The breakfast table in the Walsh family residence carried a strained silence that morning, tension hanging as thick as the steam rising from the coffee pot.

Walking out of her room, Elissa froze mid-step when she spotted Lilah sitting casually at the table, eating as if she belonged there. Her expression twisted in disbelief. "Who said you could sit there and eat? You seriously forgot your damn place?"

Lilah didn't even glance at Elissa, calmly slicing through her toast as though Elissa's words were nothing more than background noise.

"Who knows what kind of germ this woman is bringing into this house?" Elissa's voice climbed, sharp with disgust. "Someone, get her the hell out of here!"

Her shouting echoed through the hall, drawing Lachlan out of his room, his brows furrowed. "What's all this noise about?"

"Dad!" Elissa pivoted to face him. "You have to make her leave and replace everything she has touched! What if she infects us with something?" She stomped her foot in frustration.

Lachlan didn't look mad at her request. If anything, he looked faintly relieved, hoping Lilah would leave on her own.

A sharp crack cut through the room as Lilah's hand met the tabletop. "One more word out of you, and every last one of you is gone," she warned, tone clipped and merciless.

Lilah's cold gaze locked on Elissa. "You want to talk about my place? Let me make it clear—I own this mansion. You're nothing more than a temporary resident under my roof. So if you don't want to be shown the door, I suggest you keep your fucking mouth shut."

Color drained from Elissa's face before fury replaced it. "What kind of bullshit are you spewing?" she snapped.

Lilah turned to Lachlan, a sardonic smile curling her lips. "Why don't you tell her?"

Lilah's mother had once been a formidable businesswoman who built her empire from nothing. The first thing she'd bought was this estate. Lachlan had merely ridden her success, living off her wealth. And after her mother's death, he'd claimed everything as his own. Eighteen years of taking what never belonged to him. Without anyone to remind him of the truth, would he really believe it all rightfully belonged to him?

Under Lilah's unflinching stare, Lachlan's confidence faltered. "Enough. Just dig in," he muttered, eager to divert the tension.

To avoid another outburst from Elissa, Lachlan said to Lilah, "I'm busy today. The driver will take you for a check-up. If your report suggests you're fine, I'll have a room on the third floor arranged for you."

Lilah's voice cut through the air. "And if it turns out I'm not fine?" she demanded.

"We'll send you to a psychiatric hospital!" Elissa sneered disdainfully, the fury in her tone curdling into glee.

Lilah pushed to her feet, leaning over the table until Lachlan's composure cracked. "You'd better be certain you can actually do that, or I will kick you all out."

She strode out of the house and headed for the waiting car, her departure leaving Elissa shrieking in indignation.

Lilah smirked derisively. Honestly, Elissa was almost entertaining—so easy to provoke with the barest push. But she hadn't returned to toy with someone so trivial. Those who had betrayed her mother, plotted her death, and stolen everything she had—she would make sure they paid for all of it, slowly, before her final breath.

Soon, the car pulled up in front of the hospital. To ensure Lilah underwent the check-up, the driver personally escorted her to the doctor.

To Lilah, whether she went through with the check-up hardly made a difference; as the legendary physician Panacea, she knew her body's condition better than anyone. But she wanted to disrupt Lachlan's peace, and that was reason enough to visit the hospital.

"Tell Lachlan I'm not only mentally unstable, but highly contagious," Lilah told Albin coolly, leaving him wondering if he'd misheard.

After endless failed attempts to reach Panacea, Albin had finally gotten through to Cory, Panacea's assistant. Cory had promised that if Albin cooperated with Lilah today, he'd get to meet Panacea himself. The prospect left Albin practically giddy.

With an even tone, Lilah added, "Tell Lachlan I'll need to be admitted for treatment. The first round will cost ten million. I'll decide later how many more sessions I'll need."

Albin froze, uneasy with how that trampled every rule of medical ethics. But hell, fibbing a bit meant he'd get to meet Panacea. After a brief inner struggle, he finally agreed. "Alright."

After Albin placed the call to Lachlan and relayed Lilah's terms, Lachlan's reply came in a sharp, incredulous roar. "Ten million? Are you out of your damn mind? You might as well rob a bank!"

Lilah's lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. Slinging her backpack over one shoulder, she turned to leave.

Rushing after her, Albin hastily asked, "Wait—what about arranging me to meet Panacea?"

"You already met her," she said over her shoulder, leaving him frozen in stunned disbelief.

Albin struggled to accept the seemingly absurd notion.

...

The moment Lilah returned home, Elissa walked ahead and blocked Lilah's path, her face clouded with rage. "So you and that doctor conspired to extort money now? Quite the act you've got going, Lilah."

Without so much as a glance at Elissa, Lilah brushed past her toward the living room.

Still seething, Elissa stormed toward Lachlan. "Dad, I swear she is faking the sickness! She just wanted an excuse for you to bring her home!" Her tone sharpened as she whipped back toward Lilah. "If you're after money, just say it! Plotting with outsiders to fool Dad? That's utterly disgusting!"

Lachlan's expression darkened. He said nothing, merely studying Lilah in silence, clearly waiting for an explanation. No matter how she spun it, there was no way he'd hand her ten million for treatment.

Amusement flickered in Lilah's eyes as her lips lifted into a chill, taunting smile. "My mother built that company from nothing," she muttered indifferently. "If I decided to spend ten million—or a hundred million—it would still be my right to use the money as I please."

Lilah flung her bag onto the floor, sank into the sofa, and crossed one leg over the other with deliberate ease before unleashing a scathing tirade. "Who gave you the guts to yap in front of me, you illegitimate brat?"

"You!" Elissa sputtered, ready to run crying to Lachlan, but Lilah's voice beat her to it, her gaze locked on Lachlan, sharp and unyielding. "You have two choices—either pay for my hospital admission or let me work at the company."

Without a second thought, Lachlan rejected the latter option and folded his arms. "Don't even think about getting near the company."

A faint smirk tugged at Lilah's lips. "What? Hiding something you don't want me to uncover?" Her tone turned icy as she pressed on. "Grandma said my mother's shares make up the majority—and those belong to me. If you won't let me step into the company, I'll start by auditing the books."

She rose smoothly, intent on leaving.

Elissa, watching her father's face darken, leaned closer and muttered bitterly, "She's faking her illness, Dad—just trying to come back and grab your fortune."

Lachlan's expression clouded over, a muscle in his jaw twitching. That fucking old hag! That old woman had sworn to hand over the shares once Lilah recovered, yet she'd told Lilah everything. If only Lilah were as gullible as before. Instead, she'd grown sharp and defiant—completely beyond his control. He would have to rethink his strategy.

The following morning, the shareholders' meeting commenced. Lachlan occupied the seat of power at the head of the table, his posture relaxed but commanding, his tone heavy with self-assurance as he steered the discussion. He exuded the image of a seasoned chairman, polished and unshakable.

"Since there are no objections," the host declared smoothly, "Mr. Lachlan Walsh will remain chairman and CEO of the company..."

Just then, a crisp, confident voice sliced through the room from the doorway. "Isn't it inappropriate to hold a board meeting without notifying me—the third-largest shareholder?"

The door swung open with deliberate force. Lilah stepped inside wearing fitted sportswear, her high ponytail swinging as she walked. Every head in the room turned toward her, startled by both her audacity and her poise.

Lachlan's expression darkened, and he shot to his feet. "What on earth are you doing here?" he barked, his composure cracking.

The interruption stirred a ripple of whispers until one of the shareholders spoke up. "Mr. Walsh, do you know this young lady?"

Realizing he'd exposed himself, Lachlan forced an awkward smile. "She's a junior member of my family... The meeting's adjourned. Thank you, everyone."

With a vice-like grip, Lachlan caught Lilah by the arm and steered her out of the room.

Lilah didn't resist, merely watching him with unreadable calm as he pulled her along.

Behind them, murmurs rose among the shareholders.

"That girl is the spitting image of the late chairwoman. I heard the previous chairwoman died while giving birth years ago. Could that girl be her daughter?"

"Now that you mention it, the girl really does resemble the former chairwoman! But what about Elissa Walsh? Wasn't she supposed to be the former chairwoman's child?"

"That's what they claimed, yet none of the late chairwoman's shares ever went to Elissa."

The gossip drifted through the hallway just as Elissa was passing. The words struck like needles, and her face twisted with fury. Goddamn Lilah! Couldn't Lilah just stay the hell out of her life?

Meanwhile, inside the office, Lachlan's composed mask cracked now that they had no audience. "What the hell are you after?" he demanded, voice low and sharp.

Lilah tilted her head, a faint, mocking smile curving her lips. "I offered you a choice last night," she said lightly. "Since you refused to pick one, I went ahead and made the decision for you."

His jaw tightened, rage flaring. "Fine. Ten million for your treatment. But after that, you're never setting foot in the company again."

"Too late for that." She picked up a glass of water, sniffed it with faint disgust, and then set it back down. "Given your rotten ethics, I'm raising the price to fifty million."

The air between them crackled. Lachlan's fury darkened his face, but Lilah didn't so much as blink. "Don't tell me that in just over a decade, my mother's fortune has shrunk so much that you can't scrape together fifty million."

She stepped in close enough for him to feel her breath. "If that's really the case, Lachlan Walsh, I'll be conducting a full audit myself."

There was no trace of humor left in her expression. Under that unyielding stare, Lachlan was uneasy. Grinding his teeth, he snapped, "As long as you stay out of the company's affairs, I'll give you the fifty million."

"Then I'll wait for the transfer," she replied aloofly.

Several steps toward the door, Lilah stopped short and swung around to face Lachlan. "Lies remained lies. You'd better reveal the true origin of that illegitimate daughter of yours. If she so much as smears my mother's name, your entire family would answer for it."

The moment Lilah shut the door, a crash from the office sounded like glass and wood colliding. A smirk eased across her face.

"You feeling pleased with yourself?" A menacing voice drifted up from behind Lilah.

When Lilah turned, she was met with a hard, icy glare—Elissa's narrowed eyes burning with malice.

A derisive scoff left Elissa's lips. "You really think you can stir up trouble at the company? Your mother's shares don't transfer to you until you're married—where did you get this 'third-largest shareholder' nonsense? That's complete bullshit!"

A single brow lifted on Lilah's face. "Go ahead and tell the board then," she said flatly. "It would be the perfect time to let everyone know you're born out of wedlock. Do you actually have the guts to do that?"

As Elissa seethed barely beneath the surface, Lilah let out a contemptuous laugh and walked out of the Walsh Group as if the place bored her.

Outside the building, Lilah thumbed a number on her phone without hesitation. "Be ready to buy Walsh Group stock at a moment's notice," she ordered into the line.

She had done her homework: the Walsh Group's liquid reserves were under one hundred million, and extracting fifty million would cripple its cash flow. If the company's finances teetered, Lachlan would be forced to sell shares to steady the company—an opening she planned to exploit without mercy.

Those fools in the Walsh family thought she was penniless, her late mother's inheritance locked away. None of them had the slightest clue that she'd quietly amassed a sizeable block of Walsh Group shares on her own. Calling herself the third-largest shareholder wasn't empty bravado—it was the truth.

Meanwhile, sensing that something wasn't right, Lachlan immediately ordered an inquiry into the identity of the company's third-largest shareholder. Yet, the details were sealed under strict confidentiality, beyond his reach. A cold prickle of unease crept down his spine.

But he quickly consoled himself that he was merely overthinking it. How could Lilah, who'd spent her life in the countryside, possibly pull off something so elaborate? Even if Lilah truly were the third-largest shareholder of Walsh Group, it didn't matter. Once Elissa married Cayden, Lilah would be nothing more than a powerless nuisance—something easily crushed beneath their heels. He almost laughed at himself for letting that insolent brat rattle him at all.

Without wasting another second, Lachlan called Elissa.

Following Lachlan's orders, Elissa started haunting the entrance of the Spencer manor, hoping to bump into Ava.

Word was, Ava was Cayden's sole weakness. Elissa figured that if she could win Ava over, she'd not only secure the West District project but also lock in her place as Cayden's wife. Once that happened, she'd finally be free of the humiliating act of pretending to be Lachlan's legitimate child.

But after days of waiting without so much as a glimpse of Ava, irritation gnawed at Elissa.

Elissa was turning to leave when a slim figure rolled quietly out from the manor gates in a wheelchair.

Elissa's eyes gleamed with calculation, and she hurried forward. "Hello, Miss Spencer. I'm Elissa Walsh," she said in a practiced, sugary tone.

Ava recoiled inwardly at the intrusion; she had never liked strangers breaching her space. Yet, when Elissa's name reached her ears, something flickered in her gaze—Lilah had mentioned that name before.

Lifting a delicate hand, Ava traced a few words in Elissa's palm. "To your home."

Elissa went still for a heartbeat before her face lit up with excitement. "Of course! I will take you to my home right now!"

Though Elissa despised playing the servant—especially to someone confined to a wheelchair—she forced a sweet smile, fussing over Ava with exaggerated care. Every gesture dripped with false warmth, the kind reserved for people she secretly looked down on but needed to please.

Ava remained silent the entire way, her face an unreadable mask. The quiet only stoked Elissa's irritation, though she hid it behind her polished grin.

Halfway through the drive, Elissa's phone buzzed. A friend's name flashed on the screen, reminding her of the birthday party she'd been desperate to attend.

Elissa's brows pinched together. She'd clawed her way into that elite circle, and skipping the event could mean being shut out for good. Her gaze flicked toward Ava's calm figure, and a sudden idea bloomed. "Miss Spencer," she said brightly, "a friend of mine is celebrating her birthday tonight. Why don't we stop by together? Once it's over, I'll take you straight to my home..."

Inwardly, Elissa smirked. Showing up with Cayden's sister would instantly elevate her status. Those snobby socialites would be tripping over themselves to get close, and she wouldn't have to beg her way into their circle ever again.

Elissa's plan might have been perfect—if Ava hadn't flatly refused. The moment Elissa turned, Ava had already pushed the car door open and started maneuvering her wheelchair out on her own.

Elissa's jaw tightened in fury, but the icy authority radiating from Ava's calm face froze her in place. That quiet strength, inherited from growing up beside Cayden, made Elissa instinctively yield.

Before Elissa could react, Ava had already crossed the street, her wheelchair rolling steadily through the crowd.

Watching from the curb, Elissa's complexion drained of color. If Cayden's precious sister got hurt, she'd be finished. Panic clawed up her throat as she darted toward the intersection—only for the traffic light to flash red. Trapped at the curb, she could only stare as Ava vanished into the bustling street, her pulse hammering in dread.

Elissa's whole body shook uncontrollably. When her knees buckled, she crumpled to the ground, despair crashing over her. That was it for her. She was completely screwed!

Meanwhile, at the Spencer Group headquarters, Cayden sat at the head of the long conference table, his tailored suit as sharp as the glint in his cold eyes. The dull ache in his body only intensified the ruthless edge in his expression.

No one in the room dared to breathe too loudly; the silence was suffocating.

Then, his phone buzzed.

"Mr. Spencer." The trembling voice on the other end came. "Miss Spencer is missing!"