Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

Chapter 220

Compared to Xavier's cold and authoritarian attitude, Terence was far more approachable and easy to talk to.

She recalled the mistakenly:

sent photo earlie

earlier, and seeing no reply from Xavier, Lily assumed it had gone unnoticed. so, she decided to forward it to Bobby instead.

She had just told Bobby that Lily marrying Terence wouldn't be bad when Bobby called her, yelling at her.

"The Devereux family may not be as powerful as the Fulton family, but they're certainly not at the point where they have to pick up Xavier's leftovers! What are you dreaming about?"

One sentence was enough to jolt Hazel awake. She realized she had to completely cut off any chance of Lily and Terence being together.

"Mrs. Joyner, she has the right and freedom to make her own friends. Neither Xavier nor you have the right to interfere," Terence said, his tone softening as he spoke patiently. "Lily and 1 are just friends."

He added "tornow" silently in his mind.

Hazel scoffed. "What freedom? I'm ber mother. I have to manage her. You young people are so limpulsive. I'm worried she'll make a mistake and end up with a bad

reputation."

"She's not that land of person," Terence said with a frown, his expression unusually serious. "She is your daughter."

Terence had known Lily for many years because of Maryanne. But even over all that time, he never got too close to her. He only heard about her often through Maryanne. From what he'd heard, he knew Lily was a person of strong principles. However, there was a tone of moral judgment when Hazel spoke about Lily as if she had already decided that Lily had done something wrong

"You may know what she looks like on the outside, but you don't really know her," Hazel said. "I don't know her either, as her mother, Anyway..." she trailed off before adding simply, "It she ends up divorced because of you, It'll be your fault."

Hazel didn't care to understand the real nature of Lily and Terence's relationship. All she knew was that Bobby finaly opposed Lily's divorce from Xavier. And right now, Xavier was disturbed by Lily's connection with Terence, so she had to separate them completely. Terence didn't respond. His lips were pressed into a firm line.

"Terence."Lily's voice came from the living room.

He didn't answer Hazel, instead returning to the living room. Once Maryanne and Lily finished their cocktails, Terence finally suggested it was time to leave. "Alright." Maryanne was reluctant to go, but since Hazel was in the next room, she didn't feel comfortable staying. So, she decided not to drink anymore.

Lily put on her jacket to see them off. Noticing that Maryanne seemed unhappy, she promised to visit her next time and get completely wasted.

Maryanne brightened at that and followed Terence into the elevator

"Don't drink alone again. Go home and focus on finding inspiration for the competition. Good luck with the next round," Terence said, gently stopping her from getting on the elevator. "You can turn back now."

Lily felt a little lightheaded after sharing a bottle with Maryanne. "Alright, I won't see you off then."

She took a few steps back, leaning against the wall and waving her hand.

The elevator's soft light bathed her, her lips glistening, her eyes unfocused, and her cheeks flushed. Her long black hair hung loosely around her shoulders

Terence's gaze lingered on her until the elevator doors closed completely. He lowered his gaze, his heart beavy, and unconsciously clenched his hand at his side.

Lily returned home to find Hazel waiting for her in the living room

"Are you really going to work?" Hazel had overheard her talking to Terence about work earlier.