Hank quickly stood and asked the assistant to take a seat. “I’m sorry, I’ll call the waiter.”
The assistant’s face paled slightly. He had never expected Hank to show such deference.
“It’s fine, let’s sit together.”
Even with ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare ask his boss to leave.
Hank’s smile stiffened, but in the end, he allowed me to sit beside him.
In truth, the assistant had already begun the divestment process, though he hadn’t yet told Hank of my request.
He casually changed the subject. “This boiled fish is excellent.”
Hank said warmly, “My wife loves fish but hates bones. I always pick them out before putting them on her plate.”
In the past, whenever he mentioned his wife, the assistant’s expression softened.
So Hank deliberately showed affection, hoping to ease the tension.
“Really?”
I suddenly asked, “If you love your wife so much, why bring another woman?”
Hank shot me a dark look, then forced a smile as he explained to the assistant, “My wife is shy and dislikes these occasions. Lily is only my sister, nothing more.”
Lily hadn’t expected him to distance himself at that moment, and she bit her lip resentfully.
Then she suddenly gagged a few times.
Hank looked at her anxiously. Lily feigned embarrassment. “Sorry, the smell of fish makes me nauseous.”
She stroked her belly. “The baby is young and restless. Hank, could you get me some vegetables to soothe it?”
His face filled with tenderness, and he instinctively placed the whole dish in front of her.
The assistant’s expression darkened, and she regretted not seeing through this man sooner.
I sneered, “She’s not just a sister—she’s a mistress.”
Hank slammed the table, glaring at me with furious eyes.
He leaned close, teeth clenched. “Alex, go home. This isn’t the place for you.”
Seeing my indifference, his expression shifted again and again.
“Alex, our daughter is still in the incubator. You should return to her.”
I suddenly laughed aloud.
He had only mentioned his daughter twice. Once, to threaten me to write a letter to clear Lily.
The other, to protect his company’s investment.
Those gentle eyes I once loved now held only suspicion and irritation.
“I thought you only cared about what’s in Lily’s belly. So you do remember you have a daughter.”
I added softly, “But seeing her reaction, I doubt the baby will survive.”
At once, Lily stood, clutching her stomach, her eyes red as she glared at me.
She suddenly lunged, snatched the urn, and hurled it toward the flowerbed outside the window.
“No—!”
My heart stopped.
I rushed forward, catching only a handful of drifting ashes.
Lily smiled coldly. “You cursed my child, so I scattered your mother’s ashes. Now we’re even.”
Even?
I could hardly believe it. Instinctively, I grabbed a chair and smashed it down.
Her shrieks, Hank’s rebukes, and the assistant’s alarmed voice soon blurred.
All I heard was thunder splitting the sky.
I staggered outside, kneeling in the flowerbed, picking up ashes bit by bit.
Rain poured, soaking the soil, and my sobs broke free.
Soon, I collapsed.
…
When I awoke, I was in the airport’s VIP lounge.
Fresh clothes covered me, and the urn rested safely nearby.
The assistant’s face showed guilt. “I’m sorry, Ms. Quinn, I couldn’t stop it.”
"Also, the divestment process is nearing completion. Do you think we should notify your ex-husband?"
I shook my head. "No, I want to catch him off guard."
I opened my phone and sent a text message to my lawyer: "Now you can make public the evidence that Lily poisoned me. I want you to personally help me put her in jail!"
"Understood. Everything will be done in five minutes!"
The assistant handed me my belongings. “I changed your clothes and rushed you here. Your flight boards in thirty minutes.”
I turned on my phone, but no messages appeared.
I blocked all contact with him and Lily, then erased every trace of myself.
Goodbye, Hank, Lily.
I hope you two enjoy this "parting gift" from me.
