Zoe wasn’t one to gossip, but Riley had always maintained the image of a highly educated, independent career woman. To earn Martin’s approval, she worked incredibly hard after joining the Lancaster Company.
Zoe had never heard of her being closely associated with any men. She acted as if she were a pure, untouchable flower.
Yet today, Zoe had caught her looking so impatient and... promiscuous.
Soon after, the Bentley drove away. Zoe shook her head, not bothering to dwell on it.
She didn’t leave in a hurry. Instead, she dialed the number for Portellis Hospital.
The caretaker spoke in fluent Cantonese. "Miss Lancaster, have you eaten yet?"
Zoe didn’t mention the dinner party that had just ended on a sour note. After exchanging pleasantries, she asked, "Has my mother been doing any better lately? Is she more lucid?"
The caretaker sighed. "Not really. Her physical indicators are still quite low. She’s lucid sometimes and confused at others, but she still calls out for her baby girl constantly."
Zoe’s eyes instantly welled with tears.
When she was little, her mother would always hold her and call her her precious baby girl. She would say that her baby girl would grow up to be healthy and happy, that she would find a good home, and that she would be the happiest girl in the whole wide world.
But ever since her mother fell ill and went to Portellis for treatment, Zoe’s life had been turned upside down. What happiness was there to speak of?
"She still... remembers me?" she asked, fighting back a sob.
The caretaker replied, "Of course. Even though your mother has forgotten everything else, her subconscious still remembers to love you."
Zoe sniffled, unable to suppress the grievances she had been harboring all this time. Biting her lip, she said, "Please take good care of my mother. I’ll go visit her when I have time. You must use the best medical treatments available. Don’t worry about the money."
The caretaker quickly agreed. "Don’t worry, Miss Lancaster. I’ll contact you immediately if anything happens."
After hanging up, Zoe received a few photos of her mother from the caretaker.
In the photos, her mother was sitting in a wheelchair, gazing out the window. Her back was thin and frail. She hugged a worn-out stuffed bunny in her arms, her eyes empty, lost in unknown thoughts.
The bunny belonged to Zoe. She had given it to her mother to take with her before she left.
It had been so many years.
Yet, it was still intact and deeply cherished.
Zoe could no longer hold back her tears. She slumped over the steering wheel and cried for a long time, an unbearable ache in her chest. She had been separated from her mother for nearly ten years. When she was young and powerless, she had to stay by her father, Martin Lancaster’s side, only occasionally begging him during holidays to let her visit Portellis. Later, as Riley gradually integrated into the company and began intentionally consolidating power, Zoe realized the gravity of the situation and knew she couldn’t act rashly.
When exactly did Wendy Lawrence and Riley arrive at the Lancaster home?
She remembered she was twelve at the time. Back then, her mother was still perfectly fine.
It wasn’t until Wendy showed up at their door with Riley, demanding answers, that the Lancaster family fell into utter chaos.
From then on, her mother suffered severe emotional trauma. Two years later, she was in a tragic car accident that caused major brain damage and nearly cost her both legs. Since Portellis had the best surgeons, she was transferred there for treatment.
Ever since that day, Wendy and her daughter brazenly moved into the Lancaster home.
Six months later, Riley changed her last name to Lancaster; prior to that, she had used her mother’s surname.
It was as if the Lancaster family’s entire world had been flipped upside down overnight.
Her father, Martin, treated her well enough, but ever since Riley arrived, his focus had unconsciously shifted to favor his stepdaughter. Zoe had endured endless grievances and humiliation over the years, yet Martin remained completely oblivious to it all.
Just like that, Wendy played the cuckoo in the nest, taking over and carrying herself as Mrs. Lancaster, acting as if she weren’t a shameless mistress who had barged into another woman’s home.
And her daughter, Riley, seemed more like Martin’s biological child than Zoe, the true daughter of the Lancaster family.
Slowly, Zoe was ostracized.
She gave a self-deprecating smirk.
It was true what they said: once you get a stepmother, you get a stepfather. Not to mention, Wendy was still an illegitimate mistress to this day.
The more she thought about it, the more her head pounded. Zoe took a long time to calm down. Checking the time, she realized it was already past three in the afternoon. She hadn’t eaten anything since waking up, so she headed straight to a Hong Kong-style diner to grab a quick bite.
While eating, she checked her text thread with Simon again.
There was still no response.
He probably didn’t have the habit of reading spam messages.
Since that was the case...
Thinking of her mother’s medical bills, Zoe decided to toss her pride aside. If Simon didn’t intend to take the necklace back, she would sell it secondhand. Why turn down free money? It was what she deserved!
She immediately took a photo and listed it on a resale platform.
The price was negotiable.
Having settled that, Zoe took her time heading back to her apartment complex.
After a long and exhausting day, the sky had already turned a dusky gray by the time she returned. Perhaps because her call to Portellis had dampened her mood—knowing her mother’s condition hadn’t improved—she was entirely consumed by a heavy, depressive funk. Utterly drained, she trudged upstairs and unlocked her door.
She could hear Scumbag barking incessantly on the balcony, sounding highly agitated.
Zoe stared into the pitch-black apartment, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.
"Scumbag? What are you barking at?"
She reached out for the light switch, only to brush against a hand the next second. The warm touch terrified her, and she let out a piercing scream. "Ah!"
Losing all control, she wildly began hitting the person next to her.
That was until the person grabbed her wrist and pulled her forcefully into his chest, pinning her down so tightly she couldn’t move. A deep, magnetic voice spoke, as cold as frost. "Stop screaming. It’s me."
Recognizing the familiar voice, Zoe finally stopped struggling.
The lights flickered on.
She could clearly see Simon’s face.
He wasn’t wearing his glasses right now, which made his striking dark eyes even more prominent. With lowered lashes, he gazed at her indifferently. A shallow crease formed between his brows, suggesting he was in a foul mood.
Zoe broke out in a cold sweat. She had genuinely thought a burglar had broken into her home, and her heart rate refused to settle. "W-Why are you here? You have the key to my apartment?"
"Yes. I had a copy made when you left your keys in my car last time."
"..."
They were a fake married couple! Couldn’t he have a little sense of boundaries?!
Zoe’s body went limp. Truly frightened by the ordeal, she leaned against his chest and said helplessly, "My legs feel like jelly. Can you help me to the couch?"
Simon didn’t say a word, but his actions were decisive. He bent down and scooped her up into his arms, taking long strides toward the sofa. Zoe wasn’t used to this level of intimacy and looked slightly embarrassed. "Thanks, Mr. CEO..."
Simon shot her a cold glare. "..."
Was there something wrong with her head? What kind of address was that?
It was impossible to tell how long he had been sitting there. A lighter rested on the coffee table, though he hadn’t smoked in her apartment. As Zoe shifted uncomfortably, he finally spoke in a slow, deliberate drawl, "Do your legs often feel like jelly so you can throw yourself into other men’s arms?"
It was a completely emotionless sentence, yet it sent a sudden chill down Zoe’s spine.
He was talking about what happened at noon.
So... did he actually care?
The potential answer made Zoe’s heart race, yet she also found the very idea absurd.
Her throat felt dry. She opened her mouth, intending to explain, "No, the guy at noon was my frie—"
CLICK.
The lid of the lighter snapped shut.
Simon pursed his thin lips. She realized that his glasses seemed to act as a seal on his aura. Without them, his beautiful dark eyes were filled with nothing but cold indifference and ruthlessness, completely devoid of emotion. "I truly don’t understand you well enough."
Zoe’s eyes wavered slightly. "What?"
He stared at her, his expression as placid as an ancient well. "Did you list that necklace for sale?"