Chapter 136

Liliana couldn't stand Vida's constant nagging. Before they even reached the city center, she asked to be dropped off at a random bus stop. She took the bus downtown, bought some fruit and pastries, and then took a cab to the Forrest estate.

It was nearly noon by the time she arrived.

Dowager Forrest knew she was coming and had the kitchen prepare all her favorite dishes. With only the soup left to finish, Liliana sat with the Dowager in the living

room.

"Liliana, be honest with me," the Dowager began, lowering her voice. "Is Cedric... not up to the task?"

Cedric had just had his checkup that morning, and the results weren't back yet, but the Dowager couldn't help but worry. What if the family doctor had been slacking off and just faking Cedric's annual reports?

Liliana was mortified. She couldn't possibly discuss this with an elder. "He's... fine," she mumbled.

"From the look on your face, I can tell he's not," the Dowager's heart sank.

"I didn't say that!" Liliana shook her head frantically.

But the Dowager had already made up her mind. "It's probably nothing major. He's just... weak. We need to build up his strength!" She stood up and marched toward the kitchen. "Erma, come here. I need to tell you how to plan their meals from now on."

Since it was Saturday, Erma was at the estate instead of the villa. She wiped her hands and hurried over. "Yes, Madam?"

"One word: fortify," the Dowager declared. "Prepare a rich soup. Let it simmer all afternoon until it's perfect for dinner. And be sure to put half a pound of that seafood we bought in it..."

Liliana's mouth twitched. The person she felt sorry for wasn't Cedric. It was herself. Even without any "fortifying," Cedric could keep her up half the night. With it... her legs began to tremble at the thought.

"I was born to worry," the Dowager sighed, returning to the sofa. "Liliana, my dear, you'll have to bear with it. Cedric must take after his mother. No one on the Forrest side has ever had this problem..."

"Grandma, he's perfectly healthy," Liliana insisted, a headache forming at the thought of the soup.

The Dowager waved her off, assuming she was just trying to protect Cedric's pride. "It's one thing to defend him in public, but you don't have to put on a show for me."

"What show?" Cedric's cool voice came from behind them.

Liliana stiffened. She turned to see him descending the stairs, dressed in a crisp suit. Hadn't he gone to the office?

"What do you think?" the Dowager glared at him, a look of profound disappointment on her face. *Such a handsome face. Don't you dare let the Forrest line end with you!*

Cedric looked tired. He had been in his study alright, unable to sleep. Then he'd been dragged to the hospital for a checkup first thing in thening. He'd decided to take

short nap at the estate after dropping his grandmother off.

"Grandma, I'll go check if lunch is ready," Liliana said, desperate to escape the conversation.

But her departure didn't stop the Dowager.

"Son, you need to treat Liliana better. If you're not physically up to par, you need to make up for it in other ways Surprise her Buy her little gifts f you could learn just half of what your father knows about romance, you'd be set!"

Cedric stood behind the sofa, his hands resting on the back. Liliana had just been sitting there, and the air still held the faint scent of her gardenia perfume. His gaze followed her retreating figure. She was wearing a black top that clung to her frame, accentuating the slim curve of her waist. She was so slender, yet so perfectly shaped. She was alluring. He had lost control so many nights, her pleas for him to stop only fanning the flames. How could she possibly claim he was "not up to the task"?