30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 211: Revenge Ignited

"What’s wrong with you these past few days? You seem out of it," Aiko Nakamura said as she handed Lily a cup of black tea. Her face was still painted with the makeup of the scheming concubine she was playing. Still, her smile was as innocent and radiant as ever.

Lily didn’t respond and turned to leave.

She didn’t want to see Aiko’s face anymore.

"Did Ethan stop caring about you?" Aiko quickly stepped in front of her, blocking her path. Despite Lily’s cold expression, Aiko smiled warmly and asked, "Is it true?"

"Move," Lily said coldly.

It was none of Aiko’s business if Ethan was tired of her, even if he didn’t want her anymore.

Why did she have to keep pestering her?

Lily was already in a terrible mood.

"Lily, let’s play a little game of prediction," Aiko said, holding up her index finger. Her eyes sparkled with feigned innocence as she continued, "Within a month, Ethan will break up with you. Do you believe me?"

"Are you sick? If you’re sick, go see a doctor!" Lily snapped. Her mood plummeted further, and she raised her voice, venting all her frustration on Aiko.

Within a month, Ethan would break up with her?

Who did Aiko Nakamura think she was? A fortune teller?

What mattered to Aiko was whether she and Ethan stayed together or not.

"Lily, you’re getting meaner with your words. That’s unladylike," Aiko said softly, tilting her head slightly and frowning as if scolding her.

"Right, and you’re the only one in the world with manners! Do me a favor and get lost!" Lily snapped back, pushing Aiko aside as she walked away.

At home, she faced Ethan’s recent coldness and erratic behavior. On set, she had to deal with Aiko’s innocent-looking face constantly spouting curses about her relationship.

Was she cursed recently? Why did she have to deal with all this?

When Lily returned home, she decided to cook a Western-style dinner with the help of the chefs.

She still wanted to have dinner with Ethan. It had been days since they’d had a proper conversation.

From 7 p.m. to midnight... time passed quietly.

But Ethan still hadn’t come back.

Her phone sat on the table, powered on the entire time, but he hadn’t called.

Lily stared at the now-cold steak on the table. Her heart sank slowly, and she felt utterly numb.

The chefs exchanged awkward glances. Nanny stepped forward, unable to bear it any longer. "Miss Anderson, should I call Mr. Blackwood?"

But it wouldn’t make a difference. Recently, every time they called Ethan, his response was always the same: "I’m busy. Don’t call again!"

And sometimes... he would simply turn off his phone.

Miss Anderson’s appetite had dwindled as well. Even the nourishing soups Nanny made were barely touched.

Everything had been fine... so why had things suddenly changed?

"There’s no need. I’m going for a walk," Lily said, her eyes dull and lifeless. She stood up and walked toward the door.

Nanny quickly grabbed a coat and draped it over her. "I’ll go with you."

A pregnant woman wandering outside in such a state—it was impossible not to worry.

"I’ll just walk around the neighborhood. I need some time alone," Lily said as she put on the coat and gave Nanny a faint smile, trying to reassure her.

Nanny watched her leave, noticing she was still wearing slippers. She hadn’t even changed her shoes before stepping outside. Clearly, she was feeling awful, yet she pretended everything was fine.

This poor child...

Had Mr. Blackwood really grown tired of her after just a few days? Nanny had thought he treated Miss Anderson differently...

Lily wandered through the neighborhood alone, the night breeze brushing against her skin, sending a slight chill.

She didn’t understand what had gone wrong between her and Ethan. Had she done something wrong? Or had she simply lost his interest?

Ethan had bought her good friend Sophia Bennett a luxurious villa in the same neighborhood.

Now, Sophia lived more like a wealthy lady than Lily. Late at night, she soaked in her outdoor hot spring. Lily sat on a nearby lounge chair, watching her.

Sophia leaned against the edge of the hot spring and held up two fingers. "From my years of dating experience, there are only two possible reasons for Ethan’s behavior."

"What are they?" Lily asked earnestly.

Regarding relationships, she was like a novice student, far less experienced than Sophia.

Right now, Sophia was the only person she could confide in. She didn’t want to keep overthinking alone.

"First, he’s planning to dump you. Second, he’s planning to dump you," Sophia said bluntly, her tone merciless as she looked at Lily with concern. "Men are like that. When they want to leave you, they won’t say it outright. Instead, they’ll give you subtle hints, making you so miserable that you leave alone."

Lily’s face turned pale.

Her friend’s words felt like a death sentence for her relationship.

Sophia stepped out of the hot spring, wrapped herself in a towel, and sat beside Lily. She looked at her with pity. "What do you plan to do?"

Sophia had repeatedly dealt with this kind of silent breakup tactic from men.

But she honestly didn’t want to see her best friend go through something so cruel and senseless.

"Ethan isn’t the man to beat around the bush," Lily said firmly. Then, after a pause, she added self-deprecatingly, "If he wanted to leave me, he’d throw me out the door without hesitation."

That was just his style.

"Does he have another woman?" Sophia asked.

"A few days ago, he told me he loved me," Lily said, biting her lip. She couldn’t believe Ethan would move on to someone else so quickly.

She believed she was different from him...

At the very least, he had shot himself just to keep her by his side, risking his life in the process.

He had never done that for anyone else.

That was proof that he truly loved her, wasn’t it?

"Has he proposed to you?" Sophia asked again.

At that moment, her friend seemed like a cold executioner, slicing through Lily’s relationship with Ethan layer by layer, exposing things Lily didn’t want to think about or admit.

Lily had avoided these things for so long, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, refusing to face reality.

"No."

After a long silence, Lily finally uttered the single word. She stared at the gemstone ring on her finger, blinking back the tears threatening to fall.

Sophia let out a long sigh. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Sophia, ever since he shot himself, I knew I could never leave him easily," Lily said softly, her voice so faint it seemed it could be carried away by the wind. "I don’t want it to end like this."

Even if Ethan’s recent coldness was a warning sign, she didn’t want things to end.

She had imagined so many futures for them, including their baby and family life together.

Even if he hadn’t proposed, she had never pressured him. She didn’t want things to end so ambiguously.

"You two are like a real-life tragic love story," Sophia said with a sigh. She stood up, walked over to Lily, and hugged her. "Maybe it’s not as bad as I think. Don’t be too pessimistic. Ethan isn’t like most men. If you act a little sweeter to him, he might realize he’s been neglecting you."

That was the only comforting advice Sophia could offer.

Even though she didn’t believe it herself... Women always found excuses for their men, but the truth was often a brutal, naked wound.

Lily leaned into Sophia’s embrace and stared blankly ahead.

Maybe their relationship had just reached a plateau? Was that all?

Ethan was like fire—his love always burned with passion. But in recent days...

He had been cold as ice.

Late at night, under a bright moon and a starry sky, a lone villa stood in the wilderness on the city’s outskirts, shrouded in darkness.

The villa’s basement lay a massive, secretive underground base—a dark, ominous place.

Cipher Stone pushed open the iron door and stepped inside, greeted by the blood-curdling screams of a man. "Ahh—Ethan... Please, I didn’t touch your woman! I swear! Ahhhh!"

Under the harsh, glaring lights, several real estate tycoons were suspended in midair, being brutally beaten. Their screams were terrifying.

A transportation mogul sat tied to an iron chair, his expensive shirt soaked in blood. His face was drenched with sweat, twisted in agony as he begged for mercy. Blood dripped from his mouth as he repeated over and over, "Ethan... I swear, I didn’t touch your woman... Please, let me go..."

Somewhere in the shadows, Ethan Blackwood stood, his eyes bloodshot, raining punches down on the man. His cold, chiseled face was filled with a murderous aura.

"I’ll tell you one last time—hand over the antidote, and I’ll give you a swift death!" Ethan growled, his voice low and menacing, each word laced with fury. Grabbing the man by the collar, he delivered another punch to his face.

The air around him was suffocating, his presence as dark as a devil from hell.

Cipher Stone had heard Ethan say these words countless times over the past few days, but each time, the icy dread they carried sent shivers down his spine.

Ethan had become more terrifying than ever.

Cipher stepped forward, noticing Ethan’s bloodied fists. He wasn’t sure if the blood belonged to the tycoons or if Ethan had reopened the wounds on his injured arm.

"Mr. Blackwood, leave this to us," Cipher said, stopping a meter from him.

Smack!

Ethan delivered one last punch to the man’s face before wiping his hands and stepping back.

Cipher immediately signaled a bodyguard to continue the interrogation. "Carry on."

"Yes, sir."

Amid the wails and screams, Ethan walked to a nearby sink. Turning on the faucet, he let the cool, clear water wash over his bloodstained hands.

"Mr. Blackwood, we’ve interrogated everyone. None of them seem to be involved," Cipher said cautiously, holding a stack of documents. "Isn’t this getting a bit too big? These people are all high-profile figures..."

"Shut up!" Ethan snapped, his voice icy. His piercing gaze focused on the water running over his hands.

No matter how much he washed, the red stains wouldn’t go away.

It was as if his hands would always be covered in blood.

"If this gets the government’s attention, Blackwood Enterprise might have to pull out of Asia entirely," Cipher warned in a low voice.

Ethan himself had grown up in Asia, and the Asian market was a cornerstone of B.E.’s operations.

If this large-scale secret operation attracted the attention of the authorities, the fallout would be catastrophic. B.E.’s withdrawal from Asia would result in immense losses and disgrace for Victor, a staunch patriot.

Victor would never forgive Ethan for such recklessness.

Cipher understood this well. He had worked for Ethan for years.

But Ethan was acting alone, capturing some of the country’s most powerful figures. If this continued, it would inevitably draw the attention of central authorities.

"I don’t need your advice!" Ethan’s tone was bone-chilling.