Chapter 161

"How difficult?" Cedric asked, his lips barely moving as he gripped the steering wheel. "Are you confident?"

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end before Leroy replied thoughtfully, "I'm in the middle of an experiment that might be applicable to his condition, but it's not finished yet—"

Cedric cut him off again. "Whatever you need, get it from Timothy. But don't go overboard."

"You're the best, brother! So commanding!" Leroy's heart pounded at his first statement, only to be tempered with fear by his last few words. "Don't worry, I have my principles..."

Beep, beep, beep...

Cedric hung up, not wanting to listen to his nonsense.

Still, he knew that if Leroy said it was difficult, Hale's situation was undeniably serious.

Instantly, the anger he'd felt over Liliana's defiant attitude last night began to fade.

Women were emotional creatures, prone to losing control.

With that thought, he arrived at the office and instructed Timothy, "Cancel my dinner meeting tonight. Book a restaurant that suits my wife's tastes and send the location and time to her phone."

"What happened?" Timothy asked, puzzled.

Cedric had never taken the initiative to book a restaurant or have dinner with Liliana.

"Hale's condition is complicated. I'm just trying to comfort her."

And he certainly had never taken the initiative to care about Liliana's emotional state before.

Timothy could already imagine how moved Liliana would be.

He immediately booked a table at the best restaurant in Riverbend City...

In the early winter, the branches of the trees lining the street were bare. Dappled sunlight filtered through the car window, falling across Liliana's face.

Dark sunglasses covered the upper half of her face, but beneath them, her almond- shaped eyes shimmered, shadowed by faint dark circles.

She hadn't slept well last night and had put on light makeup out of courtesy before meeting Douglas.

Parking her car outside the design exhibition hall, she got out and immediately saw Douglas standing at the entrance.

Seeing her arrive, Douglas slowly descended the steps to greet her. "I should have been more considerate. It's your day off, and I've dragged you out early to see a design exhibition."

"You managed to get tickets and bring me here. I couldn't have asked for more."

Liliana took off her sunglasses, placed them in her bag, and smiled at him.

He handed her a cup of coffee. As she reached for it, her fingertips brushed against his hand. It was cold.

"Have you been here long?"

Douglas smiled faintly, turning to walk beside her into the exhibition hall. "Not too long."

But his hand was ice-cold.

He had driven here, so it wouldn't have been cold on the way. His hand was cold because he had been standing outside, waiting for her.

"I know this place. Next time, just wait for me inside."

As Liliana finished speaking, Douglas pushed the door open, gesturing for her to enter first. She nodded quickly. "Thank you."

The design exhibition hall was vast, featuring two types of displays.

One type involved recreating design blueprints into fully furnished model rooms with different layouts.

The other showcased design concepts on electronic screens, offering 360-degree virtual tours for visitors.

"This design is very similar in style to last year's national design competition winner. I'd guess they're by the same person."

Douglas held his coffee in one hand and kept the other in his pocket, explaining things to Liliana as they walked.

Many of the subtle details in recent design trends had evolved from the core principles of past celebrated works.

Liliana could figure it out on her own, but it would take time to research everything.

Besides, with so much to learn, she was bound to miss things.

She listened intently to Douglas's explanations, her eyes fixed on every piece he discussed.

"Lately, that particular European

style hasn't been trending locally, so

you should be cautious about

choosing it for your next

etition."

Although Douglas had been abroad for the past two years, he had always kept an

eye on the design trends back home.

He was offering her a well-intentioned reminder.

Liliana took a sip of her coffee, the

bitter taste spreading across her tongue She remained silent for a few seconds before saying "There won't be a next competition for me. I was eliminated."