Chapter 86: Misunderstanding

"Now that was a surprise," Arnold Ang remarked, watching Wendy Lim leave. "I didn't think your stepmother would go that far."

"I might have misunderstood her," Lily Ling admitted, lowering her head. "I can't deny that I had the same biasness against her that she did for her daughter. I always resented her because for taking my mother's place…but now that I think about it carefully, she hasn't actually done anything to me. Probably took Linda Ling's side every time we have a conflict, but that's only natural. But she has never actually harmed me directly…or even indirectly."

Lily held her head and she contemplated. She had half-expected Wendy Lim to hire kidnappers, assassins or thugs to harass her, but she never encountered such nonsense. Usually, it was Linda Ling and her rich friends who bullied her more than hired thugs.

"What will you do now?" Arnold asked, gesturing toward the documents that Wendy Lim had handed over. "Take over Ling Electronics again? Go back to running Ling Corporation as one of the major shareholders?"

"Nah, my business days are over." Lily shook her head. "I want to remain in acting. That's the dream profession of all CEO story female leads. They are either always acting, modeling or designing. The three most cliché jobs in CEO stories."

"I think there's a lawyer in one of the most popular CEO stories," Arnold began before snorting. "Except that she sucks at her job as a lawyer, never uses her legal rights, and gets abused by her husband."

"The Deserted Woman? Ugh, don't remind me of that toxic story. Reading it made my blood pressure rose."

"Oh, and there's the CEO stories where the female lead is an ex-assassin. There's quite a few of them."

"Except that in My Super Hot Mom is An Assassin, the female lead isn't even a competent assassin even though the author claims that she's a top-level one. She can't even infiltrate the male lead's place properly, her disguise gets seen through by the male lead and his assistant immediately, she loses a fight to a random gunman and requires the male lead to saves her, she gets defeated by armed maids, she allows herself to get raped by the male lead on multiple occasions without ever being able to fight back against him, has not killed even a single person throughout the entire story…and the one woman she shot in cold blood ended up surviving. It's like the author doesn't know what an assassin is supposed to be capable of and just randomly created the backstory for her protagonist without doing any proper research whatsoever."

"You really hate that story, don't you?" Arnold chuckled. Lily sighed and shook her head.

"You have no idea. The novel is worse than the manhua that I read, from what I heard. The male lead is downright scum. I have no idea how she could even fall for him, someone who raped her so many times. And despite supposedly being a professional killer, she's so…incompetent. I don't understand how the author can shamelessly laud her as top level when she does nothing in the story but fail over and over again and make the stupidest choices possible. Like what sort of mother brings her child to an underground casino and expects it to go well? Not to mention, she ended up getting sold by her own son! And what's with that scene where the male lead forces her to watch him have sex with another woman? That was utterly disgusting."

"Okay, okay. I get it." Arnold held up his hands. "Anyway, you sure you don't want to go back to managing?"

"No. I intend to stay an actress."

"That's a relief." Arnold chuckled. "Then it means I get to keep my job. I was worried about having to find a new client if you quit."

"Don't worry, I don't intend to quit." Lily smiled reassuringly. "I have plenty of reasons to stay in the entertainment business. I love my current career."

"Excellent. Speaking of which, I mentioned Director Deng earlier, didn't I? He wants you to audition for the empress role in his new historical period drama…"

*

"What did you do, mom?!"

Linda Ling shrieked as she smashed her hands against the table, glaring at Wendy Lim. Her mother sat across from the table, her arms folded.

"I simply returned the shares to your sister. It belonged to her in the first place. What were you thinking, blackmailing her to sell her shares to you at such a grossly discounted rate? I've overlooked your bullying many times, but this time you've gone too far. Stop bothering your sister."

"She's not sister of mine!" Linda Ling snapped. Wendy Lim frowned.

"She is the daughter of your father. That makes her your sister."

"I will never acknowledge her!" Linda Ling insisted stubbornly. "Her very existence is a thorn at my side!"

"Linda!" Wendy Lim said sharply. "How dare you say such things about your own sister?! It seems that I've spoiled and pampered you too much. I've always favored you over your sister, is that not enough? You already drove her out of the home. Don't think your father and I don't know. Now stop bothering her or we will have to take action."

"Mom! How can you take her side?!"

"You still haven't understood where you've gone wrong?" Wendy Lim sighed wearily and buried her face in her palm. Linda, I have already overlooked many of your transgressions. Your sister has suffered for so many years, having been passed over so that you can get all the better things. But you've gone too far. Why are you tormenting her like this? Just leave her be, let her live her own life. Why are you harassing her?"

"Don't you understand, mom? As long as Lily Ling lives, she'll inherit the company! I'll never be able to inherit the Ling family's wealth and business! Her very existence threatens my ambition!"

"As is her right. She's the eldest daughter in the Ling family. Of course she is in prime position to inherit the Ling family business. She has grown up in management and her skills are unquestioned. What are you going to do with so much money, anyway? Isn't your current lifestyle luxurious enough?"

"Mom! I don't believe you! Listen to what you're saying!" Linda Ling was utterly shocked. "Are you seriously going to allow that wench to inherit everything?!"

"Firstly, Lily isn't going to inherit everything, as you so fear." Wendy Lim rolled her eyes. "She will just be the leader of the Ling family, like your father. She will have the majority of the shares and a bulk of the family fortune. But we made sure to leave a significant portion for you too. You still have your own sizable number of shares and fortune from the family. Why are you so greedy for more?"

"Who wouldn't want more? It's not enough. It's never enough!"

Wendy Lim sighed in exasperation, but didn't press the point. Instead, she looked at Linda Ling sternly. "Secondly, do you know why I bought back Lily's shares and returned them to her?"

"She must have tricked you into it!" Linda Ling suddenly understood. "That wench must have gotten hold of your weakness and threatened you! Otherwise you would never have…!"

"No, she didn't." Wendy Lim looked as if she had a headache. "Just how deluded can you be? Have you been reading too many CEO novels or something? Of course not."

"Huh? Then why…?"

"Have you not read up on the financial reports of our company? Kept track of what you've been doing with the shares you owned?"

Linda Ling was silent for a moment, which was all the answer Wendy Lim needed. She gave her biological daughter a stern stare.

"Under you, the company shares have been in freefall. The profits fell and we ended up going into debt. Your negligence has cost the company dear and your favoritism – you've been appointing your own friends and lackeys into positions of power after getting rid of the staff that your father and sister hired – has all but destroyed us from within. If I didn't take action, you would have single-handedly bankrupted the corporation."

"What…I…I…?"

"Fortunately, your father discovered this in time. He has taken action and removed the corrupted people you have appointed. I returned the shares to Lily, so she will be able to handle her portion with her usual competence and prevent the company from sliding into destruction. You are not to touch management at all. We will leave you with your personal shares, but no more. We have informed the shareholders that you are barred from any decision-making at the corporate level."

"No! You can't do this to me! You can't!"

"We didn't do anything to you," Wendy Lim replied quietly. "You brought this upon yourself. If you hadn't allowed greed to blind you, if you hadn't corrupted the company and driven it to its knees, perhaps your father wouldn't have found out about your nonsense. As it is, your selfishness caused us more harm. If we don't do anything, you will be the death of us all."

She rose from her seat, fixing a glare on her daughter.

"And don't you dare touch a single hair on Lily's head. She has nothing to do with this. I've spoilt you for many years now, but you have taken my favoritism for granted and gone too far. No more. If you don't stop your selfish nonsense, then you will be disowned. I'm giving you one last chance to make it right. I won't ask you to apologize to your sister or try to reconcile with her, but at the very least, leave her alone."

Wendy Lim paused.

"Your father knows this too. He's currently busy at the company, trying to control the damage you have dealt. But if you hurt Lily again, he will disown you. When that happens, even I will not be able to help you. In fact, if you end up in prison because you try to harass her again, I will not bail you out. Do you understand?"

"…understood, mom."

"Good. Now go back to your room and cool off." Wendy Lim gave her daughter one last look before leaving the room. Linda Ling clenched her trembling fists furiously, unable to control her anger.

"Lily Ling, you bitch! You even turned my mother against me!" She snarled to herself. "You'll pay for this! I will make sure you are dead!"

Reaching for her smartphone, she began dialing for a number.

"Courtney," she said the moment she heard the other party pick up. "Send me all the information you have on assassins. I want my stepsister dead, no matter what."