Chapter 7

Lydia POV

But the flames of anger in my heart couldn't be extinguished. I might as well make things even bigger.

"Afraid of being laughed at? Marcus Reed, you yourself are a joke. You built your fortune on my mother's family, yet you deceived and betrayed her. Now you shamelessly and righteously occupy her family's assets!"

"Even if you want to hide these things, you can't. Everyone knows you, Marcus Reed, are a scumbag who abandoned his wife and daughter and cheated constantly."

The moment my words fell, a stinging pain shot through my face...

Only Marcus himself knew how forceful this slap was.

After all, blood immediately trickled from the corner of my mouth.

"Go home immediately. Don't embarrass me anymore."

Marcus sternly rebuked me. Probably because they'd attracted too many onlookers, Marcus absolutely had to maintain his dignity as a father.

Clara pretended to be kind, exclaiming in alarm.

"Lydia, you're bleeding. Let's go outside. I'll treat your wound."

I rejected Clara's attempt to help me.

I said to Marcus.

"How many times have you hit me now? Since the first time you slapped me in my life, I've considered whether I should twist off that hand you used to slap me... These years, it's only with that kind of mentality that I've been able to survive."

"Lydia... you..."

These words undoubtedly made Marcus's face extremely ugly.

And I didn't linger at the party, quickly leaving.

I didn't want Adrian to see me in such a wretched state.

However, I didn't expect that Adrian had witnessed our family conflict from a corner...

The only place I could go was to my good friend Melissa's place.

Melissa looked at the red, swollen five-finger mark on my face. At this moment, I was truly in a wretched state.

Melissa was indignant on my behalf.

"That damned Clara, I'm going to beat her up. If she dares resist, I'll beat her twice."

Saying this, Melissa really was about to go settle accounts with Clara.

But I stopped her in time, grasping her wrist.

"If it's only a lesson of this degree, I seem to be at a disadvantage."

"What do you want to do? I'll help you."

Melissa knew everything about my situation, fully aware of the suffering I endured in the Reed household.

I was clearly the legitimate heiress, yet Clara and her mother harmed me relentlessly.

"Earlier I asked you to investigate Adrian. Any progress?" I said.

Melissa was a daughter of the Lewis family. Investigating matters wasn't difficult for her.

However, Melissa looked troubled.

"Are you really sure you want to seduce Adrian? He's not easy to hook."

My attitude was resolute.

"I wasn't this determined before. But now that Marcus is trying to set Clara up with Adrian, I have to win him over."

Thinking about how Marcus always favored Clara, resentment surged in my heart.

"Whether you can win him over is still unknown. I heard Adrian keeps his distance from women, has no interest in them. The information I have shows he's never been ambiguous with any woman. Are you sure you can do this?"

Hearing Melissa say this, the difficulty was quite clear.

I was determined.

"No matter how hard it is, I have to try. I absolutely can't let Clara get there first."

I encouraged myself. "I must marry Adrian!"