Coddled Hearts

Chapter 3

Curiosity is truly a poison.

The early autumn rain ushered in a cool change, yet the room held a stifling heat.

Guided by Ethan Foster, Lily Montgomery roamed and surveyed her surroundings, her exchanges with him minimally. Her reticence today was unusual. Ethan Foster stole a few glances at her, watching as she admired his travel photos on the photo wall with interest. His gaze shifted impatiently, projecting his mood onto the view outdoors.

"Were you hiding behind the window watching me earlier?"

Struck by her teasing tone, Ethan Foster spun around, flustered by her mocking visage, he found himself at a loss for words.

Lily Montgomery gave a sly blink, "You give off such an intimidating aura, I could feel it from a mile away."

Ethan Foster's countenance shifted at her words and seeing her smile broaden, "Do you play any games? We should engage in some when we have the time."

Ethan Foster felt his heartbeat irregularly, his throat clenched like cotton was stuck in it, particularly irked by her naïve and fearless demeanor. Why should he sacrifice his own happiness for such a foolish woman? Simply because her father had saved his in their rural origins? Ethan Foster tasted the bitterness of resentment caught in his throat, unable to spit it out, yet unable to swallow it down.

Watching him twist his face, not daring to vent his frustrations, Lily Montgomery wanted to laugh, "Do you wish to sever these marital ties our parents arranged?"

There was a fervor in Ethan Foster's eyes that flickered out instantly, "There was no arrangement, I like you!"

Snort! Lily Montgomery sauntered over him in her high heels, raising her eyebrows as she appraised him with a pair of clear and sharp eyes that taunted and scoffed, sounding innocently afoul, "And you call that a 'like', with that sourpuss expression?"

Ethan Foster: …

Lily Montgomery: "Tell the truth."

Ethan Foster was momentarily taken aback, "Emotions can be nurtured."

Lily Montgomery gazed at him with a mysteriously knowing smile dancing at her lips.

Her laugh was harmless and pure, her eyes clear and innocent, her entire being as clean as an unsullied sheet of paper, giving Ethan Foster the illusion of being captivated by a blossoming garden at dawn. He blinked and saw Lily Montgomery pick up a porcelain vase from the table and suddenly her hand slipped.

It landed with a thump.

"Oh dear, I'm sorry!" Lily exclaimed.

It was a unique shaped porcelain vase from the Ming empire, delicately made and well preserved, Ethan Foster's prized possession. Seeing his treasured object shattered on the ground, he could no longer keep a lid on his emotions.

"Lily Montgomery, are you out of your mind~"

"All pretenses gone, so like him... so much like him…" Lily Montgomery pointed at his face, her voice filled with amazement, her eyes gleaming with laughter, a provocative smile plastered on her face.

The anger building up in Ethan Foster's chest was like a dam that had finally burst, and he began to curse, one profanity after another.

The commotion prompted both sets of parents downstairs to rush up.

"What's going on? What's happened?"

Max Montgomery quickly went to tattle, "My sister smashed a vase, and Ethan, livid, berated her, accusing us of being shamelessly nouveau riche, unsophisticated bumpkins, banking on slight favors with unyielding audacity... He even had the audacity to insult my mother!"

Lily Montgomery, playing her part with teary eyes, looked at Oliver Bennett, "Dad, let's compensate them."

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Oliver Bennett, rubbing his hands, conceded, "Compensate, indeed. We'll pay whatever it takes."

Lily Montgomery added, "And I want to break up with him!"

"Break up, break up..." Oliver Bennett's sentence was cut short by William Reed.

"Oliver!" He glanced at the shattered vase, his brow twitching, exuding a grave demeanor, "Smashing a vase is hardly a catastrophe. Xuning, apologize to Lily. Look how frightened the young lady is, pale as a ghost! Is this how you treat your girlfriend?"

Lily Montgomery bit her lower lip, "William, it's my fault. Don't blame Ethan Foster. We must make amends for the vase..."

"Stop putting on that insincere act of misery," Ethan Foster's anger surged to his throat, his voice cracking with frustration, "Dad, Lily Montgomery did it on purpose. This woman is malevolent and venomous! She..."

William Reed cut in, "Enough!"

Upon leaving Ethan's home, Oliver Bennett was preoccupied with thoughts of compensating Ethan's family for the vase. Lily Montgomery, resting her chin on her hands, sat silently beside Grace Bennett for a long while before suddenly inquiring, "Dad, do you think the Foster family might be coveting our wealth?"

"Nonsense," Oliver Bennett replied with a look of deep frustration. "Why would you entertain such a thought? Is it a lack of confidence in your own beauty, or too much faith in your father's wealth?"

Lily Montgomery remained silent...

"Can't you see how much Ethan Foster dislikes me?"

Oliver Bennett chuckled, "I used to pull your mother's braids when we were young. Young people express their feelings differently."

"His mother hates me too!"

"That's because she's jealous your mother is more attractive than she is."

"Even his relatives dislike me, and his housekeeper says I'm no match for Ethan Foster, calling it a case of 'a rose planted in manure.'"

"Exactly! You're the rose, and he's the manure!"

Such a strong will to live? Lily Montgomery surreptitiously pinched Grace Bennett's arm, "I don't care, I'm not continuing with this relationship. There are risks in cooperation; I hereby declare a unilateral cancellation of this contract to cut my losses!"

Grace Bennett glanced at her daughter, "This time, I support Lily. Picking on us because we're nouveau riche and lack culture, not understanding their subtle cues? Humph! They're getting too big for their boots."

At her word, Oliver Bennett quickly changed course, "Exactly, exactly, your mother is right. What bad habits are we encouraging? Are nouveau riche so easy to bully? Just watch how I deal with him!"

That very afternoon, the Foster household received a delivery from the Bennett family: 174 vases, large and small, filling two entire vehicles.

On the phone, Oliver Bennett said, "Alas, alas, the exact replica was unattainable, and we were uncertain of your preferences. Ours being a family that came to wealth suddenly, lacks a refined aesthetic sense, so we had someone select one of every design. William, keep the ones to your liking, and feel free to smash what displeases you."

They were a collection of antique-styled vases, gaudy and overdone.

Ethan Foster felt irritated at the sight, "A family of eccentrics. To call them nouveau riche is to flatter them unduly."

"Well, well, that's just how the newly wealthy should carry themselves, isn't it?" The Bennett family was busy organizing the company's annual celebration a week away, designing the venue with an opulence that screamed wealth and lack of subtlety.

Their spirits were high, for they knew that behind the praise lay scorn; people said the nouveau riche loved to show off, yet they never took it to heart. The Bennetts reasoned thus: those who criticize you are generally beneath you, and those better than you usually can't be bothered with you and won't insult you.

Why bother with pettiness?

Nonetheless, while the marriage alliance might not come to fruition, Oliver Bennett still admired William Reed, lauding him with the few idiomatic expressions at his disposal—noble character, integrity, justice over familial ties—then cheerfully sent off an invitation.

Lily Montgomery sat in sullen silence until, after a long while, she said, "Dad, I want to work at your company."

What for?

Grace Bennett wondered aloud, "Why work? Isn't loafing around with mom at home preferable?"

"No!" Lily Montgomery ruffled her hair, slumping tiredly onto the sofa, "From this day forth, Miss Lily Montgomery aspires to be a model young adult."

The couple exchanged glances, and Oliver Bennett turned pale, "It's over! The child’s flustered beyond reason."

On the day of the anniversary celebration, Dayu Construction Company was a hive of activity, adorned with a radiant red carpet and a resplendent rainbow bridge, while ornate flower baskets were arrayed with grandiose flair.

Lily Montgomery, accompanied by her parents, was swiftly encircled by a bevy of young men cheerfully calling out "Master, Mistress, Junior sister." These were all apprentices under Oliver Bennett, clustering together in such numbers, upwards of twenty, that Grace Bennett was beside herself with anxiety, "Off you go, back to your work."

Grace Bennett knew all too well: these lads, each in the prime of their youth, robust and vigorous, and there stood their daughter Lily, a vision of loveliness, delicate as a flower amidst these men, akin to a lamb amidst wolves, all eager for a chance to come forward, salivating for a nibble. She wouldn't permit her precious gem to be undervalued by these ruffians.

The day saw a great multitude, including Dayu's business partners as well as old friends of both Oliver and Grace Bennett. Busy with their social obligations, Lily Montgomery found herself idling, slowly wandering out with her camera.

The sky was clear, and the sunlight was just right.

Parked at the curbside was a black automobile, within which a man sat in the back, gazing contemplatively at the facade of Dayu Construction. His visage was etched with deep lines of indifference, as if immersed in his own realm, oblivious to the bustling scene around him.

All around was movement, yet he remained a solitary stillness.

Within Lily Montgomery, a sudden joy began to thrive, like a burst of wild grass proliferating unchecked—how could someone be so undemonstratively attractive?

"Visual delight for the enthusiasts," thought Lily Montgomery, feigning to photograph the grand opening, desiring to clandestinely capture the grandeur of the young man's beauty.

But no sooner had she raised her camera than he looked her way.

His glance was cool, like the windswept expanse of a desert in a long-gone season, sparse and sharp. His gaze lingered on her, as if searching for something upon her face. Lily's heart raced, her artistic senses heightened to the allure before her. From this angle, he was her coup de foudre.

What kind of celestial appearance was this?

Unconsciously, Lily Montgomery's feet moved her closer to him.

"Hi, I'm a photography enthusiast; may I ask you..."

He, without a flicker of expression, rolled up the window.

Lily Montgomery: ...

The car slowly drove away. Lily shrugged her shoulders, ready to turn back, when suddenly she noticed the car make a U-turn up ahead, driving straight into the parking lot of the Dayu Construction Company.