Chapter 1

“This isn’t your grandmother’s place. There’s no room for unruliness. It’s best you straighten up so you don’t become a joke and embarrass me later.” A luxurious black car pulled over in front of Martinez Residence. Susan instructed the girl beside her to ring the doorbell, her brows furrowed together from impatience. Lily was wearing a black hoodie with a satchel. Her cap covered half her face, barely revealing her eyes. Her hands were casually tucked into her pockets as she nodded absentmindedly. “You’d better remember my words. Don’t blame me for being harsh if you mess this up.” Susan married into the Martinez family over a decade ago and had been living a life of luxury since. Her every move exuded the demeanor of a noblewoman. Seeing Lily’s punk-like demeanor irritated her. “This marriage with the Laurier family is your chance. With your grades, you’ll never get into a top university. You’ll spend your life working for others. Marrying the heir of the Laurier family will save you decades of struggle.” At this, Lily lifted her head, looking at the person lecturing her with a cold smile. “If this is so great, why not send out your second daughter, then?” “You can’t compare to Shannon. I raised and taught her well. She’s set to have a better life in the future. How could she marry that Laurier…” Susan realized she was being over-emotional and softened her tone. “Lily, don’t blame me for being ruthless. All these years in the Martinez family, I’ve relied on your sister’s intelligence and obedience to stabilize myself. “Now that Jason’s dead, the Martinez family is getting worse day by day. We must rely on this marriage to save the family business. It’s good for both you and me.” Over a decade ago, her ex-husband suddenly disappeared. After two years of searching in vain, she refused to spend her whole life toiling in the countryside. So, she left Lily, who was still a baby, with her grandmother and left resolutely. Later, she married the newly widowed second son of the Martinez family, Liam, and had a daughter with him. Shannon was clever and obedient. Liam and his mother, Julia, doted on her as well. But she did not live an easy life. The Martinez family favored sons over daughters. Liam had a son, Jason, with his deceased wife. He was excellent and the pride of the Martinez family. The Martinez family’s business had been thriving recently because of Jason. Hence, they weren’t pleased when they learned that Susan had given birth to a daughter. Over the years, she put a lot of effort into Shannon, raising her into an outstanding young lady in all aspects. That improved her life in the Martinez family. But now that Jason was dead, the Martinez family’s business was declining significantly. To save the Martinez family’s business, Shannon had to marry the eldest son of the Laurier family. Susan refused to allow that. Everyone knew that the Laurier family’s eldest son suffered from a serious illness six months ago. Because of this, he became ill-tempered, and the disease also ruined his looks. There were also rumors that he might not even be able to live for two more years. She couldn’t let Shannon become a widow at such a young age and live a life of loneliness. So, she had no choice but to sacrifice Lily. Lily stared at Susan with cold eyes and a mocking smile. This was how her biological mother treated her. Somehow, Susan twisted her selfishness into concern for her. “Did you hear what I said?” Seeing Lily keeping silent, Susan questioned angrily. Lily withdrew her gaze, giving a faint acknowledgment. Susan was infuriated but helpless. After Lily rang the doorbell, the housekeeper quickly opened the door. “Mrs. Martinez.” The one who opened the door was May Porter. She had been working for the Martinez family for 40 years and was the person Julia Goldberg trusted the most. May glanced at Lily behind Susan and calmly said, “Madam is waiting for you.” Although her tone was polite, it lacked respect. Over the years, Susan had gotten used to being looked down upon by the Martinez family’s domestic helpers. She gave a vague response and led Lily inside. Martinez Residence was huge. It took them several minutes to reach the main hall. Upon opening the door, they found the long table filled with people, seemingly preparing for a family meeting. Julia sat at the head, with her eldest son, Lionel, on her left and her second son, Liam, on her right. On both sides sat Julia’s daughters-in-law and grandchildren. “Mom, here’s Lily.” Susan was afraid of Julia, so she spoke cautiously, devoid of the arrogance she usually displayed in front of Lily. Julia nodded, her cloudy eyes scrutinizing Lily. Lily kept her head half-lowered with her hands still in her pockets. She stood quietly in place. A trace of disdain flashed in Julia’s eyes. “Lily, although you haven’t received a high-quality education, you should at least have basic manners, shouldn’t you? You should address your elders politely.” “She’s a country bumpkin who has no one at home to teach her. What manners could her grandmother who’s barely alive teach her?” Lionel’s second daughter, Shelby, retorted sharply. Lily raised her eyebrows and stared at her coldly with her hands still in her pockets. Her slender figure seemed fragile against the wind, but she had an overbearing presence. Shelby was frightened by her gaze and instinctively lowered her eyes. “Sorry, I’m a wild child who doesn’t know what manners are.” Lily looked away. Her face was cold and expressionless, her tone indifferent. Her attitude angered the Martinezes. Someone couldn’t help but curse, “Hmph! Such a poor and rude person wouldn’t fit into society.” “Don’t say that. After all, she’s going to marry the eldest son of the Laurier family. What if she causes trouble for us in the future?” another mocked. “Haha, her? Causing trouble for us? Better hope she doesn’t get scared to death by the eldest son of the Laurier family.” Laughter echoed around them. At this moment, Lily’s phone rang with a message tone. She took out her phone and took her time to reply to the message, ignoring the mockery from the Martinez family members. Julia was annoyed to see Lily disregarding her and playing with her phone but suppressed her anger. She raised her hand to silence the others and looked at Lily. “Has your mother mentioned the marriage proposal to you?” For her, the most important thing was the marriage proposal with the Laurier family. “She did.” After replying to the message, Lily raised her head. Her cold eyes swept over everyone, and she spoke indifferently. Julia nodded. “Although it’s a marriage proposal, the daughter-in-law of the Laurier family must have a high school degree. I heard you performed poorly in school, so I won’t make you attend Ember Creek High School. You’ll go to Liberty High School and finish your senior year. “You’re only 19 years old. In a few days, we’ll arrange your engagement. You’ll get registered with him when you turn 20. By the time you graduate from high school, you’ll be able to have the ceremony. “As for your grandmother, you don’t need to worry. We’ll arrange the best hospital for her treatment. As long as you marry him, we won’t mistreat her.” Susan had repeated these words to Lily many times before they came, but Julia felt the need to personally remind her again. “Fine.” Lily gave a curt response.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.