Chapter 13 LILITH 128 Vouchers The next morning , I was woken by a knock on the door . Though I was reluctant to get up , the knocking was persistent and didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon . Groaning , I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled over to the door . " Who's it ? " I asked as I unlocked and opened the door , " Good morning , Miss . " It was Tessa , one of the domestic staff . " Oh , it's you , Tessa . " I leaned against the doorframe , my eyes half - closed in sleep . " What's going on this early in the morning ? " " Master and Madam request your presence downstairs . " I sobered up instantly , standing straight . So , the questioning time had finally arrived . Last night , I'd been surprised they let me off without a single word . Turns out , they were simply saving it for today . I sighed . Well , what's to come will come . No use delaying the inevitable . " Alright . Tell them I'll be down in a bit . " 0.00 % 08:50 Chapter 13 " Yes , Miss 11 Red centers With that , I closed the door and went to freshen up About thirty minutes later , I stepped out of the room and headed downstairs . To my surprise , it wasn't just my parents waiting for me . Julian and Marissa - my ever - bury , rarely seen siblings - were present too . Wow . A full audience . What a rare sight . Julian , dressed sharply as always , looked like he'd just walked out of a board meeting . His expression was impassive and stern . Seated beside him , in a pale silk blouse and tailored slacks , Marissa had her legs crossed and an arm draped lazily over the back of the couch . " Good morning , everyone . " I greeted casually and took the only empty seat - on the sofa directly opposite to where the twins sat . From the corner of my eyes , I noticed Marissa staring at me with curiosity and appraisal . I turned to meet her gaze . " Something ? " She held my gaze for a beat , then said . " You've really changed ." Was that ... approval in her voice ? " I'll take that as a compliment , " I said , quirking an eyebrow . Surprisingly , Marissa chuckled softly , her eyes glinting with amusement . " It is . " 13.20 % 08:51 Chapter 13 283 Vouchers It might sound strange , but this casual , warm atmosphere was something I'd never experienced with my siblings . In fact , I could barely remember the last time we spoke for longer than a minute , let alone sat in the same room like this . Just another downside of being raised under my parent's suffocating grip . I hadn't just been isolated from the outside world , but from own siblings too . " Of course , she's changed , " my mother cut in , her voice biting and sarcastic . " She was daring enough to stir up chaos in front of everyone last night . Is there anything else she dares not do ? " I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes at her . That'd be disrespectful of me . She was my mother , after all . At that moment , my dad cleared his throat . " When did you find out about Brandon and Claire's affair ? " Straight to the heart of the matter , I see . I'd already been mentally prepared for this line of questioning , so I didn't panic . " Yesterday morning . I got an anonymous email . " As expected , none of them doubted me . In fact , their expressions said they'd already expected as much . In their minds , I couldn't possibly have uncovered something that well hidden on my own . I would always be the naive , good girl in their eyes . So I simply used that blind belief to my advantage . My dad tapped his fingers against his knee , his brows knitting together . " Was it the sender who instructed you to reveal everything at the banquet ? " 08.500 Chapter 13 288 ( Vouchers " Of course not . That was my choice ." The frown on his face deepened . " Then why didn't you come to us first ? Something this serious should have been discussed between us before you went off and took action by yourself . " My lips curled slightly , but my voice was cold . " Would it have made a difference ? You would've swept it under the rug , leveraged it against the Scotts to gain more benefits , and still forced me to marry Brandon ." My mom opened her mouth to speak , but I cut her off . " You don't have to rush to defend yourselves . Or are you going to deny that wasn't your intention when you sent Uncle Robert to drag me away last night ? " " I ... we just ... " she stammered , faltering halfway through . They didn't need to say more . The way they avoided my gaze said everything . Even if I'd already suspected as much , confirming it still made my heart twist in pain . A heavy silence settled over the room . Then , Julian spoke . His voice cold and stern , just like his appearance . " How do you know Dean ? Was it really as you said last night - that you were meeting again for the first time in ten years ? " " Yes . " He furrowed his brows - an action that made his features appear even more intimidating . " That was your first time meeting him after so long , and you decided he'd be your new fiancé ? Just like that ? " 08:51 Chapter 13 I answered curtly , again . " Yes . " " Maybe it was love at first sight , " Marissa chimed in from the side with a smirk . Julian shot her a glare , but she shrugged it off . " He must have said something to her , " my mom jumped in , her tone positive . " They were whispering something together , and afterward , she went ahead and announced him as her new fiancé . " " Indeed , " my dad added . They were clearly convinced Dean was some scheming villain . I shrugged . Well , it's not my fault they didn't believe me . But Julian wasn't about to let it slide . " Recount everything you two talked about , " he demanded , leaning forward . " Truthfully . " A domineering president act in real life would be cool , If only it wasn't directed at me . I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again , then began speaking . " Here's the gist : he saw Uncle Robert trying to drag me away and stepped in . Then he mentioned something about the engagement being arranged while his mother was still married to the Scotts . " " That gave me the idea to make him my new fiance as a way to completely escape marrying Brandon . " 08.51 Day 13 " That's the summary " My mom was the first to react , her voice rising " I bet he's the one who sent that anonymous email ! She's completely bewitched by that man ! " " I don't care what you say . As long as no one here acknowledges that farce of an engagement , it doesn't count ! " I turned to my dad , lifting a brow . " Is that what you think too , Dad ? But , from what I saw yesterday , you and Mr. Scott seemed to have a different idea ... " Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!