“What’re you talking about?” Lucian frowned impatiently.
Chen tensed immediately, regretting the words the moment they left his mouth.
Lucian’s cold stare alone was enough to make his confidence crumble.
“I… I just meant the young lady I told you about earlier. She could help with your mother’s illness. She’s quite skilled in Traditional Chinese Medicine,” Chen said cautiously, shrinking under Lucian’s gaze as he braced himself for whatever came next.
“Mind your business.”
Lucian walked away without sparing him another glance.
Chen stood rooted to the spot in bewilderment.
One sentence was all it had taken to shut him up completely.
He silently cursed himself for opening his mouth in the first place.
He should have remained quiet.
Before Lucian had even stepped out of the pharmacy, his phone rang.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he answered.
“The CCTV footage from the penthouse couldn’t be found,” Dominic’s voice came from the other end.
Lucian’s expression darkened.
“But we’ve found some information about the first young lady of the Zhao family,” Dominic continued.
“Go on.”
“Her name is Camille Zhao. Her mother is Odessa min. According to my source, she’s the illegitimate daughter who only entered the Zhao family after the death of the real Madam Zhao. Her mother was An Zhao’s longtime mistress.”
Dominic fell silent for a moment, waiting for further instructions.
“Anything else?” Lucian asked impatiently.
“Yes. The old madam also had a biological granddaughter. She grew up in the countryside after her mother’s death and was ignored by the Zhao family for years. She’s only recently returned.”
“Do whatever it takes and retrieve that CCTV footage,” Lucian ordered after a while before ending the call.
As he lowered his phone, countless thoughts flooded his mind.
Why had the CCTV footage been deleted?
Someone had clearly erased it on purpose.
Whoever had done it never wanted him to discover what had happened that night.Did that mean he would never uncover the truth?
His chest tightened.
Ever since that night at the penthouse, his episodes had returned.
Originally, Leon had planned to attend the meeting himself, but something unexpected had come up.
Since the partnership greatly benefited their company, Lucian had volunteered to handle it instead.If he had known it would end like this, perhaps he would never have gone.
The strangest part was that a portion of his memory seemed to have disappeared entirely, as though someone had forcibly cut it away, leaving behind only an empty space.
That feeling frustrated him more than anything.
His thoughts drifted back to the Zhao family.
Wei Lu had only told him that he would be entering a marriage alliance with the Zhao family’s eldest daughter.
Was that person…
Camille Zhao?
Disgust instantly crossed his face. Find the original chapter at g.com.
He wanted absolutely nothing to do with that shameless woman who would stop at nothing just to get into his bed.
A trace of displeasure flashed across his eyes as he stepped on the accelerator and drove away.
Camille arrived at the largest luxury boutique in the city to purchase the latest limited edition gown.
An exclusive evening ball was only days away.
The event gathered China’s most renowned painters, art collectors and antique appraisers.
Although Camille loved attending exhibitions and claiming to appreciate art, her paintings were ordinary at best.
The only reason she received endless praise was because of the Zhao family’s wealth and influence.
Expensive paintings, famous artists and flattering appraisals surrounded her wherever she went, yet she had little genuine interest in art itself.
“Oh my God!”
Her eyes lit up the moment she spotted a black evening gown displayed at the centre of the showroom.
“This dress is absolutely gorgeous. It’ll look so beautiful on me.”
She quickly changed into it.
The elegant black gown hugged her slender waist before flowing gracefully over her hips.
High slits ran up both sides of the skirt, revealing just enough of her long legs with every movement while perfectly accentuating her naturally pear shaped figure.
The fitted bodice highlighted her delicate shoulders, making her appear graceful and sophisticated.
“It really suits you,” Yao said excitedly.
“Pair it with a ruby red brooch and everyone at the ball will be staring at you.”
Yao had been Camille’s closest friend for years.
The two moved within the same wealthy social circle and were practically allies whenever prestigious social events were involved.
Neither of them truly cared about paintings or antique appraisals.
Their real purpose for attending the ball was the annual China Golden Phoenix Beauty Gala, where the nation’s most influential young socialites competed for the title of China’s Most Elegant Lady.
“See? You always have wonderful taste, Yao,” Camille said with a bright smile.
Standing before the mirror, she slowly turned around, admiring how perfectly the gown embraced every curve of her body.
“Let’s go.”
She walked confidently towards the cashier and casually handed over a gold membership card.
“A… a Gold Card?”
Yao stared in disbelief.
Only the mysterious Black Card ranked above it.
Very few people in the country possessed a Gold Card, making it a symbol of extraordinary wealth and status.
“But I haven’t picked out a dress yet,” Yao complained, trying to hide both her surprise and disappointment.
She had spent the entire afternoon helping Camille choose clothes and had barely looked for one herself.
“We still have an Imperial Facial Care appointment. We’ll come back afterwards,” Camille replied calmly, brushing the matter aside without another thought.
“Alright… that’s fine.”
Yao forced a smile.
The receptionist carefully packed every item Camille had purchased before respectfully handing the bags to the staff.The two ladies soon left the boutique together. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Yao suddenly said.
“How’s your sister?”
For the briefest moment, Camille’s smile stiffened.
Almost instantly, she concealed the expression with her usual gentle smile.
“She’s fine. She’s just been causing quite a lot of trouble for the Zhao family lately.”
Camille sighed softly before adding, “Maybe it’s because she grew up in the countryside. I’m sure she’ll adjust eventually.”
Her helpless expression successfully drew Yao’s sympathy.
“Don’t worry about her, Camille. She’s not worth your time. You’re better than her in every single way.”
Camille lowered her eyes shyly as a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
“It’s alright, Yao. Thank you.”
Watching her reaction only made Yao feel even more protective of her.
Camille was simply too kind.
Even after everything, she still defended her sister instead of complaining about her.
In Yao’s eyes, Camille was gentle, forgiving and undeserving of such a troublesome sister.
Mei had just returned from the pharmacy and headed straight into the villa.
She entered the kitchen and began preparing a nourishing lamb soup for Grandma Li.
Lamb was naturally warming and rich in high quality protein and iron helping to replenish blood, restore strength and improve circulation.
Since Grandma Li’s body had become weak after years of illness, the soup would provide gentle nourishment without placing too much burden on her digestive system.
Once the soup was ready, Mei carried the tray upstairs.
After setting the food aside, she walked into Grandma Li’s bedroom with several medicinal herbs in her hands.
She had personally ground the herbs into an extremely fine powder before carefully combining them into small pills by hand.
Grandma Li had always been sensitive to the strong smell and bitter taste of herbal medicine, often struggling to swallow it.
To make it easier for her, Mei had painstakingly neutralised most of the pungent herbal scent while preserving only a faint medicinal taste, ensuring the medicine remained effective without making Grandma Li reject it at the first sip.
“Mei Mei,” Grandma Li called gently.
“I’m here, Grandma.”
Mei sat beside the bed.
She had specially selected several herbs from the pharmacy to temporarily suppress Grandma Li’s pain.
However, they were only a temporary solution.
The truly important herbs were still missing.
Wthout them, Grandma Li’s condition would continue to worsen and could eventually become life threatening.
Mei quietly observed Grandma Li’s complexion.
Her body temperature remained unusually high and there was already a faint, strange odour emanating from her skin.
That alone was enough to tell Mei that toxins had accumulated inside her body.
To someone without medical knowledge, it would simply appear to be the consequence of years of illness and the physical stress that came with it, but Mei knew better.
None of those symptoms were normal, and the more she examined Grandma Li, the stronger her suspicion became.
Could Grandma Li have been poisoned?