Chapter 387

Lily arrived at the agreed-upon location, a meticulously maintained, high-end clubhouse. After giving her name, she was escorted upstairs. Though not a private room, the entire second floor was unoccupied. The restaurant, surrounded by glass windows, offered a unique and romantic ambiance. Violinists played, filling the air with melodious music that relaxed Lily.

"Lily!" Lisa called, waving. Lily would have spotted her anyway; besides a waiter, Lisa was the only other person on the floor.

"Lisa!" Lily greeted her with a hug. Releasing the embrace, Lisa explained, smiling, "Mr. Corden has a prior engagement and will be late. He asked me to apologize."

"It's fine," Lily replied, smiling. "Honestly, he needn't go to all this trouble. He already thanked me for the other day."

"It's not about that. This is something he must do," Lisa insisted, shaking her head. "You don't understand Mike Corden's position in Hyderland. You saved his son. A personal thank you is essential; otherwise, it would reflect poorly on him."

Lily remained silent. Reputation was a complicated matter.

"By the way, is the child alright?" Lily asked, wanting reassurance.

Lisa nodded. "All thanks to you. I was panicking! I had no idea what was happening to Nick. I was terrified. Thank goodness you were there. If anything had happened to Nick, Mike would have hated me."

"What does that have to do with you?" Lily asked, taking a sip of lemonade, confused. "Did you order the food he's allergic to?"

Lisa shook her head. "No. Helen did."

"The child's mother?" Lily reflected on the woman from that day, suspecting a strained relationship between Helen and Mike. However, considering it a family matter, she didn't pry.

"Yeah," Lisa sighed. Pausing, she began to gossip. "Helen hoped to use the child to mend their relationship. I understood her motive; I thought it might work, but I was wrong. Speaking of which, I apologize for what Helen said to you."

Lily dismissed it. It was in the past. "It's nothing. I understand her perspective. Her son nearly suffered because of her negligence. Blaming someone else would make repairing her relationship even harder. Even if it was wrong, she was simply concerned about her child."

Lily shrugged. Although understanding Helen's actions, she couldn't forgive her. It was immoral to blame an innocent bystander to avoid her husband's wrath.

"No, you don't understand," Lisa countered. "She doesn't care about the child at all; only herself. I see her true colors now."

"Huh?"

Lisa, indignant, explained, "If she truly cared, she'd know his allergies. When Nick was in trouble, her first concern wasn't him, but whether Mike would hate her. She knew she'd lose her only chance to get close to Mike without Nick. Nick means nothing to her."

The incident had completely changed Lisa's view of Helen. Her sympathy vanished, and she severed ties.

"Maybe she simply forgot, or doesn't understand her son," Lily offered. "From what I've seen, she and Mr. Corden don't have a good relationship. They might even be divorced."

Lily hadn't intended to pry further, but the conversation had progressed this far.