Chapter 380

Lily's eyebrows shot up in surprise. First, she realized it was a girl's name. That wasn't the critical part, however. The main issue was Alexander furrowing his brows. He tapped the screen to reject the call. Before he could return his hand to the steering wheel, another call came in. The ringtone alone was unsettling. Sighing, he rested one hand on the window and rejected the call with the other. Lily blocked his hand.

"Answer," she said. "It might be urgent."

"I can leave if that's more convenient," she offered, unfastening her seatbelt.

"It's not necessary," Alexander said, tugging her back. He answered the phone. "What is it?"

"Sob sob sob sob"

Sobbing filled the line, startling Lily. She blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating. Alexander was speechless, looking slightly impatient.

"Call me back after you've finished crying," he said, then hung up. Lily was speechless. What stereotypical male behavior, she thought. Nonetheless, it didn't settle anything. Less than two seconds later, the phone rang again. Alexander answered. This time, there was no crying. Instead, a harsh voice said, "You hung up on me! Alex! How dare you hang up on me! You just left without saying anything, and then you won't reply to my messages. You've never treated me this way before!"

"I'm overseas," he replied. "Whatever you have to say, hurry up and say it."

His unapologetic tone implied he'd hang up at any moment.

Brittany pouted. "Must I only call you if I have something to say? Where did you go? My brother doesn't know, and Edward refuses to tell me. When are you coming back?"

"Can't say," Alexander said faintly. "Anything else?"

Alexander worried about Lily's reaction, occasionally glancing at her subconsciously. Brittany's sharp instincts sensed something was wrong.

"What are you looking at? Is someone with you?"

She stared directly at the camera, leaning forward to fill the screen.

"What are you doing?!" Alexander exclaimed.

"There's somebody with you, isn't there? Is it a woman? Who is this?" Her shrill voice pressed for an answer.

"Someone is here, but it has nothing to do with you," he said. "If that's all, I'm hanging up now."

"No—"

Brittany screamed. Lily instinctively covered her ears. Sigh, this woman's voice is so high-pitched! she thought. The scream stopped as Alexander ended the call. Lily wanted to ask if he worried about another call, but he immediately blocked the woman's number and all related social media contacts. Lily was speechless. This would make Brittany jealous and fixated, she realized.

Chapter 381

After finishing his task and starting the car, Alexander saw his wife's meaningful gaze and felt instantly self-conscious.

"Brittany's family and mine are family friends," he began. "She's like a sister to me."

Seeing his discomfort, Lily laughed. "Sister?"

He thought "sister" sounded odd. Coughing lightly, he said, "Sister, of course. I don't have that kind of relationship with her."

"What kind of relationship?" she asked quickly.

Alexander was stunned. Lily wasn't trying to tease him, but seeing him like this was fascinating. The more uncomfortable he got, the more she wanted to tease him. He didn't need to explain. Given his status, women threw themselves at him regardless of his actions. He was good-looking, after all.

"Lily," Alexander said helplessly.

He sighed, about to continue, but Lily waved. "It's okay. No need to be nervous. Who doesn't have a past? I understand. I understand."

Her nonchalant wave frustrated him.

"What past?"

"Just drive," she said. "No need to dwell on small things."

Her gracious demeanor implied she wasn't petty, but her attitude made Alexander unhappy.

"You're not jealous at all?"

"You just said she's like a sister to you. Why would I be jealous?" She blinked innocently.

It was true, but did she feel no discomfort? Alexander nodded, focusing on driving. Something bothered him. Lily, in the passenger seat, leaned her head against the window and fell into a restless sleep.

Lily genuinely wasn't jealous. Hearing the woman's voice had upset her slightly, but Alexander had shut it down immediately and nervously explained. It seemed genuinely insignificant. If there was something, and he wanted a divorce, he could do it easily. There was no need to hide anything.

Lily slept soundly, unaware of his bad mood. She woke up as they reached their hotel's parking lot.

"You're a good driver," she praised, unfastening her seatbelt. "I didn't feel anything during the drive."

Alexander remained silent. She doesn't have a heart. It seemed like it didn't bother her at all, he thought. He sighed, unsure whether to praise her grace or accuse her of heartlessness.

Only upon reaching their room did Lily sense something was wrong. Why is Alexander in a bad mood? Was it the phone call? Was it because I was in the car? To prevent a misunderstanding, he ruined his relationship with that girl. He said their families were friends, and she was like a sister. Did Alex ruin his relationship with her? She decided to reassure him of her understanding.

"There's no need to ruin your relationship with that girl," she said. "She might have had something urgent to talk about. Now that you've ruined your relationship with her, it will be awkward to see her next, won't it?" Lily carefully took out the Southbank soap, ready to examine its components for her next innovation.