Chapter 4
"You're wrong, Yolanda. I'm not making the family look bad. You already are.
"And don't act so close with me. It disgusts me," I said coldly.
Yolanda's face instantly turned pale.
William instinctively shielded Yolanda behind him, his stare cold and sharp.
"Lily, that's enough," he said.
"Or what?" I stared him down. "You gonna hit me too?"
He stayed silent, his face dark.
But I knew he was already out for blood.
He'd first shown his true cruelty toward me after this night in my previous life.
Back then, I'd been stupid enough to think he was my safe place.
Now, just looking at him made me sick.
The study stayed tense until Dad said, "Lily, go back to your room first. We'll talk about the shares and workshop tomorrow."
I knew he was stalling.
He was good at pretending to give in, then striking from behind.
Still, I nodded. "Fine. Tomorrow at ten. I'm only giving you one chance."
As I turned to leave, William called out, "Lily."
I stopped.
His voice was low, full of arrogant coldness. "Don't think a piece of paper earns you a place in the Rivers family.
"You're nothing like Yolanda. She grew up here; she knows the rules and how to make everyone like her.
"Even if you share the Rivers blood, you can't change the fact that deep down, you're poor and uncouth."
He'd said something similar in my previous life.
Back then, it had felt like a knife to my heart, and I'd lain awake all night hurting.
Now, I only found it laughable.
I turned back to him. "William, believe it or not, soon everyone will say you have terrible taste."
He narrowed his eyes.
I walked away without another word.
Back in my room, I locked the door immediately.
Then I opened the hidden compartment at the bottom of my closet.
Sure enough, there was an old phone waiting for me.
Grandma had left it for me.
In my previous life, I'd found it after her funeral. But before I took a look, Yolanda snatched it away.
I never saw it again.
This time, I wouldn't let her touch it.
The phone was password-protected.
I typed the number of the stitch Grandma had loved most, and the screen lit up.
My heart skipped a beat.
There were only three videos in the album.
The first one showed Grandma sitting in the workshop, speaking gently to the camera.
"Lily, if you're watching this, I'm probably gone. Don't be afraid. What's yours can't be taken away."
Her hair was grey, but her eyes were sharp and clear.
"Silverloom started with the gold embroidery, which was only passed down to the women in the family.
"You've got steady hands and a good heart, so I'm giving you both the technique and thirty percent of my shares in the company.
"If anyone tries to deny it, go find Henry Quinn. He's got the notarized backup.
"Behind the third brick on the west wall of the workshop, you'll find an old ledger and a key."
My hands shook, not from fear, but rage.
Turned out Grandma had planned everything for me.
But in my previous life, I never even got to see this video before I died.
The second video showed Grandma in her hospital room, her voice frail.
"Yolanda's quite scheming. But your father favors her blindly.
"Lily, never give your design sketches to anyone. Keep the original copies of every drawing you make."
The third video was the shortest, and Grandma's voice turned serious.
"If you ever find out someone in the family has done something shady, go look into Linda Finn, the maid from five years ago. The whole baby swap thing wasn't an accident."
My eyes went cold.
It wasn't an accident?
I felt like I'd been struck by lightning.
In my previous life, I'd thought I'd been unlucky, swapped at birth by a nurse.
But Grandma's words meant someone had done it on purpose.
Who could it be? Dad? Mom? Or...
Just then, footsteps approached from outside the door, followed by a soft knock.
"Lily, open up."
It was Mom.
I hid the phone quickly and walked to the door, not opening it. "What's up?"
"I made you warm milk. You were too upset today. Drink it and sleep," she said softly.
There she was again.
In my previous life, she'd talked like this every time she wanted me to behave.
Later, I'd learned that "calming milk" had been drugged more than once to keep me groggy.