Lillian woke up late in the morning after a comfortable deep sleep. Since the Chen Family was out, her wariness level went down.
When Lillian came downstairs for breakfast, she realized the meal hasn't been prepared yet.
Jane let her know, "Madam and Young Masters hasn't returned yet, distressed about Young Lady. We didn't know you were here in the house when Young Lady is in the hospital. That's why, we didn't cook."
Lillian nodded.
Taking out her phone, she searched for a takeout place. As she selected the food and placed an order, Jane continued, "Ms. Lillian, last night it was because of you, Young Lady was hurt. It would only be right of you to check up on her. If it was me, I would be too guilty to think about food. Sometimes, we need to have a conscience as a human."
Lillian checked the time. It would take around twenty minutes for her food to arrive.
Jane realized how Lillian ignored her behaviour, going over to sit on the couch. She played with her phone in order to pass her time.
Although frustrated by her attitude, Jane was persistent. She followed after Lillian and sighed.
"Ms. Lillian, I watched you grow up. You know, I have no ill intent towards you. But you can't keep on losing your temper like this. You need to realize your position. You aren't the actual Chen Family yet. They can throw you away any moment. And after all the entire family has done for you, you need to be more grateful."
In her last life, Lillian let these words of the servant manipulate her, carving her to be an obedient doll of Chen Family.
Grateful?
Lillian would rather take advantage of everyone and be vile than live with the so-called conscience.
"Are you done yapping?" Lillian commented, coldly. "How much salary does the Chen Family pay you to show such loyalty? Do they pay you extra for your counselling session?"
Her words left Jane flustered and angered. Knowing Lillian's personality, she had expected a tantrum—maybe a storm of tears, followed by vulnerability, and eventually a willingness to listen to her advices.
But now, Lillian treated her like an annoying fly buzzing near her ear.
Jane muttered bitterly, "You don't even know what's good for you."
Then, louder and laced with sarcasm, she added, "Ms. Lillian, don't blame me for not warning you. If you get kicked out of the Chen family, you'll be worse off than a servant like me. Actually, much worse."
Lillian flatly ordered, "Get her my earbuds from my room."
Her eyes then narrowed at Jane. "What? Are you not going to obey? As long as I carry the Chen Family's name, you are still my servant."
"You—!" Jane sputtered, but those dark, steady eyes silenced her. Gritting her teeth, she spun on her heel and stormed off.
When she returned, she dropped the earbuds on the table with a scowl, clearly disgruntled.
Removing the earbuds from the case, Lillian connected them to her phone and was about to wear them when Jane inflicted one last jab.
"Oh, right. Master was very dissatisfied with your behaviour and decided you don't need to attend Han Family's banquet tonight."
Although the sequence of actions were different from her previous life, in the end, she wasn't allowed to attend Han Family's banquet then as well. It triggered a spiral of depression and self-doubt, making her feel as though the Chen Family was abandoning her and strengthened her resolve to fit in.
Lillian's phone then rang up with the notification.
Her food has arrived.
Lillian stood up under Jane's eyes and went outside to receive the food. Once she entered the house, Jane was still there. The frown on her face deepened when she saw the food in Lillian's hand.
"Ms. Lillian, are you going to continue disobeying Master!? You know they dislike it when you consume this junk from outside! How dare you bring it in?" Jane raised her voice.
Sitting down back on the couch, Lillian increased the volume of the music playing in her earbuds. She placed the boxes of takeout on the glass table. Then, folding her legs on the couch, she opened the box of beef noodles.
Then, her eyes fell on the oily, spice-stained lid in her hand. Lillian tossed it away casually, letting the plastic fly and land on another couch.
Her behaviour put Jane out of breath.
While Jane was burning with rage inside her, Lillian enjoyed her meal calmly, reading the newly published research papers.
---
The servants retired early at night, not bothering to prepare dinner for her. If her memory served her right, Lillian knew it would be midnight by the time Chen Family returns.
This gave her adequate time to prepare.
After returning tonight, Lillian knew a harsh punishment will await upon her. Maybe all of them already discussed how to deal with her.
Therefore, she had to escape tonight.
But peacefully running away didn't suit her taste.
How would she be able to sleep at night if she didn't create trouble for Chen Family?
Using the silence and shadow of the secluded mansion to her advantage, Lillian crept through the hallways until she reached Henry and Mary's bedroom. From there, she slipped into the adjoining cloakroom. Her eyes gleamed the moment they landed on Henry's prized watch collection, lined up like trophies inside a glass display case.
She raised the metal bat in her hand and struck the glass, shattering it. Shards scattered as she smashed the case open, then moved to the watches themselves.
She didn't stop until they were nothing but ruined metal and broken straps.
Breathing heavily, Lillian took a step back and admired her work. A wide, wicked grin tugged at her lip.
Lillian knew how much Henry valued his collection of watches. Each of these luxury pieces were his precious treasures, and some of them were antiques he spent millions to acquire.
Thinking about how painfully his heart will bleed tonight brought her twisted excitement.