Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

Chapter 110

"I gave the security guaril a box of cigarettes to do me a favor," Terence said with a charming smile. "Go on up. Maryanne's already here." Lily smiled back at him, exchanging a glance before heading into the villa.

Not far off, a drone thew in from outside the community, capturing every moment on camera.

Lily still had many of her clothes here, and it felt almost like someone was living there. She swapped her slippers for indoor shoes and stepped into the

Maryanne was sitting cross-legged on the softa, her hands pressed together in a mock prayer. "Terence, you go cook, Lily, come here and confess." "No way." Lily couldn't help but laugh at her anties. "We agreed I'd treat you, but you bought the ingredients and had Terence cook. What am I supposed

cle if you can handle me si

me scolding V

g you. Now you w

want to do something else?"

"What are you supposed to do? Maryanne sneered "It's already a miracle

Lily was left speechless.

Terence, who had been walking toward the dining room, stopped when he heard Maryanne's words and glanced back at her.

Upon seeing Terence's expression, Maryanne slumped down. "Tine. I won't scold her, but she has to explain herself!"

"You two can talk. I'll make dinner. Terence hung his silver-gray suit jacket over the back of a chair, rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the ingredients from the table, and headed into the kitchen.

Lily rolled up her sleeves, ready to help. "T

But before she could take a step, Maryanne grabbed her wrist and firmly pressed her back onto the sofa

"You really want to help? Later, you can stir-fry same baby bok choy. But right now, you need to come clean with me!

Maryanne held her wrist firmly, so Lily had no choice but to give in. She briefly explained the reason for her return to Xavier's place.

"How's Hayden's health?" Maryanne let go of her wrist, her face full of concem. "How much do you need? 1 have money!"

Lily forced a smile, ignoring the latter part of her statement. "He's undergoing treatment. The nurses at the hospital send me his pictures and videos every day."

Maryanne crossed her arms and stared at her. "So, you're staying married to Xavier because of the money?

"The drawbacks outweigh the benefits. I thought it through carefully before deciding not to divorce."

Lily had spent some time reflecting on this while on the hospital rooftop. Being with Xavier, while painful, had its advantages. But separating from him hadn't made her feel any better. In fact, it only brought more problems. "Then make some money. Once you've earned enough, just kick Xavier to the curb."

Maryanne raised one leg and kicked the air a few times while Lily remained silent.

"If you feel guilty, I'll scold you twice, but if you're conflicted, I'll scold you ten times!" Maryanne pinched her cheek. "Wake up! He used your joint assets to support Sarah, and you can't even ask him for some money for Hayden?" "I know," Lily said, her mood sinking as she thought about how her thine with Xavier felt like an endless wait.

Maryanne had started off by scolding her, but when she saw Lily's expression, her concern became apparent, and she couldn't bear to be too harsh After a few more words about Xavier, the conversation shifted to other toples. After chatting for a while, Lily made an excuse to go into the kitchen to help

Aware of her unease, Terence left her with the last dish to cook-a simple green stir-fry.

But he didn't leave. Instead, he stood nearby, watching her. "Lily, do you know about the International design competition Avelon Designs is hosting?"

"I've heard about it." She had heard about it from Queenie

This competition was hosted by a foreign organization, with a grand prize of 20 million dollars. Only the top three would qualify for the International event in each country's internal competition.

Lugier had secured two spots for the competition, but only designers were eligible, so as an assistant, she didn't have a chance.

"Do you want to participate?" Terence asked seriously.

Lily, who was washing the greens, turned off the tap and answered seriously, "Tis not qualified to participate, so no

Terence parted his lips, seeming about to say something, but was interrupted by Maryanne's voice from the living room. "Lily, Xavier the Hound is calling you!"

Maryanne

stood on the sola, waving Lily's phone in the air. "Is he chrelding up on you? He's never called you before."