30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 214: Secret Meeting

"I’m sorry, Miss Anderson. Miss Anderson, we were wrong! Please forgive us! Don’t leave!" The girls knelt on the ground, repeatedly bowing to her, their actions utterly humiliating.

Seeing this dramatic scene, the rest of the crew quickly gathered to watch.

"Get up!" Lily said coldly. What is this? Am I dead or something? Are they bowing to mourn me? These girls must be putting on the performance of their lives. Their attitude toward her had flipped entirely.

"We won’t get up unless Miss Anderson forgives us."

"That’s right. I spoke out of turn—I shouldn’t have said you weren’t qualified to be an assistant director or claimed you were being kept by a wealthy man."

"I shouldn’t have spilled oil. That was despicable of me."

"And I shouldn’t have pushed Miss Anderson today. I’m shameless and vile."

As they spoke, the girls began slapping themselves, the sound of each hit louder than the last. Their once-delicate faces were soon marked with bright red handprints.

What the hell?!

Lily stared at them in shock, then looked at Aiko Nakamura, standing nearby. Aiko was pleading on their behalf, her voice soft and sweet. "Yes, Miss Anderson, please stay. They really know they were wrong."

Am I the unreasonable one here?

She just wanted to resign. Since when was someone forced not to quit their job?!

The rest of the crew chimed in, stepping forward to help plead for the girls.

"Come on, Lily, just forgive them. Look, they’re kneeling and begging you."

"They’re about to shoot the next scene. Let them get up so we can move on."

Did I tell them to kneel?!

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Lily looked at the girls kneeling and slapping themselves, unable to bring herself to say anything further about resigning.

"Thank you, Miss Anderson!"

"Thank you, Miss Anderson..."

The girls covered their faces as they left, their voices tinged with sobs.

"Alright, let’s prepare for the next scene!" Director William called out, clapping the script in his hands.

"That’s great, Miss Anderson," Aiko said happily as she walked over and clung to Lily’s arm. "I’m so glad you’re staying. You love this job, so don’t let them upset you."

I wasn’t angry at those girls!

"Let go," Lily said, pushing Aiko’s hand away. "You’d better make sure there aren’t any more of those little tricks."

"I promise they won’t do it again."

"You should be making promises about yourself."

She wasn’t blind—she could tell those girls were acting on Aiko’s orders.

The crew wrapped up early that day. Sitting in the car, the driver asked, "Miss Anderson, are we heading home or shopping?"

Lily was silent momentarily before saying, "Take me to Blackwood Enterprise."

It had been days since she’d been to his company. Today was his scheduled rehab day, but she knew... he wouldn’t go.

Holding the next day’s script and work schedule, Lily flipped through several pages but couldn’t focus on a single word.

Ethan Blackwood’s presence in her life was so overwhelming that she couldn’t concentrate on work.

When the car arrived at B.E. Tower, the driver parked the car, and Lily put away her papers. Looking up, she saw Ethan stepping out of the building, surrounded by Cipher Stone and bodyguards. As he walked, he casually threw on his coat, his movements smooth and effortlessly charismatic.

Cipher opened the car door for him, and Ethan got in. Several black sedans sped away in a convoy.

After the driver parked, Lily unbuckled her seatbelt and, without thinking, said, "Park in the underground garage. I’ll go across the street to get coffee before heading in."

"Understood, Miss Anderson."

Lily quickly got out of the car and watched as the driver and the bodyguard’s car drove off. She hailed a cab from the side of the road and climbed in. "Follow those Rolls-Royces ahead, please."

The taxi driver glanced at her, puzzled. "Ma’am... those are Rolls-Royces, and I’m driving a cheap car. You’re overestimating me. Besides, they’re already pretty far ahead."

"Please! I’ll pay you double the fare."

Hearing this, the driver started the car, weaving through traffic to catch up.

Lily stared nervously at the distant black sedans, her breathing growing uneven.

She didn’t know why she felt compelled to follow him. She feared seeing something she didn’t want to see—terrified of finding him meeting with another woman in private...

But the truth was the truth. Sooner or later, she would have to face it.

She couldn’t keep running away forever.

Despite the difference in their cars, the Rolls-Royces were so conspicuous that the taxi driver managed to keep up, following them through the traffic and onto a quieter road.

Suddenly, one of the cars ahead stopped. Several men in black suits got out and started walking toward them.

"We’ve been spotted," the taxi driver exclaimed nervously, quickly reversing the car and speeding away. His voice was panicked as he muttered, "Ma’am, who are you asking me to follow? This feels like something out of The Matrix!"

Lily turned to look back and saw the bodyguards standing by the roadside, watching their retreating car. They didn’t pursue it.

Ethan’s bodyguards were too vigilant.

Not even a simple attempt to secretly find out what Ethan had been up to these days worked.

If Ethan didn’t want her to know, she would never be able to enter his world.

Wasn’t that just... heartbreaking?

"Stop looking, ma’am," the taxi driver said, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "I saw the car ahead turn onto a small road leading to the outskirts. Nobody lives out there. What are you planning to do?"

The outskirts?

That meant she had yet to completely lose track of them.

"Stop the car," Lily said quickly. After waiting for a while and seeing the bodyguards leave, she added, "Please take me there."

"You still want to go? Those guys looked terrifying! Ma’am, you’re not part of some mafia, are you?!" The driver’s voice was filled with alarm. Looking at her clean, innocent appearance, he wondered if she was secretly the mistress of some gang leader.

"Of course not."

Lily glanced at the fare on the meter and handed him three times the amount. "Please, just take me there."

The taxi reluctantly drove her back, but the driver refused to go any further when they reached the small road. "You’ll have to walk from here. Only a few houses are around, and you can see them all from here. If those people spot me, I’m afraid they’ll smash both me and my car!"

"Thank you."

Lily didn’t argue further and got out of the car. Looking around at the vast, open countryside, she saw a few scattered villas spread far apart, all visible at a glance.

What is Ethan doing out here?

She couldn’t see the Rolls-Royces anymore but wasn’t ready to give up. She didn’t understand why she was so determined to come all this way—to figure out what was happening.

Even if she witnessed the worst, she would force herself to face it.

Carrying her bag, Lily walked down the path. The trees were already dry and yellow this season, their golden hues a hallmark of autumn.

Lily needed to find out which villa Ethan was in.

She assumed there would be bodyguards stationed outside wherever Ethan was. Still, scanning the area, she didn’t see a single person. The cars and bodyguards had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Unwilling to give up, Lily decided to ring the doorbells of each villa one by one. The houses were far apart, but only a few were.

An elderly couple answered the door at one villa. No one was home at two others, no matter how long she rang.

After walking awhile, Lily arrived at another villa and pressed the doorbell.

Still, no one answered.

She suddenly felt that what she was doing was pointless. If Ethan didn’t want her to find him, she could break every doorbell in the area and still not see him.

This was the power he wielded.

A power she couldn’t even touch.

Lily kept ringing the doorbell, and her hand started to hurt. Finally, she turned to leave, feeling defeated.

As the golden light of the setting sun bathed her, a glint of light caught her eye. Looking down, she saw a diamond ring on the ground.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She recognized the ring instantly. It was the wedding ring she shared with Alex Carter, featuring a unique intertwined design engraved with their initials.

Biting her lip, Lily crouched down to pick up the ring. The inner band was stained with blood, but she could still make out the engraved "L."

It was her and Alex’s wedding ring—specifically, Alex’s ring.

Why would Alex’s ring be here? She didn’t even know he had a villa in this area.

And why was there blood on the ring?

Looking up at the villa, Lily suddenly saw the corner of a curtain in an upstairs window being pulled shut.

Someone was clearly inside... but had ignored her repeated ringing. What was going on?

A sense of unease crept over Lily, though she couldn’t pinpoint why.

Taking out her phone, she dialed Alex Carter’s number.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable..."

Lily stared at the ring in her hand, then pressed the doorbell again. She was determined not to leave until someone came out—unless the people inside never planned to go.

Her persistence paid off. After ringing the bell for what felt like forever, the villa’s door finally opened, and two men in black suits and sunglasses stepped out, their expressions stern.

One of them was Cipher Stone.

"Miss Anderson, please come inside," Cipher said, bowing slightly and inviting her in.

Lily stared at him in shock. Ethan is here? Then why was Alex Carter’s ring here?! What was going on?!

Without waiting for Cipher to lead her, Lily hurried inside. The luxurious villa’s grand hall was flanked by bodyguards standing at attention.

Ethan sat casually on the sofa, holding a glass of red wine, sipping it leisurely as if at home.

Alex Carter sat on the sofa to his left, his arm around a pale-faced Alice Johnson. Alex’s face was calm, but when he saw Lily enter, his sharp gaze locked onto her.

The coffee table was laden with fruit, snacks, and wine.

Lily had braced herself for the worst—expecting to stumble upon Ethan meeting another woman or something equally devastating. When she found Alex’s bloodstained wedding ring, she feared Ethan had done something to him.

But this harmonious scene left her momentarily stunned.

"What are you doing here?" Ethan put his wine glass down and looked up at her. His expression was cold and unreadable, and his eyes were as deep as an abyss.

She followed him here.

Lily still needs to answer. She walked over to Ethan step by step. "Why are you all here?"

Ethan, Alex, and Alice... all gathered in a villa on the outskirts. What kind of bizarre scene was this? 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Lily glanced at Alex’s hand. The ring finger bore a fresh, long scratch, and the blood was still visible.

Seeing her gaze shift to his hand, Alex noticed the ring on her fingers. Without a word, he subtly moved his injured hand behind him.