The Day He Called Off Our Engagement, I Bought Iceland Tickets Chapter 09
News of Michael’s blind dates soon made its way online again.
A trending post sat high on the feed.
[First, ‘eight years in, still you’ blows up in his face, and now he’s already going on elite blind dates?]
The comments blew up instantly.
[He had a fiancée and still ran a couple’s account with his childhood sweetheart. The second his fiancée left, he dropped the childhood sweetheart too, and now he’s already on blind dates? Even the messiest player wouldn’t be this busy.]
[Let’s be honest. He doesn’t love anyone. He only loves himself.]
[Ladies, steer clear. If the guy running the company has morals this bad, I wouldn’t dare buy anything from a company like that.]
Once public opinion erupted, the new product from the Whitmore family company had barely launched before sales began to plummet.
Under every promotional post, people dragged his situation with Sophia back out and rehashed it again and again.
The brand’s reputation collapsed.
Only then did Mrs. Whitmore truly panic.
For the first time, she lowered her pride and said to Michael, “Maybe… you should bring Lily back after all.”
“I won’t say anything about her anymore, and I won’t make things hard for her. If she really comes back, I’ll treat her well.”
After a pause, she added in a low voice, “A friend of mine has a daughter working on a design project overseas. She came back a few days ago and said she might have seen Lily.”
Michael’s head snapped up. “Where?”
“Southern Europe. A historic city redevelopment project.”
He barely hesitated before booking the next available flight.
After several twists and delays, he finally saw Lily outside the project site.
She was wearing a crisp white blouse, her hair neatly pinned up, and she held a set of blueprints in her hand as she discussed the plan with several European colleagues.
Sunlight fell across her face, making her look bright and sharp.
She was almost completely different from the Lily who used to revolve around him, always soft and always giving in.
Michael stood there, his throat tightening. For a moment, he did not even dare go forward.
Lily saw him first.
She froze for only a second before her expression quickly returned to calm. Her gaze was so cool and indifferent that it was as if she were looking at an ordinary stranger.
Michael hurried over, his voice carrying an urgency he could not suppress.
“Lily, I finally found you.”
“Listen to me. That couple’s account was just an online persona. Sophia was only messing around. I never once thought about actually being with her.”
“I ignored you before. I didn’t do enough for you. Come back with me, okay?”
By the time he said this, his eyes had gone red.
“From now on, I’ll treat you well. I’ll take good care of you. As for Sophia, I’ll keep my distance from her.”
“And my mom… her health hasn’t been good lately, and she knows she was wrong. She said that as long as you come back, she’ll treat you well from now on. You could also… be a little more understanding with her and help take care of her.”
Lily listened quietly. Then she suddenly smiled.
The smile was faint, but for some reason, Michael’s heart sank.
“So you came all this way because you still want me to go back and take care of you, and take care of your mother while I’m at it?”
Michael choked. “That’s not what I meant. I just…”
“Michael.”
She cut him off.
“Do you still remember the year we were interns? How much did you make per month, and how much did I make?”
He froze.
The question came so abruptly that it took him two seconds to react, but he still answered.
“I made four thousand a month… and you made six.”
Lily nodded and looked at him, her eyes clear.
“Good. So you do remember.”
“Back then, three companies tried to recruit me, and all of them offered me better positions and higher pay than what I had.”
“But to help you move more smoothly into the core department of your family company, I voluntarily gave up my promotion and stayed by your side to support you.”
“I was willing to stand in your shadow, not because I had no ability, but because I thought you were worth it.”
With every sentence she spoke, Michael’s face turned a shade paler.
“But how did you treat me?”
“When your mother humiliated me, you pretended not to see it. When Sophia walked all over me, you told me to be understanding.”
“You enjoyed the care and respectability I gave you, yet again and again, you told me I was the one reaching above my station.”
Lily looked at him. Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear.
“Michael, I was already excellent on my own. Without you, my life will only get better.”
“Before, I lost my mind and trapped myself by your side. I won’t do that anymore.”
She raised her hand and gestured toward the project team behind her, the corner of her lips lifting slightly.
“My life is good now. My work is going well, I make more than I used to, and my head is finally clear.”
“Being with you would only lower my quality of life.”
“Go home.”