Chapter - 6045

Lily's image in Stefanie's memory had begun to fade.

After all, when she took Charlie away from Eastcliff, she was still quite young.

Stefanie couldn't help but murmur, "Mom, I can't clearly remember Aunt Evans. Did she like me when I was a child?"

Angie smiled and replied, "Your Aunt Evans absolutely adored you. On the day you were born, she was in the hospital with your mother and was the second person to hold you."

"Really?" Stefanie was clearly taken aback and asked again, "Who proposed my engagement to Charlie? You’ve never told me that before."

Angie sighed, "The idea for your marriage contract came from Aunt Evans. At that time, the Wade family was the most powerful family in the country. Your father and I were under the special care of Uncle Wade and Aunt Evans. We often felt that the Wade family was a presence we couldn't approach. It was a great honor for us to be treated like family. We never dared to think about marrying into the Wade family."

Stefanie asked in surprise, "Why did Aunt Evans suggest a marriage?"

Angie smiled and said, "It's because she liked you. She thought you would make the perfect daughter-in-law."

Stefanie felt elated.

To her, Charlie had numerous confidants, but she was the only one to have received affirmation from his mother. In that regard, she felt distinct from other girls.

What she lamented was that Charlie's mother had passed away too soon. As her mother had said, if Charlie's mother had still been alive, she would have undoubtedly made decisions for her and ensured she wasn't left behind.

But as the mother and daughter sighed over these memories, they had no idea that Lily had been alive all along, residing not far away in Lama Temple just a while ago.

Even now, living in Putuo Mountain, she was only a little over a thousand kilometers from Eastcliff.

At this moment, Lily was enjoying the aroma of incense in the Zen temple at Putuo Mountain.

She lit the incense stick and, as the green smoke rose gently, she leaned closer, inhaling the fragrance, closing her eyes to embrace the rare tranquility within her heart.

Sister Turk approached respectfully and said, "Madam, the Young Master is having lunch at the Sun family today. Cynthia is making the purchases herself. It appears the Wade family also has a family dinner scheduled for tonight."

Lily opened her eyes, nodded slightly, and smiled, "It seems they are trying to put pressure on Charlie together."

Sister Turk replied, "It likely will take some time for the waterway to transport everything to China."

"There's no rush," Lily said. "Even with a delay, the first month of the year should arrive soon."

Sister Turk continued, "Madam, didn’t you mention before that the eldest daughter of the Ito family is actually the most suitable for the Young Master?"

"Yes," Lily smiled and replied, "To be fair, I believe no one is more fitting for Charlie than Nanako, especially since she has come to understand the truth of cultivation. This will greatly benefit Charlie in the future."

Sister Turk inquired again, "What are your thoughts on Miss Sun?"

Lily smiled faintly and sighed, "Stefanie, I've watched her grow up... Logically, I think Stefanie is the most suitable. Emotionally, no one can take her place in my heart."

After saying this, Lily sighed again, "The engagement between Charlie and Stefanie was indeed initiated by me back then. From the moment Stefanie was born, I considered her my own child and cared for her deeply. Orrin and Angie loved Charlie a lot at that time as well, so I proposed that the two children become engaged, with the hope that when they grew older, they would marry."

"Some people advised me that we had entered a new era of openness and that such outdated practices of parents deciding marriage for their children were no longer appropriate. However, I persisted because I’ve always believed that some good things are better decided by parents who can plan ahead for their children's futures."

At this point, Lily couldn't help but sigh: "Back then, Bruce and I had considerable dealings with the Warriors Den and were privy to many of its secrets. What I feared most was not that the Warriors Den would seek revenge on Bruce and me, but that they would infiltrate Charlie's life and place various 'scholars' around him."

When Sister Turk heard the term "Scholar," her expression changed immediately.

She knew the influence of scholars.

These scholars were trained by the Warriors Den from childhood, all to gain the attention of influential individuals.

The Warriors Den was eager to engage with scholars, often creating various types of exceptionally skilled individuals who could easily blend in around a targeted person. This person might encounter many attractive, well-matched individuals, unaware that most of them had been tailored specifically for them.

Who could resist someone crafted for them since childhood?

As a result, Lily shared the same concerns about Charlie.

If the Warriors Den were to place various scholars around Charlie, even if he were discerning, some might evade his perception.

Should he marry one of these scholars in the future, it would spell disaster for both him and the entire Wade family.

Therefore, she was determined to have Charlie marry a reputable girl in order to eliminate any hidden dangers posed by scholars entirely.

There were few who truly understood this truth, and Orrin and Angie were the best choices in that regard.

As long as Charlie could marry Stefanie, no matter how many scholars the Warriors Den deployed, they would never succeed.

Besides, since Stefanie was born, she had always held a special fondness in Lily's heart. From a young age, it was evident that Stefanie was exceptionally beautiful, intelligent, and kind.

She was undoubtedly the best candidate to be Charlie's wife.

However, the Sun family was unaware of Lily's concerns regarding the scholars.

Initially, Lily's plan was to cultivate Charlie gradually while guiding his relationship with Stefanie, so that when they came of age, they would marry.

But no one anticipated that their conflict with the Warriors Den would escalate so rapidly due to the Apocalyptic Book.

Morgana sought to eliminate Bruce and his family, but circumstances led Bruce to sacrifice himself to save his son and arranged for Lily to escape.

In the following years, Lily avoided showing herself, and she did not dare to acknowledge Charlie.

Reflecting on the past, Lily couldn’t help but smile wryly: "Fate is unpredictable. I feared most that Charlie would be ensnared by scholars. However, Bruce's sacrifice ultimately caused Charlie to lose the advantages of being a Wade, while fortuitously protecting him from the scholars' potential threats."

Thinking of her younger siblings, whose lives were ruined by scholars, Lily spoke coldly: "Martel and Tece both believed they were the luckiest individuals in the world, having found their soulmates who understood and loved them completely. Yet they never realized that they were merely pawns in the hands of Morgana’s scholars. This cruel woman will eventually face the consequences for the harm she has inflicted!"