"I suppose there is a reason why you barged in without an appointment." Lily Kaul smiled. She stared intently at the man in front of her.

"I heard you backed out from the engagement," the man gritted his teeth in annoyance. He hated Lily Kaul's smile. It wasn't the way her beautiful thin lips lifted upwards, nor was it the crinkling of her left dimple. Her smile didn't quite reach her amber eyes and sometimes you could catch a flash of cunningness that would cross her face.

In those few moments as he stared at her, memories of his parents urging him to marry her started to fill his mind. It was a constant reminder of how he needed this marriage to save their family business.

"Why?" he asked.

Lily instantly raised a brow at the question. "Why not?" she challenged.

"I deserve an explanation! Our families have been planning this engagement for months! You cannot back out now! This will ruin the reputation—"

"And that is my problem… because?"

"You-you tell me the reason for your preposterous actions or else—"

The man's words were interrupted when Lily tossed an envelope in front of him. "See for yourself."

Liam instantly tore open the envelope. His eyes widened at the various documents and photographs he saw inside. "You… You sent someone to spy on me?"

Lily instantly scoffed at his words. "Don't flatter yourself, Liam Arison. It was a business decision," she said as she pulled out another envelope and gave it to him.

"What do you mean? How could you ask someone to investigate me like this?" he asked before slowly opening the second envelope, assuming he would find more pictures of him being intimate with his childhood sweetheart. His face darkened as he recognized the contents.

"Acquisition. I want to acquire your properties in the India. To be specific, I want the retail companies you have in India, Delhi, and Singapore," she said, ignoring the dark look the man was giving her.

"Is this the reason why you initially agreed to the engagement?" Liam Arison's voice was venomous. He wanted to gobble up the beautiful woman in front of him. The smile on Lily's perfect face made fury rise from the depths of his heart.

He remembered how his father had wanted this engagement to save their subsidiaries abroad. His father thought that by marrying his son into the prominent Facci family, he could save their business.

"Didn't you also want the same thing from me?" Lily smirked at him, making his temper flare.

"How dare you! Do you think our Arison family is one you can bully like this? You just wait…"

"Tsk... Tsk… Liam. Have you forgotten about the photos that I gave you just now?" she asked, propping her head on her palm with the same smile plastered on her face. "Think about how your board of directors would react once they find out that the great Liam Ariston cheated on his fiancée with a mere starlet. With your half-brother's impeccable performance lately, do you think the board will even hesitate before replacing their current CEO?"

"You—" Liam exploded; his eyes red, the veins in his head started to bulge. "You agreed to be my fiancée because of this? Didn't you?" Liam clenched his jaw as the realization hit him. He fell into the great Lily's scheme!

"Alright… you are making it sound like I am a bad person." Lily waved her hand. "Liam, this is nothing but business. Your family wanted to take advantage of my dying grandmother and proposed a marriage to save your business. Think about it..."

Liam turned speechless at Lily's words. She was telling the truth; his mother did take advantage of the two family's closeness and offered marriage to the dying Madam of the Facci family. At first, he thought that she had simply agreed to fulfil her dying grandmother's wishes.

Who would have thought that she would back out of the engagement a mere month after the death of Old Madam Facci?

He narrowed his eyes at the smiling woman in front of him before looking at the photos on the table. If the paparazzi were to get hold of these photos, it would cause a scandal and his career as the CEO would be over. His father might even kick him out of the family.

He, then, started to read the documents that Lily gave him. The amount that she was offering to buy those companies was not that bad. In fact, this was better than what most companies offered them in the past. However, the fact that a woman outsmarted him was something that Liam couldn't accept.

With a dark face, Liam got up from his seat and glared at her. "Lily, I never thought that you would be this shrewd. I always thought that you were kind like your mother and grandmother! Who would have thought that you had inherited your attitude from your bastard father?" Seeing the smug smile disappear from Lily's face instantly made him happy. "You think you are so high sitting here in your lavish office? Did you think I did not know about what happened seven years ago? Huh? You are a slut. You deserved everything that happened to you!" seeing Lily shifting uncomfortably made him smile.

"I will confer with my father and lawyers about the offer and send the documents back to you when the board decides to accept it," he said, storming out of her office, leaving a pale-faced Lily staring blankly at the now closed door.

"Nova, cancel all my meetings today." Lily did not wait for her secretary to respond as she dropped the call and pressed the 'Do Not Disturb' button on her office phone.

She then stared at the floor to ceiling windows that gave her access to the magnificent skyscraper view in the busy streets of London.

It was summer-time, yet the sky was sprawled with dark clouds. The winds started to howl like a hungry wolf looking for its prey. The first crack of lightning, followed by the booming sound of the angry thunder made her jolt in her seat.

She hated the rain. She hated how it always made her feel vulnerable and weak, like a child waiting for someone else's protection. She clenched her teeth as she reached for the remote to close the blinds in her office, hiding from the bullets of raindrops that splattered against her windows.

She then reclined in her seat and closed her eyes. She remembered Liam's poisonous words from earlier.

Did she really deserve everything that happened seven years ago?

The irritating sound of her phone ringing made Lily grumble. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of drowsiness. She looked at the wall clock to her left and grumpily picked up her phone.

Who would dare to call her in the dead of night? It was two in the morning, for crying out loud!

"Miss Myra kaul?"

"Speaking. Who is this?" Lily furrowed her brows when the caller used her birth name. She had already changed her name a long time ago.

"I am Arjun Dixit. I am a lawyer representing the kaul family. I am calling to inform you that your paternal grandmother, Madam Savitri Kaul, died at seven thirty-six this morning. That was two hours ago. In compliance with her last Will..."

The lawyer’s words seemed to echo in Lily’s mind. She felt her body tremble, she was thunderstruck. Her Dadi was dead.

Her mind seemed to blank as tears streamed down her cheeks. She remembered the old woman’s smile as her beautiful phoenix eyes would turn into crescents.

["Myra, this is my mother’s necklace. Wear it. It will look good on you."]

["Myra... I do not like that man. However, since you are happy, I will allow this marriage. I only hope that you will live a happy life."]

["Myra, why don’t you accompany me to your grandfather’s tomb today? I miss him dearly."]

["Myra, I know you have suffered enough. After your marriage, leave this place and don’t come back. Live a happy life away from the kaul Family."]

["Ai, this child. Why are you crying? I am old. I will die sooner or later. The important thing is for you to leave this despicable place. I only hope that your husband will treat you well."]

["Look at you. This is your wedding day, yet you are crying. That man of yours might think that I bullied you. Go... Go... he must be waiting for you. Remember, I am always here."]

"Miss Kaul?"

The lawyer’s words woke her up from her stupor. "Yes?"

"I was asking if you could make it for the reading of the late Old Madam’s Will taking place a week from now. It is important for you to be present as the testament says that without you... " the lawyer hesitated before speaking again, "Without you, all of the late Old Madam’s assets will be sold and donated to various charities."

"I’m sorry. Where did you get my number?" Lily asked, ignoring the lawyer’s question. She had already changed her name and her identity, how was the Kaul family still able to find her?

"Miss Kaul, this number was attached to your late grandmother’s last Will. It had taken her years to locate your contacts. I would suggest that you honor her efforts and attend the reading."

"Mr. Dixit," she answered after a long period of silence. "I am no longer part of the Kaul family. Why do I have to be present during this reading?"

"You don’t understand. The late Old Madam’s Will strictly stated that you need to be present during this reading, or else everything written on it becomes null and void," the lawyer calmly explained. He was expecting her to agree to this arrangement immediately. After all, they were talking about money here.

To Arjun Dixit’s knowledge, Myra kaul was just a daughter of a foreigner that the housemaster played with before. Since this foreigner came from a questionable background, the late Old Master refused to let her into the Kaul family. Because of this, Myra kaul became akin to an outsider in the Kaul family. However, she had acquired the late Old Madam’s favor. So, why would she act as if she was not interested in late Old Madam’s inheritance?

"Mr. Dixit... I don’t understand why I should care about this issue at all. I have been living on my own, away from the Kaul family for years. Whatever happens to them is not my problem anymore," she said before ending the call. She then wiped away her tears and dragged herself out of her room.

She went into her study and poured herself a glass of whiskey. Before her conscience could caution her, she wrapped her hands around the glass and downed the alcohol in one gulp.

The taste of whiskey brought back the melancholic memories she had kept repressed for the past seven years.

Kaul family.

As the eldest daughter of the Kaul family, Lily Kaul or Myra kaul should be considered lucky. Her father was the owner of a big media conglomerate in the Far India. To the outside world, Myra was treated like a princess, with much love. However, only Myra knew how vicious this family could be at home, behind closed doors.

This was because Myra was not born of the legal wife of Narendra Kaul, her father. She was the daughter of a foreigner — an outsider.

Yet, her stepmother had treated her with love and dignity. Or that was what everyone thought.

Lily downed another glass of whiskey as her face turned into a scowl. Those people already trampled on her seven years ago. They took away her dignity and...

A single tear made its way down her cheeks as she remembered what happened on her wedding day. Clad in a white dress, Lily was supposed to become the happiest person on earth but it ended with her losing a lot more than herself.

Lily let out a mocking laugh as she cursed inwardly. Those memories would not bring her any good. Seven years have already passed.

Seven long years.

She had recovered. She was now someone who would dare fight a wolf with her bare hands.

That’s right... she, Lily Facci kaul, was no longer the gullible girl that everyone bullied. She was now the CEO of the reputable Facci Holdings, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in London.

Lily’s gaze darkened as an inconceivable emotion slowly enveloped her.

That’s right.

She was no longer the prey. Now, she was the predator.

"Lily, I think it’s time that you show them their rightful place. I mean, look at you now. Why are you even afraid of seeing those scum? If you want I will cancel my filming and accompany you to Delhi! Let’s face-slap that family with money! Hmph!"

Lily let out a chuckle at the sight of her best friend’s over dramatic gestures. "Meher, you really should stop directing films and start a career in acting instead. I think it would suit you better."

Meher a pursed her lips before rolling her eyes at her friend. "You are trying to change the subject here! I will accompany you to see them next week! Let’s see if they will dare underestimate you once they see who you are now."

Seeing Lily turn silent at her words, Meher did not continue to voice out her opinion anymore. She poured another glass of ginger honey tea and gave it to Lily Kaul. "Alright, have some ginger honey tea... Lily, you really should stop drinking like this ah." She let out a sigh. "Here, my grandmother specially cooked this and asked me to give this to you. This will help with your hangover."

Lily continued to drink the tea silently and ate the rice cakes that Meher gave her. She looked at the time and grabbed her phone from the bedside table next to her.

"I called your secretary before I came today," she heard Meher mutter. "You’re lucky I decided to visit you today. Or else no one would take care of your drunk ass again."

"Thank you, meher," Lily softly said before smiling at her.

"Alright, stop giving me that smile of yours. I will go make some porridge for breakfast."

Lily watched as her friend walked out of her room before the smile on her face disappeared. She furrowed her brows while clutching her head. Meher was right. She really should not have drank that much last night.

She let out a long sigh. Her face slowly turned pensive. Seven years ago, her grandmother, Savitri Kaul was also helpless. She was not able to help her. In the end, she ended up hating her for what happened.

However, years later, Lily realized how dumb she was for hating the only person who loved her in the Kaul family. She felt deeply embarrassed for what she did. She had not even considered calling her to apologize in the past.

Now, she could only regret everything and wish that her grandmother could forgive her.

She then thought about the events that transpired seven years ago.

As the young miss of the prominent Kaul family, Myra’s life was not what everyone expected it to be. Her stepmother, Revati Kaul, never allowed Lily to develop her skills and talents. Since Lily was born with a weak constitution, she forbade her to attend events under the pretense of being caring towards her. Everyone applauded her stepmother for her kindness.

Of course, even Lily was fooled and thought that her stepmother truly cared for her. That was until she met the boy whom she was supposed to marry, Raghav Singh. He was the young master of the Singh family, another prominent family in the country.

The Old Masters of the Singh and Kaul families were once comrades. Because of this, they promised to have their eldest grandson and granddaughter marry. And that was Raghav Singh and Lily. At first, her stepmother, Revati Kaul, raged when she found out about this arrangement. She wanted her daughter, Meera Kaul, to marry Raghav Kaul, not the foreigner, Myra. However, with Mayra’s grandmother’s support, Revati Kaul was helpless and was forced to accept the engagement.

Lily thought that everything was fine, that fate had favored her for giving her such an outstanding future husband. Who would have thought that it was just her wishful thinking?

Together, Revati Kaul, Meera Kaul, and Raghav Singh thought of a scheme that would even render her grandmother useless. They thought of a way to embarrass her and make her the laughingstock of the whole country.

Lily et out another sigh, refusing to think of the things that happened on her supposed wedding day anymore. She then went to the bathroom and took a quick shower before going to her kitchen to eat whatever her best friend had cooked.

"Come, come... give my new porridge recipe a taste. I learned how to cook it when I was in Thailand last weekend. Hahaha. Lily, I met this businessman who looks really smart. I want to introduce him to you...I feel like you two will like each other..." Meher continued her endless chatter. She started telling Lily everything about her trip abroad.

Lily nodded her head as she silently listened to her friend. She was already used to Meher chattering.

"I was thinking of visiting Delhi next week for a film that I am working on. The company is looking for an Asian actress that we could use. Do you want to come with me so we could settle the Will and you could move on with your life?" Meher asked, concern written all over her face. She knew how the Kaul family still affected her best friend, and this was the only way that she could think of helping her.

"Alright," Lily answered while resisting the urge to tell her friend that she had long moved on. Although she didn’t want to see anyone from the Kaul family, she wanted to see her grandmother for one last time.

"Really?" Meher asked, excited. "Like, are you sure?"

"Why not? I am not afraid of them. Plus, I need to take care of the business we just acquired."

"You mean the Arison’s?" Meher laughed. "Aiya... I always knew you had a hidden agenda for agreeing to marry that ass. Hahaha..."

Lily only shrugged at her words. Liam Arison wanted to marry her because of the Facci family’s influence. He thought that by marrying the heiress of the Facci family he would be able to save their subsidiaries abroad. He thought that he could hide his illicit relationship with his younger cousin and childhood lover.

Did he think that Lily could become a tycoon at this age if she were dumb?

The Acquisition Documents that Lily asked Liam to sign were immediately sent out by his secretary the day after their confrontation. However, since Lily was not able to go to her office because of her hangover, it was sent directly to her two bedroom flat.

Lily immediately made arrangements so she could travel and take care of their newly acquired subsidiaries abroad. Lily had initially decided not to attend the reading. However, she decided that she owed her late paternal grandmother, Madam Savitri Kaul, for taking care of her when she was young.

The three retail companies that she had just acquired from the Arisons were close to bankruptcy, and Lily needed to focus and spend more time managing them.

She also decided to bring Nova and two other directors along who would take care of other errands.

"I want business proposals for these three companies within three days. The goal is to increase the mid-year profit by ten percent." She smiled at the group of men and women in her boardroom. Lily’s smile was plastered on her pretty face. However, it was widely known that her beautiful smile was deceptive.

In the corporate world, Lily was known as the Empress—a queen with a deadly smile. Her smile only brought trouble to most people. Some even said that the bigger her smile was, the more trouble she was brewing in her brilliant mind.

As the only remaining Facci, Lily was known to be an iron lady; one who surprised the business world when she started her reign six years ago. Because of her, the Facci Group of Companies saw their profits increased by leaps and bounds. In less than a year, the Group was able to enter the top one hundred most profitable companies in the world.

After five years, the Group’s profits doubled. In that same year, the Facci Group of Companies entered the top thirty most profitable companies in the world. To say that Lily was a prodigy in the business world was an understatement. Some people call her a legend, while others considered her a business goddess; someone capable of causing storms and hurricanes in the business world.

"President, three days is too much," a handsome young man injected.

"I agree with Mr. Beau. Let’s make it two," she answered nonchalantly, instantly silencing the whole room. "Two days should be enough for everyone. Two days from now, I expect a polished report from finance, human resource, and operations department, on my table."

"I want market research, development strategies, and countermeasures for our competitors," she added, her gaze never leaving her laptop. She lifted her head and glanced at everyone. "Any questions?"

The people in the room did not know if they wanted to cry or laugh at the President’s words. They originally wanted to ask her for an extension, but who would have thought that she would prepone the deadline without waiting for their opinion?

However, no one dared to voice their thoughts. After all, they were already used to Lily’s almost-impossible deadlines.

"If I am satisfied, I will double your bonuses for this quarter," she added when she noticed everyone’s strange expression.

Lily’s words immediately caused everyone’s mood to lighten up. A smile instantly made its way to the faces of her subordinates.

"Great! Now, let’s get to work." She got up and strutted her way out of the board room.

"Any more meetings for today?" she asked her secretary after leaving the boardroom.

"No more. However, we received a couple of calls from the Arisons and a call on your personal phone... It was from overseas."

"Who was it?"

"It was someone called Revati Kaul. I asked her to leave a message, but she refused and insisted on talking to you... and..." Nova hesitated.

"What else?"

"President, I...she called you names... so I... dropped the call," Nova said, her head lowered.

A while ago, the woman named Revati Kaul called their President a slut and other dirty names. She even assumed that Nova was just pretending to be her secretary. This made her so angry that she hung up on the rude woman.

"Good. Keep up the good work," Lily muttered before she opened the door to her office. "The next time she calls, tell her that I will go and see them. Then cut the call before she can say anything else."

Nova felt chills running down her body when she saw that the President had smiled at her.

That smile was just too scary, ah. That Revati Kaul must have offended her in some way.

"Nova?"

"Yes, President?" Nova immediately answered her.

"Move my flight. I want it three days from now," she said.

"President, the proposals will be..."

"Three days, Nova, clear out my schedule for the whole month. Make sure the report is on my table two days from now. Call the pilot for my private jet and arrange for a private bodyguard who will also serve as my driver. I want everything ready on the day that I land in Delhi. That’s umm... by Friday." Nova did not say anything else and simply nodded her head at Lily ’s words. What else could she say? The president seldom changed her mind when it came to her plans.

After all, her nickname as the iron lady was not only for display.

Lily gestured her secretary to go before slumping back into her chair. She originally wanted to have this flight two days before the reading. But it seems that the Kaul family couldn’t wait to see her.

It had been two days since the lawyer called her. Just like she expected, Revati Kaul had attempted to contact her to ensure that she would show up.

Her intuition was telling her that her father would also call her later that night or the next day to make sure that she would show her face at the reading.

Once again, Lily ’s face darkened as she thought about her grandmother’s death. The only reason she did not exact revenge on the people who humiliated her was that she was afraid to hurt her grandmother further.

Now that her grandmother was dead...

A small smile crept up her lips as she thought about the things that would happen once she returned.

 ["What? You think you deserve to be my woman?" the handsome man in front of Lily sneered at the sight of her wearing the red wedding dress.

"Raghav.. what are you talking about? Today is our wedding day. How could you not show up? This is an embarrassment to both of our families," Lily said, failing to compose herself.

"Myra didi, you should stop acting like the perfect fiancée," mocked the beautiful woman who was leaning on the man’s arms. "Your scandal has been already posted online. Everyone knows that you cheated on your fiancé."

"I did not!" Lily instantly paled, wondering if they knew about the accident that had happened a month before. "Why would you say that? Raghav, I would never cheat on you."

"I see. You are not only a cheater, but also a liar." The man took a sip from the glass of wine in his hand.

"What are you talking about, Raghav?" she asked as unshed tears blurred her vision.

"What are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Tell me..."]

"Tell me!"

"Tell me!"

"President! President wake up!" Nova’s voice instantly jolted Lily awake.

Her gaze turned dark when she thought about her dream. She could not remember the last time she had dreamed of those events. Yet, there she was dreaming of them again. Why now?

"President... there’s..." Nova awkwardly gave her a pink handkerchief, "You have tears..."

Lily accepted the handkerchief and wiped the tears staining her face. "When are we landing?" She asked, ignoring Nova’s curious gaze.

"In an hour. It’s currently night time in Delhi, but I already made arrangements for everything. There will be a car waiting for us. I’m sure no one will know of your arrival," Nova said. For some reason, the president emphasized the importance of keeping her arrival a secret from everyone. Not even the group of directors that would follow them the next day knew that the president would arrive in Delhi earlier than them.

Lily did not respond to her secretary’s words. She closed her eyes as memories of that dreadful day came back to her.

A month before her wedding day, Lily and her fiancé, Raghav, argued over her younger sister. Because of that, she went to her favorite bar and had a little drink, expecting her fiancé to come and coax her to go home.

Who would have thought that someone would spike her drink, and she would end up sleeping with the man who was sitting next to her?

The worst thing about the entire episode was that the man was an escort!

Although Lily regretted what happened, her selfishness still kicked in. She wanted to marry Raghav so badly and leave the Kaul family that she decided to keep this incident a secret. Although Lily knew that what she felt for Raghav Singh at that time was not love, it did not stop her from craving for a better life away from her family.

Lily could not deny that she was grossed out because of what happened. However, she was not a saint. Raghav Singh had already taken her virginity months before she slept with the stranger.

He would not notice any difference, right?

With this in mind, she left a hefty sum of money for the escort, hoping that he would keep his mouth shut and not disturb her again. It was nothing but a one night stand — a mistake, nothing more.

The dumb Lily had never considered that she had fallen into her fiancé’s scheme. She thought that she could outsmart him, that she could be selfish and leave the Kaul family.

She was wrong.

On her wedding day, her stepsister, stepmother, and fiancé chose to expose everything. And it ruined her. Images of her in a man’s arms spread online like wildfire. The news of Raghav singh’s fiancée cheating on him instantly broke the internet.

But that was not the end of it.

On that same day, she lost more than herself. She was not talking about her fiancé nor her family. No, she was talking about her life, her mother and...

She fell into depression and attempted to kill herself over and over again. She was ruined. The Kaul family had abandoned her, and her friends never answered her calls.

Everyone mocked her.

But who could she blame other than herself? She wanted to leave the Kaul family so bad that she sacrificed her dignity. She lost everything because of her stupidity.

And that was her state when her maternal grandmother, Lilian Facci found her; crazy in an alley, sobbing and trying to slit her wrist.

A mocking smile escaped from Lily ’s lips before she let out a long sigh.

She was selfish and had learned her lesson in the most painful manner.

She already had someone investigate what happened that night. However, for some reason, everything about the person she slept with was deleted. There was no CCTV footage or proof of his identity. It was as if the man had disappeared into thin air. All she remembered was his face.

Still, it was useless.

She always thought that Raghav had something to do with it. Or maybe her stepmother. Who knew?

All she knew was that she was about to land in her birthplace, the place that she dreaded the most.

"President, these are the files that need your signature," Nova said. She stifled a yawn. It was already three in the morning, yet the president was still working. She didn’t even stop to watch the glittering skyline, the brilliant lights coming from the streets of Delhi, coloring the city in bright lights. "The directors who are assisting you will arrive around noon. They will be staying with me."

Lily nodded at the reminder before smiling at her assistant.

"Go back to your flat and sleep."

Nova hesitated before nodding. "President, would you like some coffee? Perhaps tea?"

"Thank you, Nova. I will be fine," Lily said, her eyes glued to the documents in front of her. They had both just arrived at one of their properties in Delhi. However, this did not stop her from working on the things that needed to be done for the three companies she had recently acquired.

She heard Nova gather her things before leaving. They were currently in a penthouse on the twenty-first floor of a building located in the dead-centre of India capital, Delhi. The entire building was owned by one of the real estate subsidiaries of the Facci’s.

While Lily was staying in the two-bedroom penthouse, Nova and the other directors would reside in the unit right below Lily ’s penthouse.

Lily made sure Nova had left before lifting her head and walking out of the small study. She walked into the luxurious kitchen to grab a bottle of water before eyeing the floor to ceiling windows that acted as a door to the terrace attached to the penthouse.

After drinking the water, Lily ’s feet took her towards the terrace.

It was close to dawn, the sun was peeking from behind the tall building, the faint light of it slowly illuminating the sky. Yet, the brilliant lights from the cityscape still managed to take her breath away. The streets below her seemed to have come alive; as if someone had showered the city in glitter by dropping it from the highest building. It was magical.

It was magnificent.

Lily found herself staring at the tallest building in the city. From her knowledge, it was known as Sky City. The building consisted of more than fifty floors. Rumors had it that the topmost floor of the building was owned by a mysterious businessman who was akin to the king of business in the India.

Lily scoffed at her thoughts. King of business? More like the King of the Underworld.

She withdrew her gaze and went back inside the penthouse to continue working. She still had a long way to go before she could launch the new projects that she had planned for the newly acquired companies.

She needed to work harder.