Dating the Bossy CEO Next Door
Chapter 75- real brother

Chapter 75: Chapter 75- real brother

The sudden mention of the word "boyfriend" caught Lilian off guard. She froze for a moment, then let out a soft, nervous laugh.

She and Karl were just pretending to date—no real feelings involved—so when Bert brought up her boyfriend, it took her a moment to even react.

What popped into her mind first, strangely enough, wasn’t Karl, but Morrison—the one who’d just scolded her so harshly.

Thinking of "boyfriend" and immediately recalling her ex felt embarrassingly awkward. But Lilian comforted herself by thinking maybe it was because he was her only boyfriend so far, which left a deep impression on her.

Since the topic was already out there, Bert casually added,

"How about one day I invite your boyfriend to join us for a meal?"

Lilian’s face instantly fell. She had barely survived the dinner with Dave’s side, and now Bert was inviting them again...

The truth was, she didn’t want to meet Karl more than necessary. Yet lately, it felt like they kept running into each other—first the meal at the Morrison residence, then Dave’s dinner, and now Bert’s invitation...

Seeing her expression, Bert’s smile faded a little.

"What’s with that look? Don’t you want your not-so-perfect big brother here to meet your boyfriend?"

Bert was good at reading hearts. After this brief encounter, he’d already seen how kind and soft Lilian was inside. So he deliberately made himself look pitiful, hoping she’d soften and agree to bring her boyfriend along.

He genuinely wanted to meet the guy—to look out for her and keep her safe.

"No, no, that’s not it—"

Bert’s disappointed and hurt look made Lilian wave her hands quickly to deny it. She wracked her brain for a good excuse,

"He’s just been busy lately, focusing on some research..."

She really didn’t want to parade Karl in front of everyone. If people found out their relationship was fake, she’d be the one everyone blamed.

Bert didn’t push her.

"That’s fine. We’ll wait until he has time."

Lilian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

No sooner had they finished ordering than Bert’s phone rang—it was Dave.

After Morrison left, the first thing he did was call Dave to tell him about Lilian eating with Bert, trying to get Dave to stop the lunch. He was seriously worried that Bert—being the scumbag he was—might do something reckless to Lilian.

But Dave didn’t react much, just told them to let the lunch happen.

Morrison lost his temper and yelled into the phone,

"Have you forgotten about your mom and Emma?"

"He took them to get Washington Co., and now he has everything. What else does he want?"

Dave stayed calm,

"So there’s no reason for him to bother Lilian."

Morrison was about to argue, but Dave cut him off,

"Alright, I’m cooking now. Talk later."

Then he hung up, leaving Morrison fuming and cursing Dave for being a useless house-husband.

Since Dave stepped down from Washington Co., he’d been revolving entirely around his wife and kids. They used to hang out all the time, but now Morrison hardly saw him.

Bert didn’t hide anything in front of Lilian when he answered the call. Before Dave could speak, Bert said,

"You’re not worried I’m going to do something to Lilian, are you?"

Dave coldly asked,

"Was Lilian your idea too?"

Bert wasn’t about to back down.

"We’re both brothers, right? If he can call her that, why can’t I?"

Dave emphasized sharply,

"I’m her real brother!"

But Bert just smiled, unfazed.

"Well, technically, I am too."

Dave grit his teeth.

"So now you’re done taking Washington Co., and you want to steal my sister too?"

"Mhm."

Bert’s tone was infuriatingly smug.

On the other end, Dave shouted,

"Bert, this isn’t over!"

Then—click—the call ended.

Lilian hadn’t caught all of what they said, but she definitely heard Dave yelling loudly.

After hanging up, Bert calmly pulled a bank card from his pocket and pushed it toward Lilian.

"This is your spending money."

Lilian was stunned.

She glanced at the card, then back at Bert, and hurriedly pushed it back.

"No, no, I don’t need it. I have money—I work and earn my own."

What was this about? They barely knew each other. He was just her half-brother in name. Why would he give her spending money?

Bert looked at the card she rejected and chuckled softly.

What a silly little girl—so clueless, but cute in a way that made your heart ache.

He pushed the card toward her again.

"This is what you deserve. Washington Co. has a part that belongs to you. The fight between Dave and me doesn’t involve you."

Lilian still refused, pushing it back once more.

"I really don’t need it. I’m not short on money."

Afraid he might insist, she put on a serious face and warned,

"Stop it, or I’m walking out."

Bert let out a soft chuckle, glanced at her once more, then tucked the bank card back into his pocket.

"Alright then."

Since she refused the spending money, he’d just get her some bags, clothes, or jewelry instead.

The meal actually went quite smoothly. At first, Lilian felt a little awkward and uneasy, but gradually she relaxed.

She could tell Bert genuinely wanted to treat her well—whether in his words or actions, he was always mindful of her feelings. Offering her spending money, inviting her back to work at Washington Co.—he really cared.

Though she refused everything, Bert didn’t push her.

After the meal, Lilian said goodbye to Bert at the restaurant entrance,

"Thanks for lunch today. I’ll head back now."

Bert smiled as he looked at her.

"I’ll walk you back. I need to see you get into the company safely before I can rest easy. So many people think I might do something to you—if anything happened to you on the way, there’d be no clearing my name."

Lilian could only let him have his way.

The two of them walked side by side until Bert saw her safely to the MOS Corp. entrance. Only after watching her enter did he finally turn and leave.

Hmm, having a little sister like this felt kind of strange—but nice.

Lilian returned to her office and sat down. The finance manager immediately noticed and reported to Sean,

"Sean, young Washington is back. She looks fine and seems in good spirits."

Sean relayed this report to Morrison exactly as it was. Hearing it, Morrison finally felt a weight lift off his chest.

She’s in good spirits?

And she actually got along well with that scumbag Bert—she really was something else!

Morrison’s frustration boiled over as he grumbled and despised her a bit more, but at least now he could refocus on work.

That weekend, Karl invited Lilian to go hiking and fishing in the countryside, planning to stay overnight. A few of Karl’s classmates were coming too. He said their parents had been watching them closely lately, so they had to put on a good show.

Lilian figured staying home all weekend was boring anyway, so she agreed.

On Friday, Karl and Morrison went to the Morrison residence for dinner. After dinner, Karl went to Morrison’s room to find him.

Lately, because of Lilian, Morrison’s attitude toward his younger brother had soured considerably.

Karl was like a rival in love to him.

If Karl weren’t his own brother, Morrison would have kicked him out long ago—there was no way he’d tolerate Karl’s antics right under his nose.