Chapter 173 Pretend That Everything Is Fine
Susan stepped forward and wrapped her in a warm embrace, a soft affection reflected in her eyes. “Have you been swamped with work lately? You seem to have lost weight.”
Lysander responded, “You know how busy hospitals always are. Never a moment to rest.”
“Come, let’s sit.” Susan took her hand and pulled her down to sit together before she asked. “Have you gone to visit Mom yet?”
Lysander nodded. “I even brought a bouquet of flowers with me.”
Susan nodded with a hint of melancholy. “That’s good. Lysander, she had some words left unsaid before she passed away, but I saw how she kept looking at you. She probably wanted to tell you something. If you ever dream of her in the future, please let me know.”
Lysander nodded. “All right.”
After much hesitation, Susan finally spoke up. “Josiah… is engaged to Lysanne.”
“I already know.”
Susan was somewhat taken aback. “You knew? Then your visit today is for…”
-Madam Susan, please don’t misunderstand. It’s merely a coincidence. Today is the birthday of my mother’s close friend, and our whole family is here to celebrate with her.”
Susan’s smile froze on her face. “Oh, is that so?”
“Yeah.
Susan let out a sigh, then chuckled. “I see.”
Lysander said, “Madam Susan, I need to go now. The others are waiting for me.”
Susan gave a slight nod. “All right, go ahead. Don’t keep the elders waiting.
“Okay, then I’ll be leaving now.”
“All right… Lysander.”
Susan called out to her once again.
“Yes?”
“Never mind, forget it. Susan began to speak but stopped herself. In the end, she decided not to voice her thoughts and briskly waved her hand. “Work is work, but you also need to take good care of yourself, understand?”
“Got it. Thank you, Madam Susan.”
Exiting the private room, Lysander slowly made her way toward Camila’s table.
In truth, both of them knew exactly what Susan wanted to say.
However, precisely because of this, they all knew that voicing those words wouldn’t change anything. It was
Chapter 173 Pretend That Everything Is Fine
better to part ways with dignity, as at least they could pretend that everything was fine when they met again.
When she returned to the dining table, her mother, Laura, glanced behind her. “Lysa, where’s your sister?”
Lysander pulled out a chair and sat down in her spot. “Oh, Michelle has a bit of a stomach upset.”
Laura began to fret, “Why on earth did she get a stomach ache all of a sudden? She didn’t eat anything unclean this morning. This child, I swear! We were just waiting for her to arrive so we could start the meal. Now look at this! All these elders are waiting for her alone…”
Camila was trying to smooth things over. “It’s fine, no worries. Zachary hasn’t returned yet either, so let’s wait. a bit longer.”
Laura asked, “Lysa, did you see Zach earlier? He was worried about you and Michelle, so he went out to look for you two.”
Lysander stood up and said, “Then, I’ll go look for him.”
Zachary’s pant leg was torn, his body soaked through. She had been hurriedly pulled away by Josiah just now, but during her return, she had passed by the men’s restroom and didn’t see any sign of Zachary. Hence, she had assumed he had returned before her. As it turned out, he had not.
“There’s no need for that, Lysander,” Camila said with a warm smile while holding Lysander back. “He’s a grown man, not a young lady. He probably got a call from work again. He’ll be back on his own in no time.”
Laura asked, “Is Zach very busy with his work? Isn’t he working for a state–owned company?”
Camila let out a sigh. “State–owned enterprises these days are nothing like they used to be. Moreover, he’s just a low–level clerk. We ordinary folks don’t have any connections or networks, so he has to do all the dirty and. tiring work himself. It’s as if one person is doing the work of three.”
!
