Dating the Bossy CEO Next Door
Chapter 70- I’m hurt

Chapter 70: Chapter 70- I’m hurt

Karl caught a glimpse of Lilian’s slightly flushed face and teased,

"What’s this? I think I just saw a photo of some guy’s abs?"

Karl actually saw clearly enough. No doubt it was his own big brother’s body — and only Morrison would do something so deliberately annoying.

"No way! You must be seeing things," Lilian insisted stubbornly.

Karl chuckled,

"Alright, maybe I really did see wrong. Looks like I need new glasses—my prescription must have gotten weaker."

Lilian felt unbearably embarrassed because Karl had actually seen correctly. Not wanting to continue this awkward topic, she quickly excused herself, saying she needed to go to the restroom and got up to leave.

In the restroom, Lilian’s anger bubbled up. Why would he send such a shameless photo? Was he deliberately trying to annoy her?

She took out her phone and replied with three serious words:

"Please have some decency!"

Meanwhile, Morrison had escaped from Linda’s nagging and was lying bored on his big bed in his bedroom, eyes fixed on his phone.

When his phone buzzed, he grabbed it immediately—and saw Lilian’s deadpan reply: "Please have some decency!"

He was so annoyed he wanted to throw his phone away.

Then he thought about it—her message meant she hadn’t noticed his injury.

Calming down, he typed back,

"I’m hurt. Sean kicked me."

After receiving his reply, Lilian felt a bit embarrassed. She reopened the photo and this time clearly saw the bruise on his abdomen — along with his well-toned physique.

Her face flushed even redder.

Biting her lip, she poked at her phone and replied sharply,

"What does your injury have to do with me? It’s not like I kicked you!

I think you sent this to the wrong person. You should send it to Sean and tell him to take care of your injury."

After sending the message, Lilian switched her phone to silent and went back to the dining room to continue the dinner.

Morrison had spent the whole evening scheming for just a little concern from her, but instead she accused him of sending the photo to the wrong person. The frustration made his stomach ache.

Downstairs, Linda called out to him to come eat. He rose in a foul mood and went downstairs.

At the table, Linda said to him,

"Karl said tonight Lilian’s brother Dave and Laurent are treating them to dinner. Since Dave’s treating them, as Karl’s older brother, shouldn’t you reciprocate and invite them to a meal sometime?"

"Dinner?" Morrison sneered without expression and flatly refused,

"No time."

Ha. He didn’t want dinner — he wanted to devour that ungrateful woman.

Linda shot him an angry glare,

"Morrison, what’s wrong with you lately? Why are you always so snide and rude? Where’s your manners?"

Morrison knew he’d been too harsh, so he softened his tone a bit but still remained distant,

"Work’s been crazy busy lately. Maybe when I have time."

Linda gave him a serious look and spoke earnestly,

"Morrison, your attitude toward Karl and Lilian isn’t right. Karl is your brother, after all. When you both have families of your own, and your parents are no longer around, you and Karl will be the closest family left. You need to get along well."

She tried to appeal to Morrison’s sense of family, but his expression remained unchanged. Before she could say more, he quickly finished the rice in his bowl, grabbed his clothes and car keys, and left.

Linda furrowed her brow deeply, then turned to Mos and asked,

"Have you noticed Morrison has been acting off lately? Especially regarding Karl and Lilian — he’s not only indifferent but also rude."

Mos nodded. He had also sensed something was wrong with his younger son. Though Morrison was a bit rebellious in many ways, he was never one to be disrespectful. But in matters involving his youngest son and Lilian, he had been repeatedly discourteous. That just wasn’t right.

After pondering, Mos frowned and replied to Linda,

"Could it be that he doesn’t approve of Karl’s girlfriend? That’s why he’s making things difficult."

Linda considered this and thought it possible. Yet she angrily added,

"Lilian is young, beautiful, and has a lovely personality. What could he possibly dislike about her?"

"Besides, it’s not his relationship to manage, so why should he care if he’s unhappy?"

The more Linda spoke, the angrier she became.

"Mark my words, he can’t keep acting like this. Even if he doesn’t like Karl’s girlfriend, he shouldn’t show it."

What Linda didn’t realize was that Morrison’s issue wasn’t dissatisfaction with the girl — it was the opposite. He liked her too much, liked her so much that he wanted her all to himself. That was why he wore such a dark expression.

After dinner with Karl, Dave, and Laurent, the four said their goodbyes. Karl accompanied Lilian home, while Dave and Laurent headed back together.

On the way back, Dave asked Laurent,

"What do you think?"

Laurent smiled and replied,

"What do you think?"

A big smile appeared on Dave’s face as he said,

"I wouldn’t dare to give my opinion in front of you. After all, your judgment is much sharper than mine. Just look at how quickly you spotted such an outstanding man like me."

Laurent rolled her eyes. Was he complimenting her or himself?

Still, she gave a fair suggestion,

"You can’t judge good or bad from just one meal. Lilian is still young. Let them take their time and see how it goes."

"Time will reveal everything, won’t it?" Laurent added softly.

Just like her and Dave — after all their twists and turns over the years, time had proven their love.

It was worth it.

Maybe they had lost a few years, but they still had decades ahead to walk together. Exchanging those years for a lifetime of love, companionship, and support was worth it to her.

Her words made Dave think of their own story. He reached out and gently squeezed her hand.

After dropping Lilian off, just as she was about to get out of the car, Karl stopped her and looked at her apologetically.

"Lilian, I suddenly realized I made a serious mistake..."

Lilian looked puzzled.

"What is it?"

Karl looked into her eyes and said,

"I’ve been thinking... suddenly asking you to pretend we’re dating — maybe that wasn’t right. I forgot to ask if you already liked someone. If you did, asking you to fake a relationship with me would just get in the way of you finding your own happiness."

He clearly saw her eyes flicker away briefly. Then she said,

"No, no one. I don’t like anyone, so you don’t need to feel sorry."

Karl’s eyes brightened even more.

"Well, now we’re allies in the same trench. If you ever like someone, you can tell me. I’ll help you figure things out. No need to be embarrassed."

Karl thought to himself that he could pretty much figure out his brother’s feelings by now, but Lilian’s feelings remained uncertain. What if he helped his brother, but Lilian didn’t agree? Would all his efforts be for nothing?

Under Karl’s persistent questioning, Lilian became even more evasive.

"No, no, I really don’t like anyone," she insisted.

Then, hurriedly saying goodbye,

"It’s getting late, I should go now."

With that, she quickly got out of the car.

Karl crossed his arms and leaned back inside the car, chuckling to himself. So the girl likes the guy, and the guy likes the girl too? Then why aren’t they together yet?

His high-IQ mind began racing to piece everything together.