Chapter 9 Wouldn't Explain Anymore
Lily straightened her back, knowing Paul had saved her life.
So when David brought Sophie home, she didn't object and treated Sophie like a little sister.
But over time, she realized Sophie was quietly stealing her brothers away from her.
That was why her relationship with Sophie had deteriorated so much.
Michael shouted, "Lily, do you even hear yourself? You think we're doing this to hurt you? We're trying to help you and Sophie get along! Is that so hard to understand? How long are you gonna keep this up?"
"I'm not being stubborn."
Hearing Michael's words, all the questions that had been piling up in her heart suddenly seemed pointless.
She had tried explaining hysterically before, but it never worked.
Now, she didn't want to be emotionally swayed by her brothers like in her past life.
She wouldn't explain anymore, nor would she care about their thoughts.
Lily quietly packed her textbooks from the coffee table into her backpack.
Looking at her packed bag, she said softly, "If there's nothing else, I'll head to my room."
Michael sat on the couch, looking troubled.
"Lily, if you agree to join the team now, we can forget about everything that happened before!"
Lily found this laughable.
Everything she did in her past life was a joke.
Without looking back, Lily headed upstairs, her steps resolute.
Michael, feeling frustrated, lit a cigarette.
The butler approached. "Mr. Roberts, if Ms. Roberts doesn't want to, then let it be. At least we have Miss Scott."
Michael frowned. "It's not the same."
"Mr. Roberts, if I may. These past few days, you all haven't been home, and Ms. Roberts hasn't asked about you once. That coldness is heartbreaking to see!"
Michael stubbed out his cigarette and drove away from the villa.
Lily heard the car leave from upstairs. She guessed Michael was heading to the training camp.
After showering, she reviewed her mistakes from her study notes.
She needed to get out of here.
Lily accidentally stayed up all night.
In a rush, she packed her bag and grabbed a sandwich from the kitchen before running out.
Michael was the first to come downstairs.
Watching Lily's retreating figure, he frowned. "She's up this early?"
"Ms. Roberts has been taking public transport these days, refusing the driver's car. On Monday, Miss Scott delayed everyone with discussions, causing them to be late. Ms. Roberts has been refusing the driver's car out of spite since then."
Michael's expression grew more complex.
Peter walked over. "Is it that serious? She almost made us late once, big deal. Who's she trying to impress?"
Austin yawned. "Michael, Lily's just putting on a show to soften you up. If you give in now, she'll only get worse!"
Michael said nothing more.
He also thought Lily needed to learn a lesson. She had her chance, and she didn't value it.
Sophie, overhearing the conversation, smiled and skipped downstairs. "Good morning, Michael, Peter, and Austin. Let's have breakfast together."
Seeing Sophie's cheerful demeanor, Michael felt better.
At least Sophie wasn't troublesome.
At school, Lily was sleepy from staying up all night.
But she paid close attention in class, not wanting to miss anything.
During class, the teacher called on Sophie to answer a question.
Sophie stammered and couldn't answer.
The teacher sighed. "Sophie, you've been distracted lately. You haven't grasped the review material, which will hurt you in the exams."
Sophie blushed. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
Seraphine quickly interjected, "Sir, Lily has been very diligent lately. She probably knows the answer."
Everyone turned to look at Lily, most expecting her to fail.
After all, Lily's grades were usually worse than Sophie's.
Lily stood up and answered the question clearly.
The teacher was surprised. "Correct. Lily has been working hard lately. Everyone should follow her example and not slack off."
Sophie glanced at Lily, seething inside.
If it weren't for the game distracting her, she would've answered correctly.
Now Lily had stolen the spotlight. How annoying!
She needed to catch up.
Lily felt much better after being praised.
After school, Lily didn't go to the nurse's office. She went straight home to the Roberts house.
She needed to be cautious so Michael wouldn't notice anything.
Sure enough, the butler watched her closely after she got home, making her uncomfortable.
After dinner, Lily went to her room and locked the door, finally relaxing.
While doing her homework, she took out her phone.
She debated whether to message Dennis, since she didn't visit him today.
But he didn't seem to be waiting for her; she was always the one initiating.
Should she send a message?
Lily stared at her phone, unsure.
Maybe later?
She put her phone down and started her homework. Soon, her eyelids grew heavy, probably from staying up all night.
She rested her head on the desk, intending to nap, but fell asleep.
The next morning, Lily was awakened by her alarm.
She glanced at the time. How was it morning already?
She packed her homework and hurried to school.
At lunchtime, she hesitated before heading to the nurse's office.
But Dennis wasn't there. She mustered the courage to ask the doctor, "Where's Dr. Gonzalez?"
"Dr. Gonzalez is having lunch."
Lily nodded, deciding to come back after school.
After school, she returned to the nurse's office, but Dennis still wasn't there. The same doctor was on duty.
The doctor looked at her. "Miss, I'm on duty today. Focus on your studies. These things are too early for you to worry about."
Lily blushed but didn't explain.
For the next few days, she secretly visited the nurse's office but didn't see Dennis.
She felt a bit down, having gotten used to him being there.
Lily realized she had started to rely on Dennis.
She quickly adjusted her emotions. She couldn't depend on anyone else; she had to rely on herself in this life.
She focused entirely on preparing for the upcoming exams.
She couldn't lose!
After the exams, Lily felt she did well.
She should be in the top 10%.
But everyone else was complaining about the difficulty of the questions.
She took out her phone and opened her chat with Dennis, but didn't know what to say.
They weren't that close, after all.
Lily struggled with social interactions and irritably turned off her phone.
Feeling good, Lily packed her bag and went home, finding the living room lively with her brothers there, not at training camp.
When she appeared, the room fell silent.
It was as if she were an intruder, disrupting her brothers' and Sophie's family time.