Chapter 1309: You idiot!

"Aw, aw, ouch!"

Cassandra watched as Max called for help while Lily dragged him by the ear. A shallow breath slipped past her lips as she kept her gaze on the two before finally peeling her eyes away. She raised her brows briefly and took a sip from her glass. As she set it down, her phone rang.

Arching a brow, Cassandra tipped her phone to check the caller ID before answering.

"How is it?" she asked, nodding in understanding. "Good work."

The call was brief, ending as soon as she heard what the other person had to say. Cassandra remained in her spot, picking up her glass once more, the corner of her mouth hooking up slightly.

"Pfft—" She stifled a laugh, her shoulders trembling.

The bartender, who had been serving her earlier, glanced at her with mild curiosity.

"Having a good time now?"

Cassandra slowly lifted her eyes, meeting the bartender’s gaze with a smirk.

"I am now."

As she leaned back to enjoy the rest of her drink, a glint flickered across her eyes. After all, the caller had just informed her that... her gift had been delivered.

---

Meanwhile, just outside the bar...

"Ouch—hey!" Max clenched his teeth and flung his arm away, forcing Lily to release his ear. "Are you insane?! Are you trying to peel my ear off?!"

Lily crossed her arms and deadpanned. "Explain yourself, Max."

"What?"

"You were ignoring me, weren’t you?!" she barked. "Not only did you restrict my number, but you’ve been avoiding all the places I go to!"

Max almost choked, his eyes sliding to the side. Well... that was true. He had been trying to avoid Lily at all costs, knowing full well what he had done. It was the reason he had even stayed away from the nightclub, despite wanting to go—because Lily was always around. Still...

"How did you know I was here?" he gasped, suddenly realizing there was no way she could’ve known. His eyes widened. "Lily, tell me the truth. Are you stalking me?!"

If she was, he might seriously consider asking Penny for security.

"Hah! Do you really think you can hide from me?" Lily smirked. "I know a lot of people, Max. People even say I should run for president because I’m so friendly! What I’m saying is, I just asked some acquaintances to let me know if they spotted you."

Her smirk stretched as her eyes gleamed with pride.

"One of the members here told me they saw you, so I drove over as fast as I could."

"Holy..." Max was torn between awe and horror. He had just now realized that Lily’s connections were terrifying. This was the second time he had been this impressed by someone’s influence—the first time had been with Zoren.

"Hah." Lily sneered. "So, you better explain yourself! First things first, I told you to take her home! You had every chance and all the freedom in the world to confess your feelings to Ginnie! And yet, not only did you not confess, but you also just dropped her off at her place that night!"

"Lily—damn it!" Max clenched his teeth, grabbing her arm and dragging her to a quieter corner, away from the incoming and outgoing customers. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to face her.

"Are you even listening to yourself? You wanted me to take Ginnie to my place and do what?!"

"I didn’t tell you to do anything inappropriate while she was vulnerable! But what I’m saying is... spending the night together was a huge opportunity for you two to get closer!"

"How do we get closer when she’s drunk?"

"She wasn’t drunk enough to forget where she lived."

"Ugh!!!" Max pinched the bridge of his nose, pacing back and forth in frustration. Lily was exhausting. He had already been in a bad mood, planning to mend his broken heart with a glass of rum. But instead of drowning his sorrows, this crazy woman had tracked him down and was now screaming in his ear.

When he faced her again, he exhaled sharply, tossing his hands in the air.

"I can’t do it, alright?"

"You can’t confess?" she scoffed. "Are you even a man?"

"Yes, I am a man, Lily. And in case you didn’t know, real men understand respect," he hissed.

"How is that related to confessing to someone you love?!"

"Maybe because I don’t like her!" Max blurted out.

Lily stopped, furrowing her brows.

Max ruffled his hair in irritation. Once they both calmed down, he met her gaze again.

"Lily, I get it. You want me to pursue Ginnie so she can move on from her one-sided love. But do you really think that’s going to work?"

"Huh?"

"Ginnie has been in love with Hugo for as long as you can remember. It’s obvious she likes him—it’s just that idiot doesn’t see it."

Bitterness laced Max’s voice as he recalled the oblivious look on Hugo’s face while Ginnie had stared at him with nothing but admiration.

"What I’m trying to say is... since she’s a lovesick fool and Hugo is an idiot, why not help her in a different way?"

Lily’s face twitched, utterly confused. "Your point?"

"Ugh! My point is—why not help Hugo realize Ginnie’s worth? She’s kind, smart, fun, considerate... and she’s really pretty, even without all the glam."

His voice softened as his last words came out with a sigh.

"She’d be happier that way."

Lily blinked. Then she blinked again. She looked up as if trying to process how everything had led to this. When she had come up with this plan, she had been sure it would go exactly as she imagined. But somehow, it had veered further and further from the love story she had envisioned.

"You want me to match Senior Hugo and Ginnie together?" she clarified.

Max nodded.

"Do you think I’m crazy? Why would I help her end up with Senior Hugo?!"

Max clicked his tongue. "I know Hugo has major issues, okay? But he’s not a bad person."

"Max, that guy swam all night just to get back to the accommodation. He didn’t even think to book a nearby hotel or call his brother-in-law!"

"And like I said, he has bad qualities... but also good ones."

"I’m not doing this."

"You don’t have to." He rolled his eyes. "It’s not like I need your help for it."

Lily crossed her arms and arched a brow, narrowing her eyes as she studied his face.

"Max, what did you do?" she asked suspiciously.

"Like I said, she’ll be happier with Hugo," Max said flatly. "So, I set them up on a date."

Lily’s eyes widened.

"I’m stepping aside, okay? Now, if you don’t mind, I’d really like to be left alone because—if you didn’t already know—my heart is currently bleeding, and I’m too ashamed to cry with you in front of me!"

"You..." Lily’s face turned red with anger as her chest heaved with deep breaths. "... You idiot!"