"Ashamed of what?" she raised an eyebrow. "Who was the one sleeping around while being engaged to another? I also wonder which married woman was it who was sleeping around with her driver?"
"How dare you!" Sofia rose from her seat and grabbed a glass of water in front of her with trembling hands.
"Go on." Lily interrupted her. "Splash that water on me and we are done talking here." Lily's words were enough to stop Sofia in her tracks as she glared hard at Lily before sitting back down on her seat.
Lily's playful smile only worsened Sofia's mood. Thinking that Lily was all bark and no bite, she threatened, "If you are release Liam and Monique's photos, then I will also release all the information I have about you. I'm sure you will get bad press for that. A tit for tat. You ruin us, we will ruin you. No matter what happens, I will bring you down with me."
Lily stared at Sofia, her eyes full of interest as she pursed her lips. "Go ahead. But make sure you are confident of destroying me or I think you know what will happen to you and Liam," she said calmly. "Sofia, there is just one thing that I wonder..."
"Did you really think that I see you as my enemy? I am Lily Facci-Qin. My name alone is full of credibility. How sure are you that those images and files you have on me would successfully ruin my reputation?"
"Your mind games won't work on me!" Sofia hissed.
"Hmmm… I see." Lily nodded before she leaned towards Sofia, placing her hands on the table. "Then, I guess… there is nothing for us to talk about anymore." Lily rose from her seat and walked away.
"Stop right there!" Sofia yelled before she caught up to Lily. She stood in front of Lily with her arms crossed on her chest. "Did you think that I merely invited you here to bargain with you?"
Seeing Lily deadpanned, Sofia continued, "Haven't you wondered why I chose to meet in this place?" Lily just stared at Sofia with a blank expression on her face while chastising the woman in her mind for being stupid.
"It's because I have connections Lily… far more than you could even imagine," Sofia said arrogantly, an evil glint flashed in her eyes.
Of course Lily knew that Sofia had connections. In fact, George and Sofia had connections to the Italian mafias. This was because their late fathers were part of the Italian mafia. This was the main reason why George Arison married Sofia. With their marriage, businesses were merged and power was consolidated to form one formidable mafia that was now led by George Arison.
"Let me tell you something else. You will not get out of this place unscathed. Since you dare to attack me then you should bear the consequences of your actions. Lily Facci-Qin, you will remember this day until the day that you die." Sofia let out an evil laugh, hate was apparent in her eyes.
She had already made preparations the night before, so that everything would be ready for Lily. So what if Lily was rich and influential? Just one picture of her being thoroughly humiliated by a group of men could change everything. Sofia was desperate and at such short notice, this was the only way that she could think of to get back at Lily. She had already given Lily a chance by trying to talk to her but Lily was pushing her buttons with her sharp tongue.
So what if Lily takes her revenge later? Sofia felt like her life was over anyway. George would be divorcing her and she would be packing her bags to leave Europe. She had no reason to be afraid of Lily. All she needed to do now was to save her son's career as her last act.
"You are pathetic." Lily shook her head before looking straight into Sofia's eyes. Then the door of the private room suddenly opened, revealing Daohu.
"It is done, madam," Daohu spoke in mandarin. Because of this, Sofia was not able to understand his words. Lily only nodded at Daohu before she turned her attention back to Sofia.
"You ready?" she smiled at Sofia who seemed to be confused as she shifted her gaze from Lily to Daohu.
"What are you going to do?" Sofia took a step back as she unlocked her phone and dialed a number. But all she heard was an endless ring on the other line. She then widened her eyes at Lily. "You- What did you do?"
When Lily did not answer her, Sofia immediately panicked. Lily was just staring at her, amusement apparent on her face, as if she was waiting for a great show to happen. "I am warning you Lily… if something happens to me…"
"Ah… the irony," Lily interrupted her. "You were threatening me just a while ago and yet here we are. The situation has reversed Sofia. Don't you think it's time for you to regret what you said before now?"
"You- How did you know that …" Sofia's eyes widened even more as realization hit her. "Are you working with someone in my family? Was it Jack? It was Jack isn't it? Was he spying for you? That was how you knew about my plans for you isn't it?"
"This is pointless…" Lily said as she turned to Daohu. "Keep her quiet." Without a word, Daohu moved swiftly over to Sofia and injected her with something that instantly made her lose control of her limbs. She stared wide eyed at Lily. She wanted to curse her but she did not even have the strength to speak anymore.
"Sofia…Look, I am not your enemy. This is nothing personal so stop staring at me like I am the devil." These were the only words that Sofia heard just before she lost her consciousness.
Seeing her limped on the floor, Lily's face turned serious. "Take care of it," she said before leaving the room.
Lily then let out a long sigh the moment she stepped out of the restaurant. She adjusted her expression, appearing cold and rigid just as a black Maybach pulled up next to her. She reached out to open the door immediately and quickly got into the car.
"It's done," she said, her eyes fixed outside of the car. "Starting today, Sofia Arison is no more. Her family wouldn't even suspect a thing. Liam will be kicked out as the CEO and Jack will step up. Then I will leave the Arison Holdings as it is."
Silence followed inside the car, the temperature seemed to drop even lower.
"You did good." A low voice was heard after seconds of silence. "At some point, I couldn't understand where you were heading with your plans. But it seems like I had worried for nothing as everything went well. Every step was calculated with precision. I can confidently say that you are even better than me and most of the businessmen that I know." He made a deliberate pause. "You are scary as hell Lily Qin and I wouldn't dare cross you even if someone threatened me to."
"I am not sure if that is a compliment or an insult," Lily said as she turned her head towards the man. "I have delivered my end of the bargain. Now… it's time to pay up, George Arison. Where is the information that I ask you to find?"
…
Editor: Swaning
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