Chapter 25 An Eye for an Eye
Lily raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp and defiant.
"I remember it clearly," She said.
She would never forget.
Lily shut the door, not wanting to say anything more.
Michael stood outside, staring at the necklace in his hand, regretting what he had said just moments ago.
But Lily's words were definitely intentional.
She was smart enough to understand his meaning. Was she still angry?
Michael looked at the closed door and thought, 'Lily, what am I going to do with you?'
Lily's mood soured.
She shouldn't have hoped for her brothers to have a change of heart and regret their actions, crying out in remorse.
She had thought too much.
She had underestimated Sophie's importance to Michael.
After all, Michael had been moved to tears by Sophie making a bowl of oatmeal, while Lily's years of medicinal food were treated like trash, worthless.
She needed to take back everything she had given.
She would refuse to join Austin's team, stop making medicinal food for Michael, and no longer maintain David's firewall security.
And Nathan, Peter, James—they would all be cut off, too.
Lily opened the gaming forum and saw her post from a few days ago titled "A Beginner's Guide to Achieving a Twelve-Hit Combo."
The post had gone viral.
Many people had bookmarked it, but there were also plenty of mocking comments, calling her arrogant.
Lily didn't bother to argue; she had compiled the experience based on advice from someone in the past.
She received a private message.
It was from Austin's account.
The message read: [Hey, remember when you stole my boss last time?]
Of course, Lily remembered. She had done it on purpose.
She didn't reply.
Austin sent another message: [Would you consider joining a professional team? We can discuss the terms. I really like your gameplay. Joining the team would mean professional training!]
Lily found the message ironic.
Austin had finally realized Sophie was unreliable and knew she wouldn't join the competition, so he was recruiting again?
Lily responded directly: [I refuse.]
After replying, she logged off.
Austin stared at the answer, his mind involuntarily flashing to Lily's face.
Every time Lily refused, it was always with those exact words.
Austin shut off his computer in frustration. Because of Lily, he had been forced out of his home, and he felt stifled!
He regretted hitting her on the day of the revival match.
But he couldn't bring himself to apologize. He was used to Lily always coddling him.
Time flew by, and it was the final practice exam.
Lily felt confident during the test and finished early, deciding to take a breath of fresh air on the field.
When she returned to the classroom, she saw Sophie crying at her desk, her entourage nowhere in sight.
"Sophie, don't cry. We all believe you're not the type to cheat."
"Exactly, the teacher will definitely investigate and clear your name."
"Yeah, Sophie, your grades have always been good. You wouldn't need to cheat."
Lily overheard the conversation and guessed what had happened.
She had always suspected Sophie of faking her grades, given Seraphine's decent performance.
This hadn't happened in her previous life.
Sophie must have spent too much time on the game, falling behind in her studies and resorting to desperate measures to keep her rank.
In the past, Sophie had been exposed during the SATs, scoring poorly, even worse than Calista.
After the SAT scores were released, Lily had done well.
Sophie had blamed her poor performance on Lily, saying she had been too distracted by her.
Lily had endured cold treatment from her brothers for a long time.
Peter had even suggested they apply to the same college so Sophie could have someone to rely on, as compensation for Lily supposedly affecting her grades.
What kind of logic was that?
In her previous life, she hadn't dared to defy Peter's request and had agreed.
As Lily remembered this, Seraphine stormed into the classroom, confronting Sophie, "You wanted to cheat, why am I the one being punished?"
Sophie, tears streaming down her face, replied, "I didn't cheat. Why are you accusing me? I didn't ask you to write that note!"
"It was you, Sophie! Why won't you admit it? Aren't we friends? Why would you betray me?"
Seraphine was nearly hysterical.
Being punished now meant trouble for her SATs.
Sophie looked innocent, while everyone blamed Seraphine for making false accusations.
Sophie felt calm inside. She knew she wouldn't be in trouble.
The teacher and students would believe her.
Seraphine looked at Lily in despair. "Now I understand how you felt. Sophie is a venomous woman, pretending to be a saint but really a viper!"
Lily showed a mocking expression. Seraphine finally got it.
Seraphine hurried to Lily's side. "You must know the truth, right? Sophie's grades have never been great. I did her homework. We were in the same classroom for the exam; you left early and must have seen something. Please testify for me!"
Lily had always been at odds with Sophie; she must have a way.
Sophie frowned. Lily shouldn't know anything.
Lily calmly pushed Seraphine's hand away. "Everyone knows Sophie's character. How can you falsely accuse her?"
Seraphine's face turned pale.
She hadn't expected Lily to say that.
Lily's expression remained serene. She wasn't a saint.
Seraphine and Calista had spread rumors and hurt her enough in the past.
Now Seraphine could taste the bitterness she had once inflicted on Lily through Sophie.
After Lily's response, Sophie relaxed.
Sophie looked pitifully at Seraphine. "Because we're friends, I can't watch you make mistakes. Just apologize to the teacher, and I'm sure they'll forgive you this time."
Calista chimed in, "Yeah, you can't just accuse someone."
Seraphine glared at Calista, laughing bitterly. "Be careful; what happens to me today could happen to you!"
Calista's expression was uneasy. "You're talking nonsense. You wanted to cheat and got caught. You can't expect Sophie to lie for you!"
Seraphine shouted, "Sophie, do you really think I don't have evidence? I'll expose your fake grades and show everyone you're no academic star!"
Sophie's face changed instantly.
Was Seraphina asking for trouble?
Alex walked over. "Seraphine, what evidence do you have?"
"I have proof on my phone. I did Sophie's homework, and during the exam, I passed her a note. Lily walked by and must have seen it."
Alex turned to Lily. "Did you see anything?"
Lily thought for a moment. She hadn't paid much attention, but remembered Sophie turning around.
Was this a good opportunity for her?
If she said she saw it, Sophie would be doomed.