Chapter 21: Asking a Question
Lily raised an eyebrow at the lawyer’s words. It was not just Lily, but everyone in the family knew that Old Master Qin hated her while he was still alive. Since her mother came from an unknown background, Qin Hui, never liked Lily Qin as well. He turned a blind eye towards Tang Lingyun’s constant bullying of Bec Facci and even supported her in some ways. For years, Qin Hui hated Bec Facci for being a stain in the Qin family’s impeccable reputation. Of course, this hate was naturally directed towards Lily Qin too.
But why did he want to leave half of his properties to Lily now? Wasn’t this too... suspicious? Lily remembered how the old man insisted on having her marry Xuan Hui before he died. Could it be that at the time that he wrote the letter, he intentionally included the condition that she had to be single at the reading of this letter so that she would automatically be disqualified? But why bother with all the trouble of including her in his Will at all? What could have made the old man come to this ridiculous decision?
"BANG"
"Preposterous!" Qin Mo’s loud voice echoed inside the study. "How could my father have left something for that woman? He loathed her! He would never do this to me!" Qin Mo snatched the letter from Lawyer Yan’s hands before reading it for himself.
"She must have threatened Grandfather and Grandmother or something. Or else why would they give her anything?" Qin Liwei muttered, adding fuel to the flames. His words instantly enraged Qin Fei. She got up from her seat and pointed her finger at Lily.
"I’m sure you have something to do with this! Tell me! Did you sleep with Lawyer Yan so he could change the Will in your favor?" Qin Fei sneered, her voice was shrill and loud, making everyone in the room look at her. Qin Fei’s temper was very much like Qin Mo’s so her outburst was actually not surprising to everyone. However, what surprised them was Qin Fei’s words.
Could Qin Jinghua have really slept with the lawyer to change the Will?
"Mrs. Xuan, please do not slander me. I already have a family and I am not that kind of a person. Your unfounded words could ruin my reputation as well as Miss Qin Jinghua’s. I would advise you not to utter such nonsense again." Lawyer Yan said while scrunching his brows. He had been the Qin family’s lawyer for years. How could they slander him like this?
"So why would she have both Grandmother and Grandfather’s properties? Everyone here knows that Grandfather hated her!" she reasoned while narrowing her eyes at Lily. "You disgust me! You are an embarrassment to this family!"
In response, Lily stifled a yawn. "I’ve heard those words before. Can’t you find some other terms to describe me?" she raised an eyebrow before eyeing Tang Lingyun. "Come to think of it. Grandfather’s condition stated that I had to still be single for my claim to his properties to hold in court. I remember how he had insisted on me marrying Young Master Xuan before he died. Since he died before the supposed wedding between Xuan Hui and I, he must have thought I would have already been married by the time of the reading of his Will. Come to think of it, if I had indeed married into the Xuan family, I would not be eligible for this inheritance now, right?"
Lily’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Tang Lingyun provokingly. "If my assumptions are correct... then... having Qin Fei marry Xuan Hui in my place was a mistake. Isn’t that right? Mother?"
Tang Lingyun swallowed the non-existent saliva in her mouth. Old Master Qin was known to be very smart and cunning. Could it be possible that what Qin Jinghua said was true? However, Tang Lingyun told herself not to show any of the anxiety that she was feeling on her face. Instead, she gave Lily a small smile. "Why would it be a mistake? My daughter’s happiness is still the most important thing. The past should not be mentioned again. It belongs in the past for a reason."
"That is also true." Lily nodded. "Let’s leave the past in the past," she said, before getting up from her seat and looking at Lawyer Yan. "My lawyer will contact you for my grandmother’s inheritance."
"Where are you going?" Qin Fei asked, the moment Lily took a step away from the table.
"Leaving the past behind," Lily answered while flashing her a smile that only infuriated Qin Fei.
"How dare you leave just like this? Sit down and we will talk about the properties that you will inherit from Grandmother," Qin Fei demanded.
"Alright." Lily responded, the smile on her face unwavering. Her schedule for the day had already been cleared. Besides she was also looking for a little fun.
Seeing Lily compliance only inflated Qin Fei’s ego. Inside, Qin Fei was beaming. As expected of someone inferior to her, a little intimidation would actually work.
"I want the little Villa in the Northern Summit," Qin Fei declared while eyeing her father. She noticed that her old man wanted to say something but Tang Lingyun stopped him.
"Good. How much are we talking about?" Lili answered immediately. The little Villa that Qin Fei was talking was the place where she and Xuan Hui frequented when they were lovers. It was a five-room majestic Villa with an infinity pool, overlooking the whole city. Surrounding the Villa were more than ten varieties of roses that were personally planted by the late Madam Ye.
"I was not asking you to sell the Villa to me!" Qin Fei confidently answered. "I want you to just transfer the ownership of the Villa to me."
"Oh.... But I was asking a question." Lily’s eyes lit up. As if she just thought of an amazing idea. "How much are you planning to offer for the Villa? Ten? Twenty million US dollars?"
historical
"Qin Jinghua!"