Chapter 230 Lily’s Drawing

Chapter 230: Chapter 230 Lily’s Drawing

?The bright morning sun was warm as it streamed through the big glass window of the bedroom.

?Lily sat quietly at the small round table in the middle of her room. Her colorful box of crayons was spread across the white surface, with dozens of shades rolling around. A fresh, blank piece of paper was laying flat right in front of her.

?She was taking her time drawing a picture of her whole family.

?She picked up a black crayon and drew Uncle Dorian first. She made him very tall and strong, filling up a big space on the page. She gave him short black hair and gray eyes, and she made sure to draw him wearing a neat business suit because he almost always wore a suit whenever she saw him.

?Next, she drew Great-Grandmother sitting right beside him. She drew her wheelchair, her favorite soft blanket draped over her knees, and her sharp eyes looking forward.

?Then she carefully drew Aunt Eleanor, followed by Uncle Phillip, Aunt Beatrice, and Uncle Harold.

?Her family was very big, and the paper was getting full. But as she looked down, she realized there was still someone very important missing from the group.

?She reached into the box, picked up the pink crayon, and drew another woman. She gave her long hair, a warm smile, and kind eyes.

?She drew Veyra.

?She finally set down the pink crayon and rested her hands on the table. She looked closely at the complete picture, and a big smile spread across her face.

?Veyra was standing right next to Uncle Dorian in the center of the paper. Their hands were drawn close together, almost touching. They looked like they truly belonged together as a pair.

?Lily gave a firm nod of her head, feeling completely satisfied with her artwork. She picked up the finished drawing, pushed her chair back, and ran fast out of the room.

?She ran down the wide hallway and found Beatrice sitting in the main living room. Her grandmother was resting on the plush sofa, reading a thick magazine and sipping a fresh cup of hot tea.

?"Grandmother!" Lily called out as she ran straight toward her. "Look at what I made!"

?Beatrice set her magazine down on her lap and smiled warmly at her. "What do you have there, sweetheart?"

?Lily held up the paper high in the air for her to see. "It is our family! I drew everyone in the house!"

?Beatrice took the paper into her hands and looked at it closely. But as her eyes scanned the bright colors, her pleasant smile slowly faded away.

?She clearly saw the figures on the page. Dorian. Great-Grandmother. Eleanor. Phillip. Harold. And herself.

?And then she saw Veyra.

?She was drawn standing right next to Dorian, her hand almost touching his.

?Beatrice pressed her lips tightly together into a thin, strict line. She set the drawing down on the coffee table.

?"Lily," she said in a soft, careful voice. "This drawing is very nice and colorful. But Veyra is not actually family."

?Lily blinked in complete confusion. "What do you mean?"

?"Veyra is... well, she is your uncle’s wife. But she is not really part of our family."

?Lily shook her head from side to side without hesitating. "Yes, she is family."

?"Lily—"

?"She saved me!" Lily raised her voice, speaking loudly and clearly. "She saved me from those bad men! She swam right into the cold lake, she had a gun, and she saved my life!"

?Beatrice kept her mouth shut, unable to argue with that fact.

?"She is my auntie," Lily insisted, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "I drew her in the picture because she is family to me."

?Beatrice stayed completely quiet for a long moment.

?She looked back down at the crayon drawing resting on the table. She stared at Veyra’s face, looking at the warm smile and the genuine kindness Lily had tried so hard to draw.

?"Lily," she said very softly. "I know she saved you that day. And I know she has been very kind to you ever since. But family is... complicated."

?Lily shook her head again, refusing to accept that. "She is not complicated at all. She is just nice. She helped me when I was scared, and she even made me sweet cookies."

?Beatrice let out a long sigh, setting her teacup down. "I am not saying she is not a nice person, Lily. I am just saying she is not really our family."

?"She is family to me."

?Beatrice looked directly into her grand-niece’s face. She looked at her stubborn expression and her tightly crossed arms.

?She recognized that determined look instantly. It was the exact same stubborn look she had seen on her own son’s face so many times when he was a young boy.

?"You are very stubborn, you know that?" Beatrice said.

?Lily looked right back at her. "I learned from the best."

?Beatrice almost cracked a smile at the clever response.

?Meanwhile, a quiet household servant was standing near the arched doorway of the sitting room. She was a young woman named Anna. She had been wiping down the tall display shelves with a cloth, but she had stopped her work completely.

?She had overheard every single word spoken in the room.

?She had heard little Lily claim that Veyra was her real family. She had heard Beatrice firmly disagree with her. She had caught the entire heated exchange from start to finish.

?Anna was not necessarily an evil person deep down. She was simply ambitious. She wanted to move up in the household ranks, earn more money, and get noticed by the people who held power.

?And Eleanor Thorne was a woman who always noticed helpful people.

?Anna quietly set her yellow dust cloth down on a shelf. She walked out of the living room without making a single sound with her shoes. Once she was safely around the corner in the quiet hallway, she pulled her mobile phone out of her apron pocket.

?She quickly typed out a text message and sent it directly to Eleanor.

?Mrs. Thorne. I have important information for you. It is about the Lily and Veyra.