Chapter 105
Lydia instinctively recoiled under Emily’s piercing gaze, guilt flickering in her eyes. “Emily,” she stammered, “is there something you need?”
Emily studied her for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Was it you who put Lucas up, threatening the shop owner’s family and making them fire me?”
At Emily’s question, Lydia visibly relaxed, a wave of relief washing over her. She put on her usual gentle smile and denied without hesitation, “It’s not my fault. I even warned Lucas not to involve innocent people. He-”
Emily cut her off, her voice cold. “You know best whether you warned him or were just hinting at it.
“I’ve given you back your place as the Bennett family’s heiress. I’ve repaid the debt of gratitude for their upbringing over these past two years. From now on, I have nothing to do with the Bennett family.”
She shot Lydia a warning look. “I have no family, no friends, nothing to lose, just this worthless life. Unlike you, Ms. Bennett, with your endless wealth, unrivaled status in Cloudridge, and all those doting loved ones and family members.”
She added coldly, “If you insist on going up against me, I guarantee you’ll be the one to regret it.”
Lydia’s face froze in shock. “Are you threatening me?” she demanded.
She couldn’t believe that Emily still had the nerve to threaten her, and the worst part was, she couldn’t even talk back.
No one knew how desperately she had struggled to secure her place as the Bennett family’s heiress, which was why she clung so tightly to everything she had.
But Emily, having consciously shed almost everything through her own efforts, had nothing left to lose. Compared to her, they were worlds apart.
Looking at her expression, Emily knew her threat had worked.
“How could I possibly threaten Ms. Bennett? I’m just giving you a friendly reminder, that’s all.” Her expression. turned icy again. “I never intended to compete with you, so there’s no need for you to keep treating me as your enemy.”
Emily shot Lydia a cold look. “If you hadn’t kept getting in my way, Ms. Bennett, I would have left the Bennett family ages ago, and Bob wouldn’t have had to hold me back.”
Lydia’s face contorted with rage. Her lips parted as if to speak, but not a single word came out.
Having said her piece, Emily didn’t waste another word and turned to leave. As for the gasp she’d overheard at the door earlier, she didn’t breathe a word about it.
Whoever was threatening Lydia, but that was the Bennett family’s business. The more she knew, the more trouble it would bring.
She’d made up her mind long ago to cut all ties with the Bennett family. No way was she getting involved in this
mess.
1/2
But Lydia was panicking, terrified that Emily might have overheard her phone conversation about the money.
Just as Emily had said, Lydia had too much to lose; she absolutely couldn’t afford to part with even a single bit of it.
Lydia had been back with the Bennett family for four years, and Emily hadn’t shown her face in two. Yet the Bennett family had never fully cut ties with her.
Lydia thought anxiously, ‘What if she goes to the Bennetts and spills the beans about what she heard…
Lydia gritted her teeth. ‘No way,’ she thought. ‘I’ve got to find a way to make Emily lose the Bennetts’ trust for good.
Lydia’s scheming mind was back in action, but before she could come up with a plan, something Emily had said earlier suddenly popped into her head.
“What did she mean earlier when she said she had already repaid the Bennett family’s upbringing debt over the past two years?” Lydia suddenly asked aloud as if talking to someone.
But there was no one else around, just her. Her muttering to herself carried an eerie, unsettling quality, sending a chill down one’s spine.
