A tremor passed through my gaze, but I forced my voice to remain steady.
"He lied to me," I said slowly. "And he lied to himself."
"Lily, what are you going to do?"
"I don't need to plan anything. Someone else will do the planning for me."
With that, I lowered my head and resumed my work.
*Skree-skree.*
My best friend listened to the harsh grinding sound, a visible shiver running through her. "You... you aren't making a dagger to slaughter the pair of them, are you?"
I looked up and smiled.
"Death is the most efficient way to solve a problem. But wanting to die isn't that easy."
Nathaniel brought Chloe Reid to see me.
Like the women before her, she came bearing a gift.
A gold bracelet inlaid with a sapphire. When the light hit the blue stone, it gave off a faint, eerie glow.
"A small token of my goodwill, Sister. Do you like it?"
Those innocent, guileless eyes met mine, and I sighed inwardly. *That is the kind of gaze one only acquires after cultivating manipulation to the extreme.*
"I like it."
As usual, I accepted the gift with a radiant smile.
Then, I turned to Nathaniel. "Your true love is back. I should vacate my position."
"Lily, don't say it like that—"
"Sister, please don't misunderstand." Chloe cut in smoothly, taking over his defense. "I didn't return to the country to snatch your husband. Everything is better if we just let nature take its course."
"Let nature take its course?"
I met her gaze.
"Fine."
In the days that followed, Nathaniel paraded this woman through high society. They linked arms, gazing at each other with deep affection.
Images of the happy couple appeared everywhere. Thanks to the groundwork laid by that sympathetic reporter, the public envied them to the extreme.
**[Look, this is what lovers should look like.]**
**[This is true love.]**
**[Nathaniel Vance must be dying of happiness.]**
During this period, Nathaniel proactively leaked a story to the media. He claimed that back then, I, Lily Fox, had taken advantage of the situation after Chloe's sudden disappearance. He painted a picture of me swooping in during his most vulnerable moment to trap him in marriage.
He also provided an explanation for Chloe's absence.
He claimed she had left without saying goodbye to care for her sick parents abroad. She had been afraid of becoming a burden to him, so she hid the truth. Now that her parents had passed, and hearing that he still held her in his heart, she had returned.
The public was moved to tears by this tragic romance.
Naturally, I became the villain.
**[Lily Fox really knows how to exploit a loophole.]**
**[What a scheming woman.]**
**[She stole a position that belonged to someone else.]**
**[So shameless.]**
When the insults reached my ears, I couldn't help but laugh.
*What a brilliant move.* Next, someone would likely come to lay all the cards on the table with me.
