30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 173: Kiss Me Boldly

"Nothing to say?!" Seeing Lily Anderson’s silence, Ethan assumed she had admitted defeat. He raised an eyebrow arrogantly, grabbed her hand, and started walking. "Let’s go, we’re going home."

Lily roughly yanked her hand free. "Why do you always make decisions for me?! Have you ever asked if I’m willing? I’m a person, not a doll for you to manipulate!"

"What reason do you have to refuse me?!" Ethan snapped, grabbing the broken balloon from her hand and throwing it to the ground. "If I hadn’t turned back just now, you’d still be standing there, pitifully talking to that balloon, saying ’thank you’!"

He was here for her, and she still refused him?! Why did she always reject him?!

"Is everything you do always right, and everything I do always wrong?!" Lily took a step back, glaring at him fiercely.

"What have you done? All you ever do is reject me!" If he didn’t have a strong heart, she would have driven him mad by now.

"That’s because you don’t know how to respect others!" Did being his girlfriend mean she had no privacy? Was she just a puppet for him to control?

"I’m doing it for your own good!" Ethan growled, his temper rising. "If it weren’t for me, would you have gotten out of the Carter Group’s centennial scandal so easily? If it weren’t for me, those reporters would still ask you how you feel about your fiancé turning out to be your brother!"

Lily’s face turned pale.

The Carter Group’s centennial celebration...

Her fiancé turned out to be her brother...

All of yesterday’s events came rushing back: the flashing cameras, her beloved father revealing the scandal on stage.

Revealing that she was the product of an affair...

"If you were doing it for my good, you wouldn’t make all the decisions without asking me!" Lily clenched her fists, trying to control her anger.

Why were her thoughts always ignored?

Why did no one care about what she wanted?

"Lily! Do you think you would ever come to me on your own? I, Ethan Blackwood, would be waiting until my death for that day!" He didn’t want to be the one chasing after her, but would she ever come to him? No!

Even now that she and Alex were no longer an option, she still hadn’t thought of coming to him! When things went wrong, she hid at her friend’s place rather than seeking him out!

Where did he rank in her heart? Her father was gone, and Alex was no longer available, yet he wasn’t her priority?!

Damn it!

When had he, Ethan Blackwood, fallen this low?!

"Why was it all just a scheme from the start? Why didn’t I have the right to know?! From the beginning to the end, I was just a pawn! I told you I didn’t want to attend the banquet, so why force me?!" Lily screamed, her voice filled with anguish. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Ethan was taken aback. Was she talking to him?

Lily glared at him, her voice loud and filled with pain. "If you saw me as your daughter, you wouldn’t have made decisions without asking me! You wouldn’t have pushed me into the spotlight! Even if I’m not your biological child, you raised me! Why did you only see me as a pawn? Why?!"

"Lily Anderson..."

Was she mistaking him for her father?

Seeing her tormented expression, Ethan’s domineering tone softened into one of concern. After all, it had only been a day since everything happened, and it had been a massive blow to her...

Ethan’s heart ached as he watched her. He reached out to take her hand.

Lily pushed him away violently, shouting, "I don’t want any of you making decisions for me! I don’t want anyone controlling my life!"

"Lily Anderson!" Ethan stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. "That’s enough. Don’t say anymore."

"Let go of me!" Lily struggled, trying to push him away.

But Ethan didn’t let go. His arms held her firmly despite her struggles, locking her in place.

After a while, Lily finally began to calm down, still held tightly in Ethan’s arms.

She had thought she could handle everything and face all the bad things calmly... But every time she was with Ethan, she lost her temper.

She shouldn’t be like this.

Why was she taking her anger out on Ethan? What was the point of getting angry?

Lily stopped struggling. No matter how hard she fought, some things were inevitable...

The unexpected would always happen without warning.

One day, she learned the truth about her family’s downfall. In one day, she and Alex Carter had gone from being engaged lovers to half-siblings...

Everything had happened in just one day.

No one had asked her if she was willing to accept it all...

"I won’t control your life, okay?" Ethan suddenly said.

Lily was surprised and opened her eyes.

What did he just say?

Ethan continued to hold her tightly, but his voice had already surrendered. "Live wherever you want, find whatever job you want. Is that okay?"

Lily, still leaning against his chest, hesitated. "Really?"

"Of course not!" Ethan snapped, his frustration evident. He had already compromised so much, and she still had the nerve to question him?!

"I’ll take you back," Ethan finally released her and took her hand, leading her away.

Once they were in the car, Ethan spoke coldly again, "I won’t control your life, but when I want to see you, you’d better let me."

He had already let her leave for so long.

He wasn’t generous enough to wait indefinitely.

He had already compromised enough for her...

"If seeing me just means you want to sleep with me, then no kissing either," Lily said after a moment of silence, her face expressionless.

"Lily Anderson! Don’t push your luck!" Ethan growled. No kissing either? What benefits did he have left then?!

Whenever they met, would they just sit there staring at each other and talking about the weather?!

"If you don’t agree, forget I said anything," Lily replied calmly, not bothering to argue further.

Lily’s retreating tactic had become her ultimate weapon against Ethan.

He had to respect her wishes, or she’d end up with severe depression.

Damn that respect!

Ethan gritted his teeth. "Fine! Before we do anything, I’ll respectfully ask, ’Miss Lily Anderson, do you consent to having sex with me?’ Will that be respectful enough?!"

Lily was left speechless...

This man really had no shame, saying whatever came to mind.

The sports car pulled up directly before her friend Sophia Bennett’s apartment. Ethan really did know her every move. Had he just started following her or been doing so for longer...

Whatever, it didn’t matter.

Lily opened the car door to step out, but Ethan grabbed her hand. She turned back, meeting his intense gaze. "Give me a kiss."

"Ethan Blackwood, didn’t you just say you would respect me?" Lily reminded him. Had he already forgotten?

"Fine, respect," Ethan growled through gritted teeth, enunciating each word. "Miss Lily Anderson, I want to kiss you deeply. May I?"

Lily realized that when she was with Ethan, she was busier than ever. His mouth alone could make her so angry that she had no space for other thoughts.

All the tasks she gave herself were less practical than Ethan’s ability to infuriate her.

"Miss Lily Anderson, I want to kiss you deeply. May I?!" Seeing her remain silent, Ethan repeated the question louder, more impatiently.

"No, you may not—"

Before Lily could finish her refusal, Ethan yanked her into his arms, his lips crashing down on hers, his tongue immediately tangling in a deep, forceful kiss.

This man... So much for respect...

He could say the word but clearly didn’t understand the meaning...

Lily was kissed so fiercely that her breathing became irregular. Only then did Ethan finally let her go, his lips lingering with a sinful sheen. He deliberately licked his lips while staring at her, his eyes filled with lust.

Lily pushed him away, but Ethan, satisfied, raised an eyebrow. "Lily Anderson, you can leave now."

Lily glared at him.

"Don’t look at me like that. I asked for your permission, didn’t I?" Ethan smirked, acting like a complete rogue.

"I refused," she pointed out clearly.

"I didn’t hear that," Ethan said, shrugging with mock innocence. Then, with a glint in his eye, he asked, "Did you really refuse?"

Was he deaf?!

"So what? I already kissed you." Ethan cheekily lifted her chin, his eyes gleaming with desire. "How about this—you kiss me back to even things out?"

See, he was being respectful.

He was even willing to let her kiss him back.

Lily was at a loss for words. Continuing this conversation would not lead to a meaningful discussion about respect.

"Lily Anderson, don’t look so pitiful. I told you, you can kiss me back."

Lily ignored him, pushing the car door open and stepping out. This time, Ethan didn’t stop her.

As soon as she got out, she could hear Ethan’s smug, low chuckle behind her. His tone was full of arrogance as if he had just won. "Lily Anderson, I wouldn’t mind if you kissed me back."

Ethan’s idea of respect was indeed one of a kind—unlike anything before or after him.

Lily sighed, pressing a hand to her temple as she headed upstairs. Sophia’s apartment building was small, without an elevator.

The sky had darkened, and Lily walked up the stairs with her hands in her tracksuit pockets.

As she turned the corner to the landing, someone grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"Why are you with him?!" An angry, demanding voice filled her ears.

Alex Carter?!

Lily looked up in shock. Alex stood before her, his breathing heavy. His usually gentle face was filled with anger, his brown eyes blazing as he glared at her.

"Alex..." As soon as she saw him, Lily’s expression darkened.

Flashes of camera lights swirled in her mind, haunting her like a curse that wouldn’t go away...

"I oppose this, not as a father’s act of selfishness, but because they can never be together. This is all Bill Carter’s fault. Alex Carter and Lily Anderson, though of different surnames, are half-siblings—"

Her father’s voice echoed in her ears, sending a shiver down her spine. She instinctively stepped back.

When she was with Ethan, she was so angry that she couldn’t think about anything else.

Alex grabbed her hand, his eyes filled with sharp anger. "Why were you with Ethan Blackwood?! What were you two doing in the car? Did he kiss you?!"

The car had been parked outside for so long. What had they done?! Just yesterday, they had announced their engagement, and today, she was in Ethan’s car?!

"Alex, we—"

Before she could finish, Alex’s lips were on hers, pushing her roughly against the wall. The impact made her bones ache.

Alex looked exhausted, holding her hands so she couldn’t move as he kissed her fiercely...

Lily’s eyes widened in shock. What was he doing?!

Panicking, Lily pushed him away. "Alex, stop..."

Things between them could never be the same again.

"Why not? We were going to get married!" Alex grabbed her soft hand, his breathing heavy. Her long, slender fingers were bare. "Where is it? Where’s our wedding ring?!"