Chapter 166 Becoming the One She Can't Reach

"I'm fine! Were you worried sick about me?" Hearing her soft voice, I felt a lump rise in my throat. My eyes burned, guilt lacing my voice. There was no way she was fine. She'd almost lost her leg. "I've been really worried. How are you doing now? I'm so sorry—this is all my fault. If it weren't for me…" "No 'what ifs,'" Lila interrupted gently but firmly. "You being okay is the biggest relief for me. What happened to me has nothing to do with you, so stop blaming yourself. Instead of beating yourself up, how about you make some time to come visit me? Oh, and bring something delicious while you're at it." Her joke caught me off guard, and I chuckled despite myself. If she could still crack jokes, her mindset must be in a decent place. That thought eased my anxiety, if only a little. "Alright," I replied, "I'll visit soon. Give me two days. I'll cook up something special and bring it over." "Okay," I said quickly. "Follow the doctor's instructions, and if you need anything, call me anytime. I'll be there." As I hung up, Kenny chimed in, "Hey, Harper, I'm swamped with work right now, so I can't chat long. Don't worry—it's all good on my end." "Oh, and one more thing," Kenny added. "Yesterday, Benjamin called Lila, but she didn't get to the phone in time. He also sent a few texts… They were kind of strange. He seemed to think you don't like your current house and was asking her what kind of place you'd prefer." After the call ended, I let out a long sigh and leaned back against the seat. That was when I noticed Oliver sneaking glances at me through the rearview mirror. His brows were furrowed like she was holding back something she wanted to say. On the other hand, Yvette looked like her mood had taken a nosedive. Her face was icy cold, her silence almost suffocating. I had a pretty good idea of what was going through her head, but I stayed quiet. Instead, I texted Uncle Benjamin, letting him know I'd head to the hospital soon so he wouldn't worry. I adjusted my collar, trying to cover the marks Yvette had left on me. The one on my neck was particularly obvious. I'd deliberately picked a turtleneck sweater this morning. I was terrified Uncle Benjamin might notice and blow a fuse. When I arrived at his hospital room, though, he wasn't there. Instead, I saw a man sitting on the bed, dressed in a loose white sweater, his fair skin practically glowing. He was focused on something in his hands. I frowned. Wasn't this supposed to be a private room? Staring at the side of his face, I asked, "Excuse me, do you know where the patient in this room went?" The man looked up sharply, a small smile tugging at his lips. His voice was light, but it had a familiarity that stopped me cold. "Are you looking for me?" That was Uncle Benjamin's voice. I froze. Uncle Benjamin was clean-cut, refined, and almost scholarly in his vibe. He didn't look anything like the scruffy, jaded, unkempt version of my uncle I'd grown up with. "You… you're Uncle Benjamin?" I stammered. He laughed, clearly amused. "Yeah, it's me. I shaved my beard. Doesn't this look better?" I was too stunned to respond. I walked over, circling him like he was some kind of alien. "Uncle Benjamin, you look amazing! You look like a movie star! If you told people you were my older brother, they'd believe it in a heartbeat." I'd always thought of Uncle Benjamin as this rugged, down-on-his-luck guy with a grizzled charm. But now, with his beard gone, he looked like a polished, handsome older brother straight out of a magazine. His expressive eyes, full of stories, added to the whole package. He grinned, clearly enjoying my reaction, and ruffled my hair like he always did. "So," he said, "did you meet Clover yet?" I nodded, and he smiled as he explained. "She's your second uncle's daughter, just got back from an international racing competition. She's a professional driver. Don't let her flashy dyed hair fool you—underneath all that attitude, she's actually a soft person. You can push her around all you want." "No way!" I exclaimed. "That's impressive. She's already killing it at her age. Makes me feel like such a loser as her older cousin." I paused, then asked, "But wait—if she's Uncle John's daughter, doesn't that mean he's close to Grandpa? Isn't that… complicated?" Uncle Benjamin and I had a pretty strained relationship with Grandpa. If I got involved with a family like that, Grandpa would definitely have opinions. "Of course they're close—it's family. Blood ties don't just vanish," my uncle said, patting my shoulder before changing the subject. "Speaking of ties, are you and Yvette really done? No chance of getting back together?" I nodded honestly. He mirrored my nod, but his smile took on a mischievous edge. It was the kind of look that made me nervous like he was already planning something. "Alright then," he said. "From now on, I'll introduce you to a parade of amazing women. Top-tier, every one of them. Great families, brilliant minds, stunning looks—they're all world-class beauties. You don't have to marry right away; just date around. Take your pick. Women are everywhere." "Don't let some backstabbing ex drag you down. You need to live better than her, laugh louder than her, and make her regret everything. She should look at you someday and realize you've become someone she can only dream of reaching." My uncle wasn't usually this talkative, but when he did talk, it hit differently. Hearing him go all out like this made me laugh, though I didn't take his matchmaking seriously. "Don't worry, Uncle Benjamin. I'm not losing sleep over her. You can relax. Right now, I don't need a woman. What I need is my career. "If a man really wants to be out of reach, it's not about how many dates he has or how rich his girlfriend is. It's about becoming the rich one himself."