring at the door for a long time. He rubbed his temples.
Was she throwing a tantrum?
He turned back to the balcony, where he could see the entrance. Sure enough, Austin was standing by his car.
Dennis propped his hand on the railing, eyes fixed on the entrance.
Soon, Lily appeared in his line of sight, small and walking slowly.
After watching for a while, Dennis turned back inside.
Lily's emotions were complicated. Had she been too obvious just now?
She couldn't help but glance back at the apartment. The balcony was empty.
She felt a bit disappointed.
She couldn't keep focusing on Dennis. This wasn't right.
After adjusting her mood, Lily walked to the entrance and saw Austin leaning against his car.
She approached him with a blank expression. "What do you want to say? I don't have much time."
Austin looked at Lily carefully, finally admitting to himself that she had indeed changed.
His tone was stiff. "I admit I didn't treat you well before. I didn't consider your feelings enough and made you suffer."
Lily's eyes showed a hint of surprise. "It's rare to hear such a sincere apology from you. Are you done?"
"I just want to know what you're thinking. I thought our conflicts were minor and wouldn't affect other things."
Lily laughed coldly. "Austin, if you think a few light apologies can erase everything from the past and even try to guilt-trip me, you'd better not say anything."
"That's not what I mean."
"I know what you mean. You think that since you've apologized, I should consider the bigger picture and join the team for the finals."
Lily's eyes were cold and distant. "But let me be clear, I won't be participating in the finals."
Austin panicked. "But you used to care so much about the team's success. You were the one who supported me in starting the team. Now, for the first national finals, you're quitting?"
He couldn't believe Lily would give up the chance to compete in the finals.
She used to care so much.
Lily's eyes were filled with mockery. "Don't pretend. If Sophie weren't so bad at gaming, if you had found a suitable player, you wouldn't be here begging me to join the finals. Let's be honest with each other, okay?"
Austin opened his mouth. "That's not true."
"You only care about the team's success. You don't care about anyone else."
Lily had long seen through Austin's true nature.
She used to hold back.
But now, since they were talking, she might as well make it clear.
Austin almost couldn't stand. He spoke hysterically. "I care about more than just the team's success. I care about you, too. Without you, the team isn't what I imagined!"
He remembered he had started the team for Lily!
Somewhere along the way, he had forgotten that.
Now that Lily was leaving the team, he remembered, but it seemed too late.
"Lily, can't you give the team a chance?"
Give him a chance?