30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 262: Is This the Antidote?

Lily Anderson took the sheet of paper and glanced at it. Some of the terms were familiar. She and Ethan Blackwood had visited the research lab to see if the team had made any progress on the antidote, and some of these terms had come up before...

However, the professor’s experiments at the time confirmed that something was still missing.

"Is this the antidote?" Lily asked, looking at Aiko Nakamura’s pale face. "Isn’t there something else still missing?"

"Bingo!" Aiko suddenly broke into a sweet yet unsettling smile. "The most important part is still missing. I’ll tell you after my scenes are finished."

Aiko was now so emaciated that her attempt at a cute expression only made her look more skeletal and eerie.

Lily folded the paper and said coldly, "Suit yourself."

Aiko chuckled self-deprecatingly, the sound faint and almost imperceptible.

During the trial run for her scenes, Aiko worked hard, and her performance was undeniably compelling. Her explosive acting ability was awe-inspiring.

When the cameras rolled for the official shoot, Aiko gave it her all. Despite Lily’s earlier comments, Aiko insisted on reshooting several takes.

By the end, the young actress Grace, who was acting alongside her, was utterly exhausted. Yet Aiko insisted on delivering her most impactful and emotionally stirring performance.

"How was it?" Aiko, utterly drained, walked over to Lily and asked.

"The second-to-last take was the best," Lily said, pointing to the footage. "In the later takes, you pushed too hard. The performance started to feel forced. In a film like this, we aim for natural, emotionally resonant performances that connect with the audience."

Aiko nodded. "Should we do one more take?"

"There’s no need. You’re too tense now; the more you act, the more forced it’ll feel."

"Really?" Aiko stared at the screen, carefully studying her own performance.

At that moment, they were like any other director and actor, having a professional discussion. But beneath the surface was an undeniable tension—a history of enmity and pain between them.

"Tomorrow, we’ll start with the action scenes where you save the child. It’ll take about four or five days to shoot. How are you holding up?" Lily asked.

If only Aiko would hand over the antidote now... that would make things much more manageable.

But with her stalling, Lily felt increasingly uneasy.

"Isn’t there one last scene where I have the vision before I die? Can we shoot that first, before the action scenes?" Aiko asked.

Since the film was nearing completion, reshuffling the sequence of scenes wouldn’t be an issue.

Lily nodded. "The vision scene involves ballet dancing. Should I arrange for an instructor to teach you?"

"Teach me?" Aiko laughed, her tone mocking and disdainful. "Don’t forget, I was groomed to be the Blackwood family’s chosen daughter-in-law from a young age. I can do things you couldn’t dream of."

Her words were sharp, laced with bitterness.

"Is that so? Then I hope you can convey the feeling I’m looking for. Don’t add unnecessary movements—this film isn’t relying on cheap tricks to grab attention," Lily said bluntly, showing no mercy.

Aiko’s expression darkened as she sat there, visibly displeased.

Lily stood up to leave, but Aiko’s voice stopped her. "But you’re much luckier than I am. You have a happiness I’ll never have."

Lily paused for a moment. "We all make our own choices. Adults have to live with the consequences."

With that, she walked away without looking back.

When Lily returned home, the dining table was again filled with an elaborate dinner. Tommy Blackwood was sitting at the table with his latest fling, a vivacious woman perched on his lap. The two were so entangled they might as well have been conjoined twins.

Tommy seemed to have no other purpose in life besides romancing women.

"You two, get out of here!" Ethan barked as he entered the dining room, glaring at his brother and the woman mid-kiss.

"Why?" Tommy protested, feigning innocence. "It’s dinner time. Why should I have to eat in my room?!"

"Because the two of you are already eating each other," Lily quipped from the side, her tone light and teasing. "Cannibalistic second brother."

"You two are ganging up on me now?!" Tommy grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"You’re the one polluting our eyesight," Lily said helplessly. How was she supposed to eat if they kept up their rated-R antics at the dining table?

"I didn’t—"

"Enough talk. Go to your room or get out of the villa to eat!" Ethan interrupted coldly, cutting off Tommy’s protest.

With no choice, Tommy carried his sultry companion out of the room.

Lily couldn’t help but chuckle. By now, she was used to the two brothers’ bickering.

After dinner, Lily and Ethan were reclining on lounge chairs, enjoying a professional foot massage.

"Miss Anderson." Nanny brought over a post-meal tonic. The moment Lily caught a whiff of it, she felt complete.

"Do I really have to drink this?" Lily asked hesitantly, holding the bowl and trying to refuse.

She had drunk so much of this stuff she was ready to throw up.

"Miss Anderson, it’s good for your health," Nanny said persuasively. "I added candied fruit this time—it’s quite tasty."

Lily sniffed the bowl again and detected a hint of sweetness.

Suddenly, she thought of Aiko Nakamura’s skeletal frame. Aiko had endured much suffering and pain, but what had she gained?

In comparison, Lily realized just how fortunate she indeed was.

"Ethan," Lily called out, turning to her side. Ethan was lying on his lounge chair, flipping through documents. He didn’t even lift his head when he responded, still engrossed in his work. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Did he really have that many files to go through every day?

Lily decided not to disturb him further. She turned back to her tonic and focused on the foot massage, resigning herself to the fact that she was growing more sedentary by the day.

No wonder Ethan seemed more interested in his documents than her.

"Why’d you stop talking?" Ethan suddenly asked.

Lily looked over at him. He was staring directly at her, his dark eyes deep and probing. "What were you going to say?"

"Do you think Aiko Nakamura will really hand over the antidote?" Lily asked. After everything Aiko had endured, she seemed unlikely to surrender the antidote so easily.

"The formula she gave has already been reviewed by Professor Harris and his team. They’re conducting experiments to identify what’s missing. At the very least, we now have a clearer direction," Ethan replied, reaching out to tap the brim of her hat. "Why are you still wearing a hat at home?"

Lily returned the empty bowl to Nanny and adjusted her hat with a faint, self-deprecating smile. "Don’t you think it looks nice?"

"It doesn’t," Ethan said bluntly, closing his documents and tossing them aside.

Would it kill him to say something nice?

She now wore her hat almost all the time, even while sleeping. Of course, she’d wake up every morning to find it gone, removed by Ethan.

She despised how she looked as she grew frail before him.

"Is Aiko Nakamura’s formula real?" Lily asked.

"Professor Harris and his team will test it out. It won’t take long to find out," Ethan replied, his deep, magnetic voice soothing. He reached out to gently stroke her face. "Did Aiko give you any trouble today?"

Ever since Aiko had been captured, her attitude toward Lily remained antagonistic.

Lily shook her head. "She seems very committed to the film, but do you think she’ll hand over the antidote that easily? Isn’t it you she really wants?"

Is it this straightforward?

"Lily, are you jealous?" Ethan asked immediately.

"..." Lily stuck out her tongue. "No."

"Once your antidote is ready, we’ll leave this place," Ethan said, making her a solemn promise.

Was the antidote really that easy to create?

Lily thought to herself but forced a smile onto her face. "Okay."

She looked forward to the day they would leave this place together.

"Lily."

"Hmm?"

"I’ll massage your feet."

"What?" Lily didn’t quite register what he said before Ethan stood up from his lounge chair. Barefoot, he stepped onto the floor and waved the masseuse aside. "Move."

Lily sat up in surprise, watching Ethan crouched by the foot bath. He lifted her foot in his large hands and began pressing and rubbing it, albeit with no discernible technique.

His expression was focused, but the results left much to be desired.

"..." Lily winced slightly at the discomfort and quickly said, "Let the professionals handle it. Weren’t you reading documents?"

Please go back to your documents and stop torturing my feet.

"No need to thank me. Just enjoy it," Ethan said smugly, raising an eyebrow as he continued his "massage."

It hurt.

Lily nearly jumped out of her lounge chair. This man... if he wanted to be considerate, he could just hold or talk to her. Why on earth did he decide to massage her feet?

This wasn’t relaxation—it was torture.

"Ethan..." Lily finally couldn’t hold back and interrupted him. "Why don’t you have the professionals teach you first?"

Was he trying to crush her feet?

Ethan’s expression darkened. "You think I’m unskilled?"

"Have you been trained?"

"No."

Exactly. He wasn’t skilled. Why even ask?

"Ethan, professionals don’t press like this," Lily said, her face twisting in pain. It was her first time getting a foot massage that hurt this much. Was he pressing too hard, or was he missing every pressure point?

"Stop talking."

Ethan’s enthusiasm was doused with a bucket of cold water by Lily’s criticism. His face turned sour as he shot a glare at the masseuse. "Show me how to do it."

"Yes, Mr. Blackwood."

The masseuse crouched down, gently holding Lily’s right foot. They explained each pressure point in detail, including where to press and how much force to use.

The torture Lily was enduring finally eased a bit. Ethan, though visibly impatient, watched the demonstration closely. He mimicked the technique on her other foot.

The masseuse used skillful precision, while Ethan... even his gentlest touch felt heavy-handed to her.

With alternating light and heavy pressure, Lily’s face contorted in discomfort. She couldn’t help but gasp, "Ethan, softer..."

Ethan’s head snapped up, his dark eyes locking onto hers. A mischievous, devilish smile spread across his lips.

Lily instantly understood he was taking it the wrong way. She grabbed a cushion from behind her and threw it at him. "I don’t want you to touch my feet anymore."

Ethan quickly caught the cushion and tossed it aside, his voice low and teasing. "I’m already being gentle. How much softer do you want?"

He looked at her with a wicked glint, his words dripping with implication. Suddenly, he ran his fingertips lightly across the sole of her foot.

The ticklish sensation made Lily’s toes curl immediately. "Ethan, what are you doing? That tickles!"

"Ticklish, huh?" Ethan asked with feigned innocence, then adopted a look of sudden realization. His voice turned magnetic. "Don’t tell me you’re thinking..."

"..." Lily glared at him furiously. Who was thinking about that?!

"Lily, you’ve grown bold," Ethan said as he stood and leaned close to her ear. His voice dropped to a whisper, meant only for the two of them. "Or is it... that I haven’t touched you in so long you’re getting desperate?"

The heat of his breath brushed against her ear, carrying a dangerous hint of intimacy that shot straight to her heart.

Lily’s face turned crimson as she punched him in the chest. Ethan didn’t dodge and took the hit directly.

"You really are desperate. Look at how red your face is," Ethan said, lifting her chin with one hand. His smoldering eyes bore into hers, and his lips hovered just half an inch from hers.