Without a word, Lillian took off her jacket and draped it over the urn. Her face was pale, and she kept muttering apologies.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s my fault I couldn’t protect you. I’ve failed you…”
“I will take you home…”
Conrad saw a single tear fall from Lillian’s eye, hitting the urn.
A strange and deeply unsettling feeling crept over him.
He hated seeing Lillian cry.
He hated even more that someone else had caused her tears.
For the past three years, Conrad had known that Lillian lacked money and had been using his funds to support her uncle’s family. But he had never cared to find out how she’d been treated in her uncle’s family.
After all, she had approached him for his money. Women like her were a dime a dozen in his world.
At least money was something he had plenty of. To want both his money and his heart? That was pure greed.
Lillian staying with him had been a fluke from the start. Why should he trouble himself over how she lived at home?
But now, standing in front of this tiny storage room-smaller than the dog kennel at the Brown family estate-and seeing her belongings destroyed, Conrad’s expression darkened.
He spoke coldly, “Destroy this place completely.”
Almost as soon as Conrad spoke, the bodyguards sprang into action.
The sound of vases shattering and the sofa being kicked over startled the housekeeper hiding in the corner, who let out a terrified scream.
“Call the police! Somebody call the police!” Fanny shouted.
But the housekeeper’s legs were so weak she couldn’t even move toward the phone.
John panicked and yelled, “No one calls the police!”
If Conrad were taking action, reporting it to the authorities would mean John would never be able to stay in City N again.
“Mr. Conrad, please, don’t hold this against us! Calm down. We were wrong, it’s our fault,” John pleaded desperately.
“Are you all starving? Get moving,” Conrad said coldly, lifting his eyes lazily as a few of the bodyguards headed upstairs.
“No! You can’t go up there! That’s my room! What are you doing? Those are my luxury handbags! Let go! Let go of them!” Fanny’s screams echoed through the house.
Conrad’s bodyguards didn’t care if it was a man or a woman; they only knew how to follow orders. They shoved Fanny out of the way and smashed or threw out everything in sight.
For a moment, the household was in utter chaos.
Neighbors peeked their heads out to see what was happening, but upon spotting several burly men storming around John’s residence, they quickly withdrew.
“What’s going on?”
“Not sure. Probably John’s creditors coming to collect again. This neighborhood’s a mess because of him. Even the kids can’t go to school in peace. We should complain to the property management later.”
As the chaos continued inside, Sophia, unaware of who these people were, was too scared to come downstairs. She kept calling Helen, her voice trembling.
As soon as Helen picked up, Sophia burst into tears. “Mommy! Please come home quickly! There are scary people here-they’re going to tear Uncle’s house apart!”
“Sophia, don’t be scared! I’m on my way. Just stay put, okay?” Helen tried to comfort her daughter while urging the driver to hurry.
Meanwhile, John stood frozen amid the mess, cold sweat dripping from his forehead.
“Mr. Conrad, please, make them stop! This is all I have left. Please, have mercy!”
Conrad had no intention of entertaining his pleas. He’d lost count of how many people had begged him before, and John was nothing to him.
“Lillian! Say something! I’m your uncle!” John turned to Lillian in desperation.
But Lillian remained kneeling, motionless, as if she couldn’t hear a word.
By the time Helen arrived, Grace had been thrown out of the house by the bodyguards. The place was so trashed there wasn’t even a spot to step. Fanny clung to her pile of luxury handbags as her life depended on it, terrified someone might snatch them away.
As soon as Fanny saw Helen, she wailed and ran toward her.
“Auntie! Auntie, it’s all because of that little brat Lillian! She brought people here…” Her voice trailed off into a whisper. “She brought Conrad here.”
Grace, sitting on the ground and flailing dramatically, had none of her usual composure as a self-proclaimed lady of high status.
Helen’s legs nearly gave out as her face turned deathly pale. She turned to the others, her voice trembling. “Where’s Lillian?”
“Mommy!” Sophia, who had been anxiously waiting, finally ran downstairs like a frightened deer and threw herself into Helen’s arms. “Mommy, you’re finally here!”
“I’m here now, sweetheart. Don’t be afraid. Daddy and I will handle everything,” Helen said, trying to calm her.
The bodyguards came downstairs, ignoring Helen and the others as if they didn’t exist.
“Sir, the place is pretty much trashed,” one of them reported.
Conrad glanced toward the storage room, where Lillian was still kneeling, and walked over.
His polished leather shoes stepped into the dusty little room. He crouched down on one knee beside Lillian and asked, “What else do you want to do?”
Lillian turned her head to look at him.
Conrad thought he liked most of Lillian’s expressions. But he didn’t like this one-like a stray dog that had lost everything.
She wasn’t supposed to be like that.
She was his.
She bore his mark.
She had a home.
Conrad reached out and wiped away her tears. “Say it. Whatever you want, I’ll make it happen.”
“I want to leave this place,” she said. As soon as the words left her lips, another tear rolled down her cheek, like an unstoppable spring, as if she wanted to pour out all the grievances she had endured during this time.
“Alright, we’ll leave,” he said.
Conrad moved to pick up the urn, but Lillian instinctively recoiled, clutching it tightly like a wounded animal.
Conrad paused, his hand suspended midair, before it landed gently on her shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
Helen watched as Conrad walked out of the storage room with his arm around Lillian. She opened her mouth to speak, but Peter grabbed her hand tightly and shook his head.
This was City N-Conrad’s territory. She couldn’t afford to make a scene.
As Lillian prepared to leave, Fanny stared at her with a venomous glare.
“You little bitch…” Fanny muttered under her breath.
But the words still reached other ears.
Lillian raised her eyes to look at her and froze. Her pupils contracted as her gaze landed on the jade necklace hanging around Fanny’s neck-the very one Alvin had given her years ago!
After the Lewis family went bankrupt, the jade necklace vanished. Despite living with her uncle’s family for so many years, Lillian had never seen it among their belongings. She had always assumed the items her father left her had been seized, but how did it end up with Fanny?
“Where did you get that jade necklace?!” Lillian suddenly charged at Fanny.
Fanny shrieked in fright and immediately hid behind Helen. “Auntie! Auntie! Lillian’s trying to kill me!”
“Lillian, what more do you want?!” Helen shouted, her voice breaking. “Haven’t you done enough to destroy this house?!”
She felt like having this daughter was the worst mistake of her life. Why did she have to endure all of this?
Her life wasn’t supposed to turn out this way!
“Just because you’ve found yourself someone powerful to back you up, you think you can bully your family? This is your uncle’s house!” Helen yelled.
“That jade necklace was mine to give!” Helen continued furiously. “Fanny liked it, so I gave it to her. Your uncle and aunt have taken care of you for so many years! What’s wrong with me giving her the pendant as thanks?”
“All of my father’s assets were seized. How could you have that necklace?” Lillian demanded coldly.