After sending Lilian home, Norton immediately called Morrison to report the mission was completed.
To his surprise, Morrison was still awake. But all he did was give a brief hum on the other end of the line before hanging up without another word.
Norton raised a brow, silently thinking to himself—Seriously? Boss actually made a move on Dave's little sister? What's he thinking?
Love over brotherhood?
Or will he give up love in the name of brotherhood in the end?
Meanwhile, Lilian's schedule was packed. The day after her class farewell dinner, she had graduation photos to take, and the next day was the official ceremony to receive her diploma.
Two whole days flew by in a blur of events.
Her mind was entirely occupied with graduation, and the blazing heat didn't help. She had no time or energy left to think about anything else—including a certain someone named Morrison, who also happened to be her boyfriend.
On the day she officially graduated and got her certificate, Lilian decided to celebrate by inviting her family out for dinner. She used her graduation as an excuse to bring her father Daniel and her mother Tiffany together at the same table. Of course, her brother Dave and Emma Washington were also present.
Lilian truly hoped her parents could reconcile. Deep down, she also wished Laurent could make peace with Dave. She missed the warmth of their family's old harmony—those lively, affectionate dinners that felt like home.
But things had changed.
Her mother had moved out and was now living separately from her father. Laurent had finalized her divorce with Dave and returned to work in a small town.
Still, Lilian was genuinely grateful. Out of consideration for her feelings, her parents managed to remain civil during dinner.
To be fair, most of the effort came from her mother. Daniel had always been gentle toward Tiffany, but Tiffany—who had previously responded with nothing but cold eyes—actually softened a little tonight.
That alone was enough to make Lilian's heart warm. She knew they all loved her deeply, and maybe they understood this graduation marked a new chapter in her life—a true coming of age. That's probably why they tried so hard to keep the peace tonight.
During dinner, her father casually asked about her post-graduation plans.
Lilian said she was planning to join Morrison's company.
It wasn't until that moment—when she said his name out loud—that she suddenly realized something: Oh no… I haven't contacted him in days!
Dave gave her a sideways glance.
"You planning to jump straight into work, or do you want to take a little break first?" he asked.
By "break," he obviously meant a graduation trip.
Lilian's eyes lit up. A vacation? A trip somewhere? Who wouldn't want that?
Dave caught the sparkle in her eyes and smiled slightly. He calmly added,
"Report to MOS Corp. first, just to show up. I'll take care of the travel arrangements for you."
Then Dave turned to their mother, Tiffany.
"Why don't you come along too? It'd be good for you to get some fresh air—and besides, you two can look out for each other."
Tiffany hadn't expected her son to be so considerate. As a mother, her heart softened at his thoughtfulness, but she still shook her head.
"I think I'll pass. I still need to pick up and drop off Emma at kindergarten."
After the divorce between Laurent and Dave, custody of Emma Washington had gone to Dave. But with Dave constantly swamped with work, the task of looking after little Emma—especially getting her to and from school—had naturally fallen on Tiffany's shoulders.
Just as Dave opened his mouth to say that Emma could probably manage on her own for a few days, someone else beat him to it.
It was Daniel.
"Don't worry about it. Go with Lilian and enjoy yourself. I'll take care of Emma's school runs."
Everyone at the table paused. All eyes turned toward Daniel with varying degrees of surprise.
But Daniel's gaze remained fixed only on Tiffany.
"You've been under a lot of stress lately. I really think a change of scenery would do you good. As for Emma, don't worry—I've got time, and I'll make sure she's well taken care of."
It was obvious that Daniel was trying hard to show Tiffany he still cared, and that he wanted to shoulder some of her burdens.
Tiffany, however, didn't seem particularly moved by the gesture.
But before she could say anything, Lilian leaned in and clung to her arm like a spoiled little girl.
"Come on, Mom~ Go with me, please? I'll be scared traveling alone! With Dad stepping up to handle everything at home, what is there to worry about?"
Tiffany could clearly hear how Lilian was trying her best to glorify Daniel's image—but what could she do? Her daughter was too persistent.
In the end, she sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright. I'll go."
"Yes! That's amazing!"
Lilian's face lit up with joy.
"Big bro, you're the best! I love you—muah!"
Dave, despite his usual sharp tongue and occasional complaints about his little sister, genuinely doted on her from the bottom of his heart.
Whatever Lilian wanted, Dave always made sure she got it.
Even things Lilian never brought up herself, Dave always considered for her—like this graduation trip.
He watched her grow from a tiny, delicate baby into the graceful, stunning young woman she was now. In his heart, apart from Daniel, he was the man who loved and cared for her the most in this world, even if he wasn't good with words to express it.
Having dinner with her parents and brother, and now receiving a graduation trip gift—a luxurious ten-day tour of Europe—Lilian was on cloud nine.
Her happiness stayed with her all the way home, where she eagerly called Morrison, her voice bright and cheerful.
But on the other end, she was met with nothing but a cold, flat,
"What?"
Lilian froze for a moment, stunned by the sharp chill in his tone.
In all the time they'd been together, she had never heard Morrison sound so indifferent before, and she wasn't sure what to say.
Finally, Morrison broke the silence.
"Dinner celebration's over?"
Lilian blinked, confused.
"How do you know that?"
He snorted coldly.
"Your brother told me."
Just thinking about it made Morrison's blood boil. Of course, it made sense for Lilian to celebrate her graduation with her family—they were her closest people after all.
But the fact that she hadn't bothered to tell him, her boyfriend, not even once?
Could he not be mad?
That explained the icy tone he'd answered with.
Lilian blinked, a bit taken aback.
"Oh…"
But she simply said "oh" and didn't realize at all that Morrison's anger was because she hadn't told him.
Morrison was left speechless by her indifferent attitude. Before he could even say anything, Lilian continued,
"I graduated already. My brother said I should go report in first…"
Truthfully, it wasn't entirely Lilian's fault she hadn't thought much about Morrison.
Their relationship had started on shaky ground. Lilian had asked Morrison to teach her how to date, and he had agreed.
That meant Lilian always thought Morrison was just her tutor, never someone who'd fall for her.
On top of that, Morrison's reputation as a player made Lilian even less likely to believe he was serious about her.
And this awkward beginning only made her care less about him deep down.