30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 92: Defiance Under Threat

"Lily!" Ethan roared behind her, his voice tearing through the air. "Touch her, and I’ll kill every single one of you!"

"Alright, withdraw," the old man suddenly said, granting them an unexpected reprieve.

The gun pressed against Lily’s forehead was immediately removed, and her first reaction was to shout—

"Wait a minute. Call an ambulance for me.

The old man on the other end was silent momentarily, then burst into laughter, echoing throughout the empty cathedral. "Girl, you’re quite amusing."

The laughter abruptly ceased.

The men in black gave a final warning to the gathered worshippers and nuns before swiftly retreating from the church with trained precision.

"Lily!"

Hearing her name, Lily turned around.

Ethan stood in the hallway, his face battered and bruised, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. His hair was disheveled, and he looked utterly defeated. Rage burned his eyes as he yelled at her, "Who the hell asked you to meddle?!"

With those words, Ethan’s tall figure collapsed heavily to the ground.

Lily stood there, staring blankly, her face devoid of expression.

At Charité Hospital’s emergency room, Lily paced anxiously back and forth, her hands unconsciously gripping the hem of her sweater tightly.

What a day this had been—truly filled with unexpected twists and turns.

She had always considered Ethan a spoiled and arrogant young master, hence his volatile temper.

She never imagined he’d have such a reckless brother or a heartless and cruel father.

A father who could order his men to beat his own son while leisurely sipping wine.

What kind of twisted family was this...

"Miss. Anderson! Miss. Anderson!"

Nanny and the elderly butler, Angus, rushed in.

Lily had used Ethan’s phone to call Nanny, who had arrived so quickly that her face had turned pale. "Mr. Blackwood—how is he? Is he alright?!"

"I don’t know yet. He’s still in surgery."

Lily said, her heart filled with an indescribable tension.

She wasn’t naïve. She knew that the reason Ethan had allowed himself to be beaten today was because he had overheard that Dr. Joel, who was supposed to treat her, was under his father’s control...

Just like Nanny had said, Ethan had feelings for her...

Otherwise, how could he have gone to such lengths?

The emergency room light went out, and the doctor came out, rapidly spouting, "Three broken ribs, but nothing else too serious."

Ethan was quickly wheeled out, an oxygen mask over his face, his eyes tightly shut. The doctors had wiped away the blood that had streaked his lips.

Nanny immediately exclaimed, "Mr. Blackwood had already booked the best room for Miss Anderson. Angus, go ahead and handle the paperwork."

"Understood."

Ethan was transferred to a luxurious first-class room. The decor was even more extravagant than that of the private hospitals in our city, and four nurses were assigned to care for him around the clock.

Lily sat by his bed, her mind a tangled mess.

A nurse removed Ethan’s oxygen mask and said, "He doesn’t need this anymore."

"Thank you."

Lily smiled politely at the nurse.

Ethan remained unconscious, his injuries severe enough to mar his once-handsome face.

As she gazed at him, Lily’s mind swirled with confusion.

His actions today had shaken her deeply, almost as if to confirm what Nanny had said: Mr. Blackwood likes you.

The tear-shaped ring on her finger still glimmered, small and exquisite, reflecting a beautiful brilliance.

She had always thought it was just a gift from a benefactor to his mistress, devoid of any real meaning.

She had always assumed that the things he bought for her were just him frivolously spending money as if they would only make him happy once they were burned.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case at all.

This ring suddenly felt so heavy.

Some things she simply couldn’t afford to wear.

If their relationship was nothing more than that of a benefactor and his mistress, where money exchanged hands, everything would be simple.

But if he—the benefactor—had feelings for her, then everything would become complicated.

"Miss. Anderson."

Nanny handed Lily a cup of hot tea, glancing at Ethan lying on the bed. "Miss. Anderson, there are two guest rooms inside. You should get some rest. Mr. Blackwood won’t wake up for a while."

"It’s alright. I’ll stay here."

There was no way she could sleep right now.

Too many shocking things had happened today, and every time she sat still, it was as if she could hear the deafening gunshots echoing in her ears, and the sight of those foreign men collapsing to the ground after being shot with the blood was terrifying.

Isn’t the Blackwood family just a business conglomerate?

Why did they feel more like the mafia...

Taking a sip of the hot tea Nanny had given her, Lily looked up and asked, "Has the Blackwood family always been like this?"

After hearing what Lily had described about Ethan’s ordeal, Nanny sighed repeatedly. When Lily asked her this question, she sighed again. "Mr. Blackwood Senior is a domineering man. He doesn’t tolerate anyone defying him, not even his son."

Domineering or not, there’s no need to break your own son’s ribs.

Lily wondered if Ethan’s violent tendencies were inherited from his father.

"The eldest son is probably the only decent one in the family. Mr. Blackwood Senior favors him because he’s the child of his legitimate wife," Nanny said, looking anxiously at Ethan on the bed.

Legitimate wife?

Do people still talk about legitimate and illegitimate wives these days? Is this some kind of ancient society?

"What about Tommy? He seems to be of mixed race." Lily asked with curiosity.

"The second young master was born to a German singer. All three of the young masters have different mothers."

No wonder the family is so dysfunctional.

No wonder Ethan has such a chaotic attitude toward relationships.

"Nanny, you should get some sleep. I’ll stay here and watch over him," Lily said, standing up, placing the hot drink on the side table, and guiding Nanny toward the guest room.

Returning to Ethan’s bedside, she noticed the IV drip slowly trickling. He lay there quietly, his lips dry and cracked.

Lily soaked a cotton swab in water and gently dabbed it on his lips, pushing aside his tousled hair with her fingers.

Ethan didn’t wake up until just before dawn. His dim eyes fixed on her. "Lily!"

Still wide awake, Lily sat quietly in the chair beside his bed, looking at him. "You’re awake?"

"Ugh..." Ethan tried to sit up but groaned in pain as his hand instinctively clutched his chest.

That old man’s men were hitting harder and harder!

"You’ve broken three ribs. It’s best if you stay lying down for the next few days," Lily said, pressing the button to gradually elevate the bed.

"Damn it!" Ethan cursed under his breath, frowning deeply.

"It’s still early. Why don’t you try to sleep a bit longer?" Lily suggested softly.

The two nurses who were supposed to be on night duty had succumbed to sleep, dozing off on the sofa...

Lily’s normally pristine face was now etched with exhaustion and weariness, and she looked far worse than she had earlier in the day.

This greatly displeased Ethan.

"Lily! Go to sleep!" Ethan growled in a low voice.

"I’m not tired," Lily said quietly, her eyes downcast. "How about I cut you an apple?"

"When I tell you to sleep, you sleep! Don’t argue with me!" Ethan barked, his chest faintly throbbing with pain.

Lily, however, completely ignored him, focusing instead on peeling the apple in her hands.

"Lily! Are you seriously pretending you didn’t hear me?!" Ethan was furious.

This woman thought he wouldn’t hit her just because he was injured?

How ungrateful and infuriating!

She had rushed out and yelled at his father while he was being beaten.

He was still his father’s son. No matter how hard the old man hit, he wouldn’t kill her...

But her life would have been in danger if she had angered the old man with her sharp tongue.

"..."

Lily did not respond, silently peeling the apple in her hand.

Ethan was so angry that he wanted to reach out and smack her, but the pain in his chest stopped him, making him wince. "Ugh—"

Doesn’t he know he’s broken three ribs? Why can’t he just rest?

"Does it hurt? I’ll call the doctor." Seeing his state, Lily quickly put down the apple and reached for the emergency button.

"No need."

How could he still call himself Ethan if he couldn’t endure this minor injury?

Leaning back against the bed, Ethan’s eyes darkened as he stared at her. She sat there quietly, her face emotionless, as if the person who had rushed out and yelled at his father earlier wasn’t her at all.

"Lily, why did you rush out today? Do you know who my father is?" Ethan asked, his voice low as he watched her calm and indifferent expression.

Even the three Blackwood brothers wouldn’t dare to speak out against their father so quickly, yet she had done so without hesitation.

"Who? The head of a European business empire?" Lily replied, sitting back down and continuing to peel the apple.

This woman only saw the surface of things.

Ethan’s father was far more complicated than she imagined.

"My father acts on his own whims. Once, one of his assistants, who had worked for him for years, said something wrong and got shot twice. He’s been paralyzed ever since," Ethan said, his voice low, staring at her, curious to see her reaction.

Just for saying the wrong thing, he got shot twice?!

Lily looked up, her gaze meeting his deep, dark eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

Quickly averting her eyes, Lily lowered her head and muttered, "Is that so? I used to think you weren’t his biological son. But hearing this, it’s clear you two are definitely related."

"...What?" Ethan’s brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Because you’re just as unpredictable as he is."

"Lily!" Ethan instantly exploded in anger, gritting his teeth.

"Here, eat this apple." Lily handed him the peeled apple, stopping his fury just in time.

Ethan let out a cold snort, took the apple, and stared intently at her face. As if demanding her confession, he said forcefully, "Lily! You rushed out today, risking your life because you’re madly in love with me!"

Lily had just placed the fruit knife back on the bedside table. Hearing this, her hand slipped, and the blade grazed her fingertip, causing blood to well up...

The pain was sharp and immediate.

"Lily!" Ethan shouted her name again, tossing the apple aside. Ignoring the pain in his chest, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.

He took her injured finger into his mouth.

His animal-like instinct to lick the wound.

Lily stared at him, stunned, as he cradled her finger in his mouth, his tongue gently lapping at her wound. It reminded her of that time in the presidential suite, where he had also stopped her bleeding in this same primal, lingering manner.

"Mr. Blackwood truly likes you."

Nanny’s words echoed in her mind like a curse, filling her thoughts.

This man liked her... and this kind of affection was something she could not bear.

Without thinking, Lily quickly pulled her hand away from his lips, her brow furrowed slightly.

A smear of her blood lingered on Ethan’s lips, giving him a strangely seductive allure.

He had kindly tried to help her stop the bleeding, and she had pulled away so quickly—was she disgusted by him?! How dare she?!

Ethan fought the urge to encircle her in his arms because of her avoidance. Gritting his teeth, he spoke each word with domineering authority, "Lily, come here and kiss me!"