Terry looked at Yelena''s tear-filled eyes, feeling a pang in his heart. They had only been together for less than two months, during which they had grown incredibly close, and now he couldn''t bear seeing her in such pain.


    He gently patted her hand, his tone impossibly tender. "Don''t cry, it''s my fault. But Lily and I are friends.


    "That''s what friends do, right? We help each other when there''s trouble. I did it willingly.


    "I shouldn''t have made you worry. If you''re angry, take it out on me, okay? You can hit me or yell at me, but L didn''t do anything wrong.


    "Look at me now-everything''s fine, right? You always said I was too busy and didn''t have time for you. Well, now we actually have more time together, don''t We?"


    He gently squeezed Yelena''s hand and continued, "Yelena, sweetheart, you..."


    Before he could finish, she interrupted him. Yelena looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears, a mix of hurt and anger.


    "But Terry, are you really just friends with her? If you''re just friends, why do you call her so affectionately?"


    L and Terry froze, realizing they hadn''t considered how their words might be interpreted until now.


    Those close to her had always called her by her nickname, Lily, so L had never thought much of it. It was nothing significant.


    Terry had only started calling her that after they began interacting as friends. Clearly, Terry hadn''t thought about it either; he had simply followed what others did.


    He immediately exined, "Sorry, Yelena, I didn''t mean to overlook it. I won''t call her that if you don''t like it. I can just use ''Ms. Hart'' from now on, alright?"


    It was just a nickname, after all. L, of course, had no intention of causing trouble between them.


    "Ms. Griffin, I''m sorry. From now on, I''ll be more careful with my interactions with Terry."


    Yelena looked up at her momentarily, then spoke softly, "I''m overthinking this. It''s just that Terry and I haven''t been together for long, and I don''t feel secure. I''m sorry."


    As she spoke, tears welled in her eyes, her expression filled with grievance. Her presence stirred a deep, protective instinct in those who saw her. This only deepened Terry''s heartache.


    Yelena nced up at L briefly before quickly lowering her gaze.


    She had already asked Terry about L''s background yesterday. She learned that L had lost her parents at a young age and waster


    adopted by her parents'' ne


    friends.


    L was living under someone else''s roof all this time.


    Yelena''s eyes filled with tears, and her expression showed no other emotion. With L''s background, how could she have attracted people like Vince, Terry, and that distinguished man from yesterday?


    "Hey, are you done talking? Is the misunderstanding cleared up?" Amelia''s voice waszy and carried a hint of a smile, yet her face showed no sign of joy. She found Yelena''s disy unnecessary and quite dismissive.


    Terry was taken aback. "What brings Ms. Joyce here today?"


    Yelena looked over, noticing the blond woman with fair skin and delicate features dressed in an elegant, expensive outfit. Her sophisticated demeanor clearly indicated that she wasn''t from an ordinary family.


    She couldn''t help but ask, "Who is this?"


    Amelia responded before Terry could, a faint smile ying on her lips. "I''m Amelia from the Joyce family. I''m the vice president of the Joyce Group''s headquarters. And you are?"