A few days after Lily declined Jiang Ruo’s offer, she received an invite that says the tea party will be hosted in another mansion next to their house. This immediately made Lily laugh.
These group of women knew that she would decline, so they actually chose the house nearest to her mansion. They even chose a public holiday to have this party.
She immediately wondered why these women were so adamant about having her at this party. Surely, they must have a good motive for doing this, right?
“Alright… that’s good.” Lily said as she eyed the newly installed Swarovski chandelier that Fernando just gifted her for the house. “Next… you can put this artwork over there.” She pointed at the space before the stairs. This piece of artwork was another gift by Fernando.
It was made of various precious stones that were used to create a photo of her and Zhou Jingren’s wedding picture. This artwork made Lily very ecstatic. It’s not just because the stones that used were all sparkly, it was because this looked really pretty.
She had been planning to make something special for her wedding, but her art skills were close to none. So she asked Zhou Jingren to turn their wedding photo into a big painting that she was planning to put in their bedroom. But this thing was not very easy to do.
Moreover, Zhou Jingren had a business to run. So it is taking him too long to finish it.
“A little to the left.” She instructed the twins. “Be careful not to damage any stones.” She smiled. Fernando knows her too well. Even the color of the stones and the cut were very precise. She wondered if he personally made this or just supervised the entire process.
Nevertheless, Lily was very thankful. However, she can’t help but wonder about the price of this piece. Surely, Fernando would not invest in something worth millions, right? Or who knows? Maybe that profiteer wanted something from her in return. She chuckled at her thoughts.
“Madam, Mrs. Jiang, and two other women are in the entrance. They said they wanted to personally give you something.” The meek Mu Qingya said. “Shall I go ahead and let their cars inside?”
Lily lifted an eyebrow. She eyed the artwork and nodded. “Bring them to the living room.” She uttered before she went upstairs to change her clothing. This time, Lily decided not to put on any makeup and chose a casual loose dress to entertain them.
Just as expected, when Lily came back downstairs, three women were elegantly sitting in her living room, eyeing the artwork that Fernando gave her. A smirk escaped her lips.
“Lily!” Jiang Ruo’s voice echoed inside the house. She, together with two other women who are visibly younger than her, stood from their seat and waited for her to arrive in the living room.
“Madam Jiang.” Lily nodded. “And who might this be?” she smiled at the younger women.
“This is Madam Liu and her daughter Liu Chin, they live just next to your mansion.”
Understanding immediately flashed in Lily’s eyes as she nodded and shook the two women’s hands. Jiang Ruo must be here to formally introduce her to the person that will host the party.
Of course, this is Jiang Ruo’s another ploy to make her join this tea party for the ‘extra rich housewives’. Lily chuckled inwardly.
“It is my pleasure to meet you,” Lily said politely. These people didn’t do anything worth scheming, yet. So, she chose to act polite and warm. There is nothing wrong with acting like a human being once in a while, right?
“The pleasure is ours,” Madam Liu looked obviously younger than Jiang Ruo, her hair was straight — too straight for Lily’s taste. Her yellow knee-length dress only made her look younger. In fact, she looked just like a sister instead of a mother.
“I can’t believe that you are her mother,” Lily started and stared at Liu Chin. “I thought you were sisters.”
“I already told her the same thing.” Jiang Ruo laughed and elbowed Madam Liu. “I told you she will say this.”
Madam Liu smiled, an obvious red tint can be seen crawling in her neck. “We are here to give you a present… we are originally planning to give it to you at the party but… I was afraid that you won’t be attending without a personal invite.”
Interest flashed in Lily’s eyes as she eyed the box that Liu Chin was holding.
“I already told you, she will attend.” Jiang Ruo said. She shifted her gaze back to Lily. “I already told her that you will join us. But she still insisted to personally give this to you before the party. I hope you don’t mind.”
A smile bloomed on Lily’s lips. This Jiang Ruo seemed to have increased the level of her manipulations. Accepting this gift would only mean that she will attend and declining this would surely hurt this Madam Liu’s emotions. She eyed Madam Liu and as expected, the absence of emotions in her eyes was enough for Lily to conclude that these two plan this whole thing ahead of time.
They wanted to corner her into accepting the invite. “Thank you,” Lily said as she accepted the box that Liu Chin handed her. Since these people wanted her to attend this party, then she will gladly comply.
“See? I hate to say, I told you so.” Jiang Ruo smiled at Madam Liu. She then looked at the artwork behind Lily. “Oh by the way, that is a very beautiful piece.”
“I know,” Lily said without any modesty. She doesn’t need to look behind her just to appreciate the artwork. “It is very beautiful.”
“Look at those gems. That must be very expensive.”Liu Chin spoke for the first time.
“I’m sure it is. Did you particularly asked someone to make custom art for your wedding photo?” Jiang Ruo asked. Her eyes were still glued on the artwork.
“Actually, I don’t know.” Lily shrugged. “It was a gift. From my best friends.” She smiled as her gaze turned gentle. She was truly grateful for this gift, ah.
….
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