Chapter 57 Attended the Event
Lily hung up the phone, a smirk playing on her lips.
In her past life, she had been forgiving, only to end up alone in a mental hospital.
Soon after, Michael texted her: [I upped your allowance by another $10,000. Is that enough? Please stop being mad.]
Lily chuckled.
She never cared about having a bigger allowance than Sophie.
They never understood what really mattered to her.
Lily headed to the next room, where Eric was yawning, his hair a mess. "Morning, Lily."
Eric handed her a business card. "You should get a makeover this afternoon. Just say you're a friend of mine."
"Thanks."
Lily took the card. In the past, the Roberts family would have arranged everything.
Tonight was a big deal, and both Sophie and Austin would be there.
Even though she wasn't big on makeup, this was her first appearance since leaving the Roberts family, and she didn't want to be underestimated.
Dennis glanced at Lily, noticing the smile on her face. She no longer seemed oppressed or overly cautious.
He allowed himself a small smile. The little sapling he'd been nurturing had finally grown quite a bit.
That afternoon, Lily grabbed her dress and got ready to head to the place Eric had recommended.
Eric spoke up, "Lily, we've got some stuff to handle this afternoon, so we can't go with you for the makeover. Honestly, I don't have the patience to wait for a woman to get her hair done!"
The main reason was that if he and Dennis were photographed by reporters, their identities would be compromised, causing trouble.
"No problem, I can go by myself," Lily replied, glancing instinctively at Dennis.
He looked up, his gaze deep. "Call me if you need anything."
Lily nodded with a smile and left with her dress.
After she left, Eric lazily said, "Dennis, Lily's grown up now. It's normal for her to want to look nice. You can't keep her from growing up, dating, and getting married. What if some smooth-talking guy sweeps her off her feet?"
Dennis held back, but finally couldn't resist kicking him.
Eric anticipated his move and jumped out of the way, continuing, "Didn't you say Lily had a crush on someone? Maybe it's a classmate, and they'll end up sweetly together in college."
"Shut up!"
Dennis rubbed his temples, feeling inexplicably irritated.
Lily took a cab to the styling place.
Not long after, Violet arrived. "Lily, is this styling studio reliable? I haven't heard of it."
"A friend recommended it, so it should be fine."
Lily had invited Violet along; the invitation allowed for a plus one, regardless of gender.
Lily walked in and told the receptionist, "Eric referred me."
"Ms. Roberts, Mr. Murphy has already informed us. You and your friend can come in."
Lily sat in the chair, waiting for her makeover to start.
Violet, sitting beside her, said, "Lily, the forum trolls are too much. Sophie even liked some of their comments. Now, everyone thinks you have a sugar daddy. But Michael is your brother, so why don't they clear things up for you?"
Lily remained calm. "It doesn't matter."
"I used to envy you for having so many brothers, but now I see they all favor Sophie. Brothers like that are worse than none." Violet remarked.
Lily looked at herself in the mirror, her expression serene. She didn't care anymore.
In this life, she had finally broken free from the Roberts family to live independently.
A few hours later, her makeover was complete.
Lily changed into her dress and looked at herself in the mirror, feeling a bit unfamiliar.
Violet took out her phone and snapped several photos. "Lily, you look amazing! You were just overshadowed and belittled by Sophie before, which made you seem less noticeable."
Lily and Violet took several selfies. She checked the time. "Let's go."
They took a cab to the event venue, a five-star hotel.
Lily noticed several luxury cars and reporters outside the hotel.
Violet was a bit nervous. "I've never attended an event like this before. I've only seen them on TV. If you hadn't brought me, Lily, I'd be working as a staff member with my brother, not walking through the front door."
Lily was a bit nervous, too.
She tried to sound casual. "Don't worry, we have invitations."
The two girls got out of the car and walked towards the check-in area, holding their dresses.
Before they reached the entrance, they saw reporters rushing in one direction.
Violet looked curiously. "Which celebrity just arrived to cause such a commotion?"
A luxury car had pulled up, and Austin and Sophie stepped out together.
Sophie wore a custom evening gown, a necklace around her neck, and a bracelet on her wrist, looking every bit the wealthy heiress.
Lily noticed the jewelry Sophie was wearing. It was the same jewelry Lily had given Sophie as an apology gift in her past life.
These were gifts from her brothers when she was young.
Now, Sophie had taken everything.
But Lily didn't feel sad anymore because she no longer cared about her brothers.
Sophie basked in the attention of the reporters, proud of wearing antique jewelry worth a fortune.
Lily had left, and now Sophie had it all.
A reporter asked Austin, "Mr. Roberts, there's a rumor that the streamer 'SweetLemon' is your sister Lily. Is that true?"
Sophie's smile froze.
Why couldn't that wretched Lily just disappear?
Austin hesitated for a moment at the reporter's question about Lily being the streamer.
He had been drinking heavily these past few days to numb himself.
If not for this event, he might still be in a drunken stupor.
He had heard that SweetLemon would be attending this event.
Austin wanted to see for himself if the streamer was Lily.
Sophie quickly spoke up, "Reporters, we have the same question. The streamer has never shown her face, so we can't be sure."
"But there's a rumor that the streamer's voice is identical to the Roberts family's daughter. Is that true?"
Sophie's expression soured. "Yes, but there are many people who look alike, let alone sound alike. It doesn't prove anything."
Lily couldn't possibly have become a famous game streamer overnight. It had to be a coincidence.
"Ms. Scott, are you saying SweetLemon isn't the Roberts family's daughter?"
"That's what I think. If she were that talented, she wouldn't be streaming on Crayfish. If Lily were to sign a contract, it would be with GreenFruit, like me."
Sophie looked at Austin. "Austin, don't you agree?"
Austin's expression was grim.
He couldn't answer that question now.
If Lily really was SweetLemon, would she sign with his platform?
In the past, he would have been sure.
But now, he wasn't.
Not wanting to lose face in front of the reporters, he answered confidently, "Yes, if Lily were to debut, she'd definitely sign with me."
After all, they were family.