Chapter 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?”
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Chapter 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.
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