Who knows what kind of devil possessed Alger today? Lily had planned to go out alone to restock the fridge, which she hadn't had the chance to fill since marrying Alger. For Lily, constantly eating out wasn't a good habit. Besides, she needed to manage her finances and cut down on monthly expenses.
From the moment they left the apartment to when they got out of the car and entered the supermarket, Lily remained confused by Alger's behavior.
"Why are you even here? I can shop by myself—I don't need company."
Alger shrugged while taking the cart from Lily's hands.
"You think you're the only one who wants to shop?"
"Fine, then I'll get another cart. You use that one."
Alger grabbed Lily's wrist and shook his head. "I don't need much."
Too lazy to argue, Lily gave in and walked ahead, scanning the aisles for the items she needed.
Alger had been watching her in confusion for a while now. She was standing in front of a shelf, hesitating, reaching for something only to pull her hand back.
"What's wrong? Is it expired?"
"It's expensive. I'll pass," Lily replied shortly, putting the item back.
It wouldn't be Alger if he didn't immediately grab the very item Lily had just abandoned. And not just one—he took three boxes at once.
It wasn't just that item. Everything Lily touched ended up in the cart. Maybe this really was the beginning of Alger trying to win back his ex-girlfriend.
Even though they were husband and wife now, Alger knew he had to find a way to melt Lily's heart again—especially since she had lost her memories.
"Where's the canned asparagus?" he muttered to himself.
Lily quickly ran over to a store employee who was organizing the shelves.
"Do you have any canned asparagus left?"
"Sorry, miss. We just got a new shipment today, but we ran out yesterday."
"Alright, thanks."
Lily turned around, only to see Alger talking to another woman. Just from her body shape alone, Lily knew exactly who was standing in front of her husband.
"Angel?"
She hurriedly turned back around and walked away as fast as she could, leaving Alger and Angel in the middle of their conversation.
Alger wasn't stupid. He had sharp eyes and could immediately tell that Lily had rushed off.
"What are you looking at?" Angel asked, confused.
"My girlfriend. Sorry, but I have to go."
Angel grabbed Alger's wrist, glancing forward.
"Trying to fool me, huh? I know you don't have a girlfriend. You're chasing after your secretary, aren't you? But she doesn't want you. You shouldn't waste your precious time on a woman who doesn't even appreciate you, Al."
"You don't need to meddle in my business, Angel! You're just an outsider. And do you really think I'd ever be interested in you? That will never happen."
Alger immediately shook off Angel's hand and walked away, leaving her standing in place.
Angel smirked as she watched his back disappear into the distance. "Let's see who wins this game. Will you win Lily back, or will I act fast and do whatever it takes to take everything you have—including your heart?"
"Hey!" Lily yelped as a shopping cart rolled into her foot from behind. "What the hell?" she grumbled, turning back to her vegetables.
"I should be the one asking that. What the hell was that, leaving me behind like that?"
"I did it on purpose. Why should I interrupt a couple flirting?" Lily said coldly, tossing more vegetables into the cart—only to realize the cart was full of things she had decided not to buy.
"Oh my God! How did these get in here? I didn't even grab them. Don't tell me—"
"I did. Just take whatever you want. I'll pay," Alger said nonchalantly, pulling out the black card that everyone dreamed of having.
"Show-off," Lily muttered as she turned away.
Since they had finished shopping, Lily and Alger headed to the cashier. Alger unloaded the groceries onto the counter while Lily was busy with her phone. She quickly stepped out of the supermarket to take an important call she had been waiting for since that afternoon.
"Would you like to pay by debit or cash, sir?"
"Debit," Alger answered briefly, handing over his card.
"Congratulations, sir! You are our tenth customer to shop above the required amount!" The cashier pointed to an event poster displayed by the store.
"This means you get to choose a prize: a beautiful handbag for your wife or a watch."
Alger glanced at the handbag—it was the same color as Lily's favorite. Then, he turned to look at Lily, who was still on the phone.
"I'll take the bag."
"Understood, sir! Please wait a moment while I get it from the back."
"Hmm."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lily was still on the phone with one of the clients who was sharing some opinions—despite this not being work hours. But Lily was truly an all-around secretary, available at all times.
"Alright, sir. I'll pass this on to Mr. Alger. Anything else?"
"No, that's all. If there's anything else, I'll contact you again tomorrow. Sorry for disturbing your rest time."
"It's no problem, sir. If anything, I should be the one apologizing for sending that proposal email to your company in the middle of the night yesterday. If there's nothing else, I'll end the call now, sir."
"Lilyana? The girl who was at Alger's apartment the other day, right? What are you doing here? Are you seriously trying to seduce your own boss?"
Lily turned to Angel, who was standing beside her, and gave her an elegant smile. "Sorry, but I work as a secretary, not as an LC whose job is to flirt with people."
"Secretaries do that all the time, don't they?"
Just as Lily was about to respond, she spotted Alger walking out of the supermarket and heading toward her.
"I know she's your girlfriend, so don't worry. I won't ruin someone else's relationship," Lily said.
"Good. Now, get lost. I'm going out with Alger," Angel ordered.
"Lily!"
Lily, who had already started to leave, stopped in her tracks. It seemed Alger had a reason to call her back.
"Where are you going?"
"I was going to the car to get it ready and load your groceries, sir. But since you called me, I was also going to inform you about some important matters regarding Redaksi Edelweis. Earlier—"
"We'll talk about that later. We're going home now."
"But, sir—" Lily hesitated, her gaze shifting to Angel.
"Your girlfriend has been waiting for you. I can go home on my own. If necessary, I can bring your groceries to your apartment first."
"Al, I want us to—"
"I'm busy," Alger cut her off coldly before walking away, leaving Lily and Angel standing there.
Lily studied Angel with a sharp gaze—something about the two of them seemed off.
"Lily!"
"Ah, yes, sir."
Lily quickly ran off, leaving Angel still standing there.
"Damn it!"
Inside the car, silence filled the air. Lily busied herself with the music she was playing—her favorite songs.
And Alger? Who knew what he was thinking? His face looked tense, but then again, Alger had always looked serious and intense.
"I have nothing going on with Angel," Alger finally broke the silence, even though he had been hesitating and reluctant to explain himself to Lily.
Lily remained relaxed, shrugging her shoulders. "How many times have you said that already? No need to repeat it, because my answer will still be the same as yesterday, sir."
"Then why have you been so quiet?"
"What, you expect me to just ramble on my own? I'd look like I'm trying too hard to get attention," she replied casually.
"Oh, right," Lily suddenly said. "Redaksi Edelweis said they're ready to collaborate with SM Century, but they don't want to take a loss. They want you to be their keynote speaker. Can you do that?"
"Hmm."
Before she realized it, Alger had already driven them to the apartment lobby. He unloaded the groceries but didn't hand Lily a single bag to carry.
Once inside the apartment, Alger placed several paper bags on the table, setting one directly in front of Lily.
"This is for you."
Lily frowned and pulled the bag closer. "What is this?"
"Just open it and you'll see."
Lily reached into the bag, lifting a small purse high into the air.
"A bag?"
"A shopping gift," he replied casually before walking away, leaving Lily behind.
Lily smiled as she watched Alger's retreating back.
"Huh, turns out he can be sweet too. I thought he'd always be as dry as an old rag."
Shaking her head, she put the bag back into the paper bag and immediately started organizing the groceries, placing them in the fridge and cabinets.
Out of nowhere, a sharp pain shot through her head, and once again, hazy memories flashed through her mind. Just like before, she saw a car flipping over—fragments of something she couldn't quite grasp. The images were blurry, distorted, impossible to make sense of.
"Ugh, why does this keep happening?"
"Who are they? Who are the people in these unclear memories of mine?"
Hearing Lily's frustrated cry, Alger quickly came back down and approached her, finding her sitting at the dining table.
"Ly, are you okay?"
Lily didn't answer. She simply massaged her throbbing temples, staring blankly at the table.
"Ly," Alger called again.
Lily quickly shook her head and stood up. "Sorry for disturbing your rest."
"What's wrong with you?"
"The usual—unclear memories that keep torturing me," Lily answered briefly as she grabbed the remaining items from the table.
"Sorry again, sir. I didn't mean to bother you."