Chapter 5

The drive home was silent. The party was a disaster. Just what Lily wanted. Jayden had left. She rode with them this time, trying to hide her disgusted face, seeing the crying mother-daughter duo. Rupert was silent and headed directly towards the stairway.

"I'm sorry, Dad" Marie whimpered. Rupert stopped, walked back to where the two were standing, and landed a slap on her cheek, just like he had done to Lily a year ago. He was a selfish man, no doubt. He prioritized money, work, and reputation over family. Even his dear Marie wasn't left out. Marie went down immediately, from the force of the slap, that everyone thought she was going to faint. Fortunately for Lily, she didn't. If she had, the fun would have ended prematurely. If only she could pop some corn.

"Are you okay, darling?" Her mother asked. Rupert pointed his index finger at Marie.

"You want to spoil the reputation I have worked so hard to build. Do you know how many contracts I will lose because of your foolishness? Do you?! He thundered that even Lily flinched. His eyes were were so red that she thought he was going to have a heart attack. He had been wanting to collaborate with Beau corporation, but he had been denied entry every time he went there. The golden opportunity came when Edward attended his daughter's birthday party, but this witch of a daughter destroyed it. He raised his hand to hit her again, but Silvia came between this, pleading.

Marie looked up and locked eyes with Lily. She suddenly pointed at her.

"It was her! Dad. The falling incident too was her doing! Lily set me up" she said frantically. Her mother supported her.

"Yes. Lily set her up. Honey, it wasn't Marie's fault" Rupert's eyes went to his other daughter. She looked him in the eyes, waiting for what he would say.

"Did you do it?"

"No, I didn't" she replied flatly.

"She's lying, Dad. She's lying" she said in a frenzy.

"Shut up!" He roared. "Anyone?" One of the servants appeared, fidgeting. "Have her locked in her room" The same punishment was given to Lily in her past life. Marie was dragged away. She pleaded, but he remained adamant. Lily quickly escaped to her room, away from the line of fire.

************

At Beau corporation, Edward sat at the big mahogany desk, staring at Lily's profile. He hadn't taken an interest in any woman, though they always throw themselves at him. But this time, it was different. He felt a connection with this lady more than ever. He knew about the stunt she pulled at the party. That only meant she had a bad relationship with her family.

"Lily Savage…" He said out loud, tapping on the desk.

The days passed by, and she seldom went out, except for dinner. Somehow, news about Marie never appeared on the news. She correctly guessed her father had paid them off. Lily wasn't really surprised when she learnt that Marie was given food. The only thing she could do was leaving her room. She had everything she needed for comfort in her bedroom. Meanwhile, she was denied food and locked up in her little room with a bedside lamp as the only source of light.

She left for work. She had rented a small apartment she used as her office. The moment she went into the space, Dana's excited chatters. She was speaking to Brick. He was also a fashion designer. He was also smiling.

"Boss! Boss!" She ran over excited, almost hitting her face on the floor.

"Hey! Take it easy" Brick said behind her. Dana was a cute girl in glasses. She had a curly hair and a splash of freckles on her nose and cheeks.

"This something good happened" she nodded so vigorously that Lily worried her head might fall off.

"It's good news. We received hundreds of orders. Boss, we are rich!" She jumped in excitement.

"Did you do something? How come we got so many orders overnight" Brick questioned. Dana also perked, wanting to know too. Lily shrugged.

"Nothing much. Just a little promotion at Marie's party" Some heiresses had approached her, and she had given them her company's contact. It had spread among their circles, leading to the mass orders.

The day was the most hectic day she ever had. The team worked into the night, cups of coffee messed up the ground. She was completely exhausted when she returned to the house. She opened the door and trudged in. In the living room was Marie and her mother in her room, helping themselves to a cup of tea. Great. In just three days, Marie was released. She was even more robust than when she was confined. Lily remembered she spent about five days in confinement. She was completely weightless when she came out. The two witches of the house had mocked her. They did now too. Marie snorted. Her expression said, "In the end, I am still his best daughter" She turned a blind eye and went to her room. She was too tired to care. Her eyes closed immediately her body touched the bed.

************

She left home early, without having breakfast. The sight of those two was enough to make her regurgitate. She promised herself she was going to send those two out and reclaim what were hers.

She buried herself in her work. She had only worked on half of the orders.

She sat in her office when Dana knocked on a hard surface to get her attention.

"Boss, you have a visitor" She raised a brow. That was rare.

She stood up and walked out. She was shocked to see who the visitor was.

"Mr Beau?" He was seated on a chair that was a tad too small for him. Well, the chair wasn't exactly small, his broad size made it that way.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, obviously confused.

"To see you" She was stunned speechless..... again. Brick and Dana acted like they were working, but their eyes and ears were on the duo.

"Let's talk" he said.

"If you want something from me, you will ask, not order" She didn't know where she got her bravado from, but she said it anyway. His lip tightened, and she could tell he wasn't happy.