The Rebirth of a Scorned Heiress

Immediately after the semi-finals, Lily was summoned to the police once again, where she met Mrs Smith, looking pale and unkempt while waiting for her.

She scoffed, gave her a side glance and walked past her to the officer in charge of the case.

“Hello, Miss Tuner, thank you for coming on such short notice,” the officer greeted.

“Hello, I’m glad I could be of help in any way possible. Are there any developments with the case?” She replied, sitting down in front of the officer.

“Well, like I said at the time, the investigation has been completed, and the testimony you gave matches up with everything, so you can proceed to press charges against Miss Smith.”

“But…. There’s uh….” The officer hesitated not knowing how to say his next words.

“But?” Lily asked with a raised brow, and the officer gave a tight smile.

“Her parents are hoping you don’t press charges. They want you to settle it without going to court, they are ready to pay any amount in compensation,” the officer voiced. Lily frowned in dissatisfaction.

“It was an attempted murder, officer. How do I settle the case without going to court? What if she does it to some other person?” She asked.

“She tried to take my life, and I’m just supposed to take some hush money and forget it?”

The officer let out a sigh as he sat up straighter. “I don’t expect you not to press charges. I’m in support of your decision to do so. I also lost my child to bullying, and I don’t deal with such cases lightly. But the culprit’s parents wanted me to pass the information to you,” he explained.

“The others who are involved, were they paid off?” She gritted out, pretending to be annoyed.

“Their case wasn’t as serious as yours, so they took the compensation, after all, they might not be getting compensation in court. Only you and the other designer are left; she’s still pressing charges for copyright infringement.”

“I’m pressing charges; I want her in court and for her to serve jail term, as long as possible. She needs to be taught some morals,” Lily declared, and the officer nodded.

“It’s not so professional, but I’ll have to say it anyway,” the officer breathed out a small laugh.

“I’m proud of you. I’ve been watching your competition, and I’m glad you didn’t allow the previous one to be a setback for you; instead, you made it your stepping stone. Well done,” he smiled, and he walked out of the office to meet Mrs. Smith.

Lily walked out afterwards and was instantly blocked by a crying Mrs Smith.

“Lily, I know what she did was wrong, but please don’t let her go to jail! She’s all I have. I’ll give you any amount or do anything you want, but please don’t press charges against her,” she begged.

“By law, attempted murders need to be punished,” Lily replied coldly. “And who knows how crazy she has gotten now? For the sake of my safety and peace, I would like to see her sent to prison to learn some morals and pay for her crimes,” she added, and Mrs. Smith’s face morphed into an ugly frown.

“Why are you being so insensitive?! She is your friend! You two grew up together! Why do you want to ruin her future? Are you afraid that you’ll only be in her shadow all your life?” Mrs Smith yelled, attracting the others around them.

Lily pursed her lips and gave the woman a sarcastic smile. “I’m sure your daughter should have considered that when she decided to push me down the stairs! I want to ruin her future?! I almost died because of her jealousy.”

“You expect me to sweep that under the rug like it never happened because she’s all you have? Or because we grew up together? Don’t be delusional, Mrs. Smith! If she considered me a friend, she would not have tried to kill me.” Lily screamed into her face.

Her chest tightened up as she continued to speak about the experience of the host. If there was a way to prove that the host had died and she was a foreign soul, she would have been charged with murder.

She glared at her and kept walking, bumping into the woman’s shoulder for extra effect.

“I’m going to press charges, so get a good lawyer.”

As Lily stepped out of the police station, she let out a deep breath as a tear rolled down her cheeks. Looking up at the bright sky, she muttered.

“You can rest easy now; I promise not to let them off easily.”

{What are you going to do to those who accompanied her in the crime?} The system asked.

“I don’t have to worry about them; the police will handle them properly, as they should. After all, they are accomplices in a criminal case,” Lily replied and continued walking down the pavement towards the bus stop.

A familiar car slowed down beside her, and she stopped walking just in time for Bryan to roll down the window on the driver’s side. “Get in,”

Without needing to be told twice, Lily got into the passenger seat beside Bryan and said, “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

“I came to find you since you weren’t replying to any of my messages,” Bryan replied and gave her a side glance.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly, and Lily hummed as she looked out the window.

After her confrontation with Mrs. Smith, her mood became melancholy, with all kinds of negative emotions swirling around in her head. She could tell it wasn’t hers; the feelings belonged to the original owner.

They were her lingering attachment to the world.

“Is there anything you need?” She asked as she finally suppressed those feelings.

“Can’t I stop by to say hello to my niece? Not the favourite, since she’s so stubborn and willful like her mother, but she’s my niece nonetheless,” he teased, and Lily rolled her eyes.

“You and I both know you are way too busy to have casual family visitation time.” She replied, and Bryan laughed.

“Touche,”

“So, what’s the deal?” She repeated.

“I’m hungry; let’s get something to eat. What would you like to have?”

“I want something spicy and sweet.” She replied, and Bryan gave a nod as he drove to a high-end restaurant close to the police station.

The two placed their order and began to talk. “I was a major sponsor of the Paris show,” he began, surprising Lily, who had always known her maternal family was into technology and medicine.

“Has the Roux family gotten involved with the fashion world now?! She asked.

“I did tell you I broke off contact with the rest of the family; don’t worry, I got my share of the inheritance before I left.” He grinned.

“I’ve always wanted to be in the fashion world, you know? But they just won’t allow it-well, except your mom. She was the only one who supported me back then, and she was also the reason I could break away from the family,” he explained.

Lily hummed and thanked the waiter as their food was served.

“You two have always been close. I guess you both bond with your rebellious acts. Why are you telling me this now? Surely you don’t want me to work for you?” She asked with a raised brow, and Bryan shrugged.

“I would appreciate it, but Victoria is not a designer, at least not a fashion designer. I want Victoria’s service, not Lily’s service. You get what I mean?”

“You make it sound like I have a split personality.” She mumbled. “So, what do you want me to do for you?”

“I want to break into the Roux family vault, and I need your help.”