30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 213: Aiko’s Malice

"Enough. I’ll take you to bed," Ethan Blackwood said. The woman in his arms shook her head, and Ethan frowned. "Lily, what’s wrong?"

Lily wiped her tears with her hand, her voice choked. "I can’t sleep. I want to sit here a bit longer."

She was already exhausted.

She didn’t understand why she felt this way. She was anxious and scared about the tension in their relationship. She didn’t even feel like sleeping, yet her body was exhausted.

Her eyelids fought to stay open, constantly battling each other.

Ethan didn’t move again. Instead, he held her on the sofa, enjoying the rare quiet moment between them.

After listening to the agonized screams in the underground base for the past few days, his ears seemed to be filled with nothing but those horrific sounds. This moment of peace was a welcome relief, bringing a sense of calm he hadn’t felt in days.

"You didn’t use to wear cologne," Lily suddenly said, her voice soft and tinged with melancholy.

"Does it smell bad?" Ethan asked coldly.

Damn Cipher. What kind of terrible cologne had he brought? Did the scent make her uncomfortable?

"It’s too strong," Lily murmured quietly. Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes. She didn’t dare to ask why he had used cologne—was it to mask the scent of another woman?

She didn’t want to let her mind wander in that direction, but she couldn’t control the intrusive thoughts. They always came, no matter how hard she tried to stop them.

Hearing this, Ethan raised his arm and sniffed. Was the cologne really that strong? Yet all he could smell was the nauseating scent of blood.

"I just felt like trying it today."

After a long pause, Ethan stiffly explained. The woman in his arms made no response, her soft body nestled against him like she was a part of him.

Ethan touched her face in the darkness, feeling the dampness of her tears. She had been crying... her eyes were now closed.

Didn’t she say she wasn’t sleepy? She had waited for him until the middle of the night, and now she had fallen asleep so quickly?

"Although it’s not an immediately fatal illness, the symptoms worsen once the incubation period passes. The person becomes increasingly weak, excessively sleepy, and eventually loses hair. By then, even standing becomes difficult, and they’ll be plagued with unbearable pain all over their body, making normal life impossible."

Was her drowsiness not due to pregnancy but the onset of the illness?

Damn it.

Ethan tightened his embrace as if trying to merge her into his body. He needed to find the antidote before her symptoms worsened. He couldn’t let her endure any more pain.

After a long while, Ethan gently carried her back to the master bedroom and laid her on the bed. He pulled the blanket over her to keep her warm.

The soft light from the bedside lamp illuminated her sleeping face.

Ethan crouched by the bed, brushing aside the stray hair strands on her face. His deep gaze lingered on her peaceful expression.

She slept so quietly, showing no signs of discomfort. Her eyes were tightly closed, her long lashes casting faint shadows, and there were traces of dried tears on her cheeks.

He wouldn’t let her suffer.

Ethan caressed her face, his fingertips brushing against her soft skin, making his heartache. Lowering his head, he kissed her slightly pursed lips deeply.

He lingered there for a long time, unwilling to pull away.

He savored every part of her, yet he didn’t dare get too close, afraid she might catch the strong scent of blood still clinging to him.

She slept deeply, completely unaware.

"I won’t let anything happen to you. Just sleep," Ethan murmured, his deep voice carrying a solemn promise. His warm breath brushed against her face as he spoke.

Rising from her side, Ethan walked into the bathroom, where he finally removed his bloodstained coat and shirt. The wound on his left arm had torn open again, and the blood had soaked through, sticking to the fabric.

With a sharp tug, Ethan ripped the shirt off, the movement pulling at his wound. He stepped into the shower, turned on the water, and let it run over his body.

When Lily woke up, Ethan was already gone. She looked at the empty room and the cold bed, her heart sinking with disappointment.

She didn’t even know if he was genuinely busy with work... It felt like he had suddenly become so busy that they didn’t have time to sit down and talk anymore.

Even when they were together, he barely spoke to her.

Lily picked up her medical report at the hospital, and the female doctor said earnestly, "Your health is in excellent condition. Just make sure to maintain a good diet and rest."

Lily sighed in relief and nodded. "Thank you."

As long as the baby was fine, that was all that mattered.

With the report in hand, Lily got into the car, accompanied by her driver and bodyguards, to head to the set. Along the way, she felt a splitting headache.

The driver had the radio on, and the announcer’s crisp, standard English echoed in the car:

"There have been new developments in the recent disappearance of two wealthy individuals. Early this morning, the families of four more CEOs in the electronics and real estate industries reported their disappearance for over 24 hours... Police have launched an investigation and are not ruling out the possibility of a coordinated disappearance."

Lily pressed her temples and said, "Please turn it off. My head hurts."

"Yes, Miss Anderson." The driver quickly turned off the radio.

Leaning back in her seat, Lily stared out the window at the scenery rushing past, her gaze unfocused. If I try a little more complicated, will Ethan return to how he used to be?

At the set, Lily patted her cheeks, took a deep breath, and told herself not to bring her personal emotions into work.

She finished the day without making any mistakes, but the crew still wasn’t happy with her.

Once again, Lily bought afternoon tea for everyone as an apology.

She needed to improve at managing relationships, but in a tight-knit group like the film crew, she could only do her job if everyone gave her the cold shoulder.

As she placed the tea and snacks on the table, smiling and inviting everyone to help themselves, someone bumped into her waist hard. Lily stumbled forward, nearly falling.

A scalding liquid spilled onto her, the pain making her bite her lip.

Turning around, she saw one of the actresses playing a maid holding a cup of tea meant for the crew. Her face was full of mockery as she said sarcastically, "Oh, I’m sorry... I didn’t see you there."

Her insincere smile made it clear she had done it on purpose.

"Be careful! Miss Anderson is pregnant. If you’re not careful, it could cost two lives," Aiko Nakamura said as she walked over in casual attire, her face adorned with an innocent, sweet smile. She asked with feigned concern, "Are you okay, Miss Anderson?"

Ignoring her, Lily turned and walked away. But Aiko, like a persistent pest, followed her. "You’re all wet. Let me lend you some clothes, okay?"

Lily had never liked Aiko Nakamura much before, but now, she outright hated her. Those girls playing the maids were all close to Aiko. They either mocked Lily or conveniently spilled oil or props near her every day.

And today, they went as far as bumping into her.

What, would they only be satisfied if they caused her to lose the baby?

There was no way those girls targeted her without Aiko’s involvement. Lily didn’t believe it for a second.

"I’ll lend you my clothes," Aiko persisted, following Lily into the dressing room.

"Will you stop? You don’t even have a scene to shoot today. Why are you here?" Lily said coldly, trying to close the door.

"Just visiting the set," Aiko replied, holding the door open with her hand, refusing to leave.

Lily wanted to slam the door in her face but refrained. Instead, she turned and opened her bag, which always had a spare set of clothes.

She grabbed her clothes and went into the changing room. The back of her original outfit was stained with a large tea patch. Thankfully, it wasn’t boiling hot.

Frowning, she wondered if it was time to leave the set and focus on her pregnancy. If she stayed, who knew what else might happen? What if they spilled something worse, like acid?

It was clear Aiko Nakamura was targeting her.

Lily could endure it, but if anything happened to her baby, she couldn’t accept it.

When Lily came out of the dressing room, she saw Aiko standing by her bag, looking at something.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked coldly, walking over to see Aiko holding her medical report. Rage surged through her.

"You’re going through my things?!" Lily snatched the report from her hands, glaring at her furiously. "Aiko, do you have no sense of respect?!"

Aiko looked momentarily surprised, then smiled. "I’m just concerned about you, Miss Anderson."

"Save your fake concern!" Lily snapped, stuffing the report back into her bag and storming off.

Frustrated, Lily approached the film director, Matthew William. "Director, I want to resign. I don’t think I’m in the right state for this job. I’m sorry, and I’ll pay the penalty for breaking my contract."

"What?" Matthew William was stunned for a moment. He glanced at Aiko, who had followed behind Lily, then smiled. "Is it because I scolded you the other day? That’s just part of the job. Everyone makes mistakes at first and gets scolded. You’ve been doing better today."

"Sorry, Director, but I insist," Lily said firmly.

No matter how harsh, she wouldn’t complain if it were just work-related criticism. But dealing with Aiko every day was driving her to the edge.

Aiko tried to intervene, but Lily refused to back down. The situation escalated until several actresses knelt before Lily, begging for forgiveness, their actions orchestrated by Aiko. Frustrated and humiliated, Lily knew she couldn’t continue working in such an environment.