30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 193: The Question of Marriage

Seeing Ethan looking so defeated, Lily couldn’t help but smile softly. Her voice was gentle as she reminded him, "Be careful with your wound. Just wipe down; don’t let it get wet."

At least he hadn’t been completely overtaken by his desires. While she wasn’t opposed to intimacy, she couldn’t accept being too close; it felt strange to her...

In that regard, she and Ethan are on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Hearing her words, Ethan immediately turned around. He stared at her with intense desire, a glint of excitement flickering in his eyes as if he wanted to devour her. His thin lips parted. "Lily, come help me wash up!"

She had just thought he was capable of controlling his desires.

Lily’s face flushed an even deeper red, her entire face burning. In frustration, she grabbed a pillow and threw it at him, hitting him squarely in the chest. "Go take your shower!"

"Lily, you’re heartless! I’m injured, and you’re my woman. You should help me wash up!" Ethan declared, utterly confident in his argument.

"I am heartless!" Lily retorted, now just as self-assured.

With a beastly man like him, would she even make it out of the bathroom in one piece?!

Ethan went to take his cold shower while Nanny and the chefs busily prepared lunch in the Blackwood estate. The house was abuzz with activity.

Not long after, a maid came to report, "Miss Anderson, your friend Ms. Bennett has arrived. The driver picked her up."

Lily, who had been idly sketching on a drawing board, quickly put it down when she heard the news, happily going to greet her. "Sophia!"

"Lily!" Sophia Bennett kicked off her high heels at the entrance and ran excitedly toward Lily, hugging her tightly. "Thank goodness you didn’t leave! I finally get to play matchmaker!"

She had managed to help her best friend secure an excellent relationship—what could be better?

After saying that, as if suddenly remembering something, Sophia stepped back and glanced apologetically at Lily’s flat stomach. "I didn’t bump into your baby, did I?"

"I’m not that fragile," Lily said with a smile, then asked, "Did you bring what I asked for?"

"I brought everything," Sophia replied, pulling a stack of documents from her bag and handing them to Lily.

As Lily flipped through the papers, Sophia walked further into the villa, her eyes widening in awe at the luxurious surroundings.

"Wow—wow—wow!"

Lily looked up from the documents, raising an eyebrow. "Are you practicing your voice?"

Was it essential to shout like that?

"This place is gorgeous—so luxurious! Oh my gosh!"

Still in awe, Sophia pounced on Lily again, shaking her arm excitedly. "Oh my god, it’s like I’ve walked onto a movie set where the president lives... This place is amazing!"

The Blackwood estate had undergone significant changes. While the structure hadn’t been renovated, all the furniture had been replaced.

Although the furniture was still European in style, it looked entirely different from before. Secretary Helen had specially ordered most of it from Germany, making the place even more opulent.

But her friend’s reaction was a bit over the top... When Lily had first visited the Blackwood estate, she hadn’t reacted like this. She had been too focused on retrieving her memory card at the time.

"Sophia, stay for lunch. I’ll ask the kitchen to make some of your favorite dishes," Lily said with a smile, heading toward the dining room.

"Wow... wow..." Sophia followed behind, still marveling at the villa’s interior. Then, suddenly, she asked, "So, when are you two getting married? Can I be the maid of honor?"

If she could be the maid of honor at the wedding of B.E. Group’s president, Ethan Blackwood, her life would be complete!

"Married?" Lily’s smile faltered as she looked down at the teardrop-shaped gemstone ring on her finger. "He hasn’t proposed to me."

No proposal... so where would the wedding come from?

"He hasn’t?! You’re not planning to get married?!" Sophia’s eyes widened in shock.

They were already this deep in their relationship, but they weren’t planning to get married?!

"Actually, we’ve only just started dating. It’s too early to talk about marriage," Lily said, forcing a smile. She wasn’t sure if she was saying it to reassure her friend or herself...

Right now, she was just staying in the Blackwood estate. It was basically cohabitation.

"Too early?!" Sophia looked at her in disbelief. "You’re already having a baby! How is it too early? How will the baby’s name be registered if you don’t get married? What will you write for the parents’ names?!"

Sophia’s words left Lily speechless, unable to come up with a rebuttal.

After a moment, Lily replied softly, "He hasn’t proposed to me. I can’t exactly be the one to bring it up."

Wouldn’t it be strange for a woman to bring up marriage herself? As she thought about it, Lily suddenly remembered what Ethan had said when he brought her back this ring from Japan.

"If you don’t want to marry the woman, never give her a ring. It’ll only lead to misunderstanding."

"Lily, are you that eager for me to propose?"

"The Blackwood family’s high standards aren’t something every woman can meet."

"But as long as you behave, I won’t get tired of you so quickly."

The Blackwood family wasn’t an ordinary wealthy family—they were rich beyond measure, with deep-rooted traditions and high standards. Could Ethan have never intended to marry her?

Even if Ethan wanted to marry her, could she meet the Blackwood family’s high standards?

What was she, really?

In front of the entire Blackwood family, she was less than a grain of sand.

"So what does that make you? Are you just going to have his child and stay with him without a proper title?!" Sophia exclaimed, growing more passionate. "That’s not right! If you’re too shy to bring it up, I’ll ask him myself!"

With someone as rich as Ethan, you had to push for marriage. Otherwise, if Lily waited for him to propose, she might end up waiting forever.

"Don’t... Maybe he thinks we’re not ready for marriage yet," Lily quickly said.

Their relationship had only just started improving. Bringing up marriage now would be too sensitive a topic...

"Do you have guests?" A deep, seductive voice suddenly interrupted.

Both Lily and Sophia looked up in the direction of the voice.

Ethan had just come down the stairs, fresh from his shower, wearing a plunging black bathrobe. The tie around his waist was loosely fastened, leaving his muscular chest half-exposed. His black eyes lazily gazed at them, his high nose and lightly pressed lips exuding an air of natural authority and nobility.

His short hair was still wet, water droplets sliding down his handsome face, adding to his allure and making him appear dangerously seductive.

Sophia, a woman who couldn’t resist good looks, especially those of a man like Ethan, who had bewitched countless women, was completely entranced.

"He’s so handsome! Lily, you’ve hit the jackpot! If your man started acting in movies, all the A-list actors would be out of a job!" Sophia excitedly grabbed Lily’s arm, shaking her and squealing quietly, "He’s so handsome! He keeps getting more and more handsome!"

Seeing Ethan like this, fresh from a shower...

He was almost too handsome to be real...

Lily winced in pain as Sophia’s grip tightened on her arm. Giggling, she pushed her away. "Sophia, stop hitting me."

Sophia was the kind of woman who forgot everything at the sight of a good-looking man. In the blink of an eye, she had utterly forgotten her promise to bring up the marriage issue with Ethan.

As Ethan approached them, Lily’s gaze dimmed slightly.

One thing was whether or not she could meet the Blackwood family’s standards. What she wanted to know was... had Ethan ever considered marrying her?

Had he ever considered a future with her?

Ethan walked down the stairs and stopped in front of them. He glanced coldly at Sophia, who seemed vaguely familiar. "Are you the one who delivered the letter?"

"Ugh—"

Sophia dramatically pretended to faint from shock. She was crushed.

She was their matchmaker, for crying out loud! Couldn’t this rich and handsome guy at least remember her?

Seeing Sophia’s exaggerated reaction, Lily quickly snapped out of her thoughts and formally introduced her. "This is my best friend, Sophia Bennett. She works at my uncle’s magazine."

Best friend?

Ethan took another look at Sophia, his gaze lingering on her heavy makeup. Was Lily’s makeup inspired by her? How ugly.

Women who turned their faces into palettes lost all sense of individuality.

"What’s all this?" Ethan asked, noticing the stack of documents in Lily’s hands. He reached over and flipped through them—they were listings for rental properties.

Lily felt nervous and was about to explain when Ethan turned his gaze to Sophia, expressionless, and asked, "You’re looking for a place to live? Do you want a house in this neighborhood?"

Having her live nearby would make sense since she was Lily’s best friend.

If it hadn’t been for her delivering that letter, he’d still be searching the world for Lily...

Lily was about to explain, but Sophia’s mouth fell open in shock. She stammered, "You... you mean... what?"

"I’ll give you a house," Ethan said, casually flipping through the rest of the documents in Lily’s hands. What else was in here?

Sophia was utterly stunned. She looked at Lily with wide eyes, her voice trembling. "Your man wants to give me a house in Bayswater... Pinch me! Am I dreaming?!"

Wouldn’t that make her a millionaire overnight?!

Oh my god!

Delivering that letter had been the best decision of her life!

"Alright, calm down," Lily said, laughing at Sophia’s reaction.

Ethan was used to being generous, and a house in Bayswater was nothing to him.

However, the fact that he treated her friend kindly, without any shouting or anger, made Lily feel strangely happy.

She suddenly realized that her expectations for Ethan’s behavior had dropped to the lowest possible standard... She was content as long as he wasn’t yelling or throwing a fit.

"Director courses?"

Ethan’s cold voice suddenly broke the moment.

Lily still had the documents in her hand. As Ethan flipped through the pages, he noticed something different, and his gaze darkened.

There was no way these were for her friend.

"Yeah."

Lily felt tense as she held up the papers and explained, "I was thinking about applying for a director’s assistant position, but now that I’m pregnant, I’m worried it might be too physically demanding. So I thought I’d enroll in a director’s course instead."

It would be the first step toward her dream.

She didn’t want to stay stuck in place forever, and becoming a paparazzo had never been her goal. She had only done that because her uncle had pushed her into it...

She still wanted to be a director.

Ethan wanted to snap back, "Can’t I take care of you?" but stopped himself, remembering his promise not to control her life.

Why had he said he wouldn’t interfere with her life? He was her man—what was wrong with a bit of interference?

His face darkened, but he kept his mouth shut.

Seeing his expression, Lily nudged Sophia. "Go to the kitchen and pick out your favorite dishes."

"Oh, okay..."

Still, in shock over Ethan’s offer of a house, Sophia floated toward the dining room as if she were walking on air.

"I’ll blow-dry your hair for you."

Lily offered, trying to appease Ethan. She tugged on his arm and guided him to a seat. "How’s your wound? Did it get wet?"