Chapter 133

Layla was in disbelief. "Didn't you already snatch the earrings away?"

Lily responded, "Snatching them was a skill. If I were easy to bully, you would have given the earrings to her. Even having the thought is unacceptable. If you dare to give them away, don't blame me for retaliating."

Layla was speechless.

Layla wanted to say more, but Lily's phone rang. Glancing at the screen, Lily's expression softened immediately, her eyes lighting up as she quickly answered.

"Auntie..."

Lily had no patience for further conversation with Layla. She asked Aunty Fang to see her out and hurried back to her room with her phone, not even bothering to put on slippers. Her excited voice could be heard intermittently.

"Auntie... No, no, I wanted to call you, but I was afraid of disturbing you... My shoulder is really fine now. It was just a dislocation, and it doesn't hurt at all anymore."

"Auntie, I miss you so much."

Layla stood there, stunned, watching her younger daughter's retreating figure. Was that really Lily? Could she still act coy? How many years had it been? Layla had forgotten how long it had been since this spoiled daughter last acted like a spoiled child in her arms. She couldn't remember when they had grown so distant.

Lily used to love being held by her, always acting sweet. But now, they were more like enemies than strangers. Layla often found herself angry with Lily, believing she was inferior to Zoya and would embarrass her, leading to frequent scoldings and belittlement.

But Lily was her biological daughter. Layla thought Lily had become spoiled and unlikable, yet here she was, acting sweetly and speaking softly, her eyes bright and happy, just like a child who had gotten their favorite candy.

Except now, she was acting this way towards someone else. Though that person was her sister, Layla couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Layla drove back to the Jian family's old house but didn't rush in. She parked by the roadside, unsure how to explain things to Brooks, and decided to make a call.

Since Lily always listened to her aunt, she hoped her sister could persuade her. When the call connected, Layla briefly explained the situation.

"Sis, you have to help me this time. I'm really out of options. Please, talk to Lily. She listens to you the most..."

"Persuade her? Are you kidding me?"

Her sister interrupted her with a cold laugh.

"If I were Lily, I'd tell you all to go to hell. Lily being your and Brooks' daughter is truly unfortunate."

Layla had given away everything in the trunk, but it was all for nothing. Brooks was furious and yelled at her for a long time. Layla, knowing it was her own words that had ruined things, felt guilty and didn't dare to argue back, enduring his scolding.

Reporter Sun was due to be discharged tomorrow, and Brooks, anxious and feeling like an ant on a hot pan, decided to call Lily himself that night. Before making the call, he prepared extensively, anticipating a tough conversation. He even drafted a speech, rehearsing different scenarios and preparing to appeal to Lily's sense of family and emotion.

Finally, at ten o'clock, he made the call.

But it was Edmond who answered.

Twenty minutes earlier, Lily had fallen asleep in Edmond's arms. Brooks' carefully drafted speech was useless. Frustrated, he crumpled the papers and threw them in the trash, realizing he now had to appeal to Edmond.

"Edmond, if something happens to L&S, it will affect Lily too. She's my daughter; she'll be impacted as well. Don't you agree?"

Brooks retrieved the crumpled paper from the trash, ready to use his emotional appeal.

Edmond, not wanting to wake Lily, kept it brief. "Come to Jingxiu at nine tomorrow morning with Leopold."

After the call, Edmond turned off the light, lay down, and held his wife, sleeping soundly.

Brooks, thrilled, called his son back, and the two of them talked late into the night in the study.

Lily, meanwhile, had a good night's sleep.

At breakfast, Edmond mentioned that her father and Leopold would be visiting Jingxiu. He asked if she wanted to come along, and of course, she did. Edmond told her he would ask for shares on her behalf today, wanting her to be happy.

Lily accompanied Edmond to Jingxiu. The meeting was set for nine, and it was only eight, so there was plenty of time. Octavian had brought over a stack of documents that needed signing, and Edmond had already started working.

Not wanting to disturb him, Lily lounged on the sofa, playing games with her headphones on.

Brooks and Leopold arrived half an hour early. At eight-thirty, Octavian led them in.

"Lily?"

Brooks was surprised to see Lily there, comfortably lying on the sofa playing games, wrapped in Edmond's suit jacket. A flash of realization crossed his eyes, followed by a mix of emotions.

This little brat, he thought, managed to get Edmond to marry her out of gratitude and still had him wrapped around her finger. Brooks felt he had been blind, believing Zoya was the one worth nurturing, when it was clear Lily was the truly capable one.

"You're not at home, show some manners," Brooks said, trying to act like a stern father. "This is Edmond's office. Sit properly. Luckily, it's just me and your brother here. If it were someone else, what would they think?"

He turned to Edmond with a smile. "Lily's spoiled because of me. Edmond, I hope you don't mind."

Edmond set down his pen, looked up, and gestured for them to sit. "My place, she can be comfortable however she likes. No one dares to criticize her."

Brooks marveled again at how wrong he had been about Lily.

"Yes, yes, as long as you two are happy, I'm happy too."

Lily lost her game and blamed Brooks for the distraction.

"Father, don't be a hypocrite. Look, you made me lose the game."

Brooks was speechless. Despite her capabilities, she was still a rebellious daughter.

Edmond handed the signed documents to Octavian, got up, and sat next to Lily, brewing tea for Brooks and Leopold himself, showing the proper respect and courtesy.

"Mr. Jian, I understand why you're here today. But I'd like to ask, how do you intend to resolve this matter?"

Brooks accepted the tea. "This matter can't be reported. You know the TV station's leadership. Could you arrange a meeting? We'll do whatever it takes to make sure Reporter Sun doesn't publish this."

Edmond handed the other cup of tea to Leopold. "Is that your stance too?"

Leopold took the cup with both hands. "Yes, ideally, we can downplay the issue and resolve it quietly."

Octavian had just brought in some pomegranate seeds. Edmond peeled one and fed it to Lily, asking, "What do you think is the best way to handle this?"

Brooks and Leopold exchanged glances, clearly not expecting Edmond to ask for Lily's opinion.

Lily herself was taken aback.

She had come along today just to observe, thinking it was nice to have a strong backing and not needing to think for herself. But here she was, being asked for her input.

Although Edmond hadn't prepared her for this, she decided to speak her mind.

"I think if Reporter Sun wants to report it, let him. Which company doesn't have idiots? Shenghui is just a subsidiary of L&S. The headquarters can't be expected to know every detail of what happens in distant branches."

Leopold caught on to her meaning. "You mean we should make the person responsible take full accountability?"

Lily took another pomegranate seed from Edmond.

"If he caused the issue by taking kickbacks, who else should be responsible?"

Edmond handed her a tissue to wipe her mouth. "If you were the decision-maker for L&S, how would you handle it?"

Lily replied, "If it were me, I'd expose the issue before Reporter Sun is discharged, apologize publicly, and take responsibility. Make it clear what compensations will be made and what steps will be taken to correct the issue. As long as we show a sincere attitude and make appropriate compensations, the owners won't cause further trouble."