Chapter 37

Kate's grin widened as she read the negative comments about Lilly online. She couldn't just sit idly by and had to find ways to tarnish Lilly's name. She knew it was only a matter of time before Lilly would want to return to the family and reclaim her position as heir. Kate had paid people to post bad comments about Lilly online. Watching the video of her being questioned by reporters, she felt a sense of satisfaction, although seeing Alexander hold Lilly close made her frown. Kate reassured herself that eventually, Alexander would divorce Lilly once her reputation was completely ruined. Knowing how much Alexander despised women with bad reputations, he wouldn't hesitate to leave her, regardless of her status as the Blake heir.

One thing that puzzled her was the reason behind Alexander's marriage to Lilly. How did they even meet? She still needed to figure that out. A sudden bang on the door interrupted her thoughts. She turned angrily to see who had dared to enter her room so abruptly, only to find her mother approaching with a deadly glare.

"Mother, why did you come in like that?"

"I warned you to stay out of Lilly's issues and that I would handle her myself, but you went behind my back!" her mother shouted.

"Did you expect me to sit back and watch Lilly take what belongs to me?" Kate snapped.

"I said I'd handle it!" Bella shouted but then tried to calm herself. "I know you were behind today's incident and the one paying people to write bad comments about her online. Alexander Kane ensured those reporters lost their jobs, and guess what? He found out who paid them."

Kate's eyes widened. "He already discovered who I used? If that's the case, mother, he'll find out it was me unless we silence him quickly. I don't want Alexander to think badly of me. If he knows I sent those reporters, I'm in trouble," she said, clutching her mother's hand.

"If I hadn't been quick enough to send one of my men to kill that person, Alexander Kane would have found out it was you," Bella replied.

Kate hugged her mother. "Thank you, mother. What would I do without you?" she sighed in relief.

"We're in this together," Bella said, running her hand through Kate's hair. "By the way, how did you know she'd be with Alexander at his company?" Bella asked curiously.

"I didn't know. Things just worked in my favor," Kate smirked, glad that Alexander was present when Lilly was being questioned.

Kate suddenly remembered something. "Mother, Lilly married Alexander under a fake surname, 'Evans,' without him knowing. It means she lied to him. I need you to hurry up with the investigation."

"My men are on it. Meanwhile, I want you to stop getting involved. If you don't want Alexander to see how bad a sister you are to Lilly, let me handle everything. Instead of behaving like her enemy, try to build a good relationship with Lilly. That way, your grandfather will think highly of you," Bella advised.

Kate thought about her mother's words and nodded in agreement. "You're right. I'll try my best, even if it's hard."

"Good," Bella said, walking to the table and pouring herself a drink.

"Guess what, mother?"

"What?"

"My company has a meeting with Alexander Kane tomorrow. He's considering a partnership with us," Kate said excitedly. "I'll see Alexander tomorrow. It will start as a business relationship and then lead to something more." She was looking forward to it.

Bella smirked. "Then we should make a toast."

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Lilly wondered whether she should have told Alexander the whole truth. She glanced at him, engrossed in work from his executive chair. On the rooftop, he had demanded to know who she was talking to and why she was investigating her stepmother and sister. She told him that Jacob was her investigator and hacker, which was true. She also mentioned wanting to find out if they had a hand in the day's events, given their strained relationship. That was partially true, but she hadn't told him they were responsible for her sisters' deaths and that she was still gathering evidence to prove it.

One part of her felt she should have told him, while another thought it wasn't the right time. If she told Alexander the truth, he might take matters into his own hands, silencing them for good, which she didn't want. She wanted justice, to charge them in court, and let the world know they were murderers. She also wanted to teach her father a lesson for bringing another woman into their home, resulting in the deaths of his daughters.

Feeling her gaze, Alexander looked up, seeing her lost in thought despite looking in his direction. Was she feeling guilty for not telling him the whole truth?

"The more you delay serving your punishment, the harsher it will be," he said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Lilly widened her eyes at his statement and focused back on the task he had given her. She realized he had brought her to the company to punish her for leaving the house and challenging him. In front of her was a large pile of documents to sort alphabetically and input into the system. She had expected a more brutal punishment, but it turned out to be this.

Unknown to Alexander, Lilly had served a similar punishment before. At ten years old, her grandfather had made her sort papers, teaching her about the family business. She could finish the task within a few hours, but she knew Alexander was already counting the hours she spent doing nothing. She immediately started sorting the documents.

Throughout the day, Alexander left the office twice for meetings, returning each time in anger, venting on James, who stood far away, staring at the ground in fear. She occasionally jumped in fright whenever Alexander shouted at his secretaries or directors. She saw a side of him she didn't know. She glanced at him, seeing his cold expression as he worked.

The office was spacious, and he held two private meetings inside, each lasting 30 minutes. The directors seemed unaware of her presence, given their fear. Alexander fired five employees for minor mistakes right in front of her.

Lilly finished sorting the documents and noticed it was 4 PM. Her stomach rumbled; she hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch. Alexander was in another meeting, leaving her alone in the large office. She decided to explore the office.

She walked to his desk, where his laptop and important documents were. A file title caught her attention. She picked it up and saw it was a real estate project plan. She couldn't help but mark the faults with a red pen. She marked until she realized the whole project was flawed and needed to be redone.

Lilly picked up another file and pointed out the faults in each project. Of the five she checked, only one was good, but with a minor fault. She was confident that Alexander would reject these projects at first glance and fire the employee who dared to place them on his desk. When he returned, she would point out the faults, preventing more people from losing their jobs and saving the companies from going out of business.

As the door knob twisted open, Lilly stood up from his chair and sat in the chair across his. Alexander entered, his eyes immediately noticing the sorted documents, raising an eyebrow. He then looked at her.

"That was fast."

"It's not my first time being given such a task."

"Really?" He closed the door and walked to his table, sitting in his executive chair. His eyes fell on the project files, noticing they weren't in their original position. He knew she had gone through them.

"Yes," she began, seeing him look at the files. She was about to explain when her stomach rumbled, causing Alexander to snap his eyes toward her.

"Why haven't you eaten yet?"

"Aren't you the one who put me on punishment?" Lilly quickly blamed him. "It's entirely your fault that I and your baby are hungry."