"Lily, I truly loved you, and really wanted to win you back, but you didn’t give me a chance; you insisted on closing the path between us. You can’t blame me for being ruthless while you rushed to ditch me and get together with Daniel Carter. Dream on! What I can’t have, no one else can!" Adrian’s tone was urgent and fierce, completely exposing his dark inner self. Even through the receiver, I could feel his sinister derangement. My mind buzzed, a constant humming in my ears, my heart felt cold to the core. "You’re crazy, you’re a devil." "That’s because you forced me!" "Adrian Gordon, you’re really not a man, you don’t even have the courage to admit your mistakes. Anyone with eyes can see who’s cold-hearted and ungrateful between us, yet you continue to confuse right and wrong." Feeling disillusioned, I mocked him fiercely for a few moments, and without waiting for his response, I continued, "If you’re willing to drag this out, I’ll keep you company until the end. Anyway, Eldest Miss Gordon will suffer along with you, and I relish watching the Gordon Family face retribution one by one." With those words, I hung up and ended the call. I pretended to be calm as I continued driving, but unwittingly, my eyes were shrouded with mist. Such a disgrace, what’s there to cry about! That kind of beast is really not worth it! I cursed myself fiercely, raised my hand to wipe my eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed my chaotic and turbulent thoughts. Actually, when viewed from another angle, I have to thank Adrian Gordon for being so ruthless, so I don’t have to maintain any old feelings for him. If he was as before, begging earnestly, admitting mistakes and apologizing, kneeling to retain—then I wouldn’t be able to harden my heart, torn and conflicted, more painful. Now , I can seek "revenge" freely and cheerfully; let’s see who ultimately wins and who loses. As I neared home, Daniel Carter called again. "Almost, are you already here?" "Yeah, I’m downstairs at your apartment complex." "Okay, I’ll be right there." I drove into the complex, and as I approached the building, from a distance, I saw Daniel standing by the roadside. He was wearing a mid-length coat, his posture upright, emitting an extraordinary aura; even in the dark, he exuded a mature, handsome air that demonstrated his unique status. My heart suddenly felt at peace. I got out of the car and walked over, he took two steps forward to meet me. "How are you, are you alright?" Daniel asked, looking me over with concern. I casually pulled a corner of my lips, "No big deal, I’m the one filing a report to arrest others, not someone arresting me." He smiled, "You can joke, seems like it’s really okay." "Hmm..." I nodded, looked at him and asked, "Want to come up for a bit?" Daniel raised his brows slightly, appearing surprised, "Is it convenient?" "Why not? It’s freezing cold outside, standing here talking like fools." Daniel laughed and said, "I thought you were going to distance yourself from me again." Understanding the deeper meaning in his words, I shrugged slightly, feeling a sudden sense of release from restraints, "Actually, it doesn’t matter, even if the divorce hasn’t happened yet, it won’t change the outcome. It just depends whether Second Master Carter minds my awkward identity." Daniel’s smile deepened, he raised his hand slightly, gesturing an invitation, taking on a host-like demeanor. "When have I ever minded? You’ve always been sneaky, looking both ways." "I’m doing it for your sake." "Yeah, I get it." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novèlfire.net Heading upstairs, entering the apartment, I gestured around the small living room apologetically, "Been too busy with work, it’s messy everywhere, bear with it." Daniel looked around, nodded and said, "It is a bit messy, but better than a pigsty or a doghouse." I poured him a cup of hot water and returned, glancing at him with faux anger, "What do you mean? Comparing me to pigs and dogs?" He laughed, immediately admitted fault, "Just joking, seeing you in a bad mood." I pursed my lips, glanced at him, turned and walked away. I thought I had adjusted well enough, but he could still see through it. "It’s manageable. This affair is under my control, I’m not too worried. It’ll just take a bit more time." I went to the sofa on the other side, said calmly. Daniel took a sip of hot water, put down the cup, turned to ask me, "This report you’re talking about, is it the leverage against the Gordon Family you hold?" "Yes, Amanda Gordon framed me before, with solid evidence. I used that matter to threaten Adrian Gordon to consent to a divorce, but didn’t expect their whole family to join forces and deceive me, going back on their word." "Young Miss Gordon hurt you? How did she harm you?" Daniel asked, sounding perplexed. I briefly recounted how Amanda Gordon drugged me but ended up eating her own bitter fruit. After he listened, his expression became notably serious, seemingly faintly displeased, "You’ve encountered so many things recently, yet you didn’t mention a word to me, clearly not treating me as a friend." I understood what he was concerned about, and explained, "You’ve been busy and hard-working enough, things I can handle myself, why bother you." "When you were with Adrian Gordon, was this your style too?" "Yes, even before I was with him, I was ." If I can resolve it myself, I absolutely won’t trouble others, even if I had to, I would definitely find opportunities to repay or thank. The special family environment has made me see through human nature long ago. You can’t rely on anyone but yourself. Daniel Carter looked at me quietly, sighed silently, seemingly with pity, yet also helplessly. Ever since I came back, my Pekingese has been wagging its tail, hoping I’d take it downstairs for a walk. Seeing my prolonged inactivity, the clever little dog became anxious and whimpered, grabbing its leash and dropping it at my feet, whining at me. I had no choice but to pat its head to comfort it, "Wait a bit, good boy." Daniel looked at my dog and praised with a smile, "It’s so smart, almost can talk." "Yes, I picked it up, it’s been with me for four years, very understanding." Daniel suddenly glanced at me, with a somewhat proud expression, "That time when you were drunk, I brought you back, it saw me enter the door and just circled around wagging its tail, didn’t bite me." I continued to stroke the Pekingese’s head, nodding slightly in response, "Yes, it can discern good from evil. It welcomes those who are good to me—on the contrary, it will charge at those who bully me." Just like the last time when Adrian Gordon tried to molest me at the door, the Pekingese played a big role, though it got kicked by Adrian Gordon and had to rest for several days. Daniel’s smile suddenly turned a bit mischievous, "So, I’ve already passed the test of your beloved pet." "..." I pressed my lips together, unable to respond to that. The Pekingese was really anxious, so I had no choice but to pick up the leash and put it on. Daniel got the hint, stood up conveniently, "It’s getting late, you’d better take it downstairs for a walk and rest early." "Hmm, thank you for making a trip so late." "No need to be polite." Daniel walked to the door, turned around, and looked at me steadily. The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous, I swallowed and also lifted my eyes to look at him, neither of us spoke. The Pekingese, who was bouncing around, suddenly calmed down, stood between us, looking up at us, tilting its head with innocent, puzzled eyes. "Although you have the ability to solve things independently, I still want to say, if you need help, call anytime, I’m always here," Daniel spoke gently after a moment of silence. My expression softened, and I nodded in agreement, "Okay." We went downstairs together, then he drove away while I walked the dog. The appeal of my divorce case with Adrian Gordon was still pending, but Amanda Gordon’s case made progress first. I was a bit surprised by how fast the police handled the case. I learned through the lawyer that the two suspects accused of assaulting Amanda Gordon actually recorded a video at the time. The video showed that on the night of the incident, Amanda Gordon was not in her right mind and was in a state of active compliance upon seeing them, not under violent coercion by the suspects. The police initially thought the suspects drugged Amanda Gordon before committing the assault—if that were true, the nature would be much more serious. Moreover, the Gordon Family hired a very capable lawyer and networked with the higher-ups, determined to push for heavier punishment, and the case was about to be concluded conclusively. But after I reported the case, the video I submitted provided new evidence for the gang assault case. "Actually, the two suspects had always denied drugging Amanda Gordon, but they lacked the evidence to prove their innocence and were wronged by the Gordon Family. After you submitted that video to the police, the nature of the case changed. The victim self-administered substances first and was taken advantage of by the suspects. Although they can’t escape imprisonment in the end, they will receive a lighter sentence combined with the facts," the lawyer explained the case details to me. Upon understanding, I couldn’t help but let out a successive cold snicker in my heart. Adrian Gordon is truly a master at betraying his own sister. If it wasn’t for their family digging their own grave, reneging on their words, I honestly hadn’t intended to report. I felt a bit sorry for Amanda Gordon initially. After all, being ravaged by two men alternately, that shadow will last a lifetime—the price is high enough. "These are two separate cases. For your case, Miss Miller, as long as you insist you didn’t know there was a problem with that drink, purely out of goodwill, you let Miss Gordon have it—then it has nothing to do with you. Miss Gordon is the plaintiff in the assault case but also the defendant in the poisoning case, and now with solid evidence, the substances she administered are indeed intended to cause serious adverse consequences, carrying the suspicion of drug-induced misconduct, so she has to bear criminal responsibility to some extent." "Alright, I understand. I hope the police and court can handle the matter impartially and return justice to me." After seeing the lawyer off, I pondered carefully for a while, guessing the Gordon Family must be in utter chaos right now. Truly, those who bring about their downfall do so of their own making. Cherry knocked and came in, not looking too good. Cherry pouted, "Lady Turner hasn’t been to work for two days, the cleaning crew can’t find anyone and came to ask me what to do, whether to dismiss her or keep waiting for her to come back." "You mean my stepmother?" "Who else could it be? How can there be such a shameless person in this world? Saying all the good things when asking for help, then turning their back once the goal is reached," Cherry spoke feeling it’s not worth it for me. I didn’t think much of it after hearing it. After all, I never had high expectations of someone like Shirley Turner. I thought for a moment and instructed, "Find a few debt collection agencies, the kind with a bad reputation like those involved in violent debt collection, forcing people to take nude photos, and such." "Huh?" Cherry was shocked, "Ms. Lily, what are you planning to do?"