The next morning, after I woke up, I proceeded to the bathroom. After handling the usual business, I splashed my face with cold water to refresh myself. Exiting the bathroom, I saw Lily Ling stirring on the bed.
For a moment, she looked around, confused. Then her eyes sharpened and she turned to me suspiciously.
"Are you all right?" I asked.
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes."
Then she glanced down to check herself. Seeing that she was clad only in a bathrobe, she frowned and turned back to me.
"Where are my clothes?"
"Over there." I gestured toward a rack next to the room's heater. "Sorry about that. Your clothes got wet, so I placed them there to dry. I don't know if they are dry yet. They might still be a bit damp."
"I see. Thanks for that." She regarded me with a faint trace of hostility. "I assume you are the one who changed my clothes?"
"Um, yeah. Sorry. I didn't have a choice. Like I said, your clothes were drenched, and I left you be, you might get hypothermia." I raised both hands. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything. I didn't touch you inappropriately or took advantage of you!"
Lily was silent for a moment, but she finally nodded. "I believe you."
"Really?" I was surprised but also very relieved. "Thanks."
"Well, in the first place, I have never heard of a lecherous man who would wash his victim's clothes and hang them out neatly to dry after raping her." Lily shrugged. Then she raised the covers. "Also, only my side of the bed is crumpled. Clearly I was the only one sleeping on this bed the entire night."
"Yeah, well…" I glanced at the couch. "I slept on the couch last night."
Thanks to that, I had a stiff neck and my back ached a little, but I didn't mention that to her. I didn't want her to feel guilty or anything.
"I also remember most of what happened last night." Lily lowered her head, looking despondent. I realized that she was about to cry, but she was doing her best to hold her tears back. "I…I can't believe that my own sister drugged me."
"I'm sorry."
"No, it's not your fault. You saved me." Lily looked up to flash a grateful smile. "I owe you a favor. I'll definitely repay this debt."
"There's no need to." I waved both of my hands. "I just couldn't leave you be. On the way to my room, I overheard your sister, Linda Ling, talking to some old guy named Mr. Pang. She was planning to send you to his room."
"Mr. Pang? You mean Peter Pang, the CEO of Pang Catering?"
"I…don't know? I guess? He was balding and chubby."
"Good. Very good!" Lily was laughing hysterically now, her fingers curling as she tightened her grip on the blanket. "Linda, you have done it now, haven't you? Even though I tolerated your actions almost my whole life and let you do, you only took advantage of my kindness and got worse!"
She gritted her teeth.
"This humiliation…I'll definitely pay it back a hundredfold!"
I gulped, instinctively backing away. Lily Ling looked extremely scary at the moment, almost like a demoness. I pitied the fools who stupidly made an enemy out of her.
"Um…I'll leave for now so that you can get dressed. This is my room, so everything has been paid for by the hosts, so you don't have to worry about anything." I was rambling now, most likely because I was caught off guard by Lily's intensity. "If you need any help, feel free to let me know. I don't know what I can do, but I'll do my best."
"Thank you. You've already done a lot for me." Lily nodded. She hesitated for a moment, thinking. "From what you said, CEO Pang is on the same floor?"
"It seemed so. I saw Linda Ling speaking to him at the door of his hotel room, which was on this level."
"Then could you wait for me outside?" Lily rubbed at her face. "It might not be a good idea for me to leave the room alone. At least accompany me until we get down to the lobby."
"Understood." I nodded and proceeded toward the door, but she stopped me.
"Sorry. I should have asked you earlier, but what's your name?"
"Me? Oh, I'm Trevor Shen."
"Thank you for everything, Trevor Shen." She smiled, but I could see the sadness in her expression. "I'm Lily Ling."
I nodded, already knowing who she was. Stepping out of the hotel room, I closed the door behind me and waited.
Fortunately, even after Lily emerged from the room, fully dressed and washed up, we didn't run into Peter Pang. We took the elevator to the lobby and moved toward the exit.
"Are you clothes all right? Are they still damp?"
"No, they are dried. Thank you."
"Uh, would you like some breakfast before you leave?"
"What's this?" Lily's lips quirked. "Are you trying to hit on me? Ask me out on a date?"
"No. I'm just hungry, so I'm going to the restaurant downstairs to grab breakfast. If you're not hungry, I'll just go alone, I guess."
"Relax. I know you're not that kind of person." Lily smiled. "If you wanted to take advantage of me, you had every chance to do so last night."
She then sighed and clutched her head.
"I can't believe a stranger is nicer to me than my own sister. She is only my half-sister, but we are of the same blood."
Right, Lily and Linda shared the same father but had different mothers.
The elevator doors slid open and we stepped out. I headed toward the reception desk to return the keycard, and for some reason Lily accompanied me. A second later, I realized that she wasn't accompany me but actually avoiding someone.
The next moment, I heard a familiar voice speaking frantically.
"I can't find my sister anywhere! Have you seen that slut anywhere, Charles?"
"How would I know? You're the one who planned everything. Weren't you the one who brought her to CEO Pang's room last night?"
"I already told you! She disappeared after visiting the restroom! I couldn't find her after that!" Linda was chewing on her fingers. "Damn that slut! CEO Pang yelled at me after that! He accused me of lying to him and raising false expectations! It's all that bitch's fault! She ruined our plans!"
"She couldn't have gone far, given the aphrodisiac you put in her drink. Maybe she went with another man?"
"Hah! That would be just as good! Maybe an uglier and fatter man than CEO Pang?"
I noticed Lily trembling furiously beside me, her fists clenched. She took a deep breath and rounded around the pillar. Both Linda and Charles jumped when she appeared.
"S…Sister! Where have you been?"
"Ah, Lily…!"
"Why are you both so surprised to see me?" Lily asked, folding her arms. Linda perspired profusely, but she forced a smile.
"No…not at all! We were just worried! After what happened last night…where did you go?"
"Someone helped me to a room and I spent the rest of the night sleeping." Lily smiled thinly. "Sorry for worrying you. I felt unwell last night, so I wasn't able to contact you. I think I left my smartphone and handbag in the reception hall. I'll go pick them up later."
"Who did you spend the night with?" Linda asked tentatively. Lily raised an eyebrow.
"What a weird question. Why are you assuming I spent the night with someone?"
"N…no. given your state last night, I thought you weren't able to find your own room."
"Linda is just worried, Lily. Don't be so hostile."
Wow, Charles clearly knew that Linda was in the wrong, yet he was backing her up. I didn't understand what was going on. Why were Charles and Linda going to such lengths to sabotage Lily? This made no sense whatsoever.
Or was it because they wanted to usurp Lily of her position as heiress so that Linda could take over the Ling Conglomerate? So they were determined to create a scandal?
"I'm sure she is." Lily sighed and shook her head. "Fortunately, there was a kind person around who helped me after I collapsed outside the bathroom."
"Yeah, Ms. Lily Ling looked very unwell," I joined in. "She seemed…drugged. So I helped her."
"D…drugged?" Linda stammered. Then she forced out a laugh. "Surely you exaggerate! My sister probably had too many drinks last night!"
"Not likely." Lily shook her head. "I only had one or two glasses of wine."
"Huh? What are you trying to say? Are you accusing me of drugging you?"
Our conversation was attracting the stares of many people in the lobby by now, and Linda's panicked response only draw more attention. Lily, on the other hand, remained calm.
"Nobody said that, Linda. I only said that I had one or two glasses of wine. Did anyone accuse you of spiking my drink? Why are you behaving so…aggressively?"
"I only said she seemed drugged. I'm not a doctor." I shrugged. "I was just guessing. Nobody was pointing any fingers at anybody."
Charles cleared his throat. "So…you, uh, Mister, you helped my sister-in-law?"
"I brought her to a room and left her to sleep there. Fortunately, she recovered by the next morning."
"That's all you did?" Linda blurted out. I stared at her.
"What do you mean? What else was I supposed to do? Ah, maybe I should have called a doctor instead?"
"No, that's not what I meant. You…you didn't…? No, my sister…she didn't do anything to you?"
"Why would Ms. Lily Ling do anything to me? She was unwell. She slept through the entire night. I didn't dare to disturb her."
"Ugh!" Linda turned away, blushing. "But that's not possible! The drug should have sent her into heat! She should be throwing herself onto…"
"Huh? Why does it sound like you're saying that she's drugged? And you seem to be very familiar with the effects of the drug?"
"Ah…!" Linda Ling backed away, and Charles interposed himself between us. He jabbed a finger at me angrily.
"Watch your words, Mister! Don't you dare slander my wife!"
"I didn't say anything?"
"You should be watching your words, Brother-in-law." Lily Ling stepped forward, her eyes narrowed. "Mr. Shen here helped me when I was down. Whereas my very own sister seems to be saying something very suspicious. Mr. Shen has every right to question what she says…and even if he doesn't, I do possess that right. And I'll be asking you the same questions, Linda."
She turned to glare at the wilting Linda.
"Why do you sound like you think I really was drugged? And why do you know specific effects of that drug?"
"No, I didn't…!"
"Linda is confused, just confused. I think we are all tired after the events of last night." Charles quickly interrupted and led his wife away. "We should all go rest. You too, especially, Sister-in-law. If you're unwell, you need to rest more."
The heiress of the Ling Conglomerate watched her half-sister and brother-in-law leave the lobby. I shuddered when I saw the icy chill in those sapphire eyes of hers.
She was definitely planning something. And I already felt sorry for Linda Ling and Charles Mu.