30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 101: Time To End

Hearing her words, Ethan paused, flipping through his documents. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and his deep eyes were dark and intense. "Lily, are you worried about me?"

Lily froze, about to deny it, when Ethan’s voice returned from the other end of the line. "Lily, you’re worried about me."

Was he answering his question?

Lily didn’t respond this time, and soon after, she heard a strange voice from the other end of the phone, "Third Young Master."

"Go to eat; I have something to take care of," Ethan said before hanging up the phone.

Lily stared at her phone in silence. She had always been curious about how it felt to hang up on Ethan.

Rummaging through her bag, Lily was surprised that Nanny had put her old phone inside. Excited, she quickly turned it on.

Her uncle had called about a hundred times when her phone was off...

The most recent call was from yesterday.

Lily quickly dialed back, and her uncle answered almost immediately. "Lily, why is your phone always off? Your father even called the house."

"My father?" Lily was shocked. Her dad rarely called her. They only spoke when she visited him in prison.

"Yes, your father said he’s been granted a sentence reduction and might be released soon," her uncle said, sounding happy. From the background, Lily could hear her aunt’s sarcastic voice, dripping with disdain. "So what if he’s getting out of prison? I’m not letting a convict live here. Let him live with his daughter."

"Stop talking nonsense," her uncle scolded her aunt before returning to Lily. Lily, where are you now? Are you still out of town?"

Lily hesitated momentarily before replying, "No, I’m back now. I’ll be back to work tomorrow."

"That’s great. Once your dad gets out, we’ll all have a nice family meal together," her uncle said.

"Yes, that sounds good."

After chatting with her uncle for a while, Lily hung up the phone.

A sense of joy she had never felt before blossomed in her heart. She couldn’t help but jump onto the bed, shouting in excitement.

Her dad was getting out of prison.

He wouldn’t have to suffer behind bars anymore.

She had waited for so many years, and now the day had finally come—her dad was going to be released.

It was amazing. Once her dad was out, she would finally have a natural home and no longer have to live under someone else’s roof.

But suddenly, her excitement gave way to a growing sense of anxiety.

Her dad’s release also raised questions about her relationship with Ethan. Her father still thought she was a student working on her graduate degree. What would he say if he found out she had only graduated from a vocational school and worked as a tabloid journalist?

No, before her father was released, she had to resolve everything.

She couldn’t let her father think that her struggles were his fault...

It was time to end everything—her relationship with Ethan, her job as a tabloid reporter.

It was time.

Taking off the tear-shaped ring on her finger, Lily stared blankly at how it glinted in the light...

Tears of Airlie.

Ethan’s matching phone vibrated, and Lily was surprised to see a multimedia message.

The message contained a picture of a cartoon tomato character, its big, watery eyes smiling mischievously, tongue sticking out in a playful grin...

Below the image was a line of text: Lily, doesn’t this look like you?

He’s the one who looks like a tomato! Ethan the Tomato!

Lily thought to herself, tossing the phone aside, but something made her pick it back up and look at the cartoon tomato again...

The expression was exactly the same as her smiley face on the cookies last time.

They looked exactly alike...

So many days had passed, and even though he had eaten the cookies, he still remembered what they looked like.

Ethan... why do you remember these things so clearly?

Staring at the smiling tomato on the screen, Lily suddenly felt a sting in her eyes.

The next day, Lily officially returned to work at the magazine, diving back into the busy life of interviews and writing articles. Her days quickly became filled with work.

Her uncle knew she had been hiding her job from her father, and as long as she quit before her father got out, he wouldn’t say anything...

But how was she supposed to handle her relationship with Ethan? How could she end it?

Three days later, Lily was sitting at her small desk, typing away at an article. She hadn’t even finished half a sentence when an excited voice rang out, "Well, well, Lily! Did you find yourself a rich boyfriend while you were away?"

"What?"

Lily looked up from her computer, confused, just in time to see her friend and the magazine’s receptionist, Sophia Bennett, running toward her in ten-centimeter high heels. Her lightly made-up face was full of mischief. "Lily! Which wealthy man did you snag?!"

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, bewildered.

Like a magician, Sophia pulled out a large bouquet of pink roses behind her. "The flower shop just delivered these! The card says ’Ethan.’ Come on, spill it!"

Lily’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly stood up and took the bouquet, the rich fragrance of roses filling the air. The pink card attached to the bouquet had just a few words written on it: You are mine. Blackwood.

Ethan, you childish man!

Why would he send flowers to the magazine? What if her uncle asked her about them—how would she explain?

"Aaaahhh!"

"Oh my gosh!"

Squeals of excitement erupted from the other women in the office.

Lily rubbed her aching ears, frowning as she looked toward the door. She was astounded to see that employees from the flower shop were coming straight for her while carrying bouquets of pink roses.

In no time, the small office was flooded with roses.

"Wow! It’s like something out of a cheesy romance drama! How much did this cost?!" Sophia exclaimed in awe, her heavily made-up face filled with dreamy pink bubbles. "This must have cost a fortune."

Lily was speechless.

"Each bouquet has 999 roses. There are 99 bouquets in total. Ms. Lily, please sign here," one of the flower shop employees said, handing her a receipt.

"Sorry, I refuse to accept them." Lily shoved the bouquet she was holding back into the employee’s hands. "Please take all these roses back."

What on earth was Ethan trying to do?

"Miss... we’ve already been paid," the employee stammered.

"I don’t care. Take them away!" Lily pointed to the door, her face cold.

She didn’t want to have to explain to her uncle who this ’Ethan’ person was...

"Lily, are you crazy? You could make a fortune reselling these roses!" Sophia shouted in excitement, snatching the pen and quickly signing the receipt. "I’ll sign for her. Now you can leave."

The flower shop workers bolted out of the magazine office as if fleeing from disaster, terrified that Lily might change her mind at any moment.

"Sophia Bennett!" Lily glared at her friend, furious.

Sophia was her best friend, and she knew how stubborn she was about not accepting things she didn’t want. How could she dare to sign for the flowers?

"Don’t be mad. I’ll move the flowers out of the way," Sophia said with a sheepish smile, though her long legs didn’t move an inch. Instead, she stared at Lily with curiosity. "Come on, tell me—who’s the rich guy? If you don’t want him, I’ll take him! Just based on how he sends these flowers, I’ll marry him!"

Marry him?

If you saw Ethan beating women, assaulting women, or imprisoning women, would you still say that?

"He’s an old, short, bald man with a beer belly and body odor so strong that no cologne can cover it. Do you want him? I’ll give you his number right now," Lily said with a fake smile.

"Bye! See you later!"

Sophia, who couldn’t stand guys with body odor, immediately turned pale and fled with the bouquet of pink roses.

Now that her friend had stopped prying, Lily sighed in relief. Picking up her phone, she walked to the break room and dialed Ethan’s number.

The phone rang long before a strange woman’s voice answered, "Hello, who’s this?"

Lily froze. A cold, sinking feeling washed over her like a bucket of ice water poured over her, chilling her to the bone and leaving her speechless.

Is he already with another woman in Germany?

Why is he acting like he cares about her if that’s the case? Why is he making her feel guilty while he’s off with someone else?

She had always known that Ethan had inherited his father’s bad habits. He never cared about loyalty in relationships, and the number of women he had slept with was too high to count.

If so, why bother playing this game of conquest with her?

Why give her the illusion that he truly loved her?

Lily couldn’t find the words to respond. Just as she was about to hang up, the woman on the other end spoke again, her voice professional. "Is this Miss Anderson? Mr. Blackwood is currently in a meeting and can’t take your call. Would you like me to remind him to call you back?"

She knows who I am?

What kind of woman is this, being so open and composed?

Lily, still perplexed, found herself asking, "May I ask who you are?"

"Oh, I’m Mr. Blackwood’s secretary, Helen."

The woman on the other end chuckled lightly before politely explaining, "This is Mr. Blackwood’s private phone. He had me charge it for him earlier. Miss Anderson, please don’t misunderstand."

She explained it fluently, almost as if she had done it countless times before.

Of course, when it comes to Ethan, everything is possible...

"I..." Lily started to reply, but Sophia suddenly burst into the break room like a whirlwind.

Before Lily could say anything else, Sophia was already yelling excitedly into her ear, "Lily, I’ve organized a mixer with the new guys from the tech company next door tonight! Don’t bail on us! You can’t be with a guy who has body odor—he’ll knock you out in bed!"

And just as quickly as she came, Sophia was gone.

Her best friend dreamed of getting married before she turned 25. She was obsessed with attending mixers, and despite having been in dozens of relationships, none had ever worked out.

Lily rolled her eyes and asked the woman on the phone, "Has he returned to the country?"

"Yes, Mr. Blackwood just landed and went straight to a meeting."

He’s already back? Before the 30 days are even up...

Lily fell silent momentarily before politely saying, "Please ask him to return my call when he has time."

"Of course, Miss Anderson. Goodbye."

Hanging up the phone, Lily felt a headache coming on. She couldn’t quite understand what she was feeling inside...

Was he back already?

How was she going to explain things to Ethan? How could she end stuff without hurting anyone?

The headquarters of Blackwood Enterprise’s Asia branch were in the prime city. The CEO’s office was on the top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the city.

It was already 6 PM by the time Ethan finished reviewing the documents on his desk.

He habitually opened the drawer and took out a collection of photos that his secretary, Helen, had compiled—photos of Lily from childhood to adulthood. Most of them were from before she entered high school, showing her dressed up like a Barbie doll, posing proudly, cutely, and playfully for the camera.