30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 157: A Father’s Secret

"A man like Ethan Blackwood only exists in toxic romance novels. Women who choose men like him are in for a world of pain," Sophia suddenly said. "It’s like Bella Swan falling in love with the vampire Edward Cullen—could there ever be a happy ending without drama and heartache?" Lily looked at Sophia and couldn’t help but say, "Sophia, your words are becoming increasingly on point."

Sophia’s summary of her and Ethan’s situation was so spot-on that it left Lily amused and helpless.

"Of course, I’m always on point," Sophia said with a smirk. "This is the path any sane woman would take. Alex has been loyal and devoted to you for so long. If you don’t choose him, you’d be blind."

Ethan was handsome, but good looks alone wouldn’t feed a woman.

Speaking of Alex, Lily’s expression darkened again. She had never thought that choosing Alex was a mistake.

But she was terrified... that her emotional state would hurt Alex.

He was so good to her, yet what had she ever given him in return?

Maybe she should do something for Alex instead of letting him bear the burden of maintaining their relationship alone.

If she had spent all her time with Alex, she wouldn’t have had the time to think about Ethan.

"Sophia, I’m leaving now." Lily stood up from her chair and patted Sophia as she headed toward the door.

"I’ll walk you out."

Sophia got up and followed her. As they passed through the living room, the TV was on, and a talk show stopped Lily.

"What Alice Johnson did to my daughter reflects the kind of terrible education that today’s second-generation officials receive, leading them to commit such heinous acts."

Her father, Henry Anderson, dressed in a sharp suit, spoke confidently on the talk show.

Her father had been on TV?

How come she didn’t know about this?

"That’s your dad, right?" Sophia nudged her. "Even though they’ve blurred out your face in every photo, I could still recognize you. Your dad’s quite famous now."

"Famous?"

"Yeah, he’s been criticizing the education of second-generation officials and wealthy heirs, and his words are sharp. He’s got tons of online supporters," Sophia explained. "I kind of admire him. But aren’t you about to marry Alex? Your dad’s been criticizing the Carter family, too."

"Criticizing the Carter family? What do you mean?" Lily’s eyes widened in shock. Why would her father criticize the Carters when pushing her to marry Alex?

"Yeah, he’s been talking about how Alex was already engaged to you but still got engaged to someone else later. Even though he broke it off, it shows how irresponsible wealthy heirs are." Sophia gave her a playful nudge. "Tell me, does your dad want you to marry Alex?"

Lily’s face paled. After saying goodbye to her friend, she hurried out.

How could this be?

Was her father pushing Alex to marry her, yet he publicly criticized Alex and the Carter family?

Her father wasn’t like this before... Her mother had always said that her father was a businessman who never made enemies and always greeted people with a smile.

What was her father hiding from her?

Lily rushed home only to find that her father wasn’t there. She entered his bedroom and started rummaging through drawers, trying to find something.

That’s when Lily realized how empty her father’s room was. Aside from the clothes she had bought for him, he hadn’t added anything of his own... it was as if he were just a guest here.

An uneasy feeling crept over her.

Lily opened drawer after drawer, unsure what she was looking for, but convinced that her father was hiding something from her...

She needed to find some answers.

Why had her father said their family was torn apart? Who had torn them apart?

Ever since he exited prison, her father had been pressuring Alex to publicly acknowledge their relationship and then pushing him to announce their engagement at the Carter family’s centennial celebration...

Her father couldn’t be unaware of the public pressure this would put on Alex. If he wanted her to marry Alex, he should be thinking about her future happiness.

So why was he criticizing the Carter family in the media?

Bang—

Lily pulled a small wooden box from a cabinet. It wasn’t locked. When she opened it, she found it filled with old and recent newspaper clippings.

The only thing they had in common was that every single one was about the Carter family.

Lily felt a chill run through her body as she flipped through the clippings. She pulled out the last one, which was from nine years ago.

The headline read, "Close Friend Imprisoned, Bill Carter in Tears; Vows to Never Engage in Illegal Activities."

She flipped through a few more clippings, and soon after, the news was all about the Carter family’s rapid expansion, their malls becoming number one nationwide, and their entry into the international market...

Why had her father collected so many reports about the Carter family?

She had always thought her father held a grudge against the Carters for not helping them back then, but now it seemed like there was much more to it...

"What are you doing in my room?"

Her father’s voice suddenly came from the doorway.

Lily jumped, the newspaper slipping from her hands as she looked up in shock at her father’s dark expression.

"You’ve messed up all the clippings!" Henry hurried over and began carefully reorganizing the newspapers by date, stacking them neatly...

Watching her father’s anxious behavior, Lily couldn’t help but ask, "Dad, why do you have so much information about the Carter family?"

She should have realized it back when he was released from prison...

Henry’s expression softened, and he casually replied, "I’m just keeping an eye on an old friend."

"Dad, you said our family was torn apart. Torn apart by who?" Lily asked carefully, grabbing his arm.

Please, don’t let it be what I think...

Henry’s eyes darkened, and he stood straight, looking down at Lily. "Have you already figured it out?"

Lily froze, staring at him, and after a long pause, she struggled to say two words, "The Carters?"

Henry didn’t say anything, staring at her for a long time.

Suddenly, Henry chuckled and patted her pale face. "Silly girl, what nonsense are you thinking?"

"Then... why are you collecting so many clippings about the Carter family?"

"I’m just curious how they’ve expanded over the past nine years. Your father wants to make a comeback."

A comeback by studying the Carter family’s business model?

Lily instinctively felt something was off but couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Her father didn’t have any reason to lie to her.

If the Carter family had wronged them, her father wouldn’t push her to marry Alex.

Was she just overthinking things?

"Dad, are you planning to open a mall?" Lily glanced at the newspapers and said, "Alex and I are planning to go to France after we get married. I want to study film directing."

"What, you want me to go with you?" Henry said, pulling her down to sit beside him. "Sweetheart, I know you have dreams, but your dad has his own plans, too. I don’t want to burden you after getting out of prison. I’m still capable of building something great."

"But opening a mall requires a lot of capital." Where would he get so much money?

"Don’t worry about that, sweetheart. Your dad has it all figured out," Henry said with a smile.

"Dad, are you really not hiding anything from me?" It seemed like her father wanted to change the subject, but Lily still had a lot of questions. "Why did you criticize the Carter family in front of the media?"

Henry sighed helplessly. "Since when did my daughter become so curious? The Carters didn’t help us back then when we needed it. Can’t I say a few words about that?"

Was he really just angry that the Carters didn’t help them?

Lily couldn’t think of any way to refute that, but deep down, she felt there was more to it.

"The Carter family’s centennial celebration is coming up soon, right? Just focus on preparing to become Alex’s bride..." Henry said, holding her hand seriously. "After this is over, you won’t have any more burdens to carry. You can go chase your dreams."

After this is over?

After the wedding?

Lily still needs to respond. She just nodded obediently.

"I bought some sweet soup. It’s in the dining room. Go have some."

"Okay, Dad."

Lily walked into the dining room, opened the takeout box of sweet soup, and turned on her phone. She dialed Alex’s number, and he picked up almost immediately.

"Alex, there’s something I want to talk to you about..." Lily started to say.

"I’m downstairs at your place."

"Huh?"

"I missed you. Come down and see me," Alex’s gentle voice came through the phone.

Lily was stunned. She put down the sweet soup and headed downstairs. At first, she didn’t see Alex’s car, but then a silver sports car emerged from a corner.

The window rolled down, revealing Alex’s somewhat haggard face. He smiled faintly at her and lifted his wrist to show his watch. "I was wondering when you’d call me," he said.

Lily stared at him in surprise. He was still wearing the same clothes from last night when he had proposed to her, and his voice was a bit hoarse...

"When did you get here?" Lily asked in a daze.

Had he been here since last night after dropping her off?

Did he see when Nanny and Angus came to pick her up? Did he see everything?

"When do you want me to have arrived?" Alex asked with a faint smile, his expression unreadable.

Last night, he had been overjoyed after his successful proposal...

But just as he was about to leave, he saw Lily enter someone else’s car...

The 30 Days Memorial Hotel.

He had parked his car by the roadside for a long time. When he saw Lily crying as she walked out, he opened his car door, but then Ethan Blackwood came out and embraced her.

He couldn’t hear what she said but knew she had rejected Ethan.

If it was just a rejection, then why was she crying?

Lily, what are you crying about?

Lily, where does your heart really lie? Where do I, Alex, stand in your heart?

"I..." Lily stammered, staring at him.

"I just got here," Alex suddenly said, stepping out of the car to open the door for her. "Get in."

"Just got here?"

Lily looked at his clothes in confusion. Alex smiled warmly. "I have a lot of clothes like this. What are you thinking?"

If he could, he would’ve rushed out and punched Ethan last night.

But there was a better time. He wasn’t sure where Lily’s heart lay. If she wavered, she would leave him.

He couldn’t afford to lose.

He couldn’t afford to question Lily’s heart right now.

Once they were married and she was entirely his... everything would be different.

Lily nodded and got into the car. "Alex, let’s return to our hometown for a bit."

"Sure. Wherever you want to go, we’ll go," Alex agreed gently, leaning over to fasten her seatbelt. "Why did you suddenly want to go back?"

"I just remembered... there’s something I haven’t given you," Lily said.

"What is it?" Alex asked.

"You’ll see," Lily replied with a small smile. Then she asked, "Alex, after my family’s downfall, did your father ever say anything?"

"My father?" Alex glanced at her, puzzled. "After your family’s troubles, my father rarely mentioned the Andersons. I was young at the time, and I asked him to take me to visit your father in prison, but my father said he didn’t know where your father was being held."

"Alex, don’t you think our fathers’ attitudes have greatly changed?" Lily couldn’t help but say, "When we were kids, they weren’t like this. Don’t you find it strange?"