“Who do we have here?” Camille asked sweetly the moment she spotted Mei, the smile on her lips looked harmless, but the way her jaw tightened betrayed the hatred hidden beneath it.
Mei didn’t spare her a single glance as she continued walking towards the staircase.
“Don’t act like you didn’t hear me,” Camille said as she stepped forward and blocked her path.
“You haven’t been home for days.”
In truth, Mei hadn’t returned to the Zhao villa since that night with Lucian.
The morning she left the penthouse, she couldn’t bring herself to return to that suffocating place, so she went straight to the countryside where her grandmother lived.
Qing Li was the only family Mei truly had.
She was An Zhao’s mother and the only person who had loved her without asking for anything in return.
Although her residence stood quietly away from the bustling city, it was no ordinary countryside home.
The old estate had been passed down through generations of the Li family, its elegant courtyards, carved pavilions and peaceful gardens reflecting the wealth and dignity of an old aristocratic household.
The moment Mei arrived, the strength she had been forcing herself to hold onto disappeared.
Before she could even reach the entrance, her vision blurred and her body collapsed onto the stone pathway.
When she finally opened her eyes again, she found herself lying beneath soft silk blankets inside her childhood room.
“What happened to you, Mei Mei?” Qing Li asked gently after placing a bowl of steaming seafood congee and freshly made xiaolongbao on the table before her.
Mei Mei.
It was the nickname only her grandmother called her.
Ever since she was little, those two words had always made her feel safe.
Mei lowered her eyes to the breakfast before her.
How could she possibly tell her grandmother that the night before had changed everything?
She couldn’t.
She didn’t want the old woman to worry.
“Nothing, Grandma li. I’m alright.”
Qing Li looked at her quietly, her experienced eyes searching every corner of Mei’s face.
“Are you really alright?”
Mei forced a small smile.
“You were talking in your sleep last night. You kept mumbling as though something was chasing you.”
For a brief second, Mei’s fingers tightened around the porcelain spoon before relaxing again.
“I just… want to take a warm bath.”
Qing Li’s expression softened immediately.
“Alright, Mei Mei. I’ll have the servants prepare one for you.”
She gently patted Mei’s shoulder before leaving the room.
Mei looked down at the breakfast once again, warmth quietly spreading through her chest.
Even after all these years, Grandma still remembered every dish she loved.
No one else ever did.
The memory slowly faded from her mind as Camille’s voice pulled her back to reality.
“It’s none of your business.”
Without waiting for another reply, Mei walked past her.
The Zhao villa stood proudly like a palace, every corner decorated with expensive paintings, antique vases and crystal chandeliers that reflected the family’s wealth.
The second and third floors belonged exclusively to members of the Zhao family.
Mei should have been one of them.
She was the legitimate daughter of the Zhao family.
Yet after her mother’s death and father’s remarriage, she had been forced into a small room on the first floor beside the servants’ quarters.
They never acknowledged her as part of the family, no matter what her surname was.
She intended to use the side entrance leading directly to her room, but every door had already been locked, leaving her with no choice but to enter through the main hall.
She had barely taken a few steps when Camille shoved her without warning.
Already exhausted, Mei lost her balance and crashed heavily onto the polished floor.
“You’re happy now, aren’t you?” Camille spat, glaring down at her with unconcealed hatred.
Mei slowly looked up, confusion filling her eyes.
“What are you talking about?”
She genuinely didn’t understand why Camille looked as though she wanted to tear her apart.
“You’re happy you slept with Lucian, aren’t you?”
Mei’s breathing hitched for the briefest moment but quickly hid the surprise that flashed across her face.
How did Camille know?
She had only been asked to deliver a bottle of wine and camille hadn’t been there.
Unless everything had been arranged by her from the very beginning.
A cold feeling settled inside Mei’s chest as she stared back at her.
She slowly stood up, brushing the dust from her clothes.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She turned to leave.
“You’ll never have Lucian,” Camille said through clenched teeth as she watched Mei’s figure walk away, jealousy burning fiercely inside her.
If looks alone could kill, Mei would have died where she stood.
____
The moment Camille received the phone call that morning, she had frozen.
“There was a mistake.”
Those four words had shattered every plan she had carefully prepared.
The person on the other end informed her that Mei hadn’t ended up in Leon’s room.
She had spent the night with Lucian instead.
Camille hadn’t even waited for the full explanation before rushing to the penthouse.
On the way there, she ordered one of her men to disable the CCTV system before secretly slipping inside the building.
She had almost succeeded unnoticed until she accidentally knocked over a decorative vase.
The sharp sound echoed through the hallway.
Several security guards immediately shone their flashlights in her direction.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly enough to avoid being recognised before slipping into Lucian’s suite.
The room was silent, lucian was still asleep.
The duvet rested low against his waist, revealing the defined muscles across his chest and abdomen, his long legs stretched lazily beneath the sheets.
For a brief moment, Camille couldn’t look away.
Then reality returned.
If Lucian woke before she erased every trace of what had happened, everything she had planned would collapse,She had spent months preparing for this.
She refused to let Mei destroy it in a single night.
To get rid of Mei once and for all…
She first had to make Lucian hers completely.