Chapter 27: The big question mark

Lily wasn't stupid when Sandy told her about Ryan's offer to attend a big meeting at his company. Even though her father's name was one of the biggest shareholders, her name still didn't count. She racked her brains for a moment, thinking clearly whether her plan should be carried out or not.

"It's complicated," Lily said with a look that was very difficult to interpret.

Steve frowned, and so did Sandy. They didn't understand the Stewart family's winding, rule-filled life. Ryan's sister had been involved in a love triangle with one of her father's employees until she was forcibly married off to the only child of a prominent family in Surabaya. Ryan was the same. A cowardly man chose to divorce his wife in favor of the most problematic woman in the whole country.

It was a perfect match.

"Ryan's family is terrible. How did you get involved in it in the first place?" Sandy said it suddenly. She received a scowl from Steve for her words.

"A mistake I should regret," Lily replied. Her eyes flicked towards the bed, where her two children were sleeping peacefully."But they're the only two I'm grateful to have around."

Steve left Lily's room. His goal was to go to the dining room because he had not eaten anything since this morning. Sandy and Lily looked at each other, and occasionally Sandy looked back to see if Steve was still behind her.

"Steve seems angry," Sandy whispered. Lily nodded in understanding. "Sorry, yes."

"He's been very sensitive lately. He always says he wants to marry me as soon as possible," Lily said in a low voice.

"When is he going to propose to you?"

"In two weeks, and we're planning to get married in the next two weeks," Lily replied casually. Sandy was surprised; she thought Steve was going to wait until Lily's baby was older.

"You agree?"

"She's the one who suggested it."

In the dining room, Steve pondered for a while as he stirred his food. He was hungry, but his mind was still filled with Ryan's words, asking to see Lily because of family matters. Steve squeezed the spoon until his hands turned red. His head was hot thinking about the worst that would come when Lily said yes to her ex-husband's wish.

It wasn't long before Sandy joined them. He sat opposite Steve, who was still silently shuffling his food. Sandy's encouragement broke his reverie.

"Take it easy; Lily will be fine. Don't worry too much," said Sandy, who sat down while sipping his drink.

Steve turned his head. His flat face implied excessive worry for his future wife. He was afraid that this was all just a ploy by Ryan and his family to trap Lily through the meeting. He was afraid Lily would be fooled by Ryan's father's sweet words.

"No one will be able to guarantee it, Sandy. Stewart is cunning; he used Lily's innocence to ensnare her father in a strange agreement. I've learned that," said Steve with a horrified look on his face.

"Have you?" asked Sandy, to which Steve nodded. "Lily knows?"

Steve glanced at the room and then looked into Sandy's eyes. "She seems to know. But she was in a tight spot."

Regarding what Steve said earlier, everything was just like what Lily had thought in the past few years. From her father choosing to join Stewart's company to her wedding plans with her only son, who was always acting strangely, All of which Lily had watched silently.

Lily stepped back after Steve said the same thing she had been thinking. She secretly eavesdropped on his conversation with Sandy in the dining room. Lily grinned; she was not the innocent woman she used to be. She must now be able to avenge the Stewart family's cruelty hidden behind the scenes.

***

It was almost midnight, and Ryan, who was already getting sleepy, staggered into his house. He sighed for a moment; the house lights had been turned off completely. He took his steps into the room, sneaking, and was surprised to see Sarah standing in front of him with an angry look.

"Where have you been?" asked Sarah, who stood with her waist in front of Ryan, who had just come home. Ryan didn't want to start an argument. He was tired of his work at the office.

"Ryan!" snapped Sarah. Ryan was indifferent. He chose to go into the bathroom and wanted to immediately cool his body under the warm water.

Sarah pulled Ryan's arm, who had entered while carrying a towel in his hand, and he briefly brushed off Sarah's hand.

"Where are you from?" asked Sarah, who really wanted to know something from Ryan.

"You don't see what I'm wearing? Where do you think a shirt and suit work if not at the office?" Ryan sarcastically. No, that's not the answer Sarah wanted to hear.

She forced him to speak again.

"Before going to the office?" Sarah's question was a little tricky. Ryan was too silent to digest the meaning of the question. He wondered if Sarah might have seen him when he met Sandy, Lily's best friend.

"Go to father's house for a while. Why?" Ryan wasn't lying. He did stop by his father's house just to see his mother, and then left again.

"You're not lying, are you?"

"Why would I lie?" Ryan yelled, upset with all the accusations made by his wife. "One more time you accuse me, I won't let you leave the house again," he threatened.

Ryan took off his work clothes and went into the bathroom. He had missed the warm water and the smell of soap since the trip. His argument with Sarah had made his headache worse, and it was time to calm down.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Sarah increasingly suspected that her husband had lied to her. She was sure she had seen a face and stature almost similar to Ryan's when he entered a cafe in a mall this morning. Fortunately, Sarah had taken a picture, in case she needed it someday.

'Ehm, interesting.