Brooks was so infuriated by her last words that he almost couldn't breathe, and then he heard her ask another question.
"Dad, tell me the truth.
Is Zoya your illegitimate daughter? Or maybe Mom's? Why do you all treat her like she's your precious gem?"
"Lily!" Brooks roared in anger, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Lily smiled without saying anything.
She was indeed talking nonsense.
When their favoritism became ridiculously obvious, she secretly did a paternity test.
The results showed that she was indeed their biological daughter and Zoya was indeed adopted.
So, the favoritism was purely because they were crazy.
In the study, father and daughter were discussing the terms of the wager and had not come down for a long time.
In the living room, Zoya was already feeling uneasy.
After Lily followed Brooks upstairs, Leopold's phone rang, and he went out to take the call.
She wanted to follow and explain the 'liking Edmond' matter, but Layla held her back.
"Stay and chat with me."
Layla said it was to chat, but she did all the talking.
Layla only asked one question about Edmond, and Zoya had to explain for a long time, insisting she didn't like Edmond.
She did hint at Edmond and even tried to ingratiate herself with Octavian, but Edmond ignored her, and Octavian openly advised her to stop.
She didn't give up and tried to get close using work-related matters.
Edmond, knowing she was in charge, directly halted the project, preferring to lose money than talk to her.
Because of this, she hid her feelings deeply.
Zoya was extremely resentful towards Lily.
This girl always played her cards unpredictably, catching her off guard.
Since this involved the L&S Group, she naturally couldn't admit to anything; otherwise, if any L&S projects had issues, she'd take the blame.
Explaining the matter with Edmond was easy, but what really made Zoya uneasy was what Lily said to Layla before going upstairs.
After Lily spoke, Layla's expression became very strange.
Unable to hold it any longer, Zoya finished explaining about Edmond and casually asked Layla, "Mom, what did Lily say to you? You don't look well."
Layla looked at her, paused, and smiled, "Nothing much. She just said she wants to marry Edmond.
The little girl is always daydreaming. Don't mind her."
What did Lily say? Actually, what Lily said to Layla was, "I saw my brother asleep the other day, and Zoya sneaked a kiss. She kissed him on the lips. Your adopted daughter has impure thoughts about your son."
"You say I'm making a fuss, but at least I'm openly pursuing someone. Your adopted daughter covets those outside and harms those at home. I'm really no match for her."
"My advice is not to alert her. Observe in secret, gather some evidence, and then confront her.
Otherwise, Zoya will never admit it."
"My brother is an excellent man. Don't let her ruin him. If rumors of sibling incest spread, where would you put your face?"
The words Lily said before going upstairs kept playing in Layla's mind like a curse.
Zoya and Leopold..
how could that be possible! Subconsciously, Layla didn't believe Lily, but people are like this—when it comes to what they care about most, they become very sensitive.
Like Brooks, who valued the L&S Group above all, he panicked when Lily said Edmond would target the company because of Zoya.
Similarly, Layla valued her son Leopold the most, so no matter how outrageous Lily's claim was, she was scared.
No one could destroy her son.
Royce had been having a terrible time recently.
Ever since his marriage to Nadia was arranged, his mother had ignored him.
Even during family meals, she wouldn't look at him.
The LED screen confessions lasted for several days.
On social media, all the focus was on Lily's confession to Uncle Edmond, and few people blessed him and Nadia.
Feeling frustrated, Royce finally grabbed his car keys and went out, drinking himself into a stupor at a bar.
Nadia had been in high spirits lately because she was about to marry into a wealthy family.
All her relatives were flattering her, and she had never been so glorified.
Leopold, using a project issue as an excuse, returned to the company to work overtime.
He needed to calm down and think about his relationship with Zoya.
If Zoya truly liked Edmond, should he let her go...
Zoya couldn't taste her food during dinner.
Afterward, she accompanied Layla in the living room to watch TV, her eyes on the screen but her mind elsewhere.
She wouldn't give up on Edmond.
As for Leopold, she couldn't let him go until she married Edmond...
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Franklin was at his bar playing cards with some friends who were also disgraced members of wealthy families.
After three rounds, there was a fight outside.
He rolled up his sleeves to see who dared cause trouble in his place, only to find it was his cousin Royce.
After throwing Royce into his private room and asking someone to make him some sobering soup, he heard a mumble by his ear.
"Lily, you're the one who changed your heart..."