Helen looked at Lillian in front of her, her eyes full of disappointment. “I remember when you were a sweet and cute little girl. What happened to you? How did you become like your father?”
Lillian sneered coldly. “Ms. Helen, let me remind you, you have no right to bring up my father. And you certainly have no right to criticize me.”
Helen grabbed her arm. “Let’s talk. I came back this time to take my mom abroad for treatment.”
Lillian almost laughed, as if she had just heard the best joke in the world.
Helen didn’t wait for her response. She dragged Lillian into a nearby cafe. “A hundred thousand dollars per minute, I’ll wire it to you, okay?”
Lillian gave a cold laugh. “You think I wouldn’t take it? Helen, let me tell you, I’m not afraid of anything. This is something you owe my grandmother. If you’re willing, I can make it a million a minute.”
Helen couldn’t stand her tone anymore. “No wonder your uncles say you’re becoming more and more unrecognizable. No wonder people outside say you’re doing anything for money…”
Lillian raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, they say I’m someone else’s mistress for money. Well, yeah, I’m just lying here, waiting for a man to give me money. If he doesn’t, I’ll starve to death. I’ve been motherless since I was little.”
Slap!
A harsh slap landed on Lillian’s face, turning her head to the side.
Her bodyguard immediately rushed forward. Seeing Lillian get slapped right under their noses, they knew Conrad would tear them apart when they returned!
Lillian raised a hand, signaling them to stay back.
She looked at Helen. “Well, of course, you must be angry. After all, Ms. Helen, you had an affair while married, abandoned your daughter to chase after your so-called career and true love, and eloped with a man. Wow, but how did it end? You were pushed out of the film industry, weren’t you? Did you realize that life abroad wasn’t all it was cracked up to be?”
“Famous when young, unmarried with a child-such a scandal. Of course, you couldn’t bear it, Ms. Helen. Who would have thought that this ‘bastard’ of yours would still be alive today, and you’d be so embarrassed, you couldn’t handle it anymore?”
“That’s right. While you and your daughter are enjoying family happiness, in another country, your daughter is serving drinks in a bar at night, being ridiculed and humiliated, asked by countless men how much for the night. I was 19 when I slept with a man for money.”
“You… you should stop!” Helen lost control.
“Why stop? I know better than anyone your obsession with art and your expectations for life, Ms. Helen. My existence is probably just a product of your vile bloodline, right?”
Lillian’s venomous words pierced Helen’s heart with every syllable.
“I send money to your uncle every year. If it weren’t for your reckless spending…”
“Reckless spending? Ha ha ha… If I’m reckless spending, I should be the one keeping a man, instead of being the kept one.” Lillian almost laughed herself to tears. “Do you believe everything John says? Do you want to go to the hospital and ask how many times John has seen Grandma since she got sick? Where were you, as a daughter, when your mother’s life was hanging by a thread? And now you come here questioning how I ended up like this? You’re not worthy.”
Helen took a deep breath. “I don’t believe a word you’re saying. John isn’t like that. We’ve kept in close contact all these years. If the family’s been in chaos, it’s because of you, always causing trouble. And look at your personality now-arrogant and overbearing. Listen to the things you’re saying? The hospital is still under your control, but you had your grandmother’s records moved. Do you even know what you’re doing?”
When the waiter brought the coffee, Lillian picked it up and, at that moment, threw it straight from the top of her head onto Helen’s face, drenching her completely.
Helen wasn’t like Fanny-she didn’t scream when something happened. But being treated this way made her shake with anger.
“I once thought you didn’t know what was going on back home, that you didn’t know Grandma was seriously ill, and that’s why you didn’t come back. But it turns out you’ve been keeping in close contact all along, you’ve always known my situation, and you’ve always turned a blind eye to it. If Conrad hadn’t spent a fortune to bring you back to shine up Pandora, you wouldn’t have bothered to return, right?”
“As a child, you’re worse than an animal; as a parent, you’re worse than a demon-only good for having me and abandoning me. Helen, I spent countless nights hoping you’d come back, but now, I’d rather you die.”
“Since you and your brother are so close, don’t say I didn’t warn you-if you dare to touch Grandma, and you make me mad, I’ll go down with you!”
After saying this, Lillian picked up another cup and threw it at Helen’s face, slamming the coffee cup down.
“Here’s the fee for humiliating you. No need for change. Take this little bit of loose change and use it to buy a burial urn for your whole family.”
Once Lillian finished, she never wanted to see Helen again and didn’t want to hear another word from her. She had the bodyguard take the bags and leave.
Helen sat there, awkwardly wiping the coffee stains off her face with a handkerchief.
Sophia, who had been unable to hold herself back, rushed out. “Mommy, I’m going to kill her!”
“Stop!” Helen stood up. “You’re not to tell your father anything.”
“Mommy! She humiliated you like that! A slap? That’s nothing!”
Fanny also nodded. “Yeah, Aunt, that Lillian really isn’t a good person.”
Helen closed her eyes for a moment. “Stop talking. Go buy me some clothes, I’ll wait for you at the hotel next door.”
Lillian returned to the office with her face still red from being slapped. It wasn’t that she wanted to make a big scene. It was just that Helen’s slap, in her fury, had left a mark that the foundation couldn’t hide.
When she brought the things back, Conrad was still in a bad mood. “You were gone for so long, couldn’t even figure out what you were buying?”
The phone’s spending notification included two coffees, though he had no idea who she had been drinking them with.
Lillian felt wronged and couldn’t stand anyone talking about her-especially Conrad.
She mumbled, “I’m thirsty, I’ll go turn the water on in the bathroom.”
Conrad frowned. “Just because I said a couple of things, you’re giving me the cold shoulder?”
He got up and followed her into the bathroom, only to see her facing away from him.
Conrad bumped into her backside. “How about we take a shower together?”
“No thanks. I’m on my period.”
“You’re not on your period right now,” Conrad said as he reached for her zipper.
Lillian twisted away with all her strength, “I told you, no sex!”
Conrad was about to comment on her bad temper when he locked eyes with her, his gaze fixed on her face. He lifted her chin, “What’s going on with your face?”
“Nothing.”
“Whose handprint is on your face?”
“No one’s.”
“Going mute now, huh?”
Conrad immediately made a call and put it on speaker. “What happened earlier?”
“Mr. Conrad, Miss Lillian ran into two women at the boutique who started yelling at her, and then Helen showed up, asking to talk to Miss Lillian. Miss Lillian refused, and after Helen chased her out, the two got into an argument. Helen slapped Miss Lillian.”