116 Tongue Tied

"For some reason, I am actually not surprised that you came here," Lily said while shifting to the other side of the bed to give Zhuo Jingren a space to lie down beside her.

"Are you saying that you deliberately did not video call me so that I would miss you and come here to find you?" he chuckled before he pulled Lily closer towards him.

"Maybe?" Lily retorted. "Did you make dinner for me?"

"Of course, I did," he said before kissing her lovingly on the forehead. "I heard someone actually dared to slap you?"

"It was for a cause," Lily answered as she avoided his gaze. She snuggled into his embrace, resting her head on the nook of his neck. Her soft and warm breath against his skin made him let out a sigh of contentment, happy that he had his snuggle bunny back.

"Hmmm… I don't like it. Let me deal with that woman," he said, still feeling upset at the thought of someone hurting his beloved.

"She does not deserve your time." Lily was quick to answer. Monique was someone that was just caught in Lily's scheme.

"I won't kill her."

"I knew you'd say that," Lily answered after a brief silence. To say that she was surprised that Zhuo Jingren knew about Monique slapping her would be a lie. In fact, given her understanding of him, she fully expected that he would have already taken action prior to them having this conversation.

And she was right, Monique was already taken care of by Zhuo Jingren. However, he made sure not to kill her. After all, he knew that Lily was not that type of person who would kill her enemies. What he did was to publicize Monique's dirty secrets. It might not be enough to kill Monique but he was sure it was enough to ruin her. Monique would not have any future in the film industry anymore.

Moreover, during the time that Lily was asleep, George also executed the final step of his plan. He personally exposed Liam's deeds, creating a ruckus among the shareholders. An emergency meeting was held and they all voted for Liam to step down from his position as CEO of Arison Holdings and to leave the company.

"Don't sleep. You need to eat your dinner. It's getting a little late," he whispered when he noticed Lily's breathing was starting to even. He gently stroke Lily's back and once again whispered, "Hey… you know...if you continue to lie naked next to me, you should know what is bound to happen. So, I think you better put on some clothes, eat first to give yourself some strength."

And just as he expected, Lily immediately pushed him away and leave the bed without waiting for another second. He let out a chuckle while watching Lily strode towards her walk-in closet and put on a yellow pyjamas with images of SpongeBob all over it. This immediately earned another chuckle from Zhuo Jingren.

"I like him, alright," Lily said, glaring at him for mocking her fashion choice before walking out of her room, leaving a certain beast man alone.

….

"So? Where will you take me tomorrow?" Zhuo Jingren asked excitedly while watching Lily eat.

"I want you meet someone," she answered.

"Alright." He nodded.

"So are you going to tell me why are you here and not in Hong Kong?" Lily asked. She thought that there was definitely another reason for him to be here other than 'missing her', right? Of course, Lily was wrong about her assumptions.

"I just miss you," he said.

"So… missing me is enough to make you fly half-way around the world?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Priorities," he uttered. He then flashed Lily a smile when he saw her just staring at him. "Why don't we talk about what you did instead? Hmm? You put yourself in danger, Lily. And you did not even bother to let me know."

"I was not in any danger," Lily argued as she finished the creamy carbonara that Zhuo Jingren whipped up for her. "I had it all planned from the start and George was there, so…" She shrugged.

"Don't do it again," Zhuo Jingren said, looking into her eyes and taking her hands in his. The gaze that he was giving her somehow made her feel tongue tied. For the first time she felt utterly speechless, and she did not know what to say.

For some reason, the thought of telling him that she couldn't promise such a thing was making her a little conflicted. Seeing Zhuo Jingren's eyes that was looking at her full of hope made her shift her eyes to the side of his face, avoiding his eyes in the process.

"I can't promise you that," Lily answered with a straight face, her eyes still avoiding his. "I will not change who I am just to make you feel comfortable," she said before getting up from her seat and walking out of the kitchen. Lily did not understand the myriad of feelings within her when it came to Zhuo Jingren and that naturally caused her to be defensive and even irritated.

However, when Lily was about to go inside her study, Zhuo Jingren stopped her and pulled her for a hug. His tall frame covered her small one. The embrace was warm, his big strong arms instantly made Lily felt protected. As if she was in a cocoon, wrapped in comfort and… love.

"I am not asking you to change who you are," he uttered, his voice was gentle. Lily is Lily and he was aware that he couldn't change who she is. Zhuo Jingren knew that her walls wouldn't just crumble because she had agreed to marry him. "I am asking… emploring you to just let me know in the future. I can't lose you now, Lily... Not again."

Lily felt Zhuo Jingren's voice tremble before he continued, "You are not alone. Please… let me be with you."

…

Editor: Swaning