Chapter 204: Complicated Decision
NO ONE’S POV
"What exactly were you doing there last night, risking your life?!" Lucian demanded, staring down at Lily the moment they were out of earshot.
"I don’t think I have to answer you that, Young Master," Lily said, her tone remaining flat and unreadable.
"As your savior, I should at least know that much!" Lucian snapped, his jaw clenching. "Were you there under Viella’s command? If that’s the case, then she- "
"No," Lily cut him off firmly. "My Lady has never commanded me to do anything that is risky for my life."
"Then is it my father?" Lucian asked angrily, his eyes narrowing with deep suspicion.
"I don’t work for him anymore," Lily replied softly. "Don’t trouble yourself anymore, Young Master. It’s my own problem and I will deal with it. Do not risk yourself for a mere maid like me."
"So you hate me that much, huh?" Lucian said, gritting his teeth in raw frustration.
Lily looked up at him. Again with that question... But this time, deep inside her chest, she knew the real answer. Yet, she decided not to say a single word out loud.
Seeing her quiet, unbothered silence, Lucian felt his frustration boil over. "Fine then! I don’t want to see your face either!" He turned on his shoe and walked away angrily.
On his way down the corridor, he ran straight into Viella, who was standing there with a sneaky, mischievous smile spread across her face.
Lucian sneered at her. "Stop scaring people with your ugly smile."
"Did Lily reject you or something?" Viella asked innocently, tilting her head.
His face instantly reddened up with pure anger. "Reject?! No girl has ever rejected me!"
"So you do like her, huh? Does that mean you already proposed to her? Aww..." Viella squeaked, completely teasing him.
Lucian felt like his head was about to explode. These two girls were thoroughly killing his remaining brain cells. Unable to take any more of her teasing, he stormed off down the hall.
Meanwhile, from a shaded balcony far across the resort grounds, Elias watched the scene unfold with a slow, dark smirk rising on his lips. How could I miss this angle? he muttered to himself. He smoothed down his suit and walked slowly toward where Lily was standing alone under the courtyard trees.
"Has Miss Lily found her clues yet?"
Hearing the voice, Lily turned around sharply. Standing in front of her was Elias, his lower face masked and his coat pulled high, making him look completely unrecognizable to any passing guests.
"Are you following me?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in caution.
"Pfft," he laughed softly, shaking his head. "Me, following you? I have far more important work to do..." Like destroying you, he added silently in his own mind. "Besides, I am only here to make our deal now."
"What deal?" she asked.
"I will help you ruin your true enemy," Elias whispered softly. He reached into his coat and handed her a thick set of official documents. "These are the confidential offshore financial transactions and illegal trade ledgers of the Moretti company. One single leakage to the high council, and his entire career and reputation are gone forever. Tell me... don’t you want your revenge?" He leaned down slightly, his dark eyes fixed on hers.
Lily stayed completely silent, staring down at the heavy papers in her hands. Elias was right. The Moretti family had ruined her life. Stamped across the very first page of the private file was her old slavery contract- proof that years ago, the Moretti family had callously sold her off into a dark slave market as a child.
Seeing her silence, Elias smirked. His bait had worked perfectly.
"What do I have to do?" Lily asked, looking up into his hidden face.
"Easy..." Elias murmured, his voice laced with venomous amusement. "Ruin Viella’s family heir... and I will let you completely destroy the Moretti empire."
Lily stayed stunned, her breath catching in her throat as the weight of his demand hung between them.
Seeing her visibly bothered, Elias spoke once again, his voice dripping with smooth false sympathy.
"It’s okay. I am giving you three more days to think and give me an answer... but remember, if you don’t do it..." He leaned in slightly, his dark eyes locking onto hers. "...your close ones will be gone."
With those chilling words, he looked past her shoulder. Lily instinctively followed his gaze and noticed Viella happily walking toward her from across the gardens.
Lily’s eyes became instantly gloomy. Fueled by a sudden flare of rage, she reached into her sleeve, drew a small dagger, and swung it backward only for her blade to cut through empty air. Elias had already vanished into the shadows without making a single sound.
"Lily!" Viella called out, jumping into the courtyard with a bright smile.
Lily quickly turned around, hiding the dagger back up her sleeve in a single smooth motion. "My Lady..."
"What are you doing over here? And who was that guy standing next to you just now?" Viella asked, looking around the quiet trees.
"Uh... he was just lost, so I was helping him find the road, My Lady," Lily lied smoothly.
Viella opened her mouth shaping an ’O’ and smiled brightly. "Ah, I see! Fine, let’s go! We only have a few hours before returning home, so let’s visit every place possible!" Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Lily’s wrist and dragged her out toward the resort street.
Meanwhile, inside a private estate suite, Dante sat behind a desk, staring coldly at his head assistant.
"Boss, the DNA test results are here," the man said softly, placing a sealed confidential envelope on the wood.
Dante reached out, opened the envelope, and looked down. His gloomy eyes scanned the official lab report until they landed on the final bolded line at the bottom:
DNA MATCH CONFIRMED: 99.9%
Dante froze. So the mysterious lead wasn’t a lie... Lily was really his long-lost younger sister. A whirlwind of overwhelming emotions hit his chest, leaving him completely silent.
"Leave," he commanded in a low tone.
The man bowed and turned to walk out, but he paused at the doorway and stayed still once again. "Boss... before Miss Lily entered the old estate last night, there seemed to be someone else inside as well. But they left right before she came in."
"Investigate it immediately," Dante ordered firmly.
The assistant nodded and quickly walked out, easily sensing the shaken tone in his boss’s voice. After all, despite his cold and ruthless exterior, Dante loved his family more than anything in the world.
Dante loosened his tight collar, taking a deep breath as the room fell quiet. He reached across the desk, took out the family picture, and gently strode his thumb over the small face of the two-year-old girl in the photo.
Liliana Moretti... shortened to Lily.
The universe had been dropping signs right in front of him all along, yet he had been too blind to realize it. He let out a long, heavy sigh. After all this time, the world wasn’t as dark and cruel as he had thought. It was finally time to bring his little sister home where she belonged- along with the woman he loved.
But then, his mind drifted back to last night in the dark study... the cold blade and the sheer hatred in her voice when she called him ’brother.’ His fingers slowly curled into a tight fist against the wooden desk.
He didn’t know why, but it felt like she genuinely hated him to her very core... and he needed to find out why before it was too late.
..............
Lily stood under the shade of a large oak tree, watching Viella laugh and play around with the local children in the nearby park.
She glanced sideways. "I thought you said you didn’t want to see my face ever again, Young Master."
Lucian instantly turned his head away, crossing his arms with a huff. "I’m just here to keep an eye on my sister, okay?"
Lily quietly turned to her left. "Did you come here for the exact same thing, Lord Dante?"
Dante, who was standing quietly just a step beside her, gave a soft nod. His dark eyes shifted away from Viella and rested gently on Lily. This time, there was no icy edge in his gaze only a quiet, profound warmth.
Lucian immediately noticed the unspoken look passing between them. Feeling a sudden spike of irritation, he stepped directly into the middle of the two of them to block Dante’s view. "Dante is my friend, you know! Come on, Dante, let me show you around the area," Lucian blurted out, grabbing Dante by the arm and forcibly dragging him away toward the outdoor drink stands.
"He acts like a five-year-old," Lily muttered under her breath, watching Lucian’s dramatic display. Yet, as she stared at his retreating back, she realized she didn’t actually hate it. A soft, tiny laugh escaped her lips before she could catch herself.
Then, reality crashed back over her like a bucket of ice water. The small smile faded from her face as she remembered the deadline hanging over her head. She looked at the two men standing by the fountain, she was supposed to destroy both of their lives and end their family legacies forever.
She let out a heavy sigh.
Buzz.
Her burner vibrated in her pocket. Lily pulled it out and looked down at the screen notification:
[Bank Alert: $10,000,000.00 has been transferred into your account.]
Her eyebrows raised in complete disbelief. Why in the world was Lord Dante suddenly sending her such an absurd amount of money? It’s probably payment to finish off Alina once and for all, she reasoned internally.
She raised her eyes and saw Dante standing by the table, sharing a cold drink and casually conversing with Lucian.
Definitely... that has to be the reason, Lily thought to herself, trying to rationalize it. Otherwise, a ruthless man like him wouldn’t even begin to know what kindness is.
Viella walked back over, wiping a light bead of sweat from her forehead and snapping Lily out of her thoughts. "Where are you lost in your mind?"
Lily paused, looking Viella straight in the eyes. "My Lady... do you really love Lord Dante more than your own life?"
The sudden question caught Viella completely off guard. She blinked, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks before her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why are you asking me that all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you... like him or something?!"
Lily’s expression instantly turned sour, her face twisting into sheer disgust. Like him? He was her own biological brother- the very man she hated to her absolute core!
Seeing the genuine horror and disgust plastered all over Lily’s face, Viella instantly got her answer and burst out into a loud, lively laugh, wiping a tear from her eye.
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TO BE CONTINUED