Chapter 5 Playing Hard to Get From the moment they met, Lily had to admit-Sarah was an impressive woman. Was this the kind of woman Jared liked? The look in his eyes when he gazed at Sarah-admiration, preference-it was something Lily had never once seen directed at her. She couldn't imagine what she looked like in his eyes now. He didn't even try to hide how special Sarah was to him. So where did that leave her? Lily lowered her head slightly, exposing the soft curve of her pale neck. Her ears were flushed from their brief argument just now. Jared's gaze lingered on her involuntarily, a heat flickering in his eyes. She looked stunning tonight-he couldn't deny it. The image stuck in his mind longer than it should have. His throat tightened. Without saying a word, he turned and headed for the car. Timothy rushed to open the door for him. After Jared slid in, he murmured something under his breath. Then Timothy walked up to Lily. "It's getting late, ma'am. Shall I drive you and Mr. Jared home?" "No need. I don't deserve to sit in Mr. Jared's car." Lily's eyes landed on the Cullinan parked at the curb, a luxury SUV that cost eight figures. She'd never been in it-not before, and certainly not now. "That's not fair, ma'am. You're his wife. What's his is yours." Timothy's back was soaked in cold sweat. He didn't understand. Lily had always been so easygoing. Why was she speaking so sharply tonight? Lily gave him a reminder. "I won't be his wife for much longer." Timothy froze, tongue-tied. He looked helplessly between the man in the car and the woman standing stubbornly on the steps. "Timothy, drive!" Jared's voice cut through the air like a knife through ice. The window was cracked halfway. His face, shrouded in shadows, was cold and unreadable. Timothy scurried back to the driver's seat, fastening his belt while whispering, "Mr. Jared, is Ms. Lily upset because of the hot search? Should I tell her it was me who planned the surprise party for Ms. Sarah?" Hot search... Right. Jared remembered-Lily had started throwing a tantrum after seeing that post. But come on, it was just a tabloid rumor. Was it really enough to threaten divorce? "There's nothing to explain. Let her think it over." Just as his voice dropped, a sharp voice rang out outside the car. "Jared! Lily's going to become a brilliant designer one day! You don't deserve her!" Yulia. She was yelling at him from the sidewalk while Lily tried to pull her back. Pedestrians were starting to stop and stare. Jared's face turned black. "Drive." Timothy stepped on the gas immediately. As the car sped off, Yulia's words echoed in Jared's ears. His hawk-like eyes reflected the bright nightlife flashing past the windows. After a long moment, he asked, "What was Lily's major in college?" Timothy thought for a second. "Interior design." "Keep an eye on her. Don't let her get hired by any design firm." Jared didn't want to waste energy on her drama. It would only distract him from work. He was always decisive, ruthless when needed. That strategy had never failed him in business. He figured it would work on Lily, too. ... Back in Yulia's car, Lily finally let out a breath when she saw Jared's car disappear. "What were you afraid of?" Yulia was still fuming, high on adrenaline. She'd only just learned Jared had shown up at the restaurant, had Lily perform, and even tipped her. That was a slap in the face! "You're the wife! Even if your husband cheats, neither he nor his mistress should be acting so smug!" Lily felt like the biggest joke of all. "From my perspective-or even the Ginger family's-going against Jared isn't smart." If the Bolt family got dragged into a scandal, the divorce could become a messy, public ordeal. It wouldn't just be between them anymore-it would become a war between two families. "Lily, have you told your parents about the divorce?" They were at a red light when Yulia turned to look at her. Lily shook her head. "No." The Ginger family relied on the Bolts. If her father found out, he'd be the first to object. Her mother was meek and always obeyed her father. She'd spent years drilling Lily with ideas about being a good wife and mother. Lily used to believe Jared loved her-just wasn't good at expressing it. Her mother's constant nagging had made her ignore his coldness for two whole years. But now that he'd cheated... all that patience felt pathetic and sad. No one in her family would understand how she felt. Which was why she had to finalize the divorce before anyone in the Ginger family caught wind of it. "Then let's keep things quiet for now. Just get the divorce done first! Did you draft the agreement yet?" Yulia was still indignant. "Don't you dare walk away with nothing! You should get the house, the car-hell, at least a few million!" "I... I'll figure it out when the time comes." Lily hadn't even thought about that yet. Yulia could see her mind was in chaos and didn't push. Instead, she brought her home, made her a midnight snack, and even tried to drag her out to party and blow off steam. Lily refused. She curled up on the sofa with her laptop. "I'm sending out résumés. I want to start working as soon as possible." Yulia thought for a second. "Want me to help?" If she pulled some strings, Lily wouldn't need to go through interviews at all. "No. I believe I can find a job on my own." Lily didn't want any shortcuts. She was confident she could stand on her own two feet. This wasn't just pride. She had no formal work experience and hadn't been involved in the design field for two years. But her award-winning graduation project spoke for itself. Most of her applications were already getting responses. That small victory lit a fire in her, filling her with motivation and determination. The next morning, with Yulia's help, she bought a new set of professional clothes-ready for interviews. Keeping busy helped. Though Jared occasionally crept into her thoughts, Sarah always came with him. That woman-Lily barely knew her, but every time she thought of her, she felt inferior. That constant ache in her chest pushed her to work harder-to land a job and move on. She couldn't help but wonder: if she hadn't married Jared two years ago... would she already be successful today? On Friday, she had several interviews lined up. At 9 a.m., she arrived at the first company. After her introduction, the interviewer got right to it. "Ms. Lily, what have you been doing for the past two years since graduation?" Lily had expected this. She answered with quiet honesty, "I... got married." The interviewer gave her a look of regret. "You know, there's a golden window for job hunting. If you'd come right after graduation, we'd be very interested. But now... I'm sorry." It was a polite rejection. Lily was prepared for it, but still didn't understand. "You haven't even asked me any questions related to the field. You're rejecting me just because I got married and don't have work experience?" Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!