Chapter 136
136
“ A bank card ? ” Nathan stared at the card in his hand , visibly shocked , “ Lily , why are you giving her a bank card ? ”
Snatching something from someone’s hand was just rude .
Before Derek could even make a move , Lily was faster . She snatched the card back from Nathan’s hand and said softly , “ This has nothing to do with j
Her fingers brushed against his palm , and Nathan felt a cold chill seeping into his bones .
He frowned and looked over , only to see Lily slightly tilting her head up , her gaze on Aria intense and unwavering , with a hint of reverent admiration shining in her eyes .
Nathan froze , dumbfounded .
He had only ever seen that look in TV dramas , which the heroine would give the hero after being saved .
Why was he seeing it in Lily’s eyes now ? ”
“ Aria , I’m returning it to you , ” Lily said calmly .
It was not “ I’m giving it to you , ” but “ I’m returning it to you . ”
The bank card had always belonged to Aria .
Nathan’s expression turned a little awkward .
Aria took the card again , glanced at Lily , and said , “ Come with me . ”
She walked toward the car , opened the passenger door , and Lily climbed in without a moment’s hesitation .
Seeing this , Derek quickly ran over . “ Aria , don’t forget about me ! ”
He opened the back door and hopped in without waiting for an invitation .
The car sped off , leaving Nathan standing there as a cloud of dust swirled around him before being carried away by the wind .
One was his cousin , one was his biological sister , and one was his classmate .
Three people who barely had any connection to each other somehow managed to ignore him , treating him like a stranger who didn’t matter .
Even the dust seemed to avoid him , not even a speck landing near .
Nathan couldn’t quite put his feelings into words . In his seventeen years of life , he’d never felt this way .
A mix of anger , sadness , confusion , and loneliness swirled inside him .
The cold wind blew onto his face , sharp and unforgiving .
Man , that was just sad .
Aria brought Lily back to her apartment , with Derek shamelessly tagging along .
The apartment had underfloor heating , and as soon as Lily stepped inside , the cozy warmth made her want to just flop down and soak it all in .
Derek , on the other hand , couldn’t hold back his excitement . “ Wow , Aria ! This place is amazing ! I’m definitely getting a place here , too . Can I look
around ? ”
1/2
136
Arfa nodded , “ Sure , just don’t go into the lab . Everywhere else is fine . ”
Derek was shocked . “ Wait , you’ve got a lab ? that’s awesome ! ”
Realizing the two had something to talk about , Derek wandered off to explore .
Aria headed to the kitchen , warmed up a glass of milk , and handed it to Lily , motioning for her to sit down .
She asked , “ Besides Leon , do you have any other relatives ? ”
Lily shook her head . Leon owed money everywhere , and their relatives had long cut ties with them .
Aria added , “ You gave me the card back . What will you do from now on ? ”
Lily tightened her grip on the glass . “ I’ll skip some classes . I can take on a part – time job . ”
Leon had only been sentenced to five years . Once he was released , he’d undoubtedly leech off Lily again .
Aria asked , “ Is he still your legal guardian ? ”
Lily nodded . “ Yeah . ”
Aria looked at her. “ Do you want to break away from him ? ”
Lily hesitated , her fingers tightening around the glass before she placed it down . Gathering her courage , she asked softly , “ Aria , do you have any ideas ? ”
Aria nodded . “ Mm – hmm . ”
Lily turned her head , just in time to see Derek’s figure disappear from the stairwell .
Aria seemed pretty indifferent toward him , but the guy had enough shameless persistence to make it this far .
Sometimes , being thick – skinned could help one achieve his goals .
She pulled her gaze back and asked cautiously , “ Can I not have Leon as my guardian ? I want you to be my guardian .”
Aria was stunned . ‘ Seriously ? Want me to be her guardian ? ‘
“ As long as Leon keeps being my guardian , he will use it as leverage to guilt me into taking care of him when he’s old . ” Lily clutched her shirt , her eyes reddening just enough . “ Aria , I’ll take care of you instead . ”
Aria fell silent . It was the first time someone had ever said they’d take care of her in her old age .
Being the guardian of a seventeen – year – old girl ? That was not something she’d ever imagined .
Lily watched her nervously , not daring to say another word .
The silence stretched for three long minutes .
2/2