Chapter 272

Upon entering Amner Heights, Loid put Yolanda up in Shannon's old room and dusted his hands off her. After that, he took Lily's hand and led her upstairs. Lily read while Loid was in the shower. At that moment, Loid's phone rang. Lily was going to ignore it, but the incessant ringing prompted her to look at the caller ID. When she saw Arthur's name flashing on the screen, she put the call through. She was just about to tell Arthur that Loid was in the shower and to call back later when the old man said, "Loid, could you please talk to Lily for me? I can't bring myself to do it. Paul and I have known each other for years, and Jaiden's begging me at this point. I've got my back against the wall…" Lily froze and slowly said, "Grandpa Arthur, it's me, Lily." There was a beeping on the other line that indicated Arthur had frantically hung up. Lily stared at the phone speechlessly. A moment later, Loid's phone rang again. It was yet another call from Arthur. Thinking he wanted to speak with Loid, Lily did not answer the call this time. Another minute passed, and Lily's phone rang. She hesitated when she saw Arthur's name flashing on her screen but answered the call anyway. "Grandpa Arthur, Loid's still in the shower. I'll have him return your call once he's done." Arthur cleared his throat awkwardly on the other line. "Actually, I wanted to speak with you." "Oh." Lily set her book down and poured herself a glass of water. "Is something the matter, Grandpa Arthur?" She sounded polite, but Arthur couldn't help feeling uneasy. He was silent before he said, "The thing is… I was hoping you might do me a favor and treat Mr. Quinn Senior's illness." "Sure," Lily agreed readily. "Really?" Arthur's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "I'll tell him right now!" "Go ahead, Grandpa Arthur," Lily said. She took a sip of water and added impassively, "I'd appreciate it if you could tell them to get their assets ready for me as well." Arthur fell speechless on the other line. It was precisely because the Quinns did not want to part with their fortune that they begged him for this favor. He thought he might have avoided the topic when he asked Lily to treat Paul's illness, but the young lady seemed insistent. Arthur took a deep breath. When he spoke, it was with no small amount of exasperation. "Lily, I know what Jaiden did to you was wrong, but I'm caught between a rock and a hard place here. Do you think you could go easy on them and settle for less? Consider it for my sake." His face was flushed. In all his life, he had never begged anyone for a favor, much less personally. But now, he was left without a choice. To make things worse, he was asking Lily for a favor. She was his granddaughter-in-law, yet the Lauriers had never given her anything to make this proposition worthwhile. It was embarrassing! Lily pursed her lips, her delicately arched brows knitting together in thought. After what felt like a long moment, she said, "I'll settle for half their fortune, then." Arthur let out a breath of relief. He knew it was a huge compromise on Lily's part to settle for half. However, Jaiden's request echoed in his mind. He tried his luck and pressed, "Do you think you could—" "Grandpa Arthur, I don't often do favors," Lily interrupted him. The rest of Arthur's words died on his tongue. He did not know Lily well, but Melanie had told him bits and pieces about her. From what he had been told, Lily was a stubborn lone wolf. With her stellar capabilities, she was confident enough to march to the beat of her own drum. Anyone who crossed her would forfeit their lives at her hands. She made no exception for anyone, and her favors were scarce. In retrospect, the only people she had done favors for aside from Belinda were Loid, Stefan, and Melanie. Arthur was not so conceited to believe that her favor to him had nothing to do with his relationship with Loid. If he were not Loid's grandfather, she might not be so courteous to him. Arthur thought she was, for lack of a better word, ruthless. But he liked that about her. It was a quality to be expected of a granddaughter-in-law of the Laurier family. "Get some rest, then," Arthur said, relenting as he hung up the call. Lily set her phone aside just as Loid came out with a towel slung around his hips. Lily looked up to see his well-built and powerful torso. Her expression flickered at the muscles under his skin. Loid did not notice her sudden change of expression. He toweled his hair and picked up his phone, scrolling through the log. "Did Grandpa call me?" "Hmm?" Lily raised her chin to find Loid standing in front of her. They were so close she could brush her lips against his stomach. She backed away a little and picked up her book, flipping through it casually. "He wanted me to settle for less than what I asked of the Quinn family." "And you agreed to it?" Loid tossed the phone onto the table in annoyance. Arthur had called him several times to beg him to speak with Lily but to no avail. He couldn't believe Lily had picked up the old man's call while he was in the shower. "Yes," Lily said. She avoided looking at Loid, her cheeks turning pink as she kept her face down. "I mean, he is your grandfather." Loid stared at her speechlessly, not bothering to argue with her. It seemed his family owed her yet another favor. He was beginning to fear they might never repay their debts. Lily's face was warm as she put her book down. She made a beeline for the bathroom and announced, "I'm going to shower." Loid sensed something off about her but did not dwell on it. He took his phone and went to the balcony to make a call. These days, Shaun and Daniel had been busy handling matters in Bridgeport. Still, it was odd that Shaun had gone this long without giving Loid a report. The day was already ending, and Loid couldn't help worrying. His call went through, and Shaun picked up after a few rings. Shaun teased on the other line, "Loid, why are you calling me at this hour? Don't you have a wife to cuddle with in bed?" "Any updates on your end?" Loid had taken a cigarette and was about to light it when he remembered Lily disliked the smell of tobacco. He put the cigarette down and settled for a glass of wine instead. "I'm spying on the Hutchinsons, and I got my men to keep an eye on the other families. We haven't picked up on anything unusual for now." Shaun was reliable when it came to serious matters. He added, "But I do have some updates on Alchos!" "What is it?" Loid asked. He could hear the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. His body was warming up from the wine, and his throat was dry. "Venom has left. He's in Emerald Delta now," Shaun said. The mention of Venom was enough to make him grit his teeth. "If he's in Emerald Delta—" Loid was cut off when the bathroom door suddenly opened. Lily came out with a towel wrapped around herself, her alabaster skin glistening and her hair dripping wet. She was a portrait of temptation. Loid gulped, his throat scratchy as he froze at the sight of Lily. "Loid? Hello…" Shaun called out on the other line. "We'll talk about this another time." Loid hung up and tossed his phone on the table. With a few long strides, he closed the distance between him and Lily. Shaun stared at his phone in puzzlement, wondering if Loid had called him because he was simply lonely. Lily was drying the ends of her hair with a towel when Loid suddenly scooped her into his arms. The next second, he laid her down on the bed and hovered over her. He pressed his cold lips to hers and murmured hoarsely, "I'm in the mood for supper, Reese."