Chapter 18

Lily thanked Claire warmly as the sleek black car pulled up in front of her apartment. “Thank you so much again, Claire,” she said, her voice full of gratitude. Claire gave her a smile that managed to be both elegant and encouraging. “Don’t thank me yet. Just keep working hard, and don’t let anyone dim your spark.” With a final nod, Claire’s driver pulled away, leaving Lily standing in front of the door, her heart still fluttering from everything that had happened. She entered her apartment, kicked off her wet shoes, and slumped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. “Noah!” she called out. “You won’t believe the day I had.” Noah emerged from the kitchen with two mugs of tea. “I already know half of it. You looked like a drowned puppy when we talked earlier.” Lily took the tea and let the warmth seep into her fingers. “David’s disgusting. Shameless, arrogant, manipulative… and Marina is just gross. The way she acts like she’s some kind of victim? God, it makes me sick.” Noah didn’t interrup