Hearts in Turmoil

Chapter 10: Birthday Party

"Dr. Li, I'm just a girl," Lily Zhao said, her voice trembling as she tried to keep her composure. "Even if you think I have ulterior motives, you didn't have to say it like that."

She wasn't really upset by what Ethan said. The chance of not being pregnant didn't worry her much – after all, she wasn't trying to inherit a kingdom. What hurt more was Lena's cutting remark. Lena had a knack for rubbing Lily the wrong way, and she couldn't help but feel slighted.

Lily wasn't the type to get into a confrontation. She was quite reserved and delicate in her manner. She was a quiet type who couldn't handle a direct argument, so she did what she did best – she played the victim, hoping to avoid conflict.

Ethan didn't respond, as usual. "No offence meant. "My apologies."

Lena noticed the change in atmosphere and didn't want to give the wrong impression, so she quickly followed suit. "I didn't mean anything by it either." I've been away from China for so long; I just wanted to check in and see how you're doing health-wise. "Sorry if I didn't come across the right way."

Lily rolled her eyes internally. She speaks well enough to be snide, but now her Chinese isn't up to par?

Lily thought about responding in kind, but the way Ethan looked at her, as if he knew what she was thinking, made her stop. "She didn't mean it," he said, in a calm, detached tone.

Naturally, he would side with her. Lily let out a little sigh. Playing the 'poor girl' card didn't work with someone like Ethan. He was biased and she was the one who'd lost out in this situation.

The realisation was a bit of a shock. After everything they'd been through, it was a bit much to expect Ethan to show her any warmth. He saw her as nothing more than a brief encounter. And now that Lena was involved, she felt her position was becoming even more tenuous.

Lily wanted to respond, maybe throw a verbal jab at Ethan, but she hesitated. Ethan wasn't like Jason. Jason was clever and could be quite persuasive, but he was always upfront about what he wanted. Ethan, on the other hand, was pretty straightforward. If he had an issue with something, he'd say so without hesitation. Lily wasn't sure she wanted to give him a reason to react like that.

Instead, she gave a weak smile and tried to appear calm. "It's fine." It was just a misunderstanding. "Take care, Dr. Li."

She could sense her chances of success slipping away. Maybe this really was the end for them.

As Lily turned to leave, Lena watched her go, her gaze sharp. Ethan, what do you see in her?

"Nothing," Ethan replied without hesitation, putting Lily's medical report in his pocket.

"So, it was just a bit of fun, then?" Lena smiled. "I didn't think you were the type."

Ethan gave a shrug, looking disinterested. "I'm not the best person, Lena. That's not something most people can handle. If you're worried about getting hurt, it might be best to steer clear.

Lena smiled even wider. "Oh, Ethan. You have a wrong idea about me. I'm good at turning bad boys into good ones. You'll see.

Lily felt a pang of sadness as she got into Grace's car. As soon as the door closed, Grace turned to her. "I thought I told you to stay away from Ethan?"

Lily let out a tired sigh. "It's not that straightforward, Grace. You were the one who said Jason was afraid of him. How can I just let Jason get away with everything?

Grace gave a little nod. "And you think that getting close to Ethan will fix that?"

"I didn't really have much of a choice." Lily massaged her temples, trying to ease her throbbing headache. As you said yourself, Jason's terrified of him.

Grace nodded slowly. "That's true, but you went a bit too far there. You really tried to keep a child to hold onto him?

Lily bit her lip, feeling a bit embarrassed by her own plan. "I didn't have any other choices."

Grace let out a sigh and shook her head. You might not know this, but Ethan promised his ex-girlfriend that he'd only have children with her. "That's why keeping the baby was never going to work."

Lily blinked, taken aback by the news. "His ex-girlfriend?" "She must've been something special to make him stick to that."

Grace leaned back in her seat, a knowing smile on her face. "Oh, she certainly was." Have you seen the tattoo he has? The eagle on his lower abdomen?

Lily nodded. She'd seen the tattoo during one of their nights out together. Ethan's polished appearance contrasted with the wild, rebellious design, which she found intriguing. "It's on his left side." "Why is that?"

Grace smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "That tattoo?" His ex gave it to him. She's a well-known tattoo artist – a bit wild and untamable. Not even Ethan could keep her in line.

Lily groaned, exasperated. “Please, Grace, stop talking about his ex. It’s making me sick.”

Ethan was her first, and despite everything, that still held some significance for her. But hearing that he was still emotionally involved with someone else only made it worse. He was her first, but to him, she was just another woman.

Grace laughed, not bothered by Lily's distress. "Well, you know, it was probably your gentleness that made him interested in you." Men like him don't often find someone as delicate as you to entertain them.

Lily rolled her eyes. "And what did that get me?" "I got absolutely nothing out of it."

She spent the next two days in a bit of a daze, trying to forget the pain that Ethan had caused her. It wasn't until she got a birthday reminder for Grace on her phone that she started to feel better.

She sent Grace a text. Is Jason going to be there for your birthday?

Grace replied quickly and to the point: As you know, my family relies on him. It's not really an option to cut ties. Even if you were my ancestor, I'd still find a way to get close to him.

Grace added another message: But between us, you know I'll always have your back.

Lily let out a sigh as she considered her options. Then she gave Grace a call. "Maybe I shouldn't come." "It might be a bit awkward."

"That's nonsense," Grace replied. "It's my 20th birthday party!" If you don't want to interact with other people, I'll put you in a quiet corner. "I'll set you up with someone decent – someone who hates Jason just as much as you."

You said Jason's unbeatable in Eastport. What's the point in that?

"Well, at least you can have a bit of a laugh about him with someone." "Sounds like it could be fun, doesn't it?"

Lily wasn't in the mood for laughter, but she agreed. Having someone to keep me company would make the night more bearable.

Lily arrived early on the day of the party, as Grace had asked. Not many people had shown up yet. Grace, who was busy making last-minute preparations, called her. "I've set you up with someone." He's waiting for you in the lounge.

Lily made her way to the lounge, feeling a little nervous. When she got there, she saw a man sitting on the sofa, looking at his phone. His profile was sharp, handsome in a way that made her blush.

The man looked up when she approached, his gaze calm and assessing.

"Hi," Lily said, greeting him politely, though her voice was a little too formal.

"You're my date?" he enquired, barely looking up from his phone.

"Yeah"

"Have a seat, then."

Lily took a seat, feeling a little awkward. She quickly sent Grace a text. I think he's a bit cold, don't you?

But Grace was too busy to reply at the time.

After watching her for a moment, the man finally spoke. "What's your name?" he enquired.

"Lily."

He nodded and said casually, "You've got a nice chest."

Lily felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She crossed her arms, feeling a bit exposed.

The man got to his feet, stretching his tall, lean frame. He was dressed in a tailored suit, but there was something rough about him, a certain swagger that made him seem dangerous. "Let's go," he said.

Lily paused for a moment, then followed him out. As they walked into the main hall, she felt a rush of excitement when she spotted Jason. She moved closer to her date, trying to hide behind him.

The man noticed and asked, "Who are you hiding from?"

"Jason," she admitted. "We should stay at the edge of the party. If he sees me, things could get ugly."

He raised an eyebrow, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Do you know who I am?"

Lily shook her head.

"I'm Luke Zhang," he said, his tone almost amused. "Jason's childhood friend."