?<strong>Chapter 168:</strong>


    She was poised to throw herself directly into Darren’s arms when a hand suddenly shot up and grabbed her back by the cor.


    “Ugh!” Lillie winced as she felt the fabric tighten around her throat.


    “Sorry about this, Darren,” Belinda said, still clutching Lillie’s cor. “It appears my cousin is drunk out of her mind. I’ll take her home now.”


    Darren nodded in acknowledgment, his expression dark and cold.


    Of course, his displeasure was not directed at Belinda.


    Belinda nodded toward Debra and Percy and then dragged Lillie out of the room.


    “Hey, who do you think you are? Why are you dragging me like this?” Lillie eximed as she struggled against Belinda’s hold. “Let go of me! I said, let go!”


    But Belinda ignored her and quickened her pace.


    Kylee jumped to her feet and hurried after them.


    It wasn’t until they were in the parking lot that Lillie finally dropped the act and screamed, “Let go of me, Belinda!”


    Belinda obliged, stopping in her tracks and releasing Lillie’s cor.


    Lillie looked furiously at Belinda as she straightened her clothes. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to say something.


    “Are you done pretending now?” Belinda interjected sharply before Lillie could utter a word.


    Belinda stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking down at Lillie with obvious disdain.


    “What do you mean by that?” Lillie demanded, her expression fierce.


    Belinda shrugged lightly and said in an innocent tone, “What do I mean by that? I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking. Weren’t you very drunk just now? How did you sober up so quickly?”


    Lillie was tired of the pretense now, so she decided to drop the act altogether. “Since you’ve figured out that I was putting on an act, why the hell did you still drag me out here? Didn’t you get what I was trying to do in there?”


    With Lillieying her cards on the table, Belinda didn’t bother with subtleties either. “Of course, I’m well aware of your intentions,” she said with a faint smile. “But there’s just no way I am going to let you get what you want.”


    “Why is that?” Lillie red at Belinda.


    “Because Darren already has a girlfriend,” Belinda stated matter-of-factly.


    Lillie let out a coldugh. “I’m not as clueless as you think. I know that Mr. Thomas already broke up with his girlfriend.”


    Indeed, Lillie had learned this little tidbit from Debra earlier.


    Belinda furrowed her brows, but before she could say anything, Kylee interjected, “Come on, Belinda. Everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness. Lillie likes Mr. Thomas, so it’s only natural for her to want to get closer to him. You are Lillie’s cousin, while Mr. Thomas is your close friend. If they actually end up together, wouldn’t that form a tighter bond between our family and the Thomas family? There’s no harm in that, is there?”


    Hearing Kylee’s words, Belinda couldn’t help but let out a cold chuckle. She looked back and forth between the two women and said in a calm voice, “Darren and his girlfriend might be on a break at the moment, but they still care deeply for each other.”


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