As soon as Lilian entered her office and sat down, Elsie Clinton rushed toward her, scrolling through her phone with a slight frown. Lilian's face squinted instinctively as she watched Elsie baffling at whatever she was reading.
"Elsie, what are you looking at on your phone?" Lilian asked curiously.
Elsie quietly handed the phone over. "Take a look."
Lilian accepted it, scanning the screen. The more she read, the colder her expression became.
For two minutes, neither spoke, both lost in thought. Finally, Elsie looked at Lilian incredulously. "What's going on? Are you two… identical twins?"
Lilian chuckled mockingly, shaking her head. "No way. I'm the only child my parents gave birth to. Yes, my mother and aunt are identical twins, but my mother gave birth to me, and my aunt gave birth to Avery Macdonald. So the only answer is that Avery didn't die. Someone deliberately faked her death to fool the Kimberly family."
---
Elsie's eyes widened, her mouth dropping open in realization. "Damn it! Who could be so outrageous?"
Lilian raised her brow, her voice almost certain. "Who else? Who do you think would be afraid of me gaining the Kimberly family's protection?"
Elsie's eyes darkened with anger. Through gritted teeth, she spat, "Perry Jerome!"
Lilian's face remained expressionless, confirming she thought the same.
Elsie turned to her. "What will you do now?"
Lilian's voice was cold. "Although I don't care about the Kimberly family's protection or wealth, I will never allow Avery Macdonald to get away with this." She looked at Elsie seriously. "Find the details about the new presidential celebration party and get the invitation."
Elsie shook her head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Lilian, but we don't stand a chance of getting an invitation. But… you can ask Derek."
Lilian was taken aback, thinking it over. She knew Derek had supported the Kimberly family in overthrowing Morgan Jerome. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock as a thought flashed through her mind.
Elsie, confused, asked, "Lilian, why are you like this?"
Lilian chuckled bitterly, articulating her words carefully. "Elsie, it's possible Derek knows about this too."
---
Elsie raised her brow calmly. "Hmm."
Lilian's eyes narrowed. "Don't you think he's aware Avery Macdonald is impersonating me? Even though it was said she died at sea, suddenly someone who looks exactly like me appears, bearing my name—while he and his men rushed to save me from Perry's island. Is he afraid I'll gain the Kimberly family's support and leave him? Why else would he let them mistake someone else for me?"
Elsie thought about it, then nodded. "I think you have a point, Lilian."
"And if Derek doesn't want the Kimberly family to find me, do you think he'll agree to take me there?" Lilian asked, smiling self‑deprecatingly.
She turned to Elsie. "Find all of Bryan Kimberly's appointments and venues."
Elsie frowned. "Mr. Bryan Kimberly is always escorted by so many bodyguards. You won't be able to meet him."
Lilian's brow tightened. "I don't need to meet him. All I need is for Bryan Kimberly to see my face."
Elsie nodded, giving her a thumbs‑up.
---
Elsie quickly left the office to carry out her assignment. She returned with a report. "The hotel the Kimberly family rented for the celebration is named Oceanic Cruise. It's a hotel on a cruise ship owned by the Russell holdings. The Kimberly family has rented the entire hotel for that day. The party starts at six in the evening on Saturday."
Lilian nodded. "Book flight tickets for me to Avaldos City—the earliest flight on Saturday."
Elsie nodded and walked out.
---
Meanwhile, in the CEO office of Russell Automobile Holdings, Xander Campbell entered anxiously. "Alpha Derek, the Kimberly family has released news about their newly found Miss. Miss Kimberly's photos are everywhere—social media, newspapers, television, radio stations."
Derek looked shocked, quickly opening his phone. Seeing the news, he mind‑linked Cayden.
Leo, lying quietly in Lilian's office, connected to his brothers' mind link and responded, "It's too late. Lily has already seen the posts and is planning to meet the Kimberlys."
Derek grew anxious. "So what are we going to do now?"
Cayden replied, "Lily already suspects us. She looked disappointed when she thought we might know about this and were hiding it from her. We can't push too hard—you saw what happened with that bastard Perry Jerome."
Derek grew desperate, frustrated. "You're not saying anything! What are we going to do now?"
Cayden said calmly, "Little mate asked her assistant to book a ticket. Why don't you call her now? Inform her about the party. Ask her to be our companion on Saturday."
Derek hesitated for a moment. "And how do you intend to solve it?"
Cayden sighed. "No idea for now. We'll figure it out when the time comes."
---
As soon as their mind link disconnected, Lilian's phone rang.
Leo, still lying on the sofa, observed the struggle in Lilian's emotions. She hesitated, then took a deep breath and pressed the receive button.
It was a video call with Derek.
"Hi," she said almost inaudibly.
Derek's eyes locked on her, as if trying to see deep into her soul. "Hey. Are you okay?"
Lilian nodded with a faint smile, emotions swirling. "Yeah. But why did you call me? We just parted a few hours ago."
Derek chuckled. "You know, a minute away from you feels like a millennium to me."
Lilian's heart jolted. Warm feelings welled up inside her. She smiled genuinely, almost forgetting the sting of pain moments earlier. Shyly, she covered her mouth. "Derek, you're such a sweet talker."
---
Derek laughed softly. "I'm only stating a fact."
Lilian nodded, biting her lip, her eyes lingering on him.
Derek sighed. "I'd like you to be my companion on Saturday."
Lilian looked surprised, even shocked. What is wrong with him? Is it because the news is everywhere on social media?
Seeing her distracted, Derek grew worked up. "Lily, are you listening?"
She blinked, nodding. "Where?"
Derek answered, "The Kimberly family is celebrating their success in taking the presidency of Avaldos Country."