Chapter 130 I Don''t Mind It
Steven''s words were of nofort to Lily. Lily''s sobs soon escted into loud, sorrowful wailing.
Compared to Edric, whatever Steven was going to do was just a drop in the bucket. Money was
secondary to her. She loved Edric so much. After so many years of painstaking effort and work, she
could not just give him up.
Faced with Lily crying, Steven handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears with. "Don''t cry, Lily. I will
definitely find you someone better than Edric!"
At that moment, a doctor came in to examine Steven''s condition. Lily stopped wailing at once. The
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doctor, noticing Lily''s reddened eyes, told her, "Mr. Cook will be fine. You don''t need to worry."
The doctor mistakenly believed that Lily was crying because she was worried about Steven. Steven did
not bother exining to the doctor too. It was then that Lily''s phone rang. The caller turned out to be
none other than Edric. Lily excused herself from the room and answered the call outside.
"Lily, are you free now? Let''s meet up," requested Edric.
"I''m not free. I''m taking care of my father in the hospital." Lily refused his invitation.
"It won''t take a long time. I''ll meet with you at the hospital then!" Edric replied.
In the past, she was always the one who demanded to meet Edric. Edric had never taken the initiative
to reach out to her. Lily realized that something was amiss. She insisted, "I can''t leave his side. My
father''s sick; he needs someone with him!"
Afraid that Edric would not believe her, she added, "He''s not doing too well now. My mother was here
watching over him the whole night. I''ve just arrived to take over."
"How''s Mr. Cook?" Edric sounded nicer than usual, which made Lily feel rather uneasy.
Regardless, Lily answered, "The doctor''s doing a checkup on him now."
"Alright, then. Call me back when you''re free."
From that, it was evident that Edric wanted to meet her no matter what. Lily was irked, but she agreed
to his request without hesitation. Now she finally understood why Deborah instructed her to take care of
Steven during the day.
It seemed that Edric was going to cut ties with her, but she couldn''t let that happen. Once it did, there
would be no going back. As long as he hadn''t ended their rtionship yet, there was still a chance for
her to make aeback. Fortunately for Lily, Steven''s illness was the most convenient excuse that
cropped up at that moment. Edric wouldn''t end things with her while there were so many things going
on now.
Marie went to the Myers to meet Margaret. Margaret was seen slumping on the sofa limply. When
Margaret saw Marie, she sighed and said, "You''re the only one who thinks of me. I''ve lost all my dignity.
I can''t possibly show my face in public again after this!"
"Take it easy," Marie said.
"How?" Margaret, having found a person who she could vent to, could not hold her anger in any longer.
She told Marie the whole story about Edric and her quarreling.
"I don''t know how Irene bewitched him to the point he would nder me in public. He even fought with
me openly. I''m upset beyond words!" Margaret''s face now was longer than that of a horse.
"Edric could get any woman he wanted. Why does he insist on someone who you''re against? It''s so
wrong!" Marie agreed with Margaret.
"Let''s just call it what it is; it''s betrayal! Just thinking about it makes my heart ache. What a miserable
life I have!" Margaret eximed.
"Edric is a kind-hearted person who treats you well. I don''t think it was his true intention to hurt you. It
must be Irene''s orders. It has to be her behind this. That utterly shameless woman! She''s divorced
from Edric and yet she still stays beside his side, clouding his judgment!"
Marie knew well that no mother would want to hear negative remarks about their child. Hence, she
tactfully put the me on Irene.
Sure enough, it was like Marie had read Margaret''s mind. As far as Margaret could remember, Edric
used to be obedient and had never disobeyed her. Yet, he had butted heads with her for Irene several
timestely. Margaret barked with hatred, "You''re right! Irene is a bad influence on Edric!"
"But Edric doesn''t listen to you now. What will you do if he insists on marrying her? After all, he''s an
adult now," Marie said tentatively.
Margaret was also worried about just that. She was powerless if Edric refused to change his mind. Her
threats no longer held any weight. Her mind was troubled indeed because of all these factors.
"I''m racking my brains for a way to settle this. Anyhow, I can''t let Irene and Edric be together. Irene is a
divorced woman. She even married another man. On top of that, she has a child. Edric shouldn''t be
made to raise a child for another man." Margaret scratched her head, obviously exasperated.
"Yeah, he could easily have a child of his own. Why does he need to raise hers?" Marie chimed.
"I have to think of a way to cut him off from Irene!" Resentment was growing inside Margaret at the
thought that Irene had a son. Why should Edric, a bachelor, marry Irene? She was clearly no match for
Edric!
"What are you going to do?" Marie asked.
"I have no idea what to do now. If I did, I would have taken some actions earlier." Margaret sighed. "But
Marie, you''re a bright woman. Do you have any good suggestions?"
"I''ve none either." Marie would not reveal her trump card that quickly; she followed up with another
question instead, "Oh, have you discussed this matter with Lily''s parents?"
"No, Steven''s hospitalized now. He was admitted to the hospital as soon as he got back from a state
meeting. Deborah is stricken with worry. She''s been in the hospital looking after Steven all day. I''ll just
add unwantedplications to the matter if I try to bring it up with them now." Margaret shook her
head.
"That''s right. Now is not the right time to discuss this problem with them," Marie agreed.
"Pleasee up with a way to settle this. I can''t just wait like this. Irene is fertile now, and she is living
with Edric. If she gets pregnant, I have to go with Edric''s decision for that child''s sake." Margaret''s
worries were never-ending. "I have to think of a quick way to cut him off from her, or it will be toote."
"I got it! Why don''t you have Edric and Lily sleep together? If Lily gets pregnant, Edric will give Irene
up." Marie pped her hands.
"That''s easy for you to say. How would I even go about doing that?" Margaret shook her head again.
"Lily is a gentledy, but she doesn''t know the way to a man''s heart. Otherwise, they wouldn''t be stuck
at zero progress for three years."
"That''s because Lily''s family taught her self-respect. It''s rare for someone to save their virginity for
marriage nowadays," Marie replied.
"It''s not that. Edric told me that he''s not interested in her." Margaret''s anger spiked again when she
mentioned this. "ording to him, he''s not interested in any women except Irene. He really pissed me
off."
Marie kept her anger in check. "He deliberately said that to get together with Irene. Don''t all men think
with their p*nises?"
"I know Edric well. He''s as stubborn as his father." Margaret let out another sigh. "He is not interested
in Lily. I''ll have to find a good woman for him."
"You''re going to look for another woman now?" Marie shook her head. "When you eventually find one,
it will be toote!"
"I can''t just sit by and watch, can I? In the past, so many rich youngdies came to me to express their
likings on Edric. He must have fancied at least one of them." Frustrated, Margaret looked as though
she would really get up and start searching for a suitabledy right there and then.
"Forget it. If it''s in the past, I''d believe that manydies would be after him. But, now that Edric has
caused such a scene on TV, everyone knows that he loves Irene. Who would agree to get together with
him now?"
Marie analyzed the situation. "You have forgotten how sly Irene is. If you upset her this way, she''ll just
expose more lies and stories on the Inte. Do you want to be humiliated further? Instead of choosing
a woman from his past, it''d be better if you find someone that still has some sort of connection with
Edric."
"You make a lot of sense." Margaret groaned, "I still feel uneasy, though. I used to think that Lily would
be a good fit, but now, I guess that I am wrong. She caused all that ruckus before, right? If Lily hadn''t
gotten someone to take pictures of Irene and Edric, this matter would not have escted to this point. I
always thought that Deborah had a displeasing disposition too, so..."
Marie interjected, "You say that, but is there any other suitable person around except her? Edric has
been keeping his reputation clean; there are no other women around him."
Margaret''s eyes lit up. "What do you mean? Isn''t Rowane a good fit?"
"Rowane Wood? Are you sure you want a woman from a poor family for Edric? Wouldn''t she be the
same as Irene, then?" Marie asked.
"Now that it''se to this, I don''t mind," Margaret replied.
"You''d better think it over again!" Marie would not allow Margaret to choose Rowane.
"You have to tread carefully in this matter. Steven is still an important person in this situation. It won''t do
for you to offend him. He can''t get angry if your choice is between his two daughters. But, if you choose
someone else, that won''t necessarily be the case."
Marie threatened Margaret with Steven''s position.
Margaret smiled mysteriously. "You''re my best friend, so I won''t hide this from you. I heard that Steven
is in huge trouble this time. Rumor had it that the state meeting recently was to investigate him. That
was why he fell ill instantly when he came back. If Steven gets caught in the prison, how could I
possibly let Edric marry one of his daughters?"
"You should consider if what you''ve said is even true. I''m afraid that someone may have released that
piece of news to confuse you. Think carefully about it." Marieughed dryly.
"I know, I''ll give it more thought. Now, my top priority is to separate Edric and Irene. I have to go to see
Rowane. If she can cooperate in driving Irene away, I will definitely treat her well. Even if she can''t
marry Edric in the future, as long as she can bear a son for Edric, I''ll ept her as my daughter-inw."
Marie said goodbye to Margaret despondently. She knew very well Margaret''s power and fortune.
Therefore, she made full use of this fact to raise a huge fuss against Irene. She didn''t expect Margaret
would use the same trick on Lily. Marie had to confirm with Deborah if those rumors about Steven were
true.
Deborah was taken aback when she received the news from Marie. Steven fell ill as soon as he came
back from the meeting, hence she knew nothing about it. If a formal investigation wasunched against
Steven, her future would be bleak.
Deborah rushed to the hospital. Steven was watching TV with Lily in the ward. When he saw Deborah''s
anxious face, he was surprised. Steven asked, "What happened?"
"Lily, leave us alone for a while. I have something to discuss with your father. Don''t go too far. Just stay
at the door," Deborah ordered.
Lily went out obediently. Deborah walked to Steven''s bed and lowered her voice. "Steven, has anything
happened to you recently?"
"Where did you hear that from?" Steven asked.
"Is it really true?" Bothered, Deborah questioned Steven impatiently.
"Yes, I''m now caught in some trouble," Steven came clean.
"So it is true after all! What the hell is going on?"
"Don''t meddle in my affairs!" Steven frowned. "You''ll know when the timees."
"I''m worried. Steven, just tell me!" Deborah urged.
"All I can tell you is that the mayor has been ostracized! You can ponder over the rest of it on your
own!" Steven barked.
"What''s going to happen now?" Deborah grew even more anxious when she heard about the
ostracization of the mayor.
It wasn''t a small matter. Steven and the mayor were close friends. Fear began to well up in Deborah''s
heart. She asked, "If something happens to you, what will happen to Lily and me in the future?"
"Don''t worry. I will make sure that you won''t be implicated by it," Steven replied her impatiently,
frowning.