Chapter 1278: There was no turning back

The Next Day...

Lily stretched her arms and legs, her lips already curled up—a sign of a good night’s sleep. When she snapped her eyes open, they quickly gleamed with excitement. She hadn’t been awake for more than a minute, yet she was already brimming with anticipation.

Why?

Because she knew exactly what she had done last night.

Lily turned her head to the bedside table, reaching for her phone. Without getting up, still snuggled under her blanket, she scrolled through her contacts. She picked who to call first like a lottery, then grinned.

She tapped Max’s name.

Ring... ring...

Lily waited patiently, but there was no answer.

"Huh?" She furrowed her brows and checked the time. It was already ten in the morning—a little late, even for her. However, Lily had her own flexible schedule at the company. Perks of being the only daughter.

She tried calling Max again. On the third attempt, the call didn’t even ring.

"Did he just turn off his phone?" she wondered, narrowing her eyes before a realization hit her. "Or... did the two of them—"

Lily gasped as her wild imagination took off. Could it be that Max had turned off his phone so he wouldn’t be disturbed... because he was with Ginnie?

"Did they end up doing it?!" she squealed, kicking her feet excitedly. "Kyah!!! My Ginnie!!! Springtime came earlier than expected~!"

She kept squealing so much that, after a minute, her nanny rushed into the room anxiously.

"Miss Lily, what happened—?" The elderly lady stopped by the door, her wrinkled face ashen when she saw Lily still in bed.

Lily grinned. "It’s nothing, Nana. Hehe. I’m just excited because my friend might have had her first boyfriend... thanks to me!"

"Oh, my goodness." Her nanny sighed heavily, clutching the doorknob as her knees wobbled. "I thought something bad had happened."

"Nothing bad, all good!" Lily beamed, completely unaware of the decision Max had made last night.

"Alright then." The nanny heaved another sigh of relief. "Young Miss, if you’re hungry, breakfast is ready. The Madam told me to prepare soup for you since you were out partying last night."

"Thanks, Nana~!" Lily happily waved her nanny away before resuming her squealing.

But then, a thought struck her.

"Wait, wait. I shouldn’t get too excited without confirming first!"

Lily cleared her throat and composed herself. Although she was seventy percent sure something interesting had happened between Ginnie and Max last night, she needed proof.

So, she called Ginnie.

Never in her life had Lily hoped for someone "not" to answer her call, but this was one of those times. In her mind, if Ginnie didn’t pick up after a few tries, the possibility was high.

But alas...

"Hello?" Ginnie answered on the last ring. "Lily, I’m with the team right now, so I can’t stay on the line for long."

Lily’s excitement cracked. "Huh?"

"Hmm?"

"You’re... where?" she asked in disbelief.

"At work," Ginnie repeated.

"You’re working?"

"Uh, yeah?" Ginnie cocked her head to the side. "Lily, I’m not an heiress like you. So, yes, I have to work because if I don’t, no one else will pay my bills."

"How is that possible?" Lily gasped in horror.

"What do you mean, how is that possible?"

"Weren’t you with Max?!"

"Huh?" Ginnie furrowed her brows. "I knew it. You left me with him on purpose last night, didn’t you?"

"No! That’s not true!"

"Lily, I know what you’ve been telling people," Ginnie said knowingly. "I get that your intentions aren’t bad, but it’s still not cool to leave your friend alone with a guy."

"But Max isn’t just any guy."

"I know." Ginnie rolled her eyes. "But that’s the point. Whatever I felt before—it’s in the past. I moved on a long time ago. So, please, no more."

Lily’s shoulders slumped. "So... does this mean... you didn’t wake up in his bed?"

"Oh, my God." Ginnie shook her head. "No, Lily. I woke up last night, and he was nice enough to let me gather my strength so I could tell him where I lived. He dropped me off at my place. So whatever crazy scenario you just imagined... didn’t happen."

Ginnie huffed. "Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll call you later when I have time."

With that, she hung up.

Lily, on the other hand, stared at her phone in disappointment.

"That Max!" she hissed. She had practically spoon-fed him everything he had to do last night, and yet... nothing?! Even though he hadn’t followed half of her instructions, she had given him the "perfect" opportunity to confess his feelings.

What a disappointment.

Frustrated, Lily tried calling Max again. Still no answer.

"Hah!" She scoffed and shot him a message instead. "You’re dead meat when I find you later."

—

Meanwhile...

Max leaned back in his swivel chair, already imagining the furious look on Lily’s face.

Well... what else could he do?

Last night, he realized one thing. He truly liked Ginnie. And more than anything, he didn’t want her to be sad. Even for a second. He wanted her to be happy — that’s it.

So, despite knowing Lily would flip when she heard what he was about to do, he no longer cared.

Lily cared about Ginnie, but instead of encouraging her to confess to Hugo, she wanted Max to take Hugo’s place.

Max, on the other hand, just wanted Ginnie to be happy. And he knew exactly who could make that happen.

As long as Hugo finally realized it.

"But that guy’s as dense as a brick," he muttered, picking up another phone to make a call. "Hey, it’s me."

"Uh... what?" Hugo’s voice came through the line.

"I have a dinner reservation later," Max said. "But I can’t make it. It’s already paid for, so if you want, you can use it."

"Really?!"

Max’s face twitched at Hugo’s complete lack of suspicion. "Yes. I’ll send you the address. Also, dress a little formally."

"Alright. Thanks!"

Without another word, Max ended the call. He pinched the bridge of his nose, then dialed Ginnie’s number.

"Uh, hello?" Ginnie greeted. "Who is this?"

"It’s me."

"Max?" She furrowed her brows. "Did you change your phone?"

"No, this is my business number," he explained briefly. "Anyway, I’m calling because... can you meet me later?"

"..." Ginnie blinked. "Why?"

"I have something to tell you," he said. "I’m sending you the address. Please come."

Before she could respond, Max ended the call abruptly and tossed his phone onto his desk.

He hunched over, burying his face in his palms. After a moment, he spread his fingers and peeked through them at his phone.

"How does Lily find this fun?" he muttered. "It’s actually... really stressful."

But he had done it.

He had set up Hugo and Ginnie for a date.

There was no turning back now.