After sending Fernando off at the airport, Lily went to Facci Group for another meeting. The meeting was to discuss the relocation of their head office to Hong Kong. She wanted to make sure that her employees knew what needed to be done in preparation for their relocation before she have to head back to Hong Kong on Thursday. After spending half a day in the office, Lily then set off to a private restaurant in Soho Street, London.
The fact that Sofia had asked to meet at Soho Street which was well-known for having some high-end gentlemen’s clubs, did not bother Lily at all. Today was the day that Sofia would hit the final nail on the coffin of her own son.
Lily roamed her eyes inside the glamorous private room that Sofia had reserved for this meeting. In the middle of the room was a big banquet table which could accommodate up to fourteen people. The room had beautiful stained glass windows and decorated with oak paneled walls.
“I actually did not expect you to be this brave.” Sofia was the first to break the silence while Lily continued to admire the room.
“Why would I be afraid of you?” Lily asked.
“After what you did to my son? You should be very afraid of me, Lily.” Sofia’s face was baked with makeup. It was obvious that she was trying to hide her hideous eye bags and dull complexion from her sleepless night.
Lily shifted in her seat before she started to play with her hair. Her face was calm as if she was just having an afternoon tea with a good friend. “Sofia… will you ever learn?”
“You had your chance. You wasted it. And now you just have to threaten me as if it was my stupidity that lead us all into this,” she added.
“I did not do anything to you! But you still harmed Liam! You are heartless!” she hissed. Would she ever admit that she was the one who planned to use the board of directors to pressure Lily? Of course not!
“Heartless…” Lily reiterated. “That’s new. I’m used to people calling me ruthless. But heartless sounds good too.”
“You…” Sofia turned speechless before she realized that Lily was just playing words with her. She was here for a reason and she would not allow Lily to win. NO. Not this time. She would not go down without bringing Lily down with her. Sofia took a second to compose herself. “I am here to bargain with you.”
“Bargain… Interesting.” Lily immediately stroke her chin and smiled meaningfully. “Tell me more.” She then watched as Sofia open her bag and fetch a thick envelope. She quickly gave it to Lily.
“That is not the original copy,” Sofia said as Lily opened the envelope. Relief washed over Sofia when she saw Lily’s eyes widened before she raised an eyebrow at her. “As you can see… these are images of you from your scandal seven years ago. What do you think the consequences would be if I hand this to the media? I’m sure your company will be affected. You were once engaged but cheated on your fiancé, then you went into a mental hospital because of depression. You will lose the trust of the Board and your shareholders.”
Sofia continued to observe Lily as she quietly put the contents back into the envelope, Lily’s expression was serious. It made Sofia believe that she had hit a raw nerve. “If you post photos of Liam and Monique, don’t blame me for retaliating by posting this information online as well. I find this only fair.” Sofia’s voice was full of confidence. She truly believed that Lily would feel threatened and back off.
However, when Lily started laughing instead, it greatly surprised Sofia. Lily’s laughter echoed inside the room as she clutched her stomach. Her eyes were full of mockery while she stared at Sofia. “Gah… I must say I was pleasantly surprised Sofia… I was honestly surprised. I mean… who the hell gave you the guts to ask this?” Lily covered her mouth and stifled a laugh.
“My dear, Sofia… you have been fooled. Whoever gave you that idea to blackmail me was just as stupid as you and your son.”
“Wh-What do you mean?” Sofia immediately grabbed the envelope and pulled it towards her. “This is only a fair trade. Your reputation in exchange for Liam’s. After this, we will have nothing to do with each other. I will not insist on the engagement while you can stop your schemes against my family.”
“Fair trade? Liam’s photos are so valuable while what you have on me… they are as worthless as you. It will be a great loss on my part. Don’t you think so too?”
“You-“
“Come on Sofia, offer me something else. Money? Properties-“
“Stop it!” Sofia interrupted her. “You are nothing but a greedy b*tch!”
“Oh… I am.” Lily smiled.
“What do you mean it does not have any value? These pictures alone will ruin your reputation! Don’t you care about your company? The Facci Group that your grandmother loved so much?”
Lily immediately rolled her eyes and shook her head before letting out a sigh of exasperation. Talking to a dumb person was actually more tiring than exercise itself! “Sofia, I wouldn’t even ask you about your IQ because it is obvious. However, I want to know… as a daughter of a businessman, have you ever studied anything about business before?”
“What… What does it have to do with anything?”
“Nevermind Sofia… It’s just… In the world of business, do you think people would care about my past? Go ahead and release that news and watch as Hollywood make a documentary of my life.” Lily chuckled. “A successful CEO with a dark past. I’m sure my story will earn millions.”
“You… are shameless! Aren’t you ashamed? Not only have you ruined my son’s career, you also ruined my marriage! Take my offer now or I won’t be this civil the next time we see each other.” Sofia gritted her teeth in annoyance. This was only the first part of her plan. If Lily refused to be sensible then she wouldn’t hesitate to blackmail Lily.
She would drug Lily and her men would bring Lily to the nearest gentleman’s club to shame her. She would be there to take pictures of Lily being played with by her men and use it to blackmail her.
For Sofia, this was the best course of action to return justice for her son, especially after what Lily had done to ruin Liam.
…
Editor: Swaning
