Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 25

Lillian had just washed her hands when a paper towel was offered to her. She turned and saw Leonard. The man had a habit of appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

“We meet again,” Leonard said. “You’re full of surprises. I thought you were just Ms. Mercer, but it turns out you’re ‘Li’, the child prodigy who made a name for herself as a teenager.”

Lillian took the towel, her movements unhurried. “Thank you for the compliment.” She was proud of her achievements, but that was all in the past. Now, she was starting from scratch.

This time, Leonard didn’t offer a check. He had adjusted his strategy.

“It would be a tragedy for a genius like you to die. Why don’t we discuss a new partnership?”

Lillian glanced at him. “Mr. Prescott, life and death are in the hands of fate. You look a few years younger than me. If you can wait, I promise to donate my kidney to you for free before I die.”

After drying her hands, she squeezed a bit of lotion onto them. As she rubbed it in, a faint, pleasant scent warmed and rose from her palms. Whether it was the perfectly subtle fragrance or Lillian’s effortless beauty, Leonard found himself captivated, his gaze fixed on her. There was a frankness about her that made him feel like he had been acting like a villain.

He immediately changed his tone. “My blood can extend your life, Ms. Mercer.”

Lillian looked at him, surprised. She didn’t understand.

“I have a unique medical history,” Leonard explained vaguely. “It happens to be a perfect match for your condition.”

Though he offered no further details, Lillian didn’t press. She smiled faintly and extended her hand. “A mutually beneficial arrangement?”

Leonard reached out and shook it.

Just as their hands met, Brandon appeared.

“Lillian, what’s taking you so long in the restroom?”

Lillian frowned. “Brandon, were you waiting outside for me?”

Brandon’s eyes landed on their clasped hands. He immediately stepped between them, shielding Lillian from Leonard. “Lillian, don’t forget who you are. Have some self-respect in public.”

At his words, Lillian immediately stepped out from behind him. She took Leonard’s arm and started walking away. “That’s my brother, Brandon,” she said to Leonard as they went. “A prime beneficiary of our family's patriarchal system. He has a terminal case of male chauvinism. It’s not fatal, but it is nauseating.”

Leonard glanced back at the abandoned Brandon. “You dislike your brother that much?”

“He doesn’t deserve the title,” Lillian said. “As a brother, he has never once shown me the kind of support I needed. He enables our father’s affairs. The Mercer family is doomed to fail under their watch.”

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