Becoming A Tech Tycoon Begins With Regression novel Chapter 182

Chapter 182: An Advocate

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked as he relaxed on the sofa.

With her head resting on his chest, Lillian nodded and scooted closer.

It seemed he discovered a new side of her every day, and right now, the part of her that demanded his pampering had taken center stage.

Though, ironically, their conversation didn’t match her current behavior at all, because despite clinging to him like this, she was advocating for someone else.

"She really likes you," Lillian said, her voice a bit muffled as her face was buried in his shirt. "And she’s trying really hard, you know?"

Ethan stared down at her, a bit surprised,

"...Lillian."

"What?" she asked innocently, drawing little circles on his chest as if she hadn’t just said the most chaotic thing imaginable.

Ethan hadn’t expected Lillian to be the type to suggest this, so he was caught a bit of guard.

Sighing, he muttered, "so you’re advocating for a competition?"

Lillian stopped drawing circles on his chest for a second before she also sighed, "I’ve been thinking it over for a while now and at first it seemed a bit weird, but...."

She sat up, looking directly in his blue eyes.

"But Irina doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon," she finished softly. "And she isn’t pretending to not like you either, she genuinely does. And despite everything she is... she’s been nothing but respectful toward me."

"I see," he muttered.

So that was Irina’s plan, it really was working efficiently well. Internally, he was chuckling though he didn’t show it on his face.

"You do know that the normal reaction is jealousy for most people right?" He said with a straight face.

Lillian puffed her cheeks a little. "Normal people aren’t dating Ethan Carter."

He froze at her answer before letting a chuckle escape and he said,

"That’s not an argument."

"It is for me and definitely is for Irina," Lillian insisted, "she’s scary, yes, dangerous, obviously. But she’s... good to people she cares about. She’s both loyal and protective. And she’s been helping us lot hasn’t she.."

That part, Ethan couldn’t deny. Irina had been an extremely useful ally, territory control, information flow, protection and materials he needed.

"Still," Ethan said, brushing his thumb along her cheek, "you advocating for her is a bit unexpected."

Lillian lowered her gaze for a moment, then lifted it again, meeting his eyes with a new form of determination.

"Because I like things the way they are," she said quietly. "I like us. I like what we have. And I’m not going to let someone else’s feelings ruin that."

She played with the hem of his shirt, her voice taking a softer tone.

"But Irina doesn’t seem to want to take you from me," Lillian said, her fingers gently brushing the fabric of his shirt, "she actually... respects what we have."

Ethan was silent for a moment, as he thought about it for a while. Lillian was right, Irina had never actively tried to wedge herself between them.

If anything, Irina had been painfully careful about boundaries. She had also been willing to aid him when Lillian had been kidnapped, expecting nothing in return.

"So you’re not threatened at all?" he finally asked.

Lillian shook her head.

"Jealous? Yes," She poked his chest lightly, "threatened? No."

"Irina likes you," she said again, quieter this time. "But... she never once tried to pull you away from me. She never told me to ’step aside’ or said anything nasty. She never acted like she deserved you more. She never tried to compete behind my back."

"Is that so," Ethan muttered.

"I just... don’t think it’s fair to dismiss her outright" Lillian continued, "maybe give her a chance, just as you did me?"

"Lillian," he started, "you know this isn’t something small you’re suggesting."

"I do." She nodded. "Which is why I’m not rushing anything, I’m just saying,"

She bit her lip lightly. "If she keeps standing by us and if you find yourself liking her too... then I won’t try to stop you."

Her voice was a bit softer than she intended,

"As long as you don’t forget who loved you first."

Instead of an answer, Ethan cupped her cheeks and placed a soft kiss on it causing her to immediately turn red.

"You’re being surprisingly diplomatic for someone clinging to me like a koala," he said with a chuckle.

Lillian puffed her red cheeks again, making her look cuter than she already was before she curled back into his chest.

"Shut up," she grumbled, "I’m being emotionally mature while cuddling my boyfriend, it’s called multitasking."

"Whatever you say," he chuckled again at her answer before placing a kiss on her forehead.

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