30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 132: The Aftermath of the Bet

Lily stared at the mocking smile on Alex’s lips, and suddenly, a wave of regret washed over her. No matter what Alice had done to her, Alice had genuinely loved Alex.

Otherwise, why would a woman go so far as to pretend to be someone else just for a man...

Maybe Lily’s feelings for Alex weren’t as deep as Alice’s...

"What do they call this online? Hypocrisy, right?" Alex said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"I’m sorry..."

"It’s not your fault. Even if you hadn’t exposed her that day, I would have found a way to break up with her. I’m a coward, aren’t I?"

Lily didn’t know what to say.

Since they were young, she had known that Alex wasn’t as innocent as he appeared. He was an overly obsessive boy, but she never imagined he would toy with someone’s emotions like this.

She had thought he loved Alice.

When you’re lonely... do you need someone by your side?

Can you just find someone similar to fill that void? Ethan was like that, and apparently, so was Alex...

But... what right did she have to question him?

Hadn’t she sold herself for money?

Alex softly called her name, "Lily."

"Hm?"

"I’m not a good person. But that’s because... only when you’re by my side do I feel normal." Alex stopped the car and turned to look at her intently, his eyes filled with deep affection.

She had to admit that his words were touching.

So touching that they made her want to cry.

Lily’s eyes grew misty, but she didn’t know what to say.

Alex unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly leaned toward her, his gaze never leaving her face, his eyes filled with tenderness as he lowered his head, moving closer to her lips.

Lily froze her entire body stiffening. The next second, she turned her head away.

She dodged his kiss.

Alex’s lips hovered just a centimeter from her face, his amber eyes instantly losing warmth.

They stayed like that for an eternity, neither of them speaking. The only sound in the car was the soft music playing in the background. The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

"I’m baffled right now," Lily said, her voice hoarse.

"I know." Alex forced a bitter smile. "Lily, I’ll wait for you to be ready."

She was by his side now...

He had all the time in the world to wait for her.

He had endured nine years of separation, so he didn’t mind waiting a bit longer for her to accept him...

But that wasn’t true.

He minded. He minded so much it drove him crazy.

He wasn’t sure if her heart still belonged to Ethan. After all, they had been through something together.

Lily kept her head down, her lashes casting shadows over her eyes, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Alex exited the car, walked to her side, and opened her door. He turned his back to her, kneeling slightly. "Lily, let me carry you."

Lily looked at his back and smiled faintly. "That’s not necessary. My legs are fine."

"I want to carry you," Alex insisted.

Lily suddenly remembered the news about his injury and couldn’t help but ask, "How’s your injury? How did you get shot? Was it that day at Ethan’s house?"

"I’ll tell you if you let me carry you," Alex said, not moving, determined to wait her out.

She had never been able to beat his stubbornness.

Knowing she couldn’t argue with him, Lily sighed and climbed onto his back.

Alex carried her steadily toward the villa, smiling as he said, "See? I’m fine now."

Lily wrapped her arms around his shoulders, remaining silent.

Aston, the butler, was waiting at the door. He bowed respectfully. "Welcome back, sir, miss."

Lily slid off Alex’s back as soon as they reached the entrance.

"The bath has been prepared," Butler Aston said professionally, making all the necessary arrangements.

He had received word earlier from Alex, who had informed him that everything had gone smoothly and that Lily had returned safely.

After so many years, the young master had finally realized his dream of bringing her home.

"I’ll take a bath first," Lily said politely, smiling as she glanced at Alex before leaving.

"Okay."

Alex watched her retreating figure, his eyes filled with quiet disappointment.

Even though Lily was now beside him, their distance hadn’t diminished.

Is she still thinking about Ethan Blackwood?

How could she like a man who pulls out a gun at the slightest provocation?

Back at the Blackwood villa.

Aiko Nakamura followed Ethan inside. Ever since they had left the gambling ship, Ethan’s mood had only worsened.

"Mr. Blackwood, Miss Nakamura, supper is ready," Nanny said respectfully as she approached them. Noticing something was wrong, she glanced behind them and asked in surprise, "Where’s Miss Anderson?"

She had prepared a special medicinal dish for Lily.

Miss Anderson had barely eaten for the past few days, relying on Mr. Blackwood to feed her a little at night. Nanny had even prepared the dish later than usual, knowing that Mr. Blackwood would bring it to Lily to eat...

Miss Anderson.

Something unreadable at the mention of those words flickered across Ethan’s eyes. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Without a word, he shot Nanny a cold look and stormed upstairs.

"Is Mr. Blackwood not eating?" Nanny asked in confusion. Did something happen?

Watching Ethan’s retreating figure, Nanny called after him, "A new collection of women’s clothing arrived from Europe. It’s the final release of the season, and I’ve had it organized in the dressing room."

Ethan stopped in his tracks, his tall frame radiating coldness. "Shut up!"

"Shh—"

Aiko pressed a finger to her lips, gesturing for Nanny to be quiet. She whispered, "Alex won. Don’t mention her in front of Ethan."

"What?!"

Nanny’s eyes widened in shock. She asked, utterly confused, "Why didn’t Mr. Blackwood bring Miss Anderson back?!"

"Alex won her in the bet."

"But even if Mr. Carter won, Mr. Blackwood would never let Miss Anderson go."

Nanny said her tone firm.

Mr. Blackwood is a strong-willed man. There’s no way he’d stand by and let Lily be taken away. Why didn’t he blow Alex’s head off?

It doesn’t make any sense... This explanation doesn’t hold up...

"Something weird happened on the gambling ship tonight," Aiko whispered. "But since Ethan lost, you should pack all of Lily’s things and throw them out. Don’t let Ethan see them and get upset."

"But Mr. Blackwood didn’t give any orders," Nanny said hesitantly. She didn’t want to upset him but was still just a servant.

"Don’t worry. You’re just doing it for his own good. I’ll help you pack," Aiko offered sweetly, flashing a charming smile.

In the dressing room—

Ethan closed the door behind him and threw his jacket onto the floor. His shoes sank into the plush, vintage carpet as he walked into the high-end dressing room, where everything was neatly organized. He stood there, his black eyes dark and unreadable.

This was the dressing room he had prepared for Lily.

Every item of clothing is from Blackwood Enterprise’s fashion brand—each piece is the latest in its collection.

He opened the wardrobe, revealing a line of clothes tailored to Lily’s exact measurements.

He could picture her wearing each outfit, knowing she’d look perfect in every style.

With her unique, clean features and pure aura... even in the sexiest of dresses, she’d still maintain a touch of freshness, utterly natural.

She was someone he could never tire of looking at.

"Ethan Blackwood, do you even realize how disgusting you are?"

"If I had to say one last thing to you, it’s that we’re both sick!"

The way she had looked at him when she said those words, lying beneath him, was as if she was staring at a revolting cockroach.

Aside from the few nonsensical things she had mumbled in her sleep, she hadn’t said a single word to him before Alex had carried her away.

She really does hate me.

If she hates me so much, why did she shoot herself twice?

She had chosen for him to lose on the gambling ship, yet she had pointed the gun at herself.

At that moment, his mind had gone completely blank.

What was she thinking? I don’t understand.

Maybe she knew what kind of person I am—that even if she had chosen me to lose, I would have rigged the game and pointed the gun at Alex and her.

So, instead, she pointed the gun at herself.

She played a bigger game than either Alex or I did—using her own life to end the bet. If it weren’t for me, she’d be dead by now. Maybe she didn’t really want to leave with Alex after all.

But in the end, she hadn’t said a single word about wanting to stay...

For the first time in his life, Ethan watched as the woman he considered to be his was carried away by another man.

And he had done absolutely nothing.

How pathetic.

Ethan stood motionless, staring at the rows of women’s clothing. His long fingers brushed against a trench coat that Lily had worn before.

He had told Nanny to wash it and hang it in the wardrobe.

He had never thrown it away.

One by one, these clothes were like shadows of Lily, filling his vision.

"Ethan, Ethan..."

The door to the dressing room swung open, and Aiko burst in, holding a tin of cookies.

His thoughts were interrupted, and Ethan turned his cold gaze on her, glaring. "Get out!"

"I’ll leave immediately, but I just wanted to ask something."

Aiko pouted, looking pitiful as she opened the cookie tin. "Look, these cookies are moldy. They can’t be eaten anymore. I wanted to throw them away, but Nanny wouldn’t let me. She said you wanted to keep them. Why keep them? They’re not edible."

As if they were some kind of artwork.

What was the point of keeping a tin of expired cookies? It’s not like they could be eaten. How strange.

Ethan’s anger surged. He snatched the cookie tin from her, shouting, "Who told you to touch my things?! Do you have a death wish?!"

Is this woman out of her mind?!

How dare she touch anything in my room?!

Aiko had never seen Ethan look so terrifying. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stammered, "I... I didn’t want you to feel sad looking at Lily’s things, so I thought of clearing them out.

"Throw them out?!"

Ethan’s fury exploded, and his loud voice nearly shattered her eardrums. "Aiko! I’m warning you! I’ll throw you out the window if I ever see you here again!"

How dare she take matters into her own hands and touch his things.

Who had given her the right?!

"I... I just didn’t want you to be sad. Why are you so mad?" Aiko’s tears spilled over as she whimpered.

"Get out!"

Ethan stormed out of the dressing room, not even sparing her a glance.

In the master bedroom, Nanny and two maids were packing things into boxes when Ethan burst through the door, shouting, "Stop what you’re doing right now!"

"Mr. Blackwood..."

Nanny and the maids froze, slowly setting the boxes down.

"You two—fired! Get out of here immediately!" Ethan bellowed, his voice hoarse from shouting, his eyes filled with rage as he glared at the two maids.

The maids immediately looked to Nanny for help.

But even Nanny, who had worked for Ethan for years, couldn’t help but flinch in fear at the sight of his fury.

It was all because of Miss Aiko.

She had insisted on getting rid of Lily’s things, and Nanny had foolishly agreed. Now, two innocent maids were about to bear the brunt of her mistake.