How Lilies turn Black Chapter 80 - Legal Illegality (21)

Theodoro casually turned his gaze and pointed with his fingertip to a specific spot.

 

“Don’t actually fall. Just pretend to twist your ankle when you get close to that pile of macarons. I’ll handle the rest.”

 

No… wait a minute…. The pile of macarons?

The moment she briefly checked the location, Liliana snapped out of her foggy daze and sharply turned to look at Theodoro.

 

“…What?!”

 

“Focus.”

 

How could I possibly focus?

 

The macarons were practically right in front of her, meaning she had to carry out his request and fake a twisted ankle within mere seconds.

 

Her heart began to pound rapidly at the task that had descended upon her without any mental preparation.

 

“Th-Theodoro, sir…?”

 

Unconsciously, her grip tightened on the arm she had folded. 

 

Theodoro patted the back of her hand a couple of times, as if to soothe her. Her heart was now racing as if it might burst any second. 

 

Liliana couldn’t tell if it was because of Theodoro’s uncharacteristically gentle touch, or the pressure of having to successfully perform the act of twisting an ankle, something she had never done before.

Even in that moment, the spot where she had to put on her performance was getting closer and closer, now just a step or two away.

 

‘Uh… what do I do?’

 

Liliana’s face contorted as if she were about to burst into tears at any second.

 

But that performance turned out to be easier to pull off than she had thought. Because she had actually twisted her ankle. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t an act at all.

 

Liliana could swear on this much: the cause lay absolutely with Theodoro.

 

So, it was around the time they reached the spot he had mentioned. 

 

Theodoro, who had been leading her as if escorting her, suddenly bowed his head and whispered into her ear.

 

“…Liliana.”

 

It probably meant they were starting now.

 

But her body was already wound tight with tension; how could she not be startled when a sudden, hot breath flowed into her ear?

 

“Ack!”

 

A startled Liliana shook off his arm and stumbled backward. 

 

In that instant, her ankle twisted sharply, and her balance broke… Her body tilting to the left happened in a flash.

 

“…!”

 

Their gazes met from somewhere in the empty space. Theodoro had a rarely flustered look in his eyes, and Liliana was the same. 

 

Actually getting injured wasn’t part of her plan.

 

It was the moment her eyes reflexively squeezed shut.

 

Theodoro’s thick arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her sharply toward him. 

 

Forced by his strength, their bodies collided frontally, and Theodoro’s characteristically lingering scent spread intensely through her nose. 

 

As always, it was a fragrance that stickily clouded her mind, making her senses hazy.

 

Through her blurry consciousness, she felt his solid leg tangling with hers, separated only by her dress…

 

In the blink of an eye, a cold shoe that had invaded under her dress brushed against her foot, and one of her own shoes slipped off.

 

“…!”

 

When she came to her senses, it was all over. His claim that he would handle everything if she just pretended to twist her ankle hadn’t been an empty boast. 

 

Even though she had actually sprained her leg badly, despite that variable, Theodoro had perfectly executed his part.

 

Thump. Thump. Thump— Her heart was still racing disorderly, as if it would burst.

 

Lilia stared blankly up at him from where she was nestled in his arms.

 

“My… my sh-sh… shoe…”

 

She didn’t even know what she was thinking saying that. Her lips just moved on their own.

 

Without a word, Theodoro lowered his gaze and scanned the floor. Then, he carefully moved her to lean against the table. 

 

Only after that did the arm wrapped around her loosen its grip.

 

“Just a moment.”

 

The warmth that had enveloped her body vanished like the wind. He bent his knee and slipped his upper body under the table.

 

Leaning against the table for support, Lilia watched him with anxious eyes. 

 

Half-hidden by the long tablecloth, Theodoro was probably using the pretext of retrieving her lost shoe to check under the table.

 

By then, her wildly pounding heart began to sink, turning cold. Her body trembled slightly, and anxiety gnawed at her chest.

 

What in the world had Jimmy done under the buffet table…?

 

Before long, Theodoro emerged, pushing aside the draping tablecloth. 

 

He swiftly tucked a square, box-like object into his inner pocket, holding Lilia’s black high heel in his other hand.

 

My heart sank. The ominous premonition I felt when Jimmy McKenna first appeared at the party had proven correct.

 

Fear and terror had become so palpable that Liliana couldn’t even bring herself to care about Theodoro’s hands putting her shoes on for her, or the shameful fact that she had presented her bare feet to him. 

 

Theodoro himself probably didn’t give a second thought to this uncharacteristically gentle act, something he had likely never done in his life.

 

After putting on her shoes, he immediately stood up and pressed close to her.

 

“Liliana.”

 

Hearing his husky voice, she slowly blinked, overwhelmed by a wave of despair.

 

“Was it… a bomb?”

 

Unable to let go of that last shred of hope, she asked, but the answer was exactly as expected. Theodoro rubbed his tired, shadowed eyes and muttered quietly.

 

“There are many of them, strung up all over.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Dizziness washed over her, and the strength drained from her legs.

 

“What should we do…”

 

“Disarming them in time is impossible. We don’t have the right person here, and there’s no time to bring someone in to do it.”

 

“Then…”

 

He seemed to collect his thoughts for a moment, then shortly gestured to Paul, who was watching them anxiously from a distance. She instinctively knew what decision he had made. He probably thought evacuation was the best option.

 

Liliana, who had been silently chewing her lip, suddenly grabbed Theodoro’s lapel and pulled him closer.

 

“Theodoro.”

 

At her unexpected action, which even she seemed unaware of, his pupils momentarily widened. 

 

As if not even seeing that, Liliana quickly poured out her words.

 

“Even if we evacuate everyone safely, the company’s image will inevitably suffer a major blow. It’s not just anyone, but nearly all the investors were gathered there… An incident where they were almost caught in an explosion at a party is really…”

 

Words tumbled out in a disorderly stream, driven by her anxiety. 

 

Theodoro, who had been listening silently, made an ambiguous expression, somewhere between a smile and a scowl.

 

“I know. I may be uneducated, but I’m not so stupid as to not realize that.”

 

“…”

 

“There’s no other way.”

 

Liliana bit her lower lip until it nearly bled and lowered her head.

 

What should they do? Was there really no good option other than evacuation?

 

‘Why, of all times… right at the start of the ambitious first business venture…’

 

Of course, the company wouldn’t completely collapse because of this. 

 

Bad rumors would circulate until they were forgotten from memory, and some investors might pull out… but they would probably manage to get by somehow.

 

But what about Theodoro’s standing within the Benedetti family?

 

That was the biggest problem. 

 

If the business he had confidently prepared was causing trouble from the very start… wouldn’t Lucia and the branch managers nitpick everything he tried to do from now on?

 

It was around the time Liliana was having these despairing thoughts.

 

“You’ve checked… ah.”

 

Paul, who had approached, let out a sigh without finishing his sentence. He probably guessed the general situation as soon as he saw the dark expressions on the two men’s faces.

 

He took a deep breath in and out, as if trying to maintain his composure.

 

“Phew… Explosives?”

 

“Seems so.”

 

“How much… time is left?”

 

“About 20 minutes.”

 

“…I’ll start the evacuation. 20 minutes should be more than enough. I’ll notify everyone by sector right now—”

 

“Wait a minute!”

 

Liliana’s sudden exclamation abruptly cut off their conversation. At that moment, Theodoro shot her a look so sharp it could make one’s knees go numb. 

 

Clenching her fists, she quickly added.

 

“T-this… Couldn’t we use the defense company acquisition deal?”

 

“What are you suddenly—”

 

“I think… I think it can be done.”

 

It was a remark thrown out without thinking, but the idea quickly began to take shape in her mind, organizing itself.

 

“Can’t we retrieve all the bombs and place them by the waterfront in front of the villa… or in the outdoor pool at the back? The idea is to publicly show the explosion happening. You, Mr. Theodoro, would introduce it as a prototype from the company you’re about to acquire… and pretend that Jimmy’s bomb terror was a pre-planned show.”

 

“…Have you lost your mind?”

 

“It’s… It’s not that absurd, is it? While the investors are gathered, you can say you hope for their interest in other future projects as well. Honestly, it’s a bit sudden, but… isn’t it less sudden than having them kicked out after being told a bomb will go off while they’re enjoying the party?”

 

Paul was so stunned he could only open and close his lips. 

 

Next to him, Theodoro, who had finally gotten a headache, let out a sigh and held his head.

 

“You… do you realize what you’re saying means we absolutely must proceed with the plan to acquire the defense contractor?”

 

Liliana swallowed dryly and met his gaze.

 

“Yes, I’ll probably get an earful from Vincent… But you were the one who suggested we try it last time, Theodoro. Who knows, this might be our chance.”