Chapter 174

“Brielle, you!”

Cameron was livid, but Lillian’s hand landed gently on his arm. “Let it go, Cameron. She’s just all talk.”

In her heart, Lillian seethed with rage, but staying put would only serve as amusement for onlookers.

Cameron, too fed up to deal with Brielle any longer, slammed the car door shut.

Meanwhile, Miranda took off in a different vehicle.

Left standing on her own, Brielle felt a sudden peace around her ears. She followed the officer into the lobby.

The cop kept talking about the Haywood family’s donation.

“Not only did they bail out Lillian, but to salvage her rep, they dropped a cool ten mil in her name. to the Sunflower Children’s Home. Ms. Brielle, please, take a seat.”

The officer was no fool. He saw right through the Haywood bunch, “Getting away from that kind of family is a good thing.”

In the departing car, Lillian deliberately snuggled up to Cameron, eager to gauge just how far her brother would go for her.

After last night’s debacle, her fair–weather friends had all clammed up, and even Spencer hadn’t shown up to pick her up.

It was Lillian’s first bitter taste of defeat.

For years she’d worked to tarnish Brielle’s name, and now it had all fallen apart.

She had to fight back.

Step one was to see what lengths the Haywood family would go to for her.

With reddened eyes, Lillian turned, her lips twitching in a semblance of hurt, “Cameron, it was Brielle who pushed me to make that donation. She told me to put it in my name. I never expected her to pull a stunt like this. I was naive. Why would anyone be nice to you for no reason? She must’ve known I was the real Haywood daughter and set this whole thing up.”

Cameron couldn’t stand to see her suffer. He had also lost some weight. They’d been close, almost too close once, but now they were just siblings.

Gripping the steering wheel, he didn’t meet her eyes. “The Haywoods will handle this mess. Next time, be smarter about who you befriend.”

It seemed he had forgiven her and believed her story.

Cameron’s bias towards her was undeniable, and she knew how to play it.

14:10 With a bitter look in her eyes, Lillian grabbed his wrist,” “I’m sorry, Cameron. I never meant to be the Haywood daughter. Don’t be mad at me. You’ll meet a better woman one day.”

Despite his efforts, Cameron’s heart twinged at her words.

“Sure, I will. And you will too, Lillian.

“No, I won’t. That video is out there, and with last night’s mess, no one will want to marry me. Spencer didn’t even come today. He must be so disappointed.”

Her eyes dropped, and she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

“The thing with Spencer, it happened because we drank too much. I panicked when I woke up. I don’t really like him. The guy I like, he’ll never give me a second glance.”

“What do you mean? Who do you like?”

Cameron was puzzled, but years of indulging Lillian’s wishes meant he couldn’t deny her anything.

Lillian had long coveted the idea of attaching herself to Max. Now was the perfect chance to make her feelings known.

Otherwise, if Cameron found out on his own, it would make for a messy situation.

“This mess made me see that Spencer doesn’t really care about me. Being with him wouldn’t make me happy. I’ve seen Max a few times before. He’s the kind of man worth committing to, better than Spencer. If I could be with him, I’d die happy. Could you help me?”

Few women in Beaconsfield dared pursue Max; just one glance from him could freeze you with his icy demeanor.

Lillian liked Max? That was almost beyond belief.

With a rueful smile, Lillian added, “You think I’m not good enough for him, don’t you? My reputation is ruined now.”

“Of course not! You deserve the best, Lillian. But Max…

“If Max doesn’t mind Brielle, why would he reject me? Between me and Brielle, who’s better?”

“You are, of course!”

Cameron’s response came without hesitation, a testament to his deep bias for Lillian.

With a slight curve of her lips, Lillian played her card, “If Brielle can get close to Max, why can’t I? As long as you’re willing to help me, bro.”

Cameron had been under Lillian’s spell for over a decade, and breaking free wasn’t something he could do overnight. After a few minutes of hesitation, he nodded gravely.

“I’ll help you, but don’t do anything rash.”

With that, Lillian achieved her aim, the corners of her mouth hinting at a dark satisfaction..