CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55- SPEECHLESS

The more Lilian resisted him, the more Morrison deliberately found ways to get close. The more awkward she acted, the more he enjoyed it.

When Morrison asked again, Lilian couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly and pick up her chopsticks.

Instinctively, she reached for the salmon first. One bite, and she sighed with delight—this was seriously delicious.

Morrison had cooked salmon—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, perfectly balanced between sweet, sour, and savory. It was so good it almost brought tears to her eyes.

Lilian used to think her mom and Laurent were great cooks, but after tasting Morrison’s cooking, she had to admit—out of the three of them, Morrison was hands down the best chef.

A man who cooks this well—unfair to the rest of the world.

Seeing her expression, Morrison knew he’d nailed the dish. He promptly added a generous piece of salmon to her bowl with a smile.

"Eat more. Fish is good for your brain."

Lilian froze.

Was he mocking her for being slow on the uptake?

She glared at him in silent fury—great food, but a sharp tongue.

Lost in her irritation, she didn’t realize how adorable she looked at that moment—her delicate face, the tip of her nose slightly upturned, lips pouted ever so slightly.

Morrison was momentarily stunned, then quickly covered his distraction with a chuckle.

"Just joking. Why are you so serious?"

Lilian snorted, then buried her head in her bowl and ate heartily, imagining the fish as that sharp-tongued man, biting down hard.

Morrison couldn’t help but laugh again and picked up his chopsticks, happily continuing his meal.

She was so childish sometimes, yet so vividly charming.

Sometimes, a person’s charm wasn’t about being breathtakingly beautiful or having an alluring figure—it was about personality.

Real, genuine, and utterly lovable.

After a few bites, Lilian couldn’t hold back any longer.

"Morrison, about my parents’ situation... do you really have a good solution?"

Morrison’s expression turned serious as he asked her,

"Before I answer that, tell me—do you really want them to get a divorce?"

"Of course not," Lilian said, clearly troubled.

"No one wants their parents to split up."

Though her father had made mistakes in his youth, he’d been devoted to her mother for many years after. And now, after the accident, her father had even given up Washington Co.’s fortune to her brother Bert without hesitation. She thought that was enough.

Morrison listened carefully, then gave her his answer seriously.

"The best way is to get hold of that divorce agreement your mom has—and destroy it without anyone knowing. If your mom ever brings up divorce again, your dad can just refuse. End of story."

Lilian was speechless.

His suggestion was so unexpected—and totally unlike anything she would have done.

But... after thinking about it, she had to admit: it was probably the most effective plan.

Biting her lip and hesitating, she finally asked him again, a little nervous,

"I’m worried... what if my mom gets angry?" Lilian asked hesitantly.

Morrison chuckled.

"That depends on how important you are to her. But honestly, I think she cares about you enough not to stay mad."

He leaned in slightly, adding,

"Besides, your mom’s attitude toward your dad has already softened. If you do this, you’re giving her a graceful way out. If she keeps that divorce paper in her hands, she’ll never be able to really swallow her pride and make peace."

Morrison went on to explain the deeper benefits of destroying the divorce agreement. Lilian listened carefully, realizing his logic was sound. Without hesitation, she decided to follow his advice.

Feeling relieved, she raised her glass toward him.

"Thank you, Mr. Morrison."

She cleared her throat. Truth be told, she used to be a teetotaler. But since dating him, every meal involved a little wine—his excuse was "romance," saying it was boring if he drank alone.

So over time, she’d actually learned to enjoy a drink.

In the workplace, whether you liked it or not, there were many occasions where refusing a drink wasn’t an option. Morrison knew this well and subtly encouraged her to loosen up with alcohol.

He clinked his glass gently against hers.

"You’re welcome."

Lilian took a small sip, just as Morrison—who was also about to drink—suddenly shook his hand. The entire glass of red wine spilled all over him.

Lilian gasped, startled. Morrison set down his empty glass and stood up. He was wearing a light-colored casual shirt now stained with messy red wine.

"You okay? Why’d you spill the wine all of a sudden?"

Lilian frowned, watching him. Morrison waved it off.

"I’m fine. I’ll just go upstairs and change."

"Go ahead and eat first," he said, gently reminding her before heading upstairs.

Lilian sat there at the table, puzzled. Why had he spilled his wine? They’d eaten together so many times before and this never happened.

Then she remembered the slight tremor in his hand earlier. Could it be that he was getting clumsy at such a young age?

"Oh my god, this is terrifying."

After quietly eating a few bites, Lilian suddenly heard him call from upstairs.

"Lilian—"

She put down her chopsticks and replied,

"What is it?"

He called again from above,

"Come up here for a moment."

Thinking he had something important, Lilian headed up the stairs, asking casually,

"Is something wrong?"

His voice came from the bathroom nearby.

"I’m taking a shower. My towel’s already been washed and is drying on the balcony. I forgot to bring it in—can you get it for me?"

Lilian froze.

He spilled some wine on himself and now he’s showering? And he wants her to hand him a towel? Naked? In the bathroom? Seriously?

Blushing, she refused bluntly,

"No way! Go get it yourself. Can’t you handle something this small without bossing me around?"

She was still muttering complaints when she heard the bathroom door slide open with a swoosh—and then his lean, muscular upper body appeared.

"You sure you want me to get it myself? Just so you know—I’m not wearing anything."

"Ah—!"

Lilian covered her face and screamed, then dashed to the balcony to grab the towel.

Damn him, such a tease...

She was angry and annoyed but helpless—after all, she’d been the one who’d walked right into this trap. She’d thought he was just changing his shirt, but nope—he was showering, and then had the audacity to ask her to fetch his towel.

Grumbling, she grabbed the towel off the balcony and marched back. At least handing him the towel was better than him walking around completely naked.

That guy was shameless—only someone like him would do something like this.

Standing at the bathroom door, she turned her back and stretched her arm way inside to pass the towel.

"Towel’s here! Take it!"

She said it with no love lost. Then came the sound of the bathroom door sliding open again, along with his teasing voice,

"What’s with the covered eyes? You’ve seen most of it already."

Lilian stomped her foot, furious, and turned around to scold him—only to forget he was still stark naked.

Their eyes met, and if earlier she’d only seen his upper body, now she’d seen everything.

She stood there stunned. After a long moment, she finally screamed and bolted downstairs.

Morrison quickly dried off and changed into fresh clothes before coming back down. The poor girl had never seen a man like that before—it was no wonder she ran off in fright.

Truth be told, he hadn’t expected her to suddenly turn around either.

Yes, he did deliberately spill wine on himself just to have an excuse to shower and make her fetch the towel. Yes, he didintentionally reveal his body to tease her. Yes, this was all calculated flirting.

But he hadn’t planned to show everything—he was afraid of scaring her, so he only exposed half his body.

And that whole thing about her having "seen eighty percent" was just a joke—meant to make her blush. He liked seeing her shy, flustered face.

Who knew she’d get mad and spin around?

He was caught off guard for a split second, but quickly recovered.

He was confident in his physique, and figured if she saw it all, so be it—just more lessons he hadn’t gotten around to teaching her yet.

However, there was one spot that felt a bit uncomfortable—after being caught off guard by her panicked glances just now, he embarrassingly found himself reacting in a way he definitely shouldn’t have.