Chapter 2
The live-stream chat erupted in a flurry of laughter.
[Is this nutcase seriously off her head? This is a celebrity mansions show. The producers have already said it's Lily's place. Does she think she's Eric's girl, and therefore, she can claim it, too?]
[This is way beyond help!]
[Look at how sure of herself she is when she says it's her house. Can this kind of delusion even be fixed?]
[I'm a shrink. There's no hope. She's a lost cause.]
Noticing Eric's stubbornness, I simply nodded. "Guys, strip Lily and chuck her out."
"What? You wouldn't have the guts!"
Without a word, my bodyguards moved in, dragging Lily to the floor.
The zipper of the velvet dress that was mine was roughly tugged down.
Eric frowned and stepped forward. "Cut it out! This is an illegal search!"
I chuckled, retorting, "Really? Well, I'm also wondering how my custom-made dress ended up on a stranger.
"You're the only one who knows where it is, Eric. You'd better figure out what to tell the cops later."
"I didn't give it to her!" Eric ground his teeth.
"Eric! Make them stop! I don't want this! No!" Lily shrieked, reaching out for Eric.
Eric didn't give a damn about me—he was about to scoop her up and carry her out.
"Hold him down!" I snapped.
On my command, the other bodyguards forced Eric's head to the floor.
His forehead veins bulged. "Vivian Quinn! Don't you dare touch her!" Eric roared, his voice trembling with rage.
"Keep going," I said coolly.
"No!" Eric shouted, his voice cracking with desperation.
Eric's eyes burned with fury and helplessness as he watched Lily's gown being ripped off right in front of him.
"What is going on here?" a voice demanded, full of authority and irritation.
My eyes brightened, and I spun around. "Brother!"
Leon Quinn was taken aback by my presence.
"Brother!" I dashed towards him, longing for a big hug like after so many long partings.
But this time, instead of his warm embrace, I got an unexpected slap.
I covered my face. The stinging pain left me stunned for a moment.
It was only when Leon said coldly, "What did you do to my god-sister?" that I stared at him in disbelief. "God... sister?"
"Leon!" Lily sobbed, her voice shaking with emotion.
She flung herself into Leon's arms, desperate for comfort, tears streaming down her face.
As he saw her dress torn to shreds, Leon's eyes brimmed with anguish—his pain for her was written all over his face.
I still couldn't believe it. "Leon..."
Suddenly, another slap crashed across my face, and my head snapped to the side.
Leon's harsh words hit me like a bucket of ice water. "It's just a stupid dress! You're so mean, hurting a girl over a piece of fabric!"
Right then, I finally realized my brother was a stranger now.
"A piece of fabric?" My lips quivered.
Then, I recalled Eric's words, "I didn't give it to her!"
Maybe he was telling the truth. Besides Eric, Leo also knew the password to my closet.
"You call it a piece of fabric?" My voice wavered. "This was the dress Mom designed for me before she passed away! Have you forgotten?"
At the mention of my mother, Leon's expression faltered for a split second, but only briefly.
He turned cold again. "No matter how special it is, it's just a thing. How can it compare to a living person!
"If Mom saw you hurting an innocent girl over a dress, she wouldn't back you up!"
My heart clenched, and I clung to the fabric at my chest, gripping it tightly.
"Get the hell out! Toss every last one of them out of here!" I barked, my voice shaking with fury.
The bodyguards moved in right away.
Leon snapped as he glared at the bodyguards, "Let's see who dares!
"You'd better think twice—who's really gonna be the boss of Quinn Enterprises in the end?"
The bodyguards froze in their tracks.
I stared at him, completely in shock.
Some on-site fans of Lily burst out laughing.
"Damn, who knew this psycho was from the Quinn family!"
"Heard the Quinn family really did adopt a kid. Looks like this psycho lucked out big time, getting picked up by the richest family around."
"Everyone knows how hot Mr. Quinn is! He's obviously the real heir of the Quinn family. What's this psycho even barking about? Just because she brought a few bodyguards, she thinks she can boss around the real boss? What a joke."
Maybe out of some lingering sense of family, he had his men clear out the crowd of fans and onlookers, sending them away.
I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt. "Leon, you're just the Quinn family's adopted son! My foster brother!"
Leon's brows drew together, his face darkening.
The bodyguards were caught in a bind, frozen and unsure whose orders to follow.
"Guys, think about it—why does the Quinn family take me in? Wasn't it because they needed an heir to run the family?" Leon said, his voice cool and commanding.
That had the bodyguards second-guessing themselves, uncertainty written all over their faces.
"If you don't want trouble in this business, you'd better let Ms. Monroe go right now," Leon warned, his tone sharp as a knife.
After a beat, the bodyguard finally let Lily go.
Within seconds, a dozen of them threw their lot in with Leon, lining up behind him.
I grabbed a vase and smashed it hard on the floor, the crash making Lily jump and instinctively seek comfort in Eric's arms.
"Leon, I really misjudged you! Between us, it's just like that vase—shattered, beyond repair!" I said, my voice trembling with disappointment and rage.
Leon froze for a moment, and I stared him down, my eyes burning with fury.
I said, my voice cold and commanding, "This house is Mom's legacy to me. None of you has any right to run wild here.
"Either you get out now, or I'll call the police and have you all charged with trespassing.
"But before you leave, Lily—hand over my dress!"
Before anyone could react, I grabbed Lily by the shoulders and tore the dress off her with a loud rip.
She let out a startled cry, hugging her arms tightly to her chest.
Nobody was even looking at the dress anymore.
Even I couldn't help but stare in shock at her waist.
Right in the center of her lower back, just above her hips, was a tattoo—clear as day, the word "Whore" inked into her skin.