How can there be such a wonderful person in this world? I have no inappropriate thoughts, I simply think he is particularly nice. Despite his prominent status and busy schedule, he didn’t look down on me or refuse when I invited him; instead, he graciously accepted. After my moment of admiration, I started to worry about where to have this meal. Given Daniel Carter’s status, his standards for dining, accommodations, and whatnot must be very high. Ordinary high-end restaurants aren’t worthy of him at all. Fortunately, my best friend Wennie Lane’s family is in the high-end dining business. I immediately sent her a WeChat message. [Wennie, I need to treat someone very important to thank them for doing me a big favor. Can you recommend a restaurant with a classy vibe?] Wennie replied instantly: [When?] [Then come to the Holburne, I’ll ask the manager to reserve a top-notch private room for you.] I knew I was right to ask Wennie Lane. The Holburne is the most prestigious restaurant under her family’s name, and the top-tier private room is the best of the best. Of course, the price is steep, with an average bill per person over ten thousand. But I didn’t have time to worry about my wallet; the fact that Daniel Carter would lower himself to give me the chance to thank him was already a huge honor for me. I saved Daniel Carter’s number on my phone and sent him a message with the restaurant’s location and time. His reply was just one word: Okay. Looking at my phone, I felt incredibly bright, as if all recent gloom had vanished, and I couldn’t help but hum a tune. I wasn’t sure if it was because I got my mom’s Bracelet back, or because... tomorrow I would have dinner with Daniel Carter. This good mood lasted until almost the end of the workday when an unexpected visitor broke in. The office door slammed open, and I was startled. "Ms. Lily, I couldn’t stop Mrs. Miller, she insisted on coming in." Cherry looked troubled, nervously explaining as she followed Shirley Turner inside. Shirley Turner wailed, "Why stop? If you’ve done nothing wrong, what are you afraid of?" I frowned, extremely annoyed with this stepmother, and waved for Cherry to leave. Once the door was closed, I spoke coldly, "Mrs. Miller, you better consider the consequences of causing trouble here." "Lily, don’t try to scare me! Just because you’ve clung to the Carter Family, you think you’ve turned into a phoenix? With your looks, you think you can catch their eye? Maybe in the next life! They’re just playing with you, and you think you can make it official?" I never expected the news about Daniel Carter’s purchase of the Bracelet for three hundred million for me would reach even Shirley Turner. It seemed the entire circle knew about it. "Just playing around, then. Isn’t Adrian Gordon just playing around with your precious daughter? Do they have any chance of staying together for life?" I retorted, directly hitting her sore spot. "You—" Sure enough, Shirley Turner exploded immediately, raising a finger to curse at me, "Lily, you’re so vicious! She’s your biological sister, and you curse her like that! And yesterday, if you hadn’t bullied her, she wouldn’t have suddenly vomited blood and fainted, nearly losing her life! You’re cruel-hearted!" I witnessed Sophie Miller’s collapse yesterday with my own eyes. She brought it upon herself, getting into a huge fight with Adrian Gordon, exacerbating her condition, what did it have to do with me? Shirley Turner said she "nearly lost her life," which meant she survived. She is indeed tough, and a real drama queen. "I bullied her? Ha... Mrs. Miller, your ability to distort the truth is truly outstanding! I warned her yesterday. Fighting me for the Bracelet, traveling all the way in a wheelchair, wasn’t she afraid it would cost her life—turns out, she’s really blessed." The angrier Shirley Turner got, the calmer and happier I became. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI-Fire.ɴet "Lily, you—" she was rendered speechless by my words, gritting her teeth and frantically searched the room, then suddenly picked up a folder from my desk and hurled it at me. I quickly dodged, retreating several steps, but the folder’s edge still grazed my face, causing a hot stinging pain. This was intolerable. Coming to my company to cause trouble, could I let her leave unscathed? I grabbed my phone and called the police. It seems my scumbag dad is still in a detention center; perhaps they can be partners in crime, keeping each other company! Hearing me call for "Police officer," Shirley Turner panicked, becoming even more excessive, bypassing the desk to charge at me, grabbing another stack of papers to beat and smash indiscriminately. "You’re actually calling the police! You jinx! You got your dad locked up!" "The police said he’s in for solicitation, locked for over ten days! You’re so vicious! A hundred times more vicious than your mother! You’ve thrown a good family into chaos with no peace left!" "Why don’t you get a terminal illness? Go early to join your mother! Heaven’s so unfair, my daughter is so young... so young and facing death..." As she hysterically cursed, she vented by slapping and hitting me but ended up feeling aggrieved, crying while hitting me. I covered my head with both hands, trying to ensure my face was unscathed, but my head was buzzing from the hits, the pain numbing. Fortunately, Cherry quickly realized the situation, burst in with others, restraining the crazed troublemaker. "Ms. Lily, are you okay? Should we call an ambulance?" Cherry was so frightened her face turned pale, rushing over to check on me. I slumped into a chair, my expression pained, nodding slightly, "Yes... I’m dizzy..." But before we could call an ambulance, the police already arrived. My subordinates were efficient, immediately accusing: "Officer, this insane woman barged in and assaulted our boss!" "Officer, I’m her mother; it’s rightful for a mother to discipline her daughter!" Shirley Turner quickly reacted, trying to change the context of her assault. Cherry corrected her: "She’s only my boss’s stepmother, and she has been abusing our boss for years, now even chasing her to the company to hit her!" Hearing it was a family matter, the police looked troubled. I took my hands off my head, finding blood between my fingers, and before I could react, Cherry exclaimed, "Ms. Lily, you’re bleeding! I’ll call an ambulance right away!" Seeing how serious things were, the police officer asked, "Are you sure you want to press charges?" "Yes." I nodded. Otherwise, this beating would be for nothing. "Do you want to go to the hospital first or come with us to file a report?" "I’m dizzy; let me go to the hospital for a checkup first, then go to the station for a report, is that okay?" "By the way, officer, there’s surveillance in my office." I pointed with my bloodstained finger at the camera in the corner, asking, "Could the footage serve as evidence of her assaulting me?" The officer nodded: "Yes, we can make a copy." The moment before Shirley Turner was still yelling, now her face changed upon seeing the camera. "Lily, you did this on purpose! I was wondering why you, usually so overbearing and feisty, were so meek today, letting me hit you without fighting back! You’re too scheming! You won’t die a good death!" I said in grievance, "Stepmother, this unjustly accuses me... I didn’t fight back because I’m not your match, ever since childhood, whenever you beat me, when dare I fight back... Whenever I resisted, you beat me harder, even called my dad to join in beating me..." "You—Lily!" Shirley Turner glared at me, speechless, so angry she wanted to strike again, only for the officers to forcibly restrain her. "Behave! How dare you act up before the law? No respect for the law?" The two officers firmly controlled her, sternly scolding. Shirley Turner’s face turned crimson, unable to move, still cursing with her mouth. I watched her, a slight smile tugging at my lips, my eyes also hiding a sense of vindictive satisfaction. I finally understood the thrill Sophie Miller felt playing the victim card. As long as I play weak, act coquettish, and feign grievances, I can easily control everyone, no wonder Adrian Gordon is manipulated by her so thoroughly.