Chapter 37

Kate leaned back in her chair, a grin creeping across her face as she scrolled through the negative comments about Lilly online. The satisfaction in watching her enemy's reputation crumble was almost too much to bear.Lilly had always been the one standing in her way, and now, it seemed,fate had finally started to tip in her favor. The internet was buzzing with scathing remarks, and Kate could hardly believe how easily it was all falling into place. She knew Lilly's return to the family was imminent.Lilly would want to reclaim her position as the heir, and when that happened.Kate had every intention of ensuring she would have nothing but a tarnished name left.

Kate smirked to herself. She had paid a small army of faceless people to post vile comments online. It wasn't hard. People loved a scandal,especially when it involved someone like Lilly. The video of Lilly being hounded by reporters only added fuel to the fire. As she watched, Kate's sense of satisfaction deepened-until her eyes narrowed at the sight of Alexander's hand wrapped possessively around Lilly's. That's when the smile on Kate's face faltered.

Alexander's devotion to Lilly made her stomach churn. But it was only temporary, Kate reassured herself. Alexander would never tolerate a wife with a damaged reputation, not when he valued status and control above all else. Once Lilly's name was completely ruined, it would only be a matter of time before Alexander filed for divorce. Then, everything would fall into place. Still, one thing remained nagging at the back of Kate's mind-what was the real reason behind Alexander's marriage to Lilly? How had they even met? Kate wasn't one to leave a mystery unsolved. She would find the answers, sooner or later. But before she could go deeper into her thoughts, a loud bang on her door made her jump.

"Who dares interrupt me?" Kate muttered, already feeling the weight of irritation mounting. She spun in her chair, only to find her mother, Bella,entering the room with a look that could kill.

"Mother?" Kate's voice dripped with false sweetness. "Why did you barge in like that?"

Bella's glare could've burned a hole through steel. "I warned you to stay out of Lilly's business. I told you I'd handle her, but here you are,going behind my back."

Kate scoffed,crossing her arms.“Did you expect me to sit back and watch while Lilly takes what belongs to me?" Her voice was a venomous hiss,but Bella wasn't phased.

“You think I don't know what you've been up to?" Bella's voice was low,dangerous. “I know you're the one who paid for all those comments, and I know you orchestrated today's little spectacle with the reporters. You've been reckless."

Kate froze, her heart skipping a beat. "What do you mean?"

“Alexander Kane already figured it out. He found out who paid those reporters." Bella's words were like ice, and Kate's blood ran cold."And let me tell you, if I hadn't acted quickly, if I hadn't sent someone to silence the person who blabbed, he'd be coming for you next.” Kate's mouth went dry, her mind racing. If Alexander knew it was her,it was only a matter of time before everything unraveled. “What are we going to do?” she whispered, clutching Bella's hand in panic. Bella's expression softened, but only slightly. “You should be thanking me. I took care of it. But next time, use your brain before you act. If Alexander finds out it was you, you'll be done."

Kate's shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you, Mother. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Bella patted her daughter's hair lovingly. "We're in this together, Kate.Don't forget that."

Kate leaned into her mother's embrace for a moment, allowing herself to relax. She'd dodged a bullet this time, but she knew this wasn't over.The war was just beginning.

But then Bella's voice broke through her thoughts,sharp and calculating.“By the way, how did you know Lilly would be with Alexander at the company today?”

Kate's lips curled into a smirk. “I didn't know. It just worked out that way. I suppose some things are just meant to fall into place." She couldn't hide the satisfaction in her tone. Seeing Lilly squirm under the weight of public scrutiny had been too perfect.

Suddenly, a thought hit Kate, and she shot her mother a wicked smile.“Mother. I just remembered something important. Lilly married Alexander under a fake name-'Evans.' She lied to him. She's been deceiving him from the start." Bella's eyes narrowed as she processed this new piece of information.“So she's been lying about who she is this whole time. That's interesting...” "I need you to hurry up with the investigation," Kate urged. "If we expose her for that, we can destroy her completely." Bella raised a hand to silence her, "My men are already on it. But Kate. you need to stop making this personal. If you don't want Alexander to see you as Lilly's enemy, try being nice to her for once. You don't want him to see how badly you've been trying to sabotage her. If you play this right,you'll earn your grandfather's approval. Just let me handle the heavy lifting."

Kate didn't like the idea of playing nice with Lilly, but she had no choice.Her mother's words made sense, and for once, she decided to put her personal vendetta aside for a greater goal. “Fine, I'll try. But it won't be easy.”

"Good," Bella said, her voice a low murmur as she walked to the bar and poured herself a drink.

As she took a sip, Kate couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement."Guess what, Mother?" she asked, her voice full of glee.

Bella raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What?"

"My company has a meeting with Alexander Kane tomorrow. He's considering a partnership with us." Kate's eyes gleamed. “I'll see him tomorrow. This will start as a business relationship, but it will lead to something more. I'm going to make sure of it.”

Bella's lips curved into a knowing smile."Then we should make a toast." Meanwhile, Lilly sat in Alexander's office, her thoughts tangled in knots.The weight of secrets was starting to weigh on her shoulders, but she wasn't ready to tell Alexander the truth. Not yet. Her sisters' deaths were still an open wound, and she wasn't prepared to expose everything. But the more she thought about it, the more she questioned her silence. Was it time to tell him? Would Alexander understand, or would he take matters into his own hands? She glanced at him, lost in thought as he sat behind his executive desk,his focus unwavering. But when he noticed her staring, he didn't look at her with concern. Instead, his expression was cold and calculating.

"The more you delay serving your punishment, the harsher it will be,"Alexander's voice sliced through the silence, pulling Lilly back to the present.

Lilly blinked, caught off guard by his words. She hadn't expected this. She'd thought her punishment would be more severe, but instead, it was this-a simple, mind-numbing task of sorting documents.She could get through this easily. It was nothing compared to the torture her grandfather had put her through as a child. But Alexander's presence, the way he watched her every move, made her feel like a caged animal.

As she worked through the documents, the hours passed by in silence.Alexander left the office for meetings, but his presence lingered in the air,heavy and oppressive. When he returned, the tension in the room was almost unbearable. Lilly could feel his eyes on her, judging her every movement.

At 4 PM, her stomach rumbled-she hadn't eaten all day. The hunger was almost unbearable, but there was no time to think about it. She was still stuck in the office,sorting through piles of paperwork. As she wandered over to Alexander's desk, her gaze fell on a file. Curiosity tugged at her,and before she knew it, she was flipping through its contents. The project was a mess. Flaws at every turn. As she marked the errors in red,she found more and more mistakes until it became clear-this project was a disaster. Lilly quickly scanned the other files, finding the same pattern of incompetence. Only one file was relatively clean, but even that had a minor flaw. She wasn't sureif Alexander would notice-or if he would fire someone on the spot.

Just as she was about to finish marking the final file, the door to the office clicked open. Lilly quickly straightened up and returned to her seat, just as Alexander entered. His eyes immediately flicked to the sorted documents,then to the files on his desk.

"That was fast," he said, his voice laced with skepticism.

"It's not my first time with this kind of task," Lilly replied evenly,though her insides were churning.

Alexander's gaze shifted to the files again, and something about his demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed, and his lips twitched as if he were about to say something.

Before he could, Lilly's stomach gave another growl, louder this time. The sound seemed to cut through the tension, and Alexander's gaze snapped to her.

"Why haven't you eaten yet?" His voice was sharp,almost accusatory.

Lilly couldn't stop herself. “Aren't you the one who put me on punishment?" She shot back, trying to mask the hunger that was clawing at her. "It's entirely your fault that I and your baby are hungry." The words left her lips before she could stop them, and as soon as they did, the room went deathly silent. Alexander's eyes darkened. But before Lilly could make another move, the air between them thickened with unspoken tension. What had she just done?