Chapter 54- My place

Chapter 54: Chapter 54- My place Lilian quickly yanked her hand back from Morrison’s, her face flushed a light pink. "I—I should get back to work," she stammered, already turning around to flee. But Morrison caught her wrist before she could escape. "You haven’t had lunch." "I-I’m not hungry! I’ll just go..." she muttered in a panic, struggling free from his grip and practically running off without looking back. Morrison let her go this time. But once he returned to the office, he immediately instructed Sean to order two lunchboxes—one for himself, and one to be sent to Lilian. Sean blinked in confusion. "Weren’t you two eating together just now?" Morrison’s face darkened. He was still thinking about how she flat-out refused the car he tried to gift her. Sean noticed the change in mood and wisely chose to retreat. Still, Morrison thought to himself: If she won’t accept the car, I’ll just raise her benefits. He wasn’t going to give up that easily. — Lilian returned to the office, her heart still pounding. She didn’t understand why she was acting like this. She’d always been composed around Morrison. In the past, she could face him without a single ripple in her heart. But today—just from that brief hand-holding—her cheeks flushed, and her chest tightened in a way that kissing him had never done. Meanwhile... With Washington Co. handed over to Bert, Dave was now fully retired and enjoying peaceful domestic bliss with his wife and child. Daniel was still in the hospital, and since Dave had the time, he usually stayed with Daniel during the day. Lilian would come in after work to take over at night. She hadn’t taken a single evening for herself. Partly because she genuinely wanted to care for her father. But mostly... because she was avoiding Morrison. She feared he’d find another excuse to see her at night. Her rule had always been: Once a relationship ends, cut all ties. But that little flutter in her heart the other day terrified her. Because she knew—clearer than anything—that a man like Morrison would never truly fall for someone like her. Even if she let herself fall again, it would only end in heartbreak. So she sealed those feelings away. And the only way to keep them buried... was to avoid him altogether. During Daniel’s stay in the hospital, Tiffany had someone deliver his meals three times a day. Her tone had softened toward him significantly. But Daniel remained melancholic. That divorce agreement was still hanging over his head like a ticking time bomb. After the chaos of Tiffany and Emma’s accident, Daniel deeply regretted signing it. At the time, he was overwhelmed with emotion. They were both getting old, and he didn’t want Tiffany to leave this world with regrets or anger in her heart. In a moment of foolish sentiment, he’d put pen to paper. Now he regretted it every day. Whenever Lilian visited, Daniel would confide in her—how he feared the day Tiffany would show up with that document, ready to finalize everything. He wouldn’t dare say any of this to Dave. His son would just scoff and tell him he brought it on himself. Lilian’s daughter was much more considerate, so Daniel had no choice but to confide in Lilian. The more he poured out his worries, the heavier the burden became in Lilian’s heart. She constantly racked her brain, desperate to find a way to defuse this ticking time bomb. Sometimes, the weight of it all made her zone out. That morning, after parking her car at work, Lilian trudged toward the elevator, her mind clouded and distracted. Thanks to Morrison—who kept sending cars and offering rides—she was too scared to sell her own. Compared to his strings attached, she’d rather spend a little extra on gas and keep her independence. Just a few steps in, she suddenly heard a shout behind her. "Lilian!" Startled, she turned around to see Morrison striding toward her. He stopped in front of her, furrowing his brows. "What are you thinking about? I’ve been calling you forever and you didn’t respond." Apparently, Morrison had arrived at the company right after her. From a distance, he saw her slow, unhappy figure and tried calling her to ask what was wrong. When she didn’t answer, he had to raise his voice. This was the parking lot, with cars coming and going all the time. What if she got hit while daydreaming? Lilian looked around nervously, glancing to see if any coworkers were nearby. She definitely didn’t want anyone to catch them together. Seeing this, Morrison gently lifted her chin with one hand, tilting her small face to meet his. "Why so down? What’s bothering you?" His voice was low and gentle. Standing there—tall and solid—he gave off a strange sense of safety. Despite herself, Lilian found herself opening up, sharing her worries. "Well... my dad already signed that divorce agreement. Now he’s constantly worried my mom will use it to divorce him. He can’t eat, can’t sleep." Morrison burst out laughing. "You’re this stressed over something so small?" Hearing her, Morrison’s mind immediately jumped to a simple solution: just destroy the divorce papers. If Tiffany wanted a divorce, she’d have to draft a new agreement—and Daniel could simply refuse to sign. Problem solved. But of course, for someone like Lilian—who had never entertained any underhanded tactics—that kind of "bad" solution was unimaginable. She’d been trying to win her mother’s heart back, knowing how hard that would be. No wonder she was so anxious. "This is ’small’?" Lilian protested, clearly unhappy. "For me, it’s huge. I’m tearing my hair out over this." She tugged at her hair in frustration, making Morrison laugh again. Morrison laughed and then casually invited, "Dinner tonight? My place." Before Lilian could refuse, he added, "I’ll tell you how to fix that problem over dinner." Using the solution as bait, Lilian had no choice but to agree. She desperately wanted to solve that huge headache. They set the plan, but before Morrison could say more, Lilian spotted a coworker approaching. Panic flashed in her eyes. "Someone’s coming—I gotta go! See you tonight." She grabbed her bag and practically ran away. Morrison chuckled to himself. He planned to cook dinner at his place tonight. Whether she would actually come was another story—but since she ran off like that, he’d take it as a yes. That afternoon, he left work early to buy fresh ingredients at the market. Ever since Linda had caught on to the house chef secretly buying things last time, Morrison took over all the errands himself, cutting off any chance for Linda to spy. Speaking of Linda, she hadn’t bothered him about marriage plans lately. Maybe she was too mad over the recent rumors about him and some models, Mona included. With Karl about to return from overseas, Linda’s full attention was on him now. She’d already bought Karl a house before he graduated last year, busy decorating it, but he never came back. Now that his return was confirmed, Linda was busy setting up the home—and arranging blind dates. Though Morrison and Karl were both single, Linda had never insisted they stay in the old family mansion. Instead, she kicked them out early, saying it was for their freedom. Morrison guessed she just wanted a peaceful life without disturbances. — Just before leaving work, Lilian texted Morrison to ask where they’d eat tonight. His reply was two simple words: My place. Lilian instantly froze. No way was she going to his place for dinner. That was way too intimate. They’d already broken up. Eating together was awkward enough—going to his home? Absolutely not. She hesitated but finally texted back: Can we meet somewhere else? She wasn’t new to eating at his place. Back when they were dating, those private dinners often led to things "just happening," especially after a few drinks. Several times, they’d almost crossed the line. Luckily, they both had enough self-control to stop. But now? With their relationship in this fragile state, anything intimate would be inappropriate. So she resisted. Morrison’s reply was blunt: Come if you want to know the solution. Otherwise, forget it. Fuming, Lilian stomped her foot but had no choice but to pack up and drive to his apartment. Morrison’s cooking was excellent—that much Lilian knew. Back when they were still together, she’d always enjoyed his meals. But now, sitting face-to-face across a table piled with food—mostly her favorites—she couldn’t enjoy a bite. Not with her mind tangled in how to save her parents’ marriage. And not with this awkward tension hanging in the air. Dinner at the ex’s place? With the ex himself doing all the cooking? That was just too much. Morrison had already started eating. Noticing Lilian frozen in place, he asked, "Why aren’t you eating?" Sharp as always, Morrison could clearly see Lilian’s discomfort—but he pretended not to notice.