Mei’s pupils dilated.
Why was he telling her that her future husband would be attending that ball?
What husband?
Her mind desperately searched for answers, but found nothing.
“You must attend. We have a marriage alliance with the Fu family, the biggest and most powerful family in China. You’re getting married to the First Young Master,” An Zhao said.
Mei stared at him in disbelief before instantly shaking her head, her hands trembling violently,, Was he talking about Lucian..
He’s the first young master of the Fu family, so it should be him, she shrank in fear.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m certainly not marrying anybody.”
Her mind was thrown into complete turmoil.
She had no intention of settling down, let alone marrying Lucian, she thought about that night and instantly turned red,An Zhao had abandoned her in the countryside without a second thought.
Why was he suddenly so eager to marry her into the Fu family?
If this marriage was truly so valuable, what stopped Camille from taking her place?
“You’re going to that art appraisal, and you’re marrying into the Fu family. This marriage will make our family ten times richer and greatly improve the reputation of Zhao Group, so make sure you don’t ruin it,” An Zhao said coldly, barely sparing her a glance.
Mei stared at him before shaking her head without hesitation, her heart sinking.
Her greatest fear had become reality in the blink of an eye.
Why was he doing this?
Why did he insist on making her life miserable?
“No, An Zhao. I won’t do that. I won’t do anything you want,” Mei said, struggling to hold back the tears already streaming down her face.
An Zhao’s expression remained indifferent.
“Then you’ll never see your grandmother again.”
Mei froze.
Those words shattered the last of her resistance.
“W… what?” she whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“You heard me. If you don’t attend the art appraisal and marry into the Fu family, you’ll never see Old Madam Li again.”
The moment those words sank in, Mei instinctively turned and rushed towards the villa’s entrance, hoping to escape before it was too late.
But she had only taken a few steps before several guards blocked her path.
An zhao had already prepared for this,he had known she would refuse, he had known she would try to run.
Camille quietly watched everything unfold from the side with Jealousy burning inside of her.
She had known that An Zhao wanted Mei to marry the First Young Master of the Fu family, but she had never expected everything to happen this quickly.
Even so, she was satisfied.
At least, she had gained the upper hand.
“Mei, it’s only marriage to the First Young Master. There’s nothing so terrible about it. Besides, it’s a good opportunity to silence everyone who keeps calling you an illegitimate daughter,” Camille said with a mocking smile hidden beneath her gentle voice.
Mei slowly lifted her eyes and shot Camille a cold glance.The chill in that single look made Camille instinctively shrink back.
Mei ignored her.He carefully observed the guards surrounding her, she knew martial arts but they were too many of them.
Even if she managed to defeat a few, she would never escape all of them.Still, she refused to give up.
The moment one of the guards loosened his stance, Mei suddenly darted to the side, trying to slip past them. This story is hosted at novelping.com.
She had barely taken two steps before someone grabbed her arm.
Another seized her shoulder.
Her small figure was restrained almost instantly.
“Lock her up and don’t let her run away,” An Zhao ordered coldly before turning around without another glance.
“Come back, An Zhao! Let go of me!”
Mei screamed with all her strength.
If she had known things would end like this, she would never have returned to the villa.
What about Grandma Li?
Who would look after her health?
What if something happened while she was locked away?
She struggled desperately, kicking and twisting in every direction, refusing to give up no matter how tightly they restrained her.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the back of her neck.
Instinctively, she reached for the silver needle hidden behind her back, but before her fingers could grasp it, her vision blurred.
The world around her spun violently, and darkness swallowed her whole.
…
Just then, Odessa returned to the villa.
The moment she stepped inside, Camille rushed towards her with tears in her eyes.
“Mum, Dad invited Mei to the art appraisal,” Camille complained.
He greatest fear was simple.
She was afraid Mei would steal all the attention that should belong to her.
Odessa gently patted her shoulder.
“It’s alright, dear. Nothing will happen.”
She understood exactly what her daughter was worried about.
“Don’t worry. Her reputation will only be ruined there. Once the Fu family sees her, I’m certain they’ll want nothing to do with her,” Odessa said with a reassuring smile, trying to lift Camille’s mood.
Then something suddenly crossed her mind.
“But I thought you already had a plan concerning the First Young Master.”
Camille’s lips slowly curled into a sinister smile.
“The plan has already been carried out, Mum. Now all I have to do is wait for the bait to take the hook.”
She told Odessa everything that had happened at the penthouse, including how Lucian had appeared instead of Leon and how Mei had ended up spending the night with him.
Although Lucian’s appearance had been an unexpected mistake, everything that followed had unfolded exactly as she had planned.
“What about Mei? Won’t she say anything?” Odessa asked cautiously.
Camille let out a smug smile.
“She won’t say a word. Besides, every piece of evidence has already been destroyed, and she doesn’t have a single shred of proof that she was the woman with Lucian that night.”
Odessa looked at her daughter with surprise, she had not expected Camille to become so calculating. This story is hosted at g.com.
“So… What’s the plan now?” Odessa asked expectantly.
Camille slowly shook her head.
“I’m pregnant but not with his child.” Odessa’s pupils instantly contracted.
“You’re not pregnant with his child? So whose child are you carrying?” she demanded, obvious displeasure spreading across her face.
“When I arrived at his private suite, I acted as though I was the woman he had slept with. He didn’t even want to touch me and left almost immediately, but I staged everything to make it look as though he had taken my virginity. The blood,the messy clothes, everything was carefully arranged. Naturally, he would feel responsible.”
She paused before continuing.
“So that same day… I slept with one of my ex-boyfriends.”
Odessa’s face instantly darkened as she stared at Camille with bloodshot eyes.
Her daughter was risking everything she had spent years planning.
“You slept with your ex? Why?” Odessa almost shouted.
“If you’re really pregnant, you’d better get rid of that baby while it’s still early.”
After Lucian left the penthouse that day, Camille realised she needed to become pregnant as quickly as possible.
Only then would her plan be flawless.
She could have chosen any man, but instead she contacted James, her former boyfriend.
They had been in a relationship for several years before breaking up because she had set her sights on Lucian.
Now, James had become nothing more than a tool to help her achieve her goal and she told him exactly what she wanted.
That very day, they met inside a private hotel.
Whenever she remembered that night, a strange excitement crept back into her heart.
It made her want to relive it all over again.
“Mum, calm down. The whole reason I slept with my ex was to get pregnant. When I tell Lucian the baby is his, the timing will match the day we supposedly slept together. He won’t have any reason to doubt me.”
Odessa fell silent.
After thinking about it carefully, she realised Camille actually had a point.
“So… what are you planning to do with the baby?” she finally asked.
“If I successfully marry into the Fu family, I’ll simply pretend to have a miscarriage. No one will ever discover the truth.”
Odessa looked at her daughter with admiration, camille had become far more careful than before.
Every step had been calculated.
Every piece of evidence had already been erased.
“Just be careful,” Odessa reminded her softly.
“And remember… leave no footprints.”
Camille smiled and nodded.
Her mother had always been her greatest supporter, and she was grateful that they were walking this path together.No all she had to do was wait.
Sooner or later, Lucian would take the bait.
Once he did, he would belong to her.
Only then could she completely destroy Mei once and for all.