Chapter 7
Lily's POV
When William and I walked through the front door of the Sterling mansion, I immediately noticed the lively chatter coming from the living room.
The entire Sterling family was gathered there—except for Walter, who was obviously still at the company office.
On the pure white sofa sat a woman about my age, wearing an elegant navy blue blazer dress that exuded expensive taste and aristocratic breeding.
She looked every inch the socialite princess.
"William, you're back!" the woman exclaimed excitedly, her eyes lighting up as she spotted him. "Come sit with me quickly. I just returned from Paris today—came straight here from the airport."
William gave her a brief nod. "Fiona."
His tone was polite but distant, showing the same controlled indifference he displayed toward everyone.
I caught the flicker of disappointment that crossed Fiona's perfectly made-up face before she quickly masked it with a brilliant smile.
"Still can't get into his heart, can she?" I thought, recognizing the expression of someone who had been trying—and failing—for years to break through William's emotional fortress.
Fiona turned her attention to me, and I saw her eyes widen slightly as she took in my appearance.
"You must be Lily!" she said, her voice warm and friendly. "I'm Fiona Foster. I grew up with William and his brothers—we're practically like family. I'm so excited to finally meet you! If you ever get bored in New York, please do call me. We'll have so much fun together."
I can feel the calculation behind her cheerful words. They are like a family, which clearly makes me an outsider in the Sterling household. In her eyes, how could I have the nerve to stay here?
I sneered inwardly. She had obviously heard about my arrival from Elizabeth and learned I was just a country girl, wanting to give me some kind of warning.
"She's beautiful," I could almost hear her thinking. "More beautiful than I expected. This complicates things."
"Nice to meet you, Fiona," I replied politely, my expression as cold as William's.
As the words left my mouth, I realized something amusing: my response was just as cold and minimal as William's had been.
In some ways, we were quite similar. Of course, I wasn't as cold as him.
The front door opened again, and Walter walked in. After entering, he was loosening his tie, looking somewhat tired.
His eyes immediately found me, and his expression softened with genuine warmth.
"Lily, how was your day with William?" he asked, completely ignoring Fiona's expectant smile.
"Well... very educational," I said, glancing at William, who remained stoically silent.
Walter approached me, gently placing his hand on my shoulder.
"I should explain," he said. "The Sterling and Foster families have been close for generations. Fiona grew up with my children."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear.
"She likes William, but remember what I told you, Lily. You choose first. Everyone else comes after you."
The message was clear and unmistakable.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Fiona's smile falter as she observed Walter's obvious favoritism toward me.
Her hands clenched slightly in her lap, and I could practically feel the jealousy radiating from her.
"This should be interesting," I thought, sitting on the sofa.
I had no desire to participate in whatever family politics were about to unfold. All I wanted was to wait quietly for dinner and then retreat to my room.
Elizabeth spoke up at this moment.
"Fiona, darling," she said, her voice filled with affection she had never shown me. "I knew you were coming back today, so I specifically bought you gifts. Let me go upstairs and get them for you."
Elizabeth hurried upstairs, her high heels clicking against the marble staircase.
A few minutes later, she returned, but her expression had completely changed.
Her face was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line of fury.
"Walter," she said, her voice sharp. "Where is the Tiffany & Co. jewelry set I just bought? The one I planned to give Fiona?"
Walter looked up from his phone, confused. "How would I know? I wasn't home all day."
Elizabeth's eyes swept across her five sons. "Did any of you take it?"
William, Thomas, Henry, Samuel, and Michael all shook their heads.
"This is very strange," Elizabeth continued. "Jewelry doesn't just suddenly disappear."
Fiona spoke up tentatively, "Aunt Elizabeth, do you think it was... stolen?"
"Someone in this house needs to explain this properly," Elizabeth declared. "Whoever took it better confess now and leave this house quietly, or I'm calling the police."
When no one responded, she snapped her fingers.
"Tyler! Search every room in this house."
I looked up from my phone, suddenly very interested in these developments.
"Well, this is entertaining," I thought. Even without using my brain, I could see this whole charade was aimed at me.
I was just curious to see exactly how Elizabeth planned to frame me.
Twenty minutes later, Tyler and several other staff members returned, shaking their heads.
"Ma'am, we thoroughly searched all the servants' quarters. No sign of the missing jewelry."
Tyler paused, then carefully added, "The only room we haven't searched belongs to Miss Reed."
Just then, one of the housekeepers nervously stepped forward.
"Mrs. Sterling," she said, wringing her hands. "Yesterday when we were discussing the broken security camera, Miss Reed happened to walk by. And this afternoon, I saw her coming out of your and Mr. Sterling's bedroom."
Hearing this, I laughed. I had no idea at all—what a clumsy performance.
Elizabeth's face flushed with indignation as she turned to glare at me.
"Lily!" she said sharply. "So that's why you refused Walter's credit card yesterday—because you were planning to steal from us! Acting all high and mighty on the surface while doing such despicable things behind our backs! Tyler, search her room immediately."
Walter stood up. "Enough, Elizabeth! Lily would never do such a thing."
"Walter! How can you be so naive? How much do you really know about her? She's from Blue Mountain Town, a remote little place—who knows what she's capable of? She was the only one home yesterday afternoon, she's highly suspicious!"
All eyes turned to me, waiting for my reaction.
I leaned back in my chair, completely unfazed.
"Go ahead and search," I said calmly. "I have nothing to hide."
"This should be spectacular," I thought with inner amusement.
What Elizabeth didn't know was that I had a severe allergy to platinum. Even white gold, which Tiffany & Co. often used, would trigger allergic reactions in me.
I had learned this the hard way long ago, which was why I never wore any jewelry.
Within hours of contact, my skin would break out in painful rashes and swelling.
As Tyler headed upstairs with his search team, I turned my attention to the housekeeper who had accused me.
"What's your name?" I asked, my voice cold and clear.
The woman shifted uncomfortably under my gaze.
"Interesting," I thought. "I've never set foot in Elizabeth's bedroom. So why is she lying about seeing me there?"
This was indeed about to get very interesting.
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife as we waited for Tyler's return.
Fiona sat quietly, probably torn between hoping I was guilty and maintaining her sweet, innocent facade.
The Sterling brothers watched with varying degrees of interest—William's expression remained unreadable, Thomas looked almost amused by the drama, Henry seemed uncomfortable, Samuel appeared thoughtful, and Michael was clearly enjoying the spectacle.
"Let's see how this plays out," I thought, already planning my next move.
Elizabeth had made a crucial mistake in her eagerness to frame me...