Chapter 13

On the way back to Rosevale Residence, the mood in the car was... tense, to say the least. Wilson was clearly not in a good mood—his whole aura was heavy. Liliana sat stiffly in the passenger seat, heart pounding with unease. She honestly couldn't figure out what exactly was going on in Wilson's head. Sometimes just saying a random thing could make him smile like an idiot. Other times, harmless chatter would tick him off like crazy. Wilson:[Why does she laugh so easily with others, but always look terrified around me?] She shivered a little—maybe it was the AC—and tried to sink deeper into her seat. But that only made the pressure in the air around her feel more suffocating. And right then, she seemed to hear that question echo in his mind—tangled, intense, and slightly bitter. She gave up trying to understand him. Yeah, she was scared of him. Who wouldn't be? He'd been nothing short of a psycho in their past life, and that impression was etched deep in her brain. But what the hell was he even talking about "smiling at others"? Other than her family and grandpa, who did she even joke around with? "Ugh." Trying to break the silence and lighten the weird tension, she cleared her throat and forced a casual tone. "Marsha and Ethan really know how to mess things up. That whole dinner? Total disaster. I didn't even get to eat the macarons I like." She glanced sideways at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Hopefully, after that jab at Ethan, the guy could chill a bit. They rolled up to a red light and came to a stop. Wilson didn't say anything for a beat. Then his expression slightly relaxed. "Mn." Wilson:[So... in her eyes, Ethan's worth less than a macaron?] He blinked once, then suddenly turned to her, voice low. "Ethan messed with you twice today. Want me to deal with him?" Liliana didn't even have time to feel relieved from his softened tone—his sudden question made her tense all over again. If Wilson "dealt" with someone, that could mean anything from broken bones to a wrecked family. Whether or not she cared about Ethan, the Brooks family still had some ties to her grandpa because of Old Mr. Johnson and Old Mr. Brooks being old friends. Her voice was calm but quick: "You don't have to. He's already paid the price." But barely had the words left her mouth when Wilson shot her a sharp look, cold and suspicious. "You're defending him now?" Wilson:[Yep. She still cares about that piece of trash. All that just now—just lip service to brush me off.] His whole mood turned icy; one more word and he might full-on lose it. Liliana hurried to explain, hands raised slightly: "I'm not sticking up for him! I just meant that I've already taken care of it myself. I don't need anyone else stepping in." She really didn't hold back when she took revenge. Every kick, every punch had meant business. Ethan would be seeing stars for days—and after what happened, the Brooks family's image had taken a brutal hit. No way they'd bounce back any time soon. That timid, fragile Liliana from her past life? Long gone. She wasn't letting people walk all over her anymore. You mess with her, she hits back. No second chances. "Anyone else?" Wilson's voice cut in, suddenly low and dangerous. "I'm anyone else to you?" Crap. She held her forehead, exasperated. Why did he always fixate on every little angle in the most unreasonable way? If he kept flipping over tiny things like this, what would their relationship even look like in the future? Constant mood swings? She sighed inwardly. Coddling a man too much could seriously mess him up. Time to draw a line. She straightened slightly and, with measured patience, said: "Wilson, I already told you—the engagement was arranged by our families. Sure, something happened that shouldn't have. But you're still courting me, remember?" The more Wilson heard, the deeper his frown became. His voice was low and cold. "Liliana, you can only be mine." Wilson:[Is locking her up the only way to keep her with me forever?] That old obsessive streak was flaring up again. Liliana let out a barely audible sigh and responded softly, "Yeah, I'll always be yours, eventually." "I know you're trying to stand up for me, and I appreciate it. But you should try to trust me more. These little things, I can deal with them myself. I won't let myself be pushed around." She said it like she was trying to reassure him. Wilson:[How much of what she's saying is real?] As the red light came on, Wilson still seemed stuck in his thoughts, that deep crease between his brows refusing to smooth out. Luckily, traffic was light and no one was honking at them. Liliana reached out and gently smoothed the spot between his brows. "Wilson, I really do like you, a lot. But it's only been a short while since we started seeing each other. You don't really know me, and I don't really know you either. Feelings take time to grow. Once we really fall for each other, we'll be able to stay together for real." That last sentence finally made him calm down a bit. "Alright, then we'll take our time." He thought over her words. They did make some sense. Ever since they met, she had always tried to keep her distance. Now that she was finally opening up to him, he couldn't afford to drive her away. Maybe he really should try to understand her better, trust her a little more. And if after all that she still tried to run... well, then he'd just lock her up and make sure she went nowhere. "Let's go home," Liliana said with a smile. Those two words—"go home"—wiped away the last bit of coldness from Wilson's face. "Yeah." Back at Rosevale Residence, Liliana asked the housekeeper to whip up something simple for dinner. They'd barely eaten anything at the party with all the socializing, and now both of them were starving. After they finished eating, she noticed a dessert box sitting in the living room. Wilson opened it and motioned for her to come over. That's when she saw it was a box of macarons. "I had my assistant drop it off," he said casually. "You got these just for me?" Her feelings were... complicated. She'd mentioned them so casually in the car, but he actually remembered. So, he was more than just a controlling perfectionist, after all. ... The next morning, Wilson left early for the office. Liliana woke up naturally, took her time getting ready, and ate breakfast. With nothing better to do, she started scrolling through her phone. One trending hashtag stood out: #MarshaJohnsonDreamGown. The thumbnail showed Marsha in the white dress she wore at last night's event. She opened it and skimmed through. Every photo was heavily retouched—not a single flyaway hair in sight. "Marsha is drop-dead gorgeous! She's like a literal dream!" "I mean, can anyone actually deny she's the prettiest rising actress out there right now?" Comment after comment praising her beauty—flawless and angelic. That's when Liliana remembered: in her last life, the entertainment industry was booming, and Marsha had already gained fame as one of the new starlets around this time. Liliana had always had a passion for acting. She'd dreamed of entering the industry in her past life, but for one reason or another, it never worked out. She died with that regret still lingering. Now that she had the time and freedom... why not chase that dream? Having made up her mind, she reached out to Trisha Flynn. The Flynn family had their hands in many industries, but their entertainment company was definitely the crown jewel. Starlight Ember Entertainment was one of the biggest in Halebrook. As soon as the call connected, Trisha's voice came through in a dramatic whine. "Look who finally remembered I exist!"