Colton had always cared for his younger brother over the past years. Still, his brother never appreciated it and repeatedly hurt the family.
When Connor heard me say this, there was still some doubt in his eyes, but he believed me anyway. He didn't fully understand the relationship between me and Colton. However, he had witnessed all my efforts over the years.
He frowned at the sparse ginger soup by the bedside. "What kind of job are the maids doing? How could they serve something like this?"
I didn't respond. I used to be the respected mistress of the Lynch Family when Colton was around, but things had changed. Connor treated me with disdain, and naturally, his people didn't take me seriously either.
Seeing me lower my eyes in silence, Connor cleared his throat lightly. "Alright, I'll tell the maids. You should focus on recovering. Mom and Dad specifically requested your presence at the family gathering tomorrow."
"Don't worry, I know what to do." I understood that the little bit of kindness he showed was only to get me to play along.
The next day, I forced myself to get up early. I used careful makeup to hide my sickly appearance.
Connor waited for me downstairs in the car. As soon as I opened the car door, a strange smell mixed with perfume wafted out.
Lily was sitting in the front passenger seat, smiling at me. "Connor said he only wanted to bring the person he loves to such an important event. You don't mind, do you?"
Connor glanced at me awkwardly. "Mom and Dad have always liked you. When the time comes, could you say something nice about Lily?"
I looked at the affectionate couple, feeling a mix of emotions.
With Colton's long illness, Connor had become increasingly reckless. He was even asking his fiancée to plead for his mistress at a family banquet. Only he could do something so absurd.
I worked hard to suppress my feelings. "Sure, I will."
Over the years, whenever Connor did something outrageous for Lily, I cleaned up the mess. I'd taken the beatings, the scoldings, and the ridicule for him. One more time wouldn't make a difference.
I tried to stay quiet on the way, keeping my presence to a minimum. I pretended not to see the affectionate gestures between Lily and Connor. I thought we could at least have peace until we reached the gathering, but I underestimated Lily's antics.
Lily suddenly exclaimed as we passed a river, "Connor, do you remember this river? It's where we held hands for the first time. I miss those days. Can we go down and take a walk?"
Talking about the past brought a tender look to Connor's eyes, and he agreed readily. Lily then turned her gaze to me. "Rebecca, why don't you come too? You should learn more about Connor's past."
I knew Lily didn't have good intentions. I shook my head. "I won't intrude on your memories. I'll wait in the car. Just don't take too long. We don't want to be late and disappoint the Lynchs."
Lily gave a dismissive snort and got out of the car. In no time, the two were embracing and kissing passionately.
I looked away and pulled out my phone, opening a hidden album. Looking at the photos of Colton's radiant smile, I felt transported back to those happier days. Just four more days, and I would see him again.
As I was lost in thought, a shrill alarm from the system rang in my head. "Alert! Alert! The mission target is in danger. If the mission target dies unexpectedly, the mission will be deemed a failure."
