Chapter 178

Liliana pursed her lips. After a moment of serious thought, she replied, "I think by that time, the possibility of us getting divorced is much higher than the possibility of us going public."

Juniper clicked her tongue, blinked twice, and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Well then, I sincerely wish you a speedy divorce. We can't let their work conflicts affect our friendship."

Even though she had already prepared for divorce before, and had been just one step away, the thought of it still weighed heavily on her heart for some reason.

She didn't have strong feelings about the Sewell family competing with the Forrests. Anyone with money who wanted to invest could do so. If it wasn't the Sewells, it would be the Archers or the Wildes entering the real estate market.

Although Cedric had said he would take her out in the afternoon, she had taken the entire day off.

When she woke up the next morning, Cedric had already left for the office.

She began to prepare for the next round of the AuraRun competition.

The second round had an elimination rate of fifty percent. Out of eight hundred contestants, half would be cut.

This time, submissions required contestants to provide a professional alias.

Liliana wasn't good at coming up with names, so she simply used 'Lily.'

After submitting her alias for review, she followed the second-round guidelines and studied similar designs for inspiration.

At two in the afternoon, Cedric sent her an address.

There was no explanation, but Liliana knew it meant she was to go there on her

own.

She changed into a simple pair of jeans, a black base layer, and her thickest down jacket, then drove straight to the destination.

The snow on the roads had melted, leaving only a thin layer of ice.

Liliana drove very slowly. A trip that normally would have taken forty minutes took her an hour and a half.

The Serpentine Lounge.

She stood outside the tea lounge, studying it for a moment before messaging Cedric to confirm she was in the right place.

When Cedric had business meetings or social engagements, it was usually at private clubs or restaurants.

And he didn't like tea.

[Second floor, private room number three.]

The man replied. Only then did she put her phone away and enter the lounge.

Though it was a tea lounge, each private room was equipped with card tables and board games. There were also desks for calligraphy, and many@rtists came here for meetings and to cultivate their tastes.

vet

Liliana remembered that Stoddard Forrest liked to come here.

A server led her to the door of room three, knocked once, and opened it for her. "Miss Preston, please come in."

Directly facing the door was a tea

table where Stoddard and Douglas's father, Montgomery Sewell, sat opposite each other. Behind them, at

a card table, were Cedric and

Douglas. At another small table sat

Mirabelle Kerr and Douglas's

mother, Chloe Fletcher.

All of them looked toward the door at the same time.

Liliana: "..."

She looked at Cedric, confused. So? Why had he called her here?

Cedric, as if he couldn't see her confusion, smiled and beckoned to her.

"What are you standing there for? Come here."

The gentle expression on Douglas's face hardened slightly, but he gave a polite nod

in greeting.

Liliana forced herself to enter,

closing the door behind her. Sheet

greeted each person in turn. "Father, Mother Mr. Sewell, Mrs Sewell Douglas.

The Sewells knew she and Cedric were married.

Montgomery nodded at her with a smile before returning to his tea.

Chloe was more enthusiastic, standing up and walking toward her. "Liliana, here to see Cedric?"

"Yes." Liliana nodded with a faint smile.

Cedric's eyes glinted with amusement. He lifted his teacup and tapped it against Douglas's. "She's clingy. My apologies, Mr. Sewell."