Becoming Strangers Again by Lily

Chapter 63 RYAN The more I look into Jake's affairs, the deeper the pit of frustration I found myself in. How much more dirt was I going to unearth about this scoundrel' The mere thought of it leftseething with anger and vexation. As I paced the floor in my state of agitation, Angelo sat nearby, nonchalantly chewing on a plate of pasta. His deliberate loud chewing grated on my nerves, and I shot him a glare that prompted him to cease his noisy consumption. "What did Yara have to say?" he inquired, breaking the tense silence. Running a hand through my hair in exasperation, I recounted the unsettling information. "Apparently, Jake obtained a Lamborghini without making any payment whatsoever. I revealed, noting the shock that flashed across Angelo's face mirroring my own initial reaction. "But then, it seems that someone of considerable societal influence accompanied him and offered assurances of payment Jake failed to meet his obligations within the agreed timeframe." Shaking his head in disbelief, Angelo continued to eat his meal. "What could be possibly need a Lamborghini for?" he pondered aloud. "My guess? To impress Lily" I spat bitterly. "Did he truly believe she would be swayed by his ostentatious displays of wealth, or should I say his fabricated lifestyle? The idea that Jake would attempt to win Lily over with material possessions only fueled my frustration. Lily was more than capable of affording a Lamborghini herself if she desired one. "I recall seeing something similar to this before, Angelo muttered through a mouthful of food, waving his phone in my direction Intrigued, I turned to him, urging him to elaborate "He bought her a Lamborghini a few months ago," he explained, prompting my eyes to widen in shock Grabbing his phone from him. I quickly scanned the news article he was referring to. "But why did this becheadline news?" 1 demanded, bewildered by the revelation. "It coincided with the announcement of her engagement, Angelo reasoned. "The press seized upon the opportunity to capitalize on the trending topic by publishing both relevant and irrelevant news about them." "Letget this straight, I began, struggling to comprehend the audacity of Jake's actions. The bastard essentially borrowed at Lamborghini and gified it to her? I shook my head in disbelief. "Why couldn't he have given her something within his means? This is utterly ridiculous." "More than ridiculous," Angelo agreed, lifting the plate in his hand. "Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? I'll take the extra plate if you're truly not hungry." I scoffed at his suggestion. With everything that's going on, do you really think I have the appetite to ingest anything?" I retorted, my frustration evident in my tone. "A man has to eat to survive." Angelo remarked casually, unfazed by my irritation. Just leavebe," I snapped. Without another word, I retreated into my room, swiftly changing into more suitable attire. Grabbing my car keys, I made my way o OUL As I walked out, Angelo paused mid-bite, his fork hovering near his mouth. "Where are you going?" he called after me. "To someone who can helpcalm down before I do something I'll regret." I replied tersely, my steps quickening as 1 headed towards the door. At this point, I am more than capable of walking over to that man and committing murder, He nodded solemnly, reaching forward to grab the remote. "My regards to the triplets, he called out as I stormed out, slamming the door behindin a fit of frustration Arriving at Lily's residence. I parked my car and made my way to the front door. Pressing the doorbell, I anticipated seeing Lily or one of her staff members, but instead, I was confronted with the source of my agitation. My clenched fist, buried within my pocket, tightened angrily at the sight of him. He towered over me, a challenging glint in his eyes. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, blocking my path. Ignoring his question, I pushed past him and entered the house. He followed closely behind, his hand closing around my forearm in a firm grip. I asked you a question," he growled, his voice laced with frustration "What are you doing here?" Chapter 6 As I prepared to push him aside, my gaze shifted, catching sight of Noah observing our interaction from the top of the stairs. I quickly restrained myself, not wanting to escalate the situation in front of my son. "Im here to have dinner with my sons," I stated firmly, glaring at Jake. "Do you have a problem with that?" With a sharp motion. I shrugged his hand away and proceeded further into the room. Just then. Lily emerged from the kitchen, carrying a bowl. She froze in her tracks upon seeing me, blinking slowly in surprise. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone cautious "To have dinner." I replied, holding up the bottle of wine I had brought along tyou plan to visit, it would be best to givea call Setting the bowl down on the dining table, Lily approached me. "Next ti beforehand, she suggested gently. Handing her the wine with an apologetic smile, I nodded in agreement. Tll remember that I assured her, hoping to ease any tension between us. "Dad" Ethan's voice echoed from the top of the stairs, drawing my attention as he raced down to greet me, followed closely by Noah. I welcomed them into my embrace "Where's Liam?" I inquired, scanning the room for him. "He's busy with his homework, Ethan informed me. As if on cue, Liam's voice rang out from upstairs before he joined us, completing our family reunion. I scooped him up in my arms. relishing the feeling of their presence as we made our way to the dining room, where we settled in to enjoy our meal together. Amidst clinking of utensils, I seized the opportunity to broach the topic that had been on my mind "What do you say I get you a new Lambo?" 1 proposed to Lily, aiming to rattle Jake with my unexpected suggestion. Lily's startled reaction was eviden t as she choked on her food, prompting Jake to quickly cto her aid, refilling her glass with water. and passing it to her. She murmured her thanks before taking a gulp, her composure slightly shaken by my proposition. "Sorry if I shocked you, I offered, sensing Lily's surprise at my unexpected proposal. Her blinking eyes reflected her bewilderment as she questioned. "Why on earth would you think of buyinga Lambor "Because you don't have one," I replied matter-of-factly. "You've giventhree beautiful boys. Is there anything wrong with wanting to buy you a car?" Before Lily could respond, Jake interjected, asserting. "She already has one. Thanks for asking, but I can buy her whatever she wants and needs. That's my responsibility Choosing to ignore Jake's comment. I redirected my focus to Lily, determined not to let his presence dampen the mood. "So, do you want it?" | pressed, eager to gauge her response. Shaking her head in refusal, Lily returned to her meal, her voice steady as she declared, "I don't want another Lambo. Like Jake said, he already boughtone." "Really!" I feigned ignorance, turning my attention to Jake. "Remindagain, what is it that you do for a living!" I challenged, raising an eyebrow in mock curiosity. He let out a scoff in response, clearly irritated by my probing "Ryan, can you please stop being rude? Lily interjected, ber tone sharp with disapproval. "I'm not in the mood for an argument." I licked my lips nervously, toying with the food on my plate. "I'm just curious about how he affords such a car, I explained, resting my elbow on the table. Was the car registered in your name!" "Stop undermining my boyfriend" Lily warned, her voice tinged with frustration. "It's none of your business whether the car he bought is in my nor not. Ed rather you didn't ask silly questions" Her reference to Jake as her boyfriend" instead of her "tance caught my attention, and I discreetly glanced at her finger, noticing the absence of her engagement ring Against all odds, I found myself smiling internally. If Lily wasn't wearing his ring frequently, it meant that I was making sprogress I am indeed doing something right.

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