Daniel fell unconscious, consumed by the excruciating pain coursing through his body. In stark contrast, Garrett paid no heed to his nephew's suffering. With a nonchalant gesture, he wiped his bloodstained hands clean using a towel offered to him by Adam.
"Take care of his wounds," Garrett instructed Adam, his voice devoid of sympathy. "Ensure he receives painkillers and food before sending him back to his parents. Maybe this experience will teach him a lesson about causing harm to women."
Adam was taken aback by Garrett's callous behavior. It had been a long time since he had seen his friend so angry. The last time was years ago when a cruise ship had exploded. Despite his anger, Garrett managed to restrain himself, surprising Adam. He contemplated intervening to prevent Garrett from harming his own nephew, but there was no need. Garrett had learned restraint even if it was minor.
Silently, Adam picked up the unconscious Daniel and started to walk away. But just as he was about to leave, Garrett stopped him causing Adam to look a thim curiously.
"Don't let Lily find out about this. It's too gruesome, understand?" Garrett warned, his tone commanding.
"You mean... you want me to lie to her?" Adam questioned, a hint of disgust creeping into his voice. The idea of deceiving Lily didn't sit well with him. It was not the ideal way to start their relationship, and it made Adam feel as though he was still concealing his true self from her.
"She doesn't need to witness this side of me. Not yet, anyway," Garrett replied with a touch of reluctance.
"Very well, sir," Adam agreed, realizing that arguing further would be futile.
Lily awoke from her slumber around noon, only to realize she couldn't fall back asleep. Initially, she panicked, thinking she might be late for school, but then she remembered that she was still on break. An idea to decorate the villa filled her mind, but Garrett firmly refused to allow her to do so.
"You're injured, Lily. I'm not sure you can take care of yourself right now, so you can't be involved in decorating," Garrett explained, his tone firm.
"But it won't be fun if I can't participate in putting up the decorations," Lily protested, her disappointment evident.
"You can delegate but you can not actually put up decorations," Garrett offered.
"But, what if..." Lily started.
"It's not up for negotiation," Garrett asserted firmly.
Lily felt her excitement fade. What could she say in the face of such a decision? It seemed there was no way around it.
"Fine," she finally conceded, her frustration evident.
"Promise me," Garrett pressed further.
"I promise," Lily responded, her lips compressed in displeasure as she muttered under her breath, "You can be such a bully sometimes."
"That's me." Garrett accepted her words with a hint of satisfaction as he truly relished the playful banter between them.
Angrily, Lily sat in a wheelchair, realizing that Garrett had confined her to it. "I should have known he would do something like this," she thought to herself.
As she simmered in her annoyance, Lily's phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. She picked it up to hear Tiffany's voice screaming on the other end.
"LILY! I've been trying to reach you for days. Where have you been?" Tiffany's voice rang out with concern. "Are you with Garrett Hunter right now?"
"I'm so sorry. A lot has happened, and I didn't get a chance to call you," Lily apologized, feeling guilty for not staying in touch. "Wait, how do you know?"
"It's all over the news! You're engaged to Garrett Hunter! What happened with Matthew?" Tiffany's voice conveyed a mix of surprise and worry.
"Matthew cheated. He cheated with Brandy," Lily revealed, her voice tinged with sadness.
"I'm going to castrate him when I get back!" Tiffany hissed through the phone, her protective instincts kicking in. The sound of it made Lily's hackles raise. She still was not used to hearing the hiss of a werecat.
"No, Tiffany, it's fine," Lily reassured her friend.
"No, it's not! That's the worst thing he could have done, and now you're tied to him. That fuck twat..." Tiffany's anger seethed through her words.
"We ended things, Tiffany. We broke the Moon Goddess' bond with each other. We had the rejection ceremony the next night after I found out," Lily explained, trying to ease Tiffany's concerns.
"Oh no! Lily, I'm so sorry that happened to you, and I wasn't there for you. So, now you're with Garrett. Because he's so ugly and you're so pretty, he probably can't keep his hands off you. I'm sure you are the prettiest woman he's been with. How is he? I've seen glimpses of him in the news and he's got a body," Tiffany sympathized, her tone filled with genuine concern.
Lily rolled her eyes and responded helplessly, "Tiffany, can you please stop with the dirty-minded thoughts? Garrett and I are only engaged, so we haven't been intimate yet. We're waiting until after winter break."
"You can't be serious!" Tiffany burst into laughter, much to Dina's amusement in the background. Dina chimed in, 'See, that's what I'm talking about. You're being so prudish, Lily.'
"Are you from the last century? How can you be so conservative? He wants to be your mate, so you might as well try him out. How would you know if he can satisfy you sexually if you don't give it a shot?" Tiffany teased mischievously.
Her words triggered memories of that morning a few days ago. She had noticed his size, even when he was relaxed. Would she find satisfaction during their mating bond?
"Hello? Lily, are you there?" Tiffany's voice snapped Lily back to reality.
"Sorry, sorry. I was lost in thought," Lily replied, feeling a bit flustered.
"Mmhmm. I know exactly what you were thinking," Tiffany replied, her tone dripping with amusement. Lily could practically hear the mischievous smile on her friend's face. "Look, you and Garrett aren't fated mates; you're chosen mates. Love between a man and a woman is built by being intimate. The longer you're together, the deeper the connection becomes. From what you're saying, it's clear you don't hate Garrett. If you want to develop your relationship with him, you need to find ways to seduce him!"
"What... What are you suggesting? Shouldn't he be pursuing me?" Lily asked, feeling a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.