Her Heart Her Terms (Lily and Xavier)

"Did she whine about me to you again?" Xavier questioned.

Shane instantly felt something was amiss when the former said the word "again." He stated, She wasn't complaining to me. I was the one who asked her about it."

Xavier's lips curled into a sneer, and a disinterested look crept onto his face. "Don't bother covering up for her."

"I'm not covering up for her. Xavier, a man should be concerned about his wife-"

"You should keep yourself company for a bit. I'm going to speak with Mom," Xavier interrupted.

The bright lighting in the massive living room shined onto the father-son duo, who clearly had clashing interests in their conversation.

Shane had retired since Xavier took over the Fulton family's businesses. While Shane gradually grew out of sync with work, Xavier buried his head in work all day. Because of that, the two seldom communicated with each other.

Their disconnection grew, especially when Xavier moved out after getting married. At that point, Xavier only visited Fulton Manor on Saturdays every week if he wasn't busy. Even when he did come over, he spent most of his time discussing work with Tamara. Sometimes, when Xavier was too busy, he wouldn't even show up. That led to even less. communication between him and Shane.

Shane dumped the chess pieces aside and fell into deep thought as he watched Xavier go upstairs. He murmured, "I only retired because I wanted to spend more time with my wife. It wasn't because I intended to start trouble for Xavier's family." At the conservatory, Lily plucked a few dwarf sunflowers and trimmed their stems.

Edith sat on the chair aside and smiled at the former. "What other flowers do you like? I'll grow them here."

The starry sky was visible from the conservatory at night, and the fragrance of lush floral blooms filled the space.

Lily liked being here the most. She smiled back at Edith and replied, "I like any of the flowers you grow. Shall I pluck some other flowers, make them into an arrangement, and place them in your room?"

"Sure." Edith felt more pleased to see Lily happy. Those lilies will bloom in a few days. By then, we'll turn them into dry flowers and place them in Glenview Villa."

074

That specific bedroom wasn't in Lily and Xavier's current home..

The Fulton family owned many houses. To demonstrate their respect toward Lily, their daughter-in-law, they purchased another house, Glenview Villa, as a wedding gift for her and Xavier before the wedding. Because Glenview Villa had just been built and was still unfurnished, Xavier and Lily hadn't moved in.

Lilly was bitter at the mention of Glenview Villa. She had designed Glenview Villa's interiors based on her personal preferences. Lily was busy decorating the interior every day for the three months before her wedding- She didn't reference the latest interior styles. Instead, she designed every last

detail to ensure

it was one of a kind. Glenview Villa was the home she once fantasized about living in and decorated with her bare hands. Yet, she never got the chance to live in it. Even so, she still agreed with Edith's suggestion. "Okay."noveldrama

Lily trimmed the stems of the sunflowers and a couple of other flowers. Then, she accompanied Edith to place the floral arrangement in Edith's room. About half an hour passed before dinner was ready.

Lily, Edith, and Shane had long been seated at the dining table. Meanwhile, Tamara and Xavier were so busy chatting about work that they were late.

Xavier pulled the chair beside Lily and sat on it. He took in her side profile through narrowed eyes. He wondered what Lily and Edith had chatted about because Lily was all smiles.

He scoffed in his heart while coldly narrowing his eyes. He wondered if he was a poor judge of character or if Lily was just too good at concealing herself.

Lily had tested his patience several times recently. Yet, she managed to win over everyone in the Fulton family. Even Tamara, who was stern, bore a slight smile upon seeing Lily.

Then again, perhaps Lily's true nature was revealing itself now that some time had passed. Xavier wondered, "Is she trying to have a hold over me through the Fulton family? As if!" "Tamara," Lily greeted.

She initially didn't warm up to Tamara and was especially wary when she first met her. At the time, Tamara observed her as though trying to see if she was worthy of joining the Fulton family. She thought Tamara would be a nitpicky and strict mother-in-law back then. Surprisingly, Tamara didn't interact much with Lily after the wedding. In the few times they interacted, Tamara was only a little cold but didn't deliberately put Lily in a difficult position. Change: 250

With time, Lily got used to Tamara's personality and was no longer afraid of her.