Chapter 3

The next morning, Lily was woken up by Jenny. She furrowed her brows in irritation as she barely had any sleep. Following Jenny downstairs, she noticed someone else. It was Shannon, her half-sister from the same mother but a different father. Last night, Shannon was practicing piano at school and returned very late. They hadn’t met before. Shannon also noticed her, and a trace of admiration flashed in her eyes. It was her first time meeting Lily. Previously, she had only heard about her from Susan, and she had the impression that Lily was simply awful. She hadn’t expected her to be so beautiful! Lily had fair skin and delicate features. She was ridiculously perfect. She lowered her eyes and wore a blank face as she stood there. Shannon felt somewhat uncomfortable. She had always been the most favored and prettiest in the Martinez family. She couldn’t accept that there was anyone prettier than her. “Are you Lily?” Shannon suppressed the jealousy in her eyes, walked up to Lily, and smiled sweetly. “Hello, I’m Shannon.” Lily glanced at her lazily and said very casually, “Hello.” Shannon didn’t expect Lily to be so cold, and for a moment, she froze up. The housekeeper set the table. Lily ignored Shannon and sat at the dining table. She lifted one leg on the chair, casually picked up her spoon, and started eating. Jenny was stunned to see this. She didn’t expect such rude behavior. Liam was the head of the household. It was customary to wait for him to start the meal. Shannon paused, then smiled. The worse Lily behaved, the more outstanding she appeared. Jenny couldn’t bear it anymore and gave her a reminder, saying, “Ms. Brook, Mr. Martinez isn’t here yet. We can’t eat until Mr. Martinez arrives.” Lily paused for a moment. She tilted her head, glanced at Jenny, and smirked. “Does the Martinez family have so many rules? Or do these rules only apply to me?” Jenny was speechless. It was true that they didn’t have many rules. Liam was usually quite easygoing, and mealtimes were more relaxed than in other wealthy families, where one had to wait for the head of the household to arrive. However, Jenny couldn’t tolerate Lily’s behavior and couldn’t help but criticize her. “No worries. Make yourself at home. You can relax.” Liam arrived in time to hear Lily’s comment. He gave Jenny a stern look and softened his tone toward Lily. Susan was furious to see Lily act that way, but she held back because of Liam’s presence. At the dining table, Liam glanced at Lily and said, “I’ve been thinking it’s better to try to get you into Ember Creek High School. After all, Ember Creek High School is the best school in Lagersfield. You can learn something by mixing around.” Liam knew it was almost impossible for Lily to get into Ember Creek High School with her grades. But he always felt indebted to this child and wanted to do his best to get her in. It was his way of paying her back. Moreover, the Laurier family would find her more acceptable if she graduated from Ember Creek High School. “Ember Creek High School?” Shannon raised her head, puzzled. “Lily, didn’t you finish high school?” She didn’t know Lily was previously expelled. At this moment, she was somewhat surprised to hear that Lily still had to go back to senior high. Susan’s expression stiffened. “Something happened, and your sister has to redo her senior year.” Shannon chuckled at the words. “In that case, you’ll have to work harder. The students at Ember Creek High School are all top-notch. To stand out, you’ll have to put in a lot of effort.” Lily raised her gaze, looking at her with a smirk that seemed like a smile. “Do you stand out?” Shannon hadn’t replied yet when Susan jumped in, “Of course. Shannon is an honor student, tenth place in the whole school and 50th in the city. With her grades, she’ll have no problem getting into the University of Bridgeport in the future.” She was showing off Shannon’s achievements and taking credit for Shannon’s excellence. Of course, she was proud. “Shut up!” Liam glared at Susan, and she immediately stifled her smile. “Only tenth?” Lily asked mockingly. Shannon and Susan froze for a moment. It took Shannon some effort to speak up, “Do you know how hard you have to work to be tenth place at Ember Creek High School?” Lily dropped her spoon, got up casually, and smirked. “I don’t know. All I know is first is the best.” With that said, she ignored the people at the table, turned around, and left. She left behind the group of shocked people. … It was raining heavily at Lagersfield Cemetery. Lily walked slowly toward the depths of the cemetery in a black hoodie. Her baseball cap covered her face, and she left behind a disappearing trail. She looked very depressed, and even her eyes were cold. In her left hand, she carried a box of beer, and in her right hand, she held some flowers and candles. She stopped in front of a tombstone with the name ‘Jason Martinez’ written on it. She didn’t have an umbrella, and the rain soaked her clothes, but she didn’t seem to notice. She held the bouquet of flowers, took out a lighter to light the candles, and then placed them on his tombstone. She sat by the tombstone and opened a bottle of beer. She looked up at the photo on the tombstone with a bitter smile. Her stunning face looked miserable and cold as she softly said, “I’m here… How are you?” The man in the photo had distinct features, and his bright smile pierced through her heart. Everyone else in the Martinez family treated her as an unwanted wild child, but they didn’t know that their most beloved son had known her long ago. Those people in the Martinez family could never understand their relationship. The rain grew heavier, almost engulfing Lily’s slender body in the downpour. At this moment, a piercing ringtone echoed from her phone. Lily withdrew her gaze, turned on the voice changer, and answered the call. “Speak.” Her voice sounded like a weathered male voice now. “Somebody placed an order. They’re asking for Shadowbane’s contact information for a hundred million dollars,” the voice on the other end also sounded weathered but with a hint of gloominess. Yet, he spoke with admiration to Lily. Lily was also K, a godlike hacker. “No.” Lily’s hand was in her pocket. Lowering her head, she said in a flat voice, “Send out a notice. I won’t be taking any requests for a year.” “What?” The person on the other end of the phone was shocked. “Do you know the consequences of K not taking any orders? The entire international community will be in a mess.” He could imagine the chaos that would ensue after this notice was sent out. Lily evidently had no intention of reconsidering. “That’s it.” She turned off the voice changer and simultaneously turned off her phone. … When the man on the other end tried calling again, Lily was out of reach. The man stood up, and sweat beaded his forehead. He pushed open the office door while making a call with an anxious expression. “Quick, gather everyone…” … At the same time, Lily retrieved another phone from the pocket of her pants. There were very few contacts saved on her phone. There were only a handful of them, around a dozen or so. Lily grabbed a can of beer, took a sip, and dialed the contact saved as ‘L’ on her phone. “Did you find out?” “I was just about to call you.” This time, Lily didn’t use the voice changer, and the voice on the other end sounded young as well. “Loid had heart surgery that day, but we still don’t know if it was Jason’s heart.” The Laurier family was the largest socialite family in Bridgeport. They were definitely capable of keeping such information from the public. Lily squinted as she finished her beer in one gulp. Her lips curled into a cold smile. “Alright, I’ll look into it myself.” Marriage with the Laurier family was the best way forward. Putting the empty bottle back in the box, she stood up and looked at the photo on the tombstone. She said softly, “I’m leaving. Give me some time and I’ll make sure the person who received your heart pays for their actions.”