Chapter 255 Buying Peace of Mind
"The only person I've ever schemed for was Solomon. What could possibly make you believe I'd harm someone I don’t even know, like Miss Rhoads?" Lilian asked. "If that's truly how you see me, maybe it'd be better if you just kicked me out of Solomon's life..."
Darwin had promised to protect Lilian.
Hearing her say this, he felt a twinge of guilt.
But...
Darwin feared even more that because of the thorn that was Lilian, his wife’s heart, which had just started to soften toward him, would turn cold again.
He was walking on eggshells just to avoid pushing her away.
So...
"I'm sorry, Lilian," Darwin said flatly. "There's no room for discussion."
Lilian sat frozen in the car, as if her blood was slowly turning to ice.
Even in her early days back in the country, Darwin had never protected Fiona like this.
He used to drop everything to be at Lilian's side whenever she needed him, leaving Fiona behind.
Now...
Even when she tried to befriend Chelsea, he was still so guarded?
"I understand," Lilian said, her eyelids drooping. Playing pitiful or innocent was futile now.
She stared out the window.
Over these five years, Fiona had become Darwin's obsession, an obsession that, after meeting Chelsea, who bore such a resemblance to Fiona, transformed into a fierce but hollow love.
In the midst of deepening jealousy...
The ringtone of her phone shattered the silence.
Thinking it was Darwin calling back, she snatched it up immediately.
But the sight of the caller ID sent a chill down her spine, as if doused with a bucket of ice water.
Thomas.
Her face paled as she let the phone ring until it went silent on its own.
Not long after the missed call, a message from Thomas arrived: "Not picking up? Should I call Darwin instead?"
Lilian clenched her teeth in fury.
Why couldn't these despicable people just leave her alone?
She called back through gritted teeth.
Thomas picked up instantly, his voice laced with mockery, "Thought you weren't scared."
"I've given you the money, and the car. What more do you want?" Lilian asked, her voice heavy.
Thomas let out a derisive chuckle: "What’s that money amount to?"
"Three million dollars? You're scoffing at that?" Lilian was livid.
Thomas continued to chuckle, "Can I help it if my sister is so capable? Of course, she should lend a hand to her dear brother, right? I want to take my girlfriend to the Maldives for a vacation. Wire me another two million dollars."
"Why on earth would the Maldives need so much?" Lilian was aghast.
"Can my girlfriend go to just any island? Besides, she needs to shop for bags, jewelry, and stuff. Two million is a drop in the bucket!" Thomas asserted with unwavering conviction.
"I don't have that kind of cash!" Lilian gritted her teeth in frustration.
"If you're short, then hit up Darwin for it!" Thomas immediately raised his voice.
"Didn't you catch the news? Darwin's married now! How am I supposed to ask him for money?" As Lilian uttered these words, her heart was bleeding. It was the truth she least wanted to face, yet she had to use it to fend off her greedy family!
"Well, that's not my problem. My girl wants the best island in the Maldives, she wants to splurge on bags and jewels or she'll break up with me. I love her, damn it. If she leaves, it might as well be the end of me. If I'm miserable, don't expect to have it easy. I’ll call Darwin and spill the beans, and we'll both be screwed!" Thomas was being a complete jerk.
"Thomas!!" Lilian roared with a voice strained by rage.
Thomas, unfazed, didn’t care one bit.
"Sis, you're not getting hitched, and I’m the only one left at home. If you’re not spending your money on me, what's the plan? Saving up for some future fling?" Thomas smirked, his voice dripping with irony, "I want the money in my account by sundown or else—you know what'll happen."
Lilian didn't even get a chance to respond before Thomas cut the call.
She tried calling back, but no one picked up.
"Son of a bitch!"
"Bastard!!"
Lilian pounded the steering wheel furiously, her hands going numb with the force. She could come up with two million dollars, but how much more would she have to shell out after that? This was a bottomless pit.
Her gaze drifted to the passersby, but her thoughts were suddenly back to the image of Darwin, happily carrying a bunch of flowers, walking back. That happiness was something she had never seen from him before his car accident that left him in a vegetative state.
Lilian pondered the chaos that had suddenly struck her life. Whose fault was it? It all came back to Chelsea. If Chelsea hadn't appeared, Lilian wouldn't have gone to the hospital that day, and she wouldn't have run into Thomas. Darwin wouldn't have so blatantly cut ties with her, parading his love with Chelsea in the media without a thought for Lilian's feelings!
Then there was the RH Company project. After the presentation, she had approached the RH executives she was previously on good terms with, only to receive lukewarm responses. Two of them didn't even bother to reply. She knew her months of painstaking networking meant nothing in the face of Chelsea’s proposal.
Lilian recalled the look Chelsea had given her right before the presentation. Snapping back to reality, she realized what she needed to do.
"She's caught on! She must have seen through my plan from the beginning, orchestrating this whole scenario to watch me fail," Lilian thought bitterly.
"That's low!"
Lilian spat the words out with venom.
Reaching for a second phone, she texted a cryptic number: "Is the person in place?"
The reply came swiftly: "The money's good, they'll be on their way."
"I need it fast!" Her fingers angrily punched the keys.
Understood," the other side responded.
Lilian swiftly wired four million dollars from her offshore account as a down payment, with the promise of six million more upon successful completion of the job. This secret account, established during her time in Europe, was mostly filled with funds she'd acquired during her stint with royalty. Over the years, with a savvy manager to oversee it, the value had ballooned to over six million euros—a hefty sum by any measure. But she was willing to part with it to get rid of Chelsea.
After transferring the money, Lilian opened Thomas's profile.
One down is one down. Two is the same deal.
The dark thought bubbled up in her. Always overlooked in favor of her brother and now unseen by Thomas too… If he couldn't see her as family,
Then...
She certainly didn't need this thorn in her side, not when she was on the cusp of a bright future.
She sent Thomas’s photo and details to her contact.
"One more," she added.
After a few minutes: "Half a million."
Without hesitating, Lilian sent the money.
Half a million dollars was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
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