Chapter 4

The news of the engagement between the Laurier family and the Martinez family caused a sensation throughout Lagersfield. Amidst countless discussions fueled by envy and jealousy, the engagement banquet between the Martinez and Laurier families commenced. Following the customs of the Laurier family, the engagement banquet was kept simple to avoid unnecessary trouble, with both families dining together as a formality of the engagement. It was held at Grand Hotel, a five-star hotel in Lagersfield. “When you meet Mr. Laurier later, be proactive and try to win his favor as much as possible. Got it?” Susan kept reminding Lily along the way to the hotel. Lily reclined lazily in her seat. Her eyes were half-shut, showing complete disinterest in Susan’s words. “I’m talking to you. Pay attention!” Susan couldn’t stand Lily’s insolent attitude. Every time she spoke to Lily, her temper inevitably rose. “If you act like this before Mr. Laurier and ruin the engagement, we’ll stop any treatment for your grandmother, and you’ll be sent back to the countryside. You’d better take my words seriously. I’m not joking.” Susan felt that she and Lily were incompatible. Lily always managed to infuriate her to no end. Lily turned her head, fixing her cool gaze on Susan. Impatience was evident in her eyes. She pulled out a pair of black headphones from her backpack and replied in an icy tone, “Why don’t you go marry him if you care so much?” “What’s with your attitude—” Susan was about to blow up, but Lily cut her off sharply, “Shut the hell up if you’re not marrying him!” Susan was such a nuisance. Lily put on her headphones, turned the music on her phone to maximum volume, and ignored Susan. Susan felt a sharp pain in her chest, her frustration growing. Lily caught a glimpse of Susan’s sarcastic and bitter expression. She gave Susan a cold and indifferent look before turning away. Sitting in the driver’s seat, Shannon glanced at Lily through the rearview mirror with a slight smile. However, she remained silent. Naturally, the Martinez family had to arrive earlier than the Laurier family for the engagement party. When Lily and her family arrived, Julia Goldberg and Lionel Martinez’s family were already present. They were all seated formally in carefully designated seats. Despite rumors that the eldest son of the Laurier family had been disfigured, the Martinez family couldn’t afford to be rude. The Martinez family could be wiped out with just a word from the Laurier family. They had switched out Shannon for Lily without permission, which could potentially anger Loid. If they pushed any more buttons, they would truly be ruined. As soon as they entered, Julia stood up upon seeing Lily’s attire. Her anger was evident on her face. “Outrageous! Who allowed you to come dressed like this?” Lily was still wearing her cheap black hoodie and a black baseball cap. Julia turned to Susan, berating her harshly, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know the occasion? How could you let her come dressed like this? Are you trying to ruin the Martinez family?” Susan had always been intimidated by Julia. Being scolded by her at this moment made her body tremble involuntarily. “Mom, I bought her a dress, but this stubborn girl refused to change into it. You know as well that she wasn’t raised by me. She doesn’t listen to me.” Susan cursed Lily several times internally. No matter how she threatened or asked Lily before leaving home, Lily refused to change her clothes. Liam didn’t want to push Lily too hard, so he didn’t insist on her changing. “It’s too late to change now. The Laurier family will be here soon. How about this? Shelby is about the same height as Lily. Let them swap outfits,” Julia said with authority, checking the time. “There’s no time. The Laurier family will be here soon. Shelby and Lily can go to the restroom and change.” “Grandma, I don’t want to!” Shelby Martinez stomped her foot, almost in tears. She would rather die than allow a country bumpkin to wear her clothes. “You don’t want to?” Julia shot her a sharp look. “Do you want to offend the Laurier family? Can you bear the consequences?” “I…” Shelby bit her lip, feeling both angry and upset, but all she could do was glare at Lily. Julia glanced at her indifferently and said coldly, “You can refuse to swap outfits if you can bear the consequences.” Though Shelby was spoiled, she wasn’t stupid. They couldn’t afford to offend the Laurier family. If she refused to swap clothes and offended the Laurier family, she would become the scapegoat for the Martinez family. After much internal struggle, she glared at Lily fiercely and said, “Are you coming to change with me or not?” Since they entered, Lily had been standing by the door with her hands in her pockets, watching the Martinez family’s drama unfold. Now, having had enough of the spectacle, she walked directly to the table and sat down lazily. She leaned back in her chair and said nonchalantly, “No!” As soon as Lily spoke, Susan erupted. “Lily, have you no shame?” Susan was already upset from being scolded by Julia. Lily’s lack of cooperation broke Susan’s elegant façade. “I brought you here to arrange the best treatment for your grandmother, not to cause trouble for me. I’m warning you, go change your clothes immediately or I’ll stop your grandmother’s treatment.” Lily turned around sharply, her eyes filled with fury. She stood up slowly with a chilly air. “Stop using my grandmother to threaten me!” Susan stumbled back at the sight of Lily’s gaze. She almost fell over. Susan had never seen such a terrifying glare. “What’s going on?” Liam didn’t go to the hotel with Lily and the others as he had some business to attend to. When he arrived and noticed the tense atmosphere in the private room, he inquired about it. Shelby had long been upset with Lily and quickly explained the situation to Liam. “Alright, Mom! It was my decision not to have Lily wear a dress,” Liam said, approaching Lily and patting her shoulder. Then, he turned to Julia and said, “She hasn’t lived with us, so she doesn’t understand the rules. She can’t learn manners all at once. We’ll teach her in the future.” Julia’s expression turned cold as she said, “What nonsense are you saying? Today is her engagement banquet with Mr. Laurier. The Martinez family will be utterly humiliated with her dressed like this.” “The Laurier family won’t mind.” Liam glanced at the time. “They’ll be here soon. Let’s quickly take our seats. It’ll be embarrassing if they arrive and we’re still standing.” “Yeah, Grandma. Lily just arrived in Lagersfield. There’s a lot for her to learn. Don’t push her too hard. After all, she’s doing this for me…” Shannon trailed off. She hadn’t spoken since they entered. She stepped forward to put her arms around Julia. “I’ll help her adapt to life at home in the future. Just let it go for my sake. Don’t make things difficult for her.” Julia’s expression softened slightly at Shannon’s words. After some consideration, she finally relented. “Fine, let’s all sit down.” After everyone from the Martinez family had taken their seats, Lily lifted her gaze and glanced deeply at Shannon.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.