Chapter 4

Lily's POV

On the second day of the mountain shoot, Susan's harassment escalated.

In the break room, Susan's gaze suddenly landed on the vintage pocket watch hanging around my neck. It was the only memento from my late father. I never took it off.

"Miss Lily, that pocket watch of yours has quite a vintage feel. Let me borrow it as a prop for the shoot." Without waiting for permission, Susan reached out to grab it.

My expression changed drastically. I quickly stepped back, protecting the watch."No. This is my father's memento. I can't lend it."

"So what if it's a memento? Nathan put me in charge of the entire project. You're about to resign anyway. You still won't cooperate with me?" Susan's face darkened, and she came forward to snatch it forcefully.

During our struggle, the watch's chain snapped with a "crack."

Susan held the watch, a malicious smile curling at her lips. Then she let go.

The watch fell onto the hard rocks. The glass face shattered instantly, gears scattering across the ground.

My mind went blank.

I stared at the broken watch on the ground, all the blood in my body seeming to freeze. The next second, I raised my hand and slapped Susan hard across the face.

"Smack!"

The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the break room. Susan clutched her face, screaming in disbelief."You dare hit me?!"

Hearing the commotion, Nathan rushed in. Seeing the red handprint on Susan's face, his expression instantly turned dark as a storm cloud.

"Lily, have you lost your mind?!"

He shoved me hard. Already weak, I was thrown backward by his force, falling heavily onto the rocky ground covered in debris.

My palm scraped across a sharp stone, immediately opening a long gash. Blood poured out, staining the white snow red.

But Nathan didn't even glance at me. He just anxiously pulled Susan into his arms.

"Nathan, I just wanted to borrow her watch as a prop. Not only did she refuse, she hit me..." Susan leaned against him, crying pitifully.

Nathan glared at me on the ground, his eyes cold and cutting."It's just a broken watch! It's not even worth anything! I'll compensate you one million dollars! How dare you hit someone? Apologize to Susan right now!"

A broken watch?

I sat collapsed on the ground, watching my blood drip into the snow, suddenly finding it all absurdly laughable.

He knew perfectly well it was the last keepsake my father had left me.

Once, when I accidentally lost this watch, he frantically mobilized everyone to find it. When it was recovered, he held me, heartbroken, and said."Lily's things are my life."

But now, when my life had been shattered, he called it just a broken watch.

I didn't cry. I didn't apologize. I just silently knelt on the ground, using my bleeding hand to pick up the shattered gears and glass pieces one by one, clutching them tightly in my palm.

The sharp glass cut into my palm, but I seemed to feel no pain.

Nathan didn't look at me. He carried Susan and left.

I took leave and went to the hospital alone to bandage my wound.

Coming out of the hospital, I received a call from my good friend Sophia. Sophia was Nathan's younger sister and the only person who knew about our relationship.

At the café, Sophia looked at my bandaged hand, her eyes immediately reddening.

"Lily, did my brother bully you again? Since Susan came back, he's been completely bewitched!"

I calmly stirred my coffee, saying softly."Sophia, I'm getting married."

Sophia froze, then tears spilled from her eyes."Married? To my brother? Is he finally willing to make your relationship public?"

"Not him." I shook my head. "It's the arranged marriage from my family. I'm going home."

Sophia stared at me blankly, then suddenly threw her arms around me, sobbing uncontrollably."Good! My brother is trash. He doesn't deserve you! Lily, you have to be happy..."

Suddenly, someone appeared beside us. It was Nathan. He frowned slightly."Sophia, why are you crying?"

Sophia looked up, glaring at him with red eyes."Lily is going back to New York to get married, why shouldn't I cry?!"