"No, you can’t do this." Lily Grant hurriedly stopped Lucas, grabbing him to prevent him from getting in the car.
Lucas instinctively tried to shake off her hand, but Lily quickly added, "If you do this, Chloe will be even more unhappy."
"Lucas, Chloe really likes him. She definitely wouldn’t want you to have any conflict with him. That would only upset her. And given her personality, she’ll certainly think you’re being unreasonable, which will lead to more conflict between you two."
Seeing that her words seemed to soften Lucas’s expression, Lily quickly approached him, patting his arm to continue soothing him, "I think there’s another way to make Chloe happy."
Lucas frowned, said nothing, and irritably took a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and smoked while tugging at his necktie forcefully.
He was visibly displeased.
Lily patted him, signaling for him to bend down.
Lucas glanced at her and ultimately chose to remove the cigarette and then leaned down to meet Lily at eye level.
Lily leaned in, her lips nearing Lucas’s ear, shielding with her hand, and then whispered something.
Lucas frowned, looking at Lily, clearly disagreeing with what she had just said.
Yet Lily was full of anticipation and gently reassured, "This method is the most effective, I’m sure Chloe will be happy."
Lucas remained silent, evidently contemplating the matter.
After what seemed like more than ten seconds, he finally said, "We’ll see."
Though Lily was quite displeased, she maintained a smile; after all, she needed to uphold her gentle and sweet persona, which was Lucas’s preference.
Lily believed that Lucas would soon agree to the matter she mentioned.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Chloe Grant had no idea what Lily and Lucas had discussed, nor did she know that all her unhappiness had been attributed to some senior at school.
Matthew Morgan placed her on the sofa, helped her sit properly, and handed her some tissues.
Chloe wiped the tears from her face, but when she looked up, she happened to notice the creases on Matthew Morgan’s clothes and... her tear stains.
With a sudden jolt in her heart, Chloe glanced at Matthew’s face and instantly redirected her gaze, lowered her head, and haphazardly wiped her face with the tissues, feeling a severe tingling on her scalp.
At this moment, she had completely forgotten what she was sad about.
Matthew’s demeanor... was a warning sign of an impending meltdown.
Why did she go and grab Matthew, and so tightly, while crying...
Matthew suddenly called out, and Chloe reflexively stood up, "Yes, I’m here!"
She stood very straight, much like during college military training, completely still, awaiting orders.
Even when her hair fell annoyingly on her face, she didn’t dare to adjust it.
Her heart pounded like a drum, staring ahead.
There happened to be a mirror-like decoration in front of the living room, allowing Chloe to see Matthew’s actions behind her.
His face looked stern as he looked down at the creases and damp spots on his clothes, his jaw tightly clenched.
When he looked up, his jawline remained tense.
Chloe hardly dared to breathe, her heart pounding, feeling like she could die at any moment.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, each second felt like an eternity in her anxious heart.
Finally, the person standing behind her, Grandpa Morgan, moved slightly.
He reached out, gently pressing on Chloe’s head, then headed upstairs, "I’ll spend the night here."