The Red Rose of Manhattan Chapter 5

After handling the visa, she returned home, only to run into her perfectly made-up stepmother.

Seeing her, the woman launched into her usual lecture: "Lily, you finally came home? How many days has it been? A young woman staying out all night—what will people think..."

Lily didn't even look at her. She grabbed a tall ceramic vase from the entryway and smashed it on the floor!

The crash was deafening, shards flying everywhere.

Linda screamed and stumbled back.

Lily looked at her calmly, her beautiful face full of mockery and ice: "Who do you think you are? A homewrecker who destroyed someone else's family—you think you have the right to lecture the legitimate daughter?"

"Linda, remember this: as long as I'm still in this house, you'll never hold your head up high!"

Her sharp words cut deep, leaving Linda's face pale and trembling with rage.

"Lily! What's gotten into you now!"

Her father, Marcus, burst from his study, rushing to support the swaying Linda while glaring at Lily. "You come home and immediately cause trouble! Can't you be reasonable for once!"

Lily watched her father protect that woman, her heart long frozen, leaving only endless mockery.

She laughed coldly: "I'm causing trouble?"

"Fine. Give me my inheritance now, and I'll go abroad. I'll never come back to bother you again."

Marcus paused, then plastered on fake concern: "What are you talking about! Going abroad? Why would you do that? This is your home, we're your family..."

"Family?" Lily looked like she'd heard the world's biggest joke. "Stop pretending, Marcus. You, her, and Serena—you're the family. My mother's dead. I don't have a home."

"Just name your price. I want my share."

Marcus's face darkened. After a long silence, he reluctantly offered: "I know you resent us... How about this—I'll give you five hundred thousand. You can go relax for a while..."

"Five hundred thousand?" Lily scoffed. "Marcus, you got where you are today with my grandfather's money! With my mother's dowry! Hell, your life—my mother traded hers to save yours!"

"And now you're living off my mother's money, keeping your mistress and illegitimate daughter in my mother's house, and you're offering her legitimate daughter five hundred thousand?"

"Where's your shame?!"

Marcus hit his breaking point: "Fine! How much do you want? Just say it!"

Lily was prepared. She pulled documents from her bag, calmly listing figures and stock holdings.

"You're insane! That's impossible!" Marcus exploded. "You want to gut half of Sterling Industries!"

Lily walked to the window calmly, looking at the garden below: "Won't agree?"

"That's fine."

"I planted bombs around the villa."

"Either you agree and sign this, or we all die here together. Your choice."

Marcus's pupils contracted, his finger shaking as he pointed at her: "You... you're crazy!"

"Yes, I'm crazy," Lily admitted matter-of-factly, her eyes resolute. "You all made me this way."

Marcus's face turned ashen, breathing heavily, staring at Lily as if trying to determine if she was bluffing.

Finally, his fear of death won out.

He collapsed onto the sofa, sweating profusely, shakily signing Lily's inheritance agreement.

"Now... get rid of the bombs!" His voice trembled.

Lily picked up the agreement, carefully checking the signature, a mocking smile on her cold face.

"Relax. There are no bombs."

"I lied."

"After all, you lied to my mother to marry her, didn't you? Like father, like daughter."

Marcus finally realized he'd been played. He nearly had a stroke, pointing at her, "You... you..." but couldn't get another word out.

Lily turned to go upstairs, done with him.

"Stop!" Marcus, gasping for air, called after her, forcing down his rage. "Your sister... is bringing her boyfriend home for dinner tonight! Whatever you did before, I don't care, but this time you will sit through this meal properly!"

He emphasized with a warning tone: "Her boyfriend is Ethan Frost! You know what the Frost family means in New York! We can't afford to offend them! Put away that rebellious attitude and don't cause trouble!"

Lily froze mid-step, her back going rigid.

Ethan...

He was coming here today as Serena's boyfriend?

The door opened.

Serena walked in, arm linked with Ethan's, all smiles.