355 For Giselle's sake

"I said, I hate you!"

These surprising words from Lillian Grey dismayed Ethan's poise. His carefree figure stiffened at once from facing the cold shoulder.

"May I ask why?" Ethan asked shyly.

It took Lillian a while to respond to him. When she expressed her resentment, it was a spontaneous reaction that resulted from their private surrounding. Having Ethan expect a reason for her comment made Lillian suffer.

"Because you seem like a good guy without any ill intention," she answered.

"And that is your reason for hating me? What were you expecting then?"

"It would be better if you are the bad guy!"

Lillian's shameless admit made him chuckle mutely. He suppressed the breaking smile, never thought that his interest in letting Lillian speak freely would result in slandering his image. Ethan had anticipated, but he was still amazed by how forward Lillian was in terms of expressing her enmity for him.

"Wow! You are something else!" he admitted against the trembling lips.

"You know what? I hate you, too..." Ethan returned the sentiment.

However, his words never carried any cold gust as Lillian's. They came out effortless and never meant to hurt her. Lillian was no longer holding her fort together. She let her emotions take control upon hearing Ethan's response.

"Do you even know who I am?" she demanded contemptuously.

"You act like you've known me for years, but you don't-"

"No, I do!" Ethan interrupted.

Startled from his intervention, Lillian paused abruptly.

"Maybe not in detail, but I do know quite a lot about you!"

"That you are Giselle's first love and that so and so-" he hinted about their past.

Ethan was honest about admitting this openly, sounding confident enough to overwhelm Lillian as she stared at him doubtfully. That much Lillian expected, but it felt uncomfortable hearing it straight from Ethan. She never replied, leaving both, return to silence.

"You still hate me now?" Ethan demanded, once again.

Lillian adamantly admitted her hostility, never yielding.

Ethan assumed it to be a more vulnerable chat with Lillian Grey. However, this feels refreshing, and he was no longer under the image of getting crushed by her. Candidly, he returned to recline against the bench, relaxing as he conversed with her further.

"So, we both hate each other, huh!"

Ethan muttered to himself, not intending to direct at Lillian. Still, his company had no choice but to overhear his word.

Nevertheless, not long after a while, at once, accidentally, both of them revealed what ran inside their head willingly.

"Because we're both sworn rivals!" Lillian said.

"I think it's because- we're both ene- mies," Ethan halfway caught her, leading to a surprise.

Shocked by their terrific timing, Lillian quickly reverts to remain bewildered.

"You consider me as your rival?" Ethan asked.

"Wow, That means I still have a chance with Giselle, according to you, is that it?" he added to provoke intentionally.

"Never!" Lillian harshly denied turning a blind eye.

"No, you said so yourself," Ethan argued.

"I never did!"

The last yell hinted him to stop pushing her limits, and Ethan broke out a quick smile.

"It's alright! I, myself, know that I don't stand any chance with Giselle, which makes me not your rival or enemy!" he patiently explained while Lillian didn't have any face to react, thus enduring all this taunt to dismiss.

Ethan sighed to release a small chuckle, both of them returning to mind their own business.

Now, feeling more comfortable, Ethan fished out his camera from the bag he carried with him to go through the picture he took today. A lot of them involved his adorable daughter, along with her family. Going through them one by one, he continued to ignore Lillian, who is now trying her best to keep calm. She critiqued herself for making such a rash statement at the beginning. She wanted to teach him his place by serving cold looks and ignoring his presence. However, it all failed the minute she spat out her hatred for him bluntly.

She glanced over to find him enjoying his photographs, mostly centered on his daughter, Lia.

"I guess it worked!" she uttered subconsciously.

Ethan turned to her, looking confused.

"Your holiday trip! Lia couldn't stop worrying."

"Ah, I did! I had to make compromises."

Lillian appeared to have calmed down as well, so Ethan cared to explain.

When Ethan heard Lia's stage play and her appeal to visit early, he couldn't persuade his superiors to accept his request. He thought hard to reach for a decision finally. He convinced one of his colleagues to help him as he would return the favor for the New year. The colleague agreed after considering sincerely. In the end, Ethan was able to get permission to see his daughter's play successfully.

"So, you won't be staying for the New year?" Lillian asked.

Ethan confirmed his future absence.

Lillian kept thinking to herself when Ethan continued to rant.

Despite his endless mumbling, Lilian still listened to him, learning that he was mentioning Giselle and her being alone during New Year's. She does have her parents to celebrate with, but Lillian yearned otherwise.

"She won't," she confessed.

Ethan hesitated.

"She has friends. She has me. You don't have to worry."

"Friends, you say?" Ethan chuckled loud this time, hearing.

"Why are you laughing?"

"By any chance, did you mean your close friends-" Ethan paused to recall their names, "Is it- Anna- and Diego? I don't remember Giselle admitting having any friends other than these two, introduced through you," he remarked, wondering.

Of course, Anna and Diego grew to become friends with Giselle because of Lillian Grey. However, Ethan's way of interpretation sounded as if they were not her real friends. Lillian could understand his sense of perspective, but putting it in a way that seems as if Anna and Diego are harmful people to Giselle triggered Lillian's anger.

"They are still true to her and never faked emotions with her."

Lillian seemed to have realized something as she thought to include in her case, "Although- I admit Diego sometimes can be harsh. Still, he is my best friend, and I know him. He may not look like it, but he cares."

Lillian's moving speech made Ethan burst out in laughter. His voice attracted the passing by strangers as they had no idea why this gentleman suddenly exploded into excitement. His reaction further pressed Lillian's pride, yet she controlled herself from getting agitated by his actions.

"You are really Lillian Grey, the Lillian Grey, right?" Ethan asked.

"You still have doubts?"

"I don't. It's just that I have heard the name so many times, heard stories about this person whom I never met. I may not know her, but she surely had somehow ended up changing in my life," Ethan exclaimed.

For someone like Giselle, who keeps her emotions to herself, willingly shared her past, especially to a guy. Lillian understood that Ethan is definitely someone whom Giselle truly trusts. She could see the same goes for him as well, as, throughout the day, Ethan showed his care at times, never intruding her personal space yet keeping an eye on both.

Seeing her refuse to speak with him, Ethan knew he bothered her deliberately by involving her friends. Nevertheless, he couldn't keep his composure when hearing Lillian act dumb about her friend's relationship with Giselle.

Ethan was aware of Anna's care for Giselle, but including Diego triggered him, resulting in getting his share of revenge a little for Giselle's sake. He knew it was unasked for, but he couldn't keep calm when hearing that name thrown randomly.

Now that Lillian's face became appeared enraged, Ethan avoided the previous subject. He couldn't let her fall into such gloom and have Giselle notice it.

Instead, he changed the direction of their conversation.

"I thought you'd be more curious!" Ethan uttered, intruding Lillian's chain of thoughts.

"What makes you say that?" she asked, her tone indifferent as it expressed scorn.

"Well- me being Lia's father, I just thought you would want to know about the Giselle you missed."

His words intimidated her with his approach, yet she remained idle. Her pride, restraining her from interrogating him, particularly.

"What am I going to do with such curiosity? Fill the gap? There is no way I can undo the things I missed," she replied, keeping a calm state.

"Fair enough!" Ethan agreed.

"Alright! Since you are shy, then let me ask you a few questions?" he announced.

Lillian looked at him confusedly. She wasn't ready or sure what to expect from this guy, especially ever since having a taste of his conversation. Several thoughts crossed her mind at such a small interval while reading his face. His gaze fixed, concerned, yet cold, wary yet daring.

It seemed as if he knew everything about Giselle, including the things she might not be aware of already.

At such a moment, an old ache returned to her heart, earnestly wishing to hear its answer for years, and still haven't heard it.

Lillian could feel her heart throbbing furiously. No longer could she hope it hide it anymore and wished to at least attempt.

"Perhaps," she began with her hands tightly locked to hide the tremble.

"D- Do you know- why- Giselle left- to study abroad?"

Unmistakenly, Lillian witnessed the change in his expression, for the slightest second, before returning to its usual.

"I thought, I was asking the questions here," Ethan replied flatly, turning away to avoid seeing her face.

"You knew- why she left!!" Lillian grasped to a shock.

"You- Y- you know why?" she poorly stammered as panic rose to her fears.

"I don't," Ethan sternly denied, which only raised her suspicion.

"Tell me," she demanded.

Ethan began to ignore her, returning to play with his camera and no longer showing an interest in his initial plan.

"Tell me, wh- why did Giselle leave?"

"D- Did she say anything?"

"Did s- something happen to her?"

"Did anything- W- Wa- Was it me?" Lillian's voice suffered as she uttered these words to her panic.

It was too harsh and too hard to believe. The pain began to choke her away, not letting her talk freely. Ethan glanced at Lillian, witnessing her losing her mind.

"It's not, right?" Lillian quickly chose to deny such wrong assumptions.

"I- I- was going to confess to her- she shouldn't have left because of that, right?" she kept urging Ethan, but he never acknowledged her cry.

Ethan realized within himself that Lillian is still unaware of things that went behind her cognizance.

Meanwhile, Giselle and Lia emerged to his sight from far.

Lillian noticed this as well, as alarmed, her tone changed quickly.

"Tell me- please-"

For the first time, she appealed to him desperately because she knew after this, she won't have another chance.

Seeing how Giselle and Lia were closing the distance, Ethan turned to Lillian in a swift, facing her so close, he spoke,

"I don't think it is my place to reveal things here, Lillian Grey. But, I will let you know this for Giselle's sake,"

He looked back at Giselle. There was still some distance left for them to catch up. Swallowing all his difficulties, he revealed,

"You were definitely the reason she agreed to return home even after all these years."

Looking at her solemnly, he continued,

"It's fine if you hate me, but I want you to know that I sincerely care for Giselle. I want her to be happy, and that goes the same for my daughter, Lia. I want them to be happy together."

"Even after all this time, she still chose you. Remember that! If you wish to hold on to her this time, then do it properly, do it quickly. Because if you fail to protect her again, I will never forgive you and won't let you near her ever.

Lillian appeared speechless from his warning. She remained frozen from moving, continued to ignore Giselle and Lia approaching them.

"Why? Because I think she deserves to be happy, at least."

Giselle and Lia finally arrived.

Ethan immediately turned away from Lillian to welcome the two.

"Were you able to find Andy's parents?" he inquired concernedly. His tone, his manners, everything changed to express his genuine interest.

"We did! They thought Andy left the school and had gone out to search for her. It took time because we thought they were still inside the school. But- we were able to get her back to her family. Sorry, you guys were left alone for so long," Giselle replied.

"It's alright! We're fine."

Seeing Ethan's calm composure, Giselle stared at both.

She couldn't apprehend what had happened during her absence, but it looks like Lillian's face appeared dull somehow.

"Did something happen while we were gone?" Giselle asked, worrying.

"What? Nothing! I think it's chilly."

"But-"

"So, we're leaving for the day, right?" Ethan inquired.

"Yeah, but-"

"Lia?" Ethan called. His bustling attention fell to the little girl.

Now appearing tired and lacking her usual liveliness, little Lia still responded to her father's call.

"How about you and I go for a date?" he suggested.

"Right now?" Lia asked.

"Hmm... Only us. Without your mother."

Lia looked stunned for a while. Regardless of her fatigue, she still accepted the invitation as the time she spends with her father is limited to the number of days he is going to stay. Ethan pressed his eyes intently at his daughter to agree. Lia was going to request inviting others, but somehow she could grasp her father trying desperately to achieve something here. So, she went along with him, nodding to his eager call.

"What is going on?" Giselle cried suddenly.

"What? I thought it's a nice evening for a father and daughter to spend some quality time together!" Ethan appealed.

"What do you say, Lia?"

His gentle eyes winked at the little girl as the two joined, staring at Giselle.

Giselle allowed.

"Well, then, I'll take Lia with your permission, and we'll be back before- dinner!" Ethan assured.

"How about we buy dinner on our way?" he added to ask Lia, and she agreed enthusiastically.

"You heard, Giselle. Wait for us."

Ethan laughed aloud. Lia said a quick goodbye to her mother, turned to thank Lillian for coming today, promising that she shall talk to her later, and hurried as she grabbed her father's hand to wave them goodbye. Soon, the two left their sight.

Blinded by a lot that was going on, Lillian remained like a statue, reactionless.

"Lillian?"

Only after hearing several calls from Giselle did she blinked her eyes and realized her surrounding.

"Uh?"

"What happened? You've been out for a while," Giselle asked, fretting more from seeing how sluggish Lillian functioned.

"Nothing! You're back- oh, uh- were you able to find that child's parents?"

"I did. I just mentioned it."

"Oh! I'm sorry,"

"That's fine," Giselle replied.

Realizing that people are missing, Lillian turned left and right to examine the area.

"Where is Lia? And-" Lillian saw Ethan missing as well.

All of Lillian's late actions made Giselle worry foolishly. Seeing her act slow, increased her suspicions.

"Lillian? What did you two talk about?" Giselle asked.

"What?"

"What did Ethan tell you?"

"Nothing," Lillian confirmed, finally feeling the crisp cold freezing her skin.

"I was only asking- We were talking about Lia. We didn't speak much-" she added, rubbing her palms together for quick warmth.

Giselle couldn't believe but saw how Lillian evaded easily and was desperate to avoid this topic. Therefore, she didn't press anything further. Plus, instead of Lillian, Giselle has a better chance of confronting Ethan.