?<strong>Chapter 1235:</strong>


    “Miss Perkins, I’d appreciate it if you watched your words. Miss Johns and I are nothing more than friends. There’s no need for baseless spection.”


    Lilian studied him for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.


    “Just friends, hmm? You’ve only met a few times, and already you consider her a friend? Well, we’ve met twice now—does that mean we’re friends too?”


    There was something deliberately suggestive in the way she lingered on the word “friends.” A faint flush crept up Jared’s neck. He wasn’t used to handling someone like Lilian—her words, her presence, her unpredictable nature. But in that moment, something clicked.


    “You’ve been looking into us.”


    Lilian tilted her head, resting her chin on her other hand.


    “Of course. I told you I nned to pursue you, didn’t I? Wouldn’t it be foolish to go in blind? I had to learn your likes and dislikes first—wouldn’t want to identally push you away.”


    Jared exhaled slowly. There was no point in engaging with her in a conventional way—Lilian thrived on chaos. Instead, he steered the conversation elsewhere.


    “Miss Perkins, why did you ask to see me?”


    Lilian’s gaze remained steady.


    “Didn’t I already tell you this afternoon? I like you. I want you to be my boyfriend—and eventually, my husband.”


    Jared’s frown deepened.


    “But there’s nothing about me that should interest you.”


    He had stepped into this situation willingly, knowing it was an opportunity to infiltrate Lilian’s world. But at the same time, he was searching for the line—the one thing that might provoke her and push her to react.


    The moment the words left his mouth, Lilian’s expression darkened.


    Lilian’s eyes lingered on Jared’s face before she delivered her words with a hint of amusement.


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    “Mr. Cooper, has anyone ever told you that you really don’t have a way with words?”


    A look of bewilderment crossed Jared’s features. Lilian continued, her voice carrying a mix of warmth and firmness, “You can insult yourself, but you can’t insult my taste. If I like someone, then that person is definitely worth it. From today on, I don’t want to hear you criticize yourself again, understand, Mr. Cooper?”


    Jared fell silent, his eye twitching involuntarily. His previous investigation had painted Lilian as apetent individual, but now that he was in close quarters with her, she seemed to operate in a reality entirely her own.


    If Lilian noticed his difort, she showed no sign of it. With fluid grace, she retrieved a wine ss and filled it with crimson liquid, gesturing invitingly to Jared.


    “Mr. Cooper, sit down and have a drink with me. Maybe you’ll find that we actually have a lot inmon?” Her confidence wasn’t unfounded. Beautiful, well-bred, and financially formidable, Lilian had always believed she could capture the attention of any man she desired. Now that she would discuss Fisherman’s Cove with Jared, she felt particrly assured.


    Jared eyed the wine warily. The robust aroma promised potency, and safety remained a question mark in his mind.


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