30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 327: Seafood Secrets

"What about the house in Shallow Bay? Did your father exile you from there?" Lily asked again. He preferred to stay with her at the 30 Days Memorial Hotel rather than take her back to Shallow Bay, even deliberately avoiding the area when they passed by.

Exile?!

If it were exile, he wouldn’t be feeling this damn frustration now!

What his father wanted was control—absolute control!

"Come on, let’s go for seafood," Ethan said, abruptly changing the topic as he pulled Lily to her feet and led her outside.

"I want to know," Lily insisted, her brow furrowed. Why was he refusing to tell her?

"What’s there to know? Aren’t we good here?" Ethan countered, flashing a mischievous smile.

Lily pushed his hand away and stood firmly before him, her gaze intense. "What if I were keeping so many secrets from you?"

Ethan pressed his lips together, unable to respond.

Switching places, swapping roles.

He didn’t understand the pain of being kept in the dark. Perhaps she didn’t understand the pain of keeping secrets from others...

"Fine, as long as you agree to treatment."

As long as he was sure her shoulders could bear one truth after another, he would tell her as long as he was sure she dared to live on.

"I won’t agree, and you won’t either, will you?" Lily said softly.

"So, just be obedient."

Ethan guided her outside.

Ethan took her to a restaurant on one of the floors of the 30 Days Memorial Hotel. The place had been cleared out, and its opulent decor echoed in the vast emptiness. Only a few servers were present.

In the vast hall, just one table was set up, adorned with a bottle of red wine and a barbecue grill.

"Sit."

Ethan, unusually gentlemanly, pulled out a chair for her and helped her sit.

Lily stared at the glowing coals beneath the grill. "The seafood you’re making is..."

Before she could finish, a line of servers brought in various kinds of seafood, covering the entire table with fresh shrimp and shellfish, all cleaned but not cooked.

Side dishes were also brought out.

"See how much I care for you? You want seafood, and I immediately prepare it for you," Ethan boasted, picking up tongs and placing a shellfish on the grill, followed by others...

"..."

This was his grand seafood feast—there was no need for the kitchen’s meticulous preparation; he just grilled the seafood right here.

Watching his earnest expression, Lily couldn’t help but want to laugh...

What a clever idea.

With gratitude toward Ethan filling her gaze, a faint smile played on Lily’s lips.

Flipping the seafood, Ethan looked up and dropped the tongs, his eyes locked on hers. His voice was low and husky. "Finally smiling?"

Lily paused, touching her lips. She had actually smiled...

"Thank you," Lily said gratefully.

Ethan’s lips curved into a proud smile. He extracted the meat from a shellfish using chopsticks and tongs and placed it on her plate. "See if it’s done," he said.

Was it a test subject?

Lily dipped it in sauce, then picked up the meat and held it to his lips across the table. "You try it," he said.

...

Ethan looked at her with some surprise. Her eyes were still red, but they regained some sparkle. This woman... her mood was improving.

Ethan opened his thin lips and ate it all in one bite.

"Is it good?" Lily asked, watching him quietly.

"Of course, I made it."

"You just grilled it. Did you help with cleaning the seafood?" Lily teased him mercilessly, peeling a shrimp and handing it to Ethan to eat.

"Do I need to do that myself?" Ethan scoffed, taking a bite of the shrimp she offered. "Good girl."

...

"You’re no longer the CEO of Blackwood Enterprise’s Asia-Pacific region, so what’s keeping you busy? You could do it yourself," Lily said, unaware of the underlying reasons. "What are your plans for the future?"

He wasn’t returning to the house in Shallow Bay, and the business he had built from scratch was gone...

What was he planning to do next?

Start a new business or something else? Had he planned his future? 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"I can support you," Ethan replied succinctly, continuing to grill the seafood.

Before Lily could ask more, a saxophone melody filled the clean, bright restaurant. She turned to see a small band playing a soothing tune.

The melodious notes harmonized beautifully with the bright sunlight outside.

"Eat," Ethan said, placing another shrimp on her plate.

Lily’s attention had shifted from the seafood. Unbeknownst to her, the restaurant was now filled with balloons, all heart-shaped and in warm candy colors...

Floating colorfully throughout the restaurant, combined with the band’s performance, everything was romantically perfect...

Two elegant waiters approached with a tray, carrying a giant shell as large as two hands.

The shell was smooth and glossy, resembling the sheen of pearls...

The servers placed the shell in the center of the barbecue grill, taking up nearly half of it.

What kind of shellfish was this?

...

Lily looked around at the floating balloons, glanced at the dedicated band, and finally focused on the enormous shell in the center of the table.

This scene felt strangely familiar...

"Why aren’t you eating?" Ethan asked, his expression unchanged. His deep black eyes were fixed on her as he sipped red wine.

"Ah..." Lily sighed softly, finally remembering.

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing..." Lily shook her head, pointing at the floating balloons. "You’ve made this place look like a proposal scene."

Almost every romantic drama had this setup... a restaurant, candlelight, music, and a ring...

"Cough—"

Upon hearing this, Ethan started coughing violently, setting down his wine glass, unable to stop. His handsome face was a picture of embarrassment and discomfort.

"Here, drink some water."

Lily quickly got up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to him. She walked over and patted his back. "Are you okay?"

Ethan sat there, coughing awkwardly, his usual confidence gone. He pushed away Lily’s hand with the water glass and reached for the most beautiful large shell on the grill. It was too hot to hold, and the shell fell again...

Lily watched him, confused. The shell hit the floor, cracking open. Before she could get a clear look, Ethan bent down and hastily picked up the shell, throwing it into a distant trash bin.

"..."

What was he doing?

Lily looked at him, puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"Hiss—" Ethan inhaled sharply from the burn, shaking his hand.

Lily frowned, took his hand, and blew on it gently. Ethan’s knuckles were blistering from the burn. She grabbed the water glass and poured cool water over his hand...

"How is it?" Lily asked. "Let’s go see a doctor."

The shell was still on the grill. Why would he grab it with his bare hands like that...

"It’s fine," Ethan said, shaking his hand again. Damn, it was so hot.

"Why did you grab it with your hand?" Lily asked.

"It stank," Ethan said, his eyes showing embarrassment as he shook his hand, his tone stiff.

It stank?!

There’s no way the restaurant would serve something that stank, especially when it was clearly the main course...

And she hadn’t smelled anything off.

Lily looked suspiciously at the trash bin and then at Ethan. A thought flashed through her mind. "Ethan..."

"What?" Ethan brushed off his embarrassment and looked up at her.

Lily pointed at the trash bin. "Did you hide a ring in there?"

...

Ethan’s entire face froze, a rare moment of losing composure. His eyes were fixed on her, his thin lips pressed tightly together...

"You really did hide a ring?!"

Seeing his reaction, Lily was stunned. She turned to walk toward the trash bin, but Ethan grabbed her from behind, pulling her into his lap before she could take a step.

Lily fell directly onto his legs. Ethan held her tightly, his voice cold. "Who hid a ring? There’s no ring!"

"Then why did you throw it away?"

"It stank."

"Let me see then."

The more she thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. When she mentioned a proposal-like scene, he overreacted and threw away the shell... There must be something.

Lily tried to break free from his grip, but Ethan inhaled sharply and growled lowly, "Lily, my hand is burned! And you’re pulling so hard!"

...

She wasn’t pulling hard!

In the end, Lily doesn’t see what is inside the shell. Ethan pulled her back into the room.

Ethan’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the caller ID and called out to Lily, who was in the bathroom wringing out a towel, "Lily, go to the front desk and get some burn ointment."

"Oh, okay."

Lily responded, handed him the wet towel, and left the room.

Ethan then answered the call.

Tommy’s urgent voice came through the phone. "Third brother, are you really going to go head-to-head with Father? What good will that do for you and Rabbit?"

"Aren’t you done with us?" Ethan asked coldly.

"I..." Tommy was speechless, choked by Ethan’s words, and fumed, "Fine! I’m done with you! I’m letting you know that many people, including Nanny and her son, have been arrested. I’ve also heard Father is sending people to find Rabbit’s relatives—those you swapped identities with and sent abroad... You know the consequences."