Zoe Lancaster was recovering rather quickly. Simon Hawthorne had hired the best private doctors to tend to her, ensuring she wouldn’t even be left with a scar.
The weather in Kingsford was warming up. Branches along the streets were budding, painting the city with a vibrant breath of spring.
On Friday, Zoe Lancaster specifically called Martin Lancaster to arrange a meeting at the Lancaster villa.
When she arrived, a servant opened the door. Looking at Zoe with undisguised disdain and resentment, the servant glared and said, "Please take a seat. Chairman Lancaster and his wife will be down shortly."
Zoe didn’t care about the snobbish attitude of a lackey. After all, the servant was brought in by Wendy Lawrence—what kind of respectable manners could she expect?
When Martin Lancaster came downstairs, he looked terrible. It was obvious that he was completely worn out from dealing with Riley Lancaster’s mess lately, and he was not in a good state.
When Wendy Lawrence saw Zoe, a flash of resentment crossed her eyes, but she was forced to suppress it. Zoe had mentioned on the phone that dropping the lawsuit was on the table.
"Pour some tea for her. What are you standing around for?" Martin was still willing to keep up appearances, though it was hard to tell how much sincerity lay behind it.
Zoe no longer cared. She looked around the house where she had grown up, a place that held so many memories of her mother. But now—
"Aren’t you here to discuss dropping the charges? Let’s get straight to the point." Wendy was impatient, hoping to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Martin agreed. "She is your sister, after all. There’s no need to make things so ugly and let others treat us as a joke. I’ve asked Riley, and she said she didn’t mean to attack you that day. Since she didn’t actually hurt you, Zoe, you shouldn’t be too unforgiving, right?"
Looking at the man she had called "Dad" for over two decades being so blatantly biased, a wave of sorrow washed over Zoe. With an icy expression, she said quietly, "As you know, Mr. Hawthorne is my direct boss, and he was the one who ended up getting hurt. He handed this matter over to me to handle on his behalf. Mr. Hawthorne is magnanimous. Since I’ve worked for the company for many years, he didn’t want to put me in a difficult position and told me to deal with it as I see fit."
The Lancaster family had no idea she had already resigned from the Hawthorne Group, so she could still use this excuse to handle them.
Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Wendy’s eyes. "Then what are we waiting for! Mr. Hawthorne gave you an out because he doesn’t want you to fall out with your own family. Just drop the lawsuit, what else is there to talk about?"
Martin also breathed a sigh of relief. "Zoe, Dad knows you’ve been sensible since you were a child. You wouldn’t make things difficult for me."
He had originally thought there was no room for maneuvering left, but to his surprise, Zoe had seen reason!
Zoe calmly took two documents out of her bag.
"Of course I can drop the charges. Riley is your biological daughter, someone you’ve protected for so many years. You certainly wouldn’t want her to face a prison sentence. By the time she gets out, her life would be over."
Hearing Zoe emphasize the words "biological daughter," a strange look appeared in Martin’s eyes. After all, he felt guilty and ashamed. "Zoe, Dad is sorry... Hitting you last time wasn’t my intention either. I regret it deeply."
"It doesn’t matter. After today, we owe each other nothing." Zoe spread out one of the duplicate agreements. "Sign here, and officially divorce my mother."
Wendy’s head snapped up, unable to suppress her wild surprise.
Over the years, she had demanded more than once that Martin quickly divorce that woman. Yet, Martin stubbornly refused. Even though that woman was sick beyond recognition, he still clung to some obsession with her, which had fueled Wendy’s hatred for all these years! She hadn’t expected that Zoe would be the one to propose it now.
She looked eagerly at Martin. However, she saw that his expression instantly turned incredibly ugly. Hidden deep within his complex gaze was... a lingering reluctance to let that woman go.
Wendy’s eyes grew red with fury. "Lancaster! Riley is your own daughter! Do you want her to die?!"
Martin stared deeply at Zoe, who was so calm she appeared almost apathetic.
"In addition to that," Zoe said, seemingly deaf to Wendy’s outburst as she spread out another document. "The company’s shares must be cashed out and distributed to my mother, along with the real estate, commercial properties, and so on. You’ve been married for many years, and back then, my mother spared no effort in helping you build this company. Half the credit is hers, so splitting it down the middle means we are even."
This was an issue that had troubled her for years. It wasn’t until Simon pointed her in the right direction that she finally figured out what to do. Using this opportunity to free her mother from this sea of suffering would also force Martin to bleed heavily and split his assets. With her mother’s future medical expenses covered, her biggest problem would finally be solved.
The one who reacted the most violently was Wendy. She glared viciously at Zoe. "Half? Why don’t you just rob a bank! Taking advantage of us while we’re down—have you no shame, Zoe?"
Zoe raised her eyes, her tone bordering on sarcastic. "Compared to you, I’m certainly far behind."
"You!" Wendy trembled with rage and stood up, ready to strike her.
"Stop this nonsense!" Martin bellowed, forcefully backing Wendy down. He stared darkly at Zoe, his anger palpable. "Zoe, you’re really something, scheming this far ahead."
Zoe pushed the documents forward, her voice slow but leaving no room for negotiation. "Riley’s fate rests entirely in your hands."
The atmosphere was thick with tension.
After a long silence, Martin finally spoke with a grim face. "Eight percent of the shares at most. As for the real estate, two villas have always been under your mother’s name. You can sell those later."
Zoe had already anticipated this outcome. She knew Martin wouldn’t agree to her exorbitant demands and would only try to lowball her. It was entirely within her expectations, and she should have felt happy.
Yet, Zoe’s heart felt utterly barren. In the end... she had no family left.
And Martin’s concern for Riley had also exceeded her expectations. It far surpassed what he felt for her.
"Sign it." She looked away, no longer meeting Martin’s eyes.
Martin picked up the pen and signed his name heavily. He raised his eyes, his complex gaze mixed with an inexplicable hatred. "I was wrong. Perhaps I shouldn’t have convinced your mother to give birth to you back then. Now, you’ve become a sharp knife stabbing right at me, ruthless and vicious. Zoe, you are far too much like her."
His tone had been so calm. But for a father to personally call his own daughter vicious made Zoe shudder involuntarily. The hatred still pierced her lungs, the pain shattering her from within.
She stood up. "Process this as soon as possible. I’ll send you the bank card number, and the charges will be dropped before the weekend."
As she turned around, the pent-up resentment Wendy had harbored for years exploded. She cursed at Zoe’s back, "You vicious, ungrateful wretch! The Lancaster family raised you for all these years, and you dare to extort us! Zoe Lancaster, you’ll get what’s coming to you! You’re destined to be alone and unloved in this life, you can’t even compare to a single hair on Riley’s head! Let’s see what kind of waves you can make once you leave the Lancaster family. You overestimating fool!"
Destined to be alone and unloved—what a vicious curse.
Zoe didn’t care anymore. She strode out of the Lancaster villa and looked up at the sky. The day was dawning clear.
From this moment on, she had nothing left. But fortunately, her mother was still here, still fighting to stay alive.
Taking a deep breath, she got into her car and opened WhatsApp. She found her chat with Simon Hawthorne, her fingertips hesitating over the screen for a long time, unsure of what to say.
She didn’t know how long she sat there in a daze.
DING.
She lowered her eyes. A text message from him had just popped up a second ago.
Mr. H: [I’ll pick you up after work, and we can go home together.]