Chapter 1: Shrewd Woman
"I suppose there is a reason why you barged in without an appointment." Lily Qin smiled. She stared intently at the man in front of her.
"I heard you backed out from the engagement," the man gritted his teeth in annoyance. He hated Lily Qin's smile. It wasn't the way her beautiful thin lips lifted upwards, nor was it the crinkling of her left dimple. Her smile didn't quite reach her amber eyes and sometimes you could catch a flash of cunningness that would cross her face.
In those few moments as he stared at her, memories of his parents urging him to marry her started to fill his mind. It was a constant reminder of how he needed this marriage to save their family business.
"Why?" he asked.
Lily Qin instantly raised a brow at the question. "Why not?" she challenged.
"I deserve an explanation! Our families have been planning this engagement for months! You cannot back out now! This will ruin the reputation—"
"And that is my problem... because?"
"You-you tell me the reason for your preposterous actions or else—"
The man's words were interrupted when Lily Qin tossed an envelope in front of him. "See for yourself."
Liam instantly tore open the envelope. His eyes widened at the various documents and photographs he saw inside. "You... You sent someone to spy on me?"
Lily Qin instantly scoffed at his words. "Don't flatter yourself, Liam Arison. It was a business decision," she said as she pulled out another envelope and gave it to him.
"What do you mean? How could you ask someone to investigate me like this?" he asked before slowly opening the second envelope, assuming he would find more pictures of him being intimate with his childhood sweetheart. His face darkened as he recognized the contents.
"Acquisition. I want to acquire your properties in the Far East. To be specific, I want the retail companies you have in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore," she said, ignoring the dark look the man was giving her.
"Is this the reason why you initially agreed to the engagement?" Liam Arison's voice was venomous. He wanted to gobble up the beautiful woman in front of him. The smile on Lily Qin's perfect face made fury rise from the depths of his heart.
He remembered how his father had wanted this engagement to save their subsidiaries abroad. His father thought that by marrying his son into the prominent Facci family, he could save their business.
"Didn't you also want the same thing from me?" Lily Qin smirked at him, making his temper flare.
"How dare you! Do you think our Arison family is one you can bully like this? You just wait..."
"Tsk... Tsk... Liam. Have you forgotten about the photos that I gave you just now?" she asked, propping her head on her palm with the same smile plastered on her face. "Think about how your board of directors would react once they find out that the great Liam Ariston cheated on his fiancée with a mere starlet. With your halfbrother's impeccable performance lately, do you think the board will even hesitate before replacing their current CEO?"
"You—" Liam exploded; his eyes red, the veins in his head started to bulge. "You agreed to be my fiancée because of this? Didn't you?" Liam clenched his jaw as the realization hit him. He fell into the great Lily Qin's scheme!
"Alright... you are making it sound like I am a bad person." Lily waved her hand. "Liam, this is nothing but business. Your family wanted to take advantage of my dying grandmother and proposed a marriage to save your business. Think about it..."
Liam turned speechless at Lily Qin's words. She was telling the truth; his mother did take advantage of the two family's closeness and offered marriage to the dying Madam of the Facci family. At first, he thought that she had simply agreed to fulfil her dying grandmother's wishes.
Who would have thought that she would back out of the engagement a mere month after the death of Old Madam Facci?
He narrowed his eyes at the smiling woman in front of him before looking at the photos on the table. If the paparazzi were to get hold of these photos, it would cause a scandal and his career as the CEO would be over. His father might even kick him out of the family.
He, then, started to read the documents that Lily gave him. The amount that she was offering to buy those companies was not that bad. In fact, this was better than what most companies offered them in the past. However, the fact that a woman outsmarted him was something that Liam couldn't accept.
With a dark face, Liam got up from his seat and glared at her. "Lily, I never thought that you would be this shrewd. I always thought that you were kind like your mother and grandmother! Who would have thought that you had inherited your attitude from your bastard father?" Seeing the smug smile disappear from Lily's face instantly made him happy. "You think you are so high sitting here in your lavish office? Did you think I did not know about what happened seven years ago? Huh? You are a slut. You deserved everything that happened to you!" seeing Lily shifting uncomfortably made him smile.
"I will confer with my father and lawyers about the offer and send the documents back to you when the board decides to accept it," he said, storming out of her office, leaving a pale-faced Lily staring blankly at the now closed door.
...
"Yang Mi, cancel all my meetings today." Lily did not wait for her secretary to respond as she dropped the call and pressed the 'Do Not Disturb' button on her office phone.
She then stared at the floor to ceiling windows that gave her access to the magnificent skyscraper view in the busy streets of London.
It was summer-time, yet the sky was sprawled with dark clouds. The winds started to howl like a hungry wolf looking for its prey. The first crack of lightning, followed by the booming sound of the angry thunder made her jolt in her seat.
She hated the rain. She hated how it always made her feel vulnerable and weak, like a child waiting for someone else's protection. She clenched her teeth as she reached for the remote to close the blinds in her office, hiding from the bullets of raindrops that splattered against her windows.
She then reclined in her seat and closed her eyes. She remembered Liam's poisonous words from earlier.
Did she really deserve everything that happened seven years ago?
Chapter 2 :Seven Long Years
The irritating sound of her phone ringing made Lily Qin grumble. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of drowsiness. She looked at the wall clock to her left and grumpily picked up her phone.
Who would dare to call her in the dead of night? It was two in the morning, for crying out loud!
"Miss Qin Jinghua?"
"Speaking. Who is this?" Lily Qin furrowed her brows when the caller used her birth name. She had already changed her name a long time ago.
"I am Yan Xiao. I am a lawyer representing the Qin family. I am calling to inform you that your paternal grandmother, Madam Ye Xiaoxuan, died at seven thirty-six this morning. That was two hours ago. In compliance with her last Will..."
The lawyer's words seemed to echo in Lily's mind. She felt her body tremble, she was thunderstruck. Her Nana was dead.
Her mind seemed to blank as tears streamed down her cheeks. She remembered the old woman's smile as her beautiful phoenix eyes would turn into crescents.
["Lily, this is my mother's necklace. Wear it. It will look good on you."]
["Lily... I do not like that man. However, since you are happy, I will allow this marriage. I only hope that you will live a happy life."]
["Lily, why don't you accompany me to your grandfather's tomb today? I miss him dearly."]
["Lily, I know you have suffered enough. After your marriage, leave this place and don't come back. Live a happy life away from the Qin Family."]
["Ai, this child. Why are you crying? I am old. I will die sooner or later. The important thing is for you to leave this despicable place. I only hope that your husband will treat you well."]
["Look at you. This is your wedding day, yet you are crying. That man of yours might think that I bullied you. Go... Go... he must be waiting for you. Remember, I am always here."]
"Miss Qin?"
The lawyer's words woke her up from her stupor. "Yes?"
"I was asking if you could make it for the reading of the late Old Madam's Will taking place a week from now. It is important for you to be present as the testament says that without you... " the lawyer hesitated before speaking again, "Without you, all of the late Old Madam's assets will be sold and donated to various charities."
"I'm sorry. Where did you get my number?" Lily asked, ignoring the lawyer's question. She had already changed her name and her identity, how was the Qin family still able to find her?
"Miss Qin, this number was attached to your late grandmother's last Will. It had taken her years to locate your contacts. I would suggest that you honor her efforts and attend the reading."
"Mr. Yan," she answered after a long period of silence. "I am no longer part of the Qin family. Why do I have to be present during this reading?"
"You don't understand. The late Old Madam's Will strictly stated that you need to be present during this reading, or else everything written on it becomes null and void," the lawyer calmly explained. He was expecting her to agree to this arrangement immediately. After all, they were talking about money here.
To Yan Xiao's knowledge, Qin Jinghua was just a daughter of a foreigner that the housemaster played with before. Since this foreigner came from a questionable background, the late Old Master refused to let her into the Qin family. Because of this, Qin Jinghua became akin to an outsider in the Qin family. However, she had acquired the late Old Madam's favor. So, why would she act as if she was not interested in late Old Madam's inheritance?
"Mr. Yan... I don't understand why I should care about this issue at all. I have been living on my own, away from the Qin family for years. Whatever happens to them is not my problem anymore," she said before ending the call. She then wiped away her tears and dragged herself out of her room.
She went into her study and poured herself a glass of whiskey. Before her conscience could caution her, she wrapped her hands around the glass and downed the alcohol in one gulp.
The taste of whiskey brought back the melancholic memories she had kept repressed for the past seven years.
Qin family.
As the eldest daughter of the Qin family, Lily Qin or Qin Jinghua should be considered lucky. Her father was the owner of a big media conglomerate in the Far East. To the outside world, Qin Jinghua was treated like a princess, with much love. However, only Qin Jinghua knew how vicious this family could be at home, behind closed doors.
This was because Jinghua was not born of the legal wife of Qin Mo, her father. She was the daughter of a foreigner — an outsider.
Yet, her stepmother had treated her with love and dignity. Or that was what everyone thought.
Lily downed another glass of whiskey as her face turned into a scowl. Those people already trampled on her seven years ago. They took away her dignity and...
A single tear made its way down her cheeks as she remembered what happened on her wedding day. Clad in a white dress, Lily was supposed to become the happiest person on earth but it ended with her losing a lot more than herself.
Lily let out a mocking laugh as she cursed inwardly. Those memories would not bring her any good. Seven years have already passed.
Seven long years.
She had recovered. She was now someone who would dare fight a wolf with her bare hands.
That's right... she, Lily Facci Qin, was no longer the gullible girl that everyone bullied. She was now the CEO of the reputable Facci Holdings, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in London.
Lily Qin's gaze darkened as an inconceivable emotion slowly enveloped her.
That's right.
She was no longer the prey. Now, she was the predator.
Chapter 3: Tycoon
"Ah Li, I think it's time that you show them their rightful place. I mean, look at you now. Why are you even afraid of seeing those scum? If you want I will cancel my filming and accompany you to Hong Kong! Let's face-slap that family with money! Hmph!"
Lily let out a chuckle at the sight of her best friend's over dramatic gestures. "Ah Shan, you really should stop directing films and start a career in acting instead. I think it would suit you better."
Li Shanshan pursed her lips before rolling her eyes at her friend. "You are trying to change the subject here! I will accompany you to see them next week! Let's see if they will dare underestimate you once they see who you are now."
Seeing Lily turn silent at her words, Li Shanshan did not continue to voice out her opinion anymore. She poured another glass of red ginseng tea and gave it to Lily Qin. "Alright, have some ginseng tea... Ah Li, you really should stop drinking like this ah." She let out a sigh. "Here, my grandmother specially cooked this and asked me to give this to you. This will help with your hangover."
Lily Qin continued to drink the tea silently and ate the rice cakes that Li Shanshan gave her. She looked at the time and grabbed her phone from the bedside table next to her.
"I called your secretary before I came today," she heard Li Shanshan mutter. "You're lucky I decided to visit you today. Or else no one would take care of your drunk ass again."
"Thank you, Ah Shan," Lily softly said before smiling at her.
"Alright, stop giving me that smile of yours. I will go make some porridge for breakfast."
Lily watched as her friend walked out of her room before the smile on her face disappeared. She furrowed her brows while clutching her head. Li Shanshan was right. She really should not have drank that much last night.
She let out a long sigh. Her face slowly turned pensive. Seven years ago, her grandmother, Ye Xiaoxuan was also helpless. She was not able to help her. In the end, she ended up hating her for what happened.
However, years later, Lily Qin realized how dumb she was for hating the only person who loved her in the Qin family. She felt deeply embarrassed for what she did. She had not even considered calling her to apologize in the past.
Now, she could only regret everything and wish that her grandmother could forgive her.
She then thought about the events that transpired seven years ago.
As the young miss of the prominent Qin family, Lily's life was not what everyone expected it to be. Her stepmother, Tang Lingyun, never allowed Lily to develop her skills and talents. Since Lily was born with a weak constitution, she forbade her to attend events under the pretense of being caring towards her. Everyone applauded her stepmother for her kindness.
Of course, even Lily was fooled and thought that her stepmother truly cared for her. That was until she met the boy whom she was supposed to marry, Xuan Hui. He was the young master of the Xuan Household, another prominent family in the country.
The Old Masters of the Xuan and Qin families were once comrades. Because of this, they promised to have their eldest grandson and granddaughter marry. And that was Xuan Hui and Lily Qin. At first, her stepmother, Tang Lingyun, raged when she found out about this arrangement. She wanted her daughter, Qin Fei, to marry Xuan Hui, not the foreigner, Lily. However, with Lily's grandmother's support, Tang Lingyun was helpless and was forced to accept the engagement.
Lily thought that everything was fine, that fate had favored her for giving her such an outstanding future husband. Who would have thought that it was just her wishful thinking?
Together, Tang Lingyun, Qin Fei, and Xuan Hui thought of a scheme that would even render her grandmother useless. They thought of a way to embarrass her and make her the laughingstock of the whole country.
Lily Qin let out another sigh, refusing to think of the things that happened on her supposed wedding day anymore. She then went to the bathroom and took a quick shower before going to her kitchen to eat whatever her best friend had cooked.
"Come, come... give my new porridge recipe a taste. I learned how to cook it when I was in Thailand last weekend. Hahaha. Ah Li, I met this businessman who looks really smart. I want to introduce him to you...I feel like you two will like each other..." Li Shanshan continued her endless chatter. She started telling Lily everything about her trip abroad.
Lily nodded her head as she silently listened to her friend. She was already used to Li Shanshan's chattering.
"I was thinking of visiting Hong Kong next week for a film that I am working on. The company is looking for an Asian actress that we could use. Do you want to come with me so we could settle the Will and you could move on with your life?" Li Shanshan asked, concern written all over her face. She knew how the Qin family still affected her best friend, and this was the only way that she could think of helping her.
"Alright," Lily answered while resisting the urge to tell her friend that she had long moved on. Although she didn't want to see anyone from the Qin family, she wanted to see her grandmother for one last time.
"Really?" Li Shanshan asked, excited. "Like, are you sure?"
"Why not? I am not afraid of them. Plus, I need to take care of the business we just acquired."
"You mean the Arison's?" Li Shanshan laughed. "Aiya... I always knew you had a hidden agenda for agreeing to marry that ass. Hahaha..."
Lily Qin only shrugged at her words. Liam Arison wanted to marry her because of the Facci family's influence. He thought that by marrying the heiress of the Facci family he would be able to save their subsidiaries abroad. He thought that he could hide his illicit relationship with his younger cousin and childhood lover.
Did he think that Lily Qin could become a tycoon at this age if she were dumb?
Chapter 4:Empress—a Queen with a Deadly Smile
The Acquisition Documents that Lily asked Liam to sign were immediately sent out by his secretary the day after their confrontation. However, since Lily was not able to go to her office because of her hangover, it was sent directly to her two bedroom flat.
Lily immediately made arrangements so she could travel and take care of their newly acquired subsidiaries abroad. Lily had initially decided not to attend the reading. However, she decided that she owed her late paternal grandmother, Madam Ye Xiaoxuan, for taking care of her when she was young.
The three retail companies that she had just acquired from the Arisons were close to bankruptcy, and Lily needed to focus and spend more time managing them.
She also decided to bring Yang Mi and two other directors along who would take care of other errands.
"I want business proposals for these three companies within three days. The goal is to increase the mid-year profit by ten percent." She smiled at the group of men and women in her boardroom. Lily Qin's smile was plastered on her pretty face. However, it was widely known that her beautiful smile was deceptive.
In the corporate world, Lily Qin was known as the Empress—a queen with a deadly smile. Her smile only brought trouble to most people. Some even said that the bigger her smile was, the more trouble she was brewing in her brilliant mind.
As the only remaining Facci, Lily was known to be an iron lady; one who surprised the business world when she started her reign six years ago. Because of her, the Facci Group of Companies saw their profits increased by leaps and bounds. In less than a year, the Group was able to enter the top one hundred most profitable companies in the world.
After five years, the Group's profits doubled. In that same year, the Facci Group of Companies entered the top thirty most profitable companies in the world. To say that Lily Qin was a prodigy in the business world was an understatement. Some people call her a legend, while others considered her a business goddess; someone capable of causing storms and hurricanes in the business world.
"President, three days is too much," a handsome young man injected.
"I agree with Mr. Beau. Let's make it two," she answered nonchalantly, instantly silencing the whole room. "Two days should be enough for everyone. Two days from now, I expect a polished report from finance, human resource, and operations department, on my table."
"I want market research, development strategies, and countermeasures for our competitors," she added, her gaze never leaving her laptop. She lifted her head and glanced at everyone. "Any questions?"
The people in the room did not know if they wanted to cry or laugh at the President's words. They originally wanted to ask her for an extension, but who would have thought that she would prepone the deadline without waiting for their opinion?
However, no one dared to voice their thoughts. After all, they were already used to Lily Qin's almost-impossible deadlines.
"If I am satisfied, I will double your bonuses for this quarter," she added when she noticed everyone's strange expression.
Lily Qin's words immediately caused everyone's mood to lighten up. A smile instantly made its way to the faces of her subordinates.
"Great! Now, let's get to work." She got up and strutted her way out of the board room.
...
"Any more meetings for today?" she asked her secretary after leaving the boardroom.
"No more. However, we received a couple of calls from the Arisons and a call on your personal phone... It was from overseas."
"Who was it?"
"It was someone called Tang Lingyun. I asked her to leave a message, but she refused and insisted on talking to you... and..." Yang Mi hesitated.
"What else?"
"President, I...she called you names... so I... dropped the call," Yang Mi said, her head lowered.
A while ago, the woman named Tang Lingyun called their President a slut and other dirty names. She even assumed that Yang Mi was just pretending to be her secretary. This made her so angry that she hung up on the rude woman.
"Good. Keep up the good work," Lily muttered before she opened the door to her office. "The next time she calls, tell her that I will go and see them. Then cut the call before she can say anything else."
Yang Mi felt chills running down her body when she saw that the President had smiled at her.
That smile was just too scary, ah. That Tang Lingyun must have offended her in some way.
"Yang Mi?"
"Yes, President?" Yang Mi immediately answered her.
"Move my flight. I want it three days from now," she said.
"President, the proposals will be..."
"Three days, Yang Mi, clear out my schedule for the whole month. Make sure the report is on my table two days from now. Call the pilot for my private jet and arrange for a private bodyguard who will also serve as my driver. I want everything ready on the day that I land in Hong Kong. That's umm... by Friday." Yang Mi did not say anything else and simply nodded her head at Lily's words. What else could she say? The president seldom changed her mind when it came to her plans.
After all, her nickname as the iron lady was not only for display.
Lily Qin gestured her secretary to go before slumping back into her chair. She originally wanted to have this flight two days before the reading. But it seems that the Qin family couldn't wait to see her.
It had been two days since the lawyer called her. Just like she expected, Tang Lingyun had attempted to contact her to ensure that she would show up.
Her intuition was telling her that her father would also call her later that night or the next day to make sure that she would show her face at the reading.
Once again, Lily's face darkened as she thought about her grandmother's death. The only reason she did not exact revenge on the people who humiliated her was that she was afraid to hurt her grandmother further.
Now that her grandmother was dead...
A small smile crept up her lips as she thought about the things that would happen once she returned.
Chapter 5 Her Stupidity
["What? You think you deserve to be my woman?" the handsome man in front of Lily Qin sneered at the sight of her wearing the white wedding dress.
"Ah Hui.. what are you talking about? Today is our wedding day. How could you not show up? This is an embarrassment to both of our families," Lily said, failing to compose herself.
"Elder sister, you should stop acting like the perfect fiancée," mocked the beautiful woman who was leaning on the man's arms. "Your scandal has been already posted online. Everyone knows that you cheated on your fiancé."
"I did not!" Lily instantly paled, wondering if they knew about the accident that had happened a month before. "Why would you say that? Ah Hui, I would never cheat on you."
"I see. You are not only a cheater, but also a liar." The man took a sip from the glass of wine in his hand.
"What are you talking about, Xuan Hui?" she asked as unshed tears blurred her vision.
"What are you talking about?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Tell me..."]
"Tell me!"
"Tell me!"
"President! President wake up!" Yang Mi's voice instantly jolted Lily awake.
Her gaze turned dark when she thought about her dream. She could not remember the last time she had dreamed of those events. Yet, there she was dreaming of them again. Why now?
"President... there's..." Yang Mi awkwardly gave her a pink handkerchief, "You have tears..."
Lily Qin accepted the handkerchief and wiped the tears staining her face. "When are we landing?" She asked, ignoring Yang Mi's curious gaze.
"In an hour. It's currently night time in Hong Kong, but I already made arrangements for everything. There will be a car waiting for us. I'm sure no one will know of your arrival," Yang Mi said. For some reason, the president emphasized the importance of keeping her arrival a secret from everyone. Not even the group of directors that would follow them the next day knew that the president would arrive in Hong Kong earlier than them.
Lily did not respond to her secretary's words. She closed her eyes as memories of that dreadful day came back to her.
A month before her wedding day, Lily and her fiancé, Xuan Hui, argued over her younger sister. Because of that, she went to her favorite bar and had a little drink, expecting her fiancé to come and coax her to go home.
Who would have thought that someone would spike her drink, and she would end up sleeping with the man who was sitting next to her?
The worst thing about the entire episode was that the man was an escort!
Although Lily regretted what happened, her selfishness still kicked in. She wanted to marry Young Master Xuan so badly and leave the Qin family that she decided to keep this incident a secret. Although Lily knew that what she felt for Xuan Hui at that time was not love, it did not stop her from craving for a better life away from her family.
Lily could not deny that she was grossed out because of what happened. However, she was not a saint. Xuan Hui had already taken her virginity months before she slept with the stranger.