Chapter 5
Before he could finish his sentence, Lily looked at her hands, still trembling from touching cockroaches and spiders, and gagged again.
“I need a shower. Don’t wait for me,” she said, rushing to the bathroom.
Brian stared after her, utterly confused.
Taking advantage of the moment, I pulled Brian aside and whispered conspiratorially,
“Brother–in–law, did you prepare a surprise for my sister?
I saw her tearing through the house earlier, laughing excitedly. What did you give her to make her so happy?”
Glancing at the disheveled house and recalling Lily’s odd behavior, Brian’s face darkened. Clenching his teeth, he growled,
‘So she’s already found the gift!”
I blinked my wide, innocent eyes and teased,
‘It must be something really special if she’s so eager to hide it from me.”
But Brian wasn’t listening anymore. His gaze turned venomous as he glared at the bathroom door.
Though he clearly wanted to confront Lily about the money, my presence forced him to bite his tongue. Muttering curses under his breath, he stormed out.
Humming a cheerful tune, I leisurely returned to my room and sent Lila another text:
Lila, it’s time to cash in that lottery ticket.
Suddenly, Lily Eleanor’s phone started ringing.
I glanced at the caller ID–it was Jason, Brian Parker’s archenemy at the company.
ason, in his forties, was Brian’s biggest rival for promotion, leveraging his years of work experience.
In the company, he had secretly contacted me multiple times, trying to use my position as Brian’s secretary to obtain confidential project details.
He had even confessed his feelings to me and proposed to “take care” of me.
Despite my repeated rejections of his advances and bribes, he persisted in making these outrageous requests every time a new project came up.
I assumed this time was no different–until Lily, fresh out of the shower, returned the missed call.
“Hello, Jason. Have you finalized the itinerary? Are we leaving tonight?”
I froze, recalling a document Brian had given me before our trip, which he said was related to a major project for his promotion.
If Jason was reaching out now, it had to be about that document.
Peeking through the door crack, I watched Lily’s animated expressions as she spoke, feeling nothing but disgust.
Clearing my throat deliberately, I let out a loud cough. •
Lily’s hand froze mid–air as she packed her suitcase, and she turned toward me in panic.
“Sister–why are you standing there so suddenly?”
“Sister, are you going on a business trip?” I asked casually.
Lily hesitated for a moment before stammering,
“Y–yes. Something urgent came up, and I need to head out tonight. I’ll be back in a few days.”
Feigning indifference, I played with my fingers and remarked,
“Does brother–in–law know? He didn’t mention it earlier when he came back.”
As if only just realizing Brian’s involvement, Lily’s face turned crimson, and she became visibly flustered.
I teased her with a sly smile.
“Don’t tell me you’re sneaking off on a trip without telling him? You could always say you’re visiting Grandma’s place.
It’s so remote there, it wouldn’t be strange to have no signal.”
Relief flickered in Lily’s eyes at my suggestion.
“Yes, yes! I’ll tell him I’m visiting Grandma’s house. That’s a great idea! But you’ll need to help me cover for it, okay?”
I flashed her an enthusiastic thumbs–up.
“Got it, sis. You can count on me. Have fun!”
Turning away, I left Lily to hum cheerfully as she continued packing. A smirk played on my lips as I typed a text to
Lila.
Lila, we’ve got something brewing.
That Afternoon, Lily dragged her suitcase and hailed a cab to the airport.
Before leaving, she gave me a conspiratorial wink.
“Don’t forget to tell him I went back to Grandma’s. Just say I couldn’t take his calls because of the bad signal.”
Watching her disappear into the distance, I let out a long sigh and made my way to a law office with the documents! had prepared.
“Hello, I’d like to have a divorce agreement drafted, please,” I said to the lawyer.
Lila, sitting beside me, looked at me with a mix of sadness and concern.
“Caroline, are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “I’ve made up my mind.”
The next morning, I deliberately wore a revealing nightgown and sat on the edge of Brian Parker’s bed.
“Brother–in–law, Lila just called and said she’s on her way with an important document for you.”
