Chapter 351
Boom.
The words hit Fiona Douglas like a lightning bolt out of nowhere, buzzing straight through her skull.
“Lisette Cavendish… is the old master’s actual daughter p>
She had to be hearing things. No way this was real.
Her whole face twisted up as the truth sank in, like her features couldn’t decide where to sit anymore.
And then—just to max out her shock value—the sound of steady footsteps came from ahead. In the butler’s respectful voice, that “old master’s real daughter” showed up, walking side by side with Tobias Hastings, surrounded by a whole squad of staff.
“Grandma p>
Lisette sped up and practically bounced in front of Eleanor Hastings.
Like a kid spotting her favorite elder, she threw her arms around her and laughed, “They said you’d arrived, so Sisi and I came to get you p>
As she spoke, she shot Tobias a sideways glare, eyes full of silent accusation. “Seriously, this is all on you. If you hadn’t dragged me into that ridiculous ‘morning session,’ I wouldn’t have come out this late. Grandma literally reached the door before I did p>
Tobias just smiled, wrapped her hand in his bigger one, and nodded politely to his grandmother. “Grandma p>
Classic Eleanor—once she had a granddaughter-in-law, her grandson basically turned invisible.
She straight-up ignored Tobias’s greeting and tugged Lisette closer, looking her over from head to toe. “Not bad. You look a little fuller than when you came home before the new year p>
That little bit of “extra softness” on Lisette finally made sense to Eleanor, and she gifted her grandson a kindly, very satisfied smile. “Keep it up. She needs to put on more. Mumu is way too skinny p>
Lisette: p>
Grandma, you’re lecturing the wrong person. He’s the one who keeps making me lose weight!
Tobias’s eyes held nothing but amusement. “Don’t worry, Grandma. I’ll make sure she’s well fed every single day.” Then he shot Lisette a look that was way too meaningful to be innocent.
Well fed p>
“You’re really too kind to bother with all this,” she said lightly.
Lisette Cavendish shifted her gaze, deliberately dodging the layered look he sent her, refusing to meet his eyes.
The moment she turned her head, she spotted Fiona Douglas standing off to the side. Lisette narrowed her eyes a bit. “And why are you still here p>
Before Fiona could react, the butler raised his hand, and security immediately stepped forward to drag her out.
“No—wait p>
Fiona struggled, her voice shaking.
Down on the gold carpet beneath the steps, all the guests of the banquet were watching. If she was thrown out today, the entire upper circle would blacklist her by tomorrow.
A girl abandoned by high society? The Douglas family wouldn’t want her anymore.
Everything she had been clawing to maintain would go up in smoke.
Right now, all those so-called crushes, romance, dignity—none of it mattered.
She just wanted to prove she still had worth.
She had schemed so hard to get close to Eleanor Hastings, had shown off every bit of her “talent” in front of Tobias Hastings, had been desperate to marry him and become the richest man’s wife—just so everyone would finally see that Fiona Douglas was someone not to be underestimated.
She wasn’t just the Douglas family’s illegitimate kid.
One day, she would stand so high that everyone would have to look up to her.
Clinging to the last bit of what she had, she lost every trace of arrogance in front of Lisette. Her voice trembled as she begged, “Cousin… I was wrong. I didn’t know who I was provoking before. I truly understand now p>
“Please… don’t throw me out p>
“I won’t dare fight you over anything ever again p>
The air felt tight, the mood somber—until Lisette suddenly let out a soft laugh.
Fiona lifted her eyes toward her, stunned.
Lisette Cavendish stepped into the hall in a midnight?blue gown dusted with tiny sparkles, like someone had scooped a piece of the night sky and wrapped it around her. The fitted cut and the high slit showed off her figure without a trace of hesitation.
Her neck was long and elegant, her collarbones sharp enough to catch the light. Her chest wasn’t exaggerated, just perfectly balanced. Her waist was slim, her legs long and straight, and her skin glowed like she’d switched on her own filter. Every detail was basically announcing to the whole room—
This woman is stunning.
But beauty was just her bonus. What really made people’s hearts twist with jealousy was the identity behind it.
Fiona Douglas stared up at her, completely stunned, and Lisette lowered herself just a little.
It was like a phoenix perched high above had dipped its proud head, looking down from a height others could never reach.
Her red lips moved slightly as she said, “Dad wants me to start learning how to run the family business, so he asked Sisi to tutor me. And the first thing he taught me was to keep my word. To mean what I say p>
“He just praised me this morning for being a good student. How could I make an exception for you now p>
“And also p>
Lisette paused, letting the silence stretch, then raised her voice just enough for everyone around them to hear clearly, cutting off Fiona’s last escape route. “Someone who really knows they messed up wouldn’t wait until the stronger party gets angry to admit fault p>
“Just so you know—this isn’t apologizing. This is chickening out p>
Fiona’s last bit of mental defense broke the moment Lisette said “angry p>
Because when the Cavendish heiress got angry, someone had to take the hit.
And the way to take that hit was—
The butler snapped, “Why are you still standing there? Throw her out p>
Security didn’t even blink. They grabbed Fiona and dragged her down the steps despite her kicking and screaming.
She struggled, begged, and shouted for “Grand?Auntie” and “Brother,” clinging desperately to whatever tiny chance she thought she still had.
Eleanor Hastings adored her granddaughter?in?law, so of course she wasn’t going to speak up now.
And Martin Douglas p>
He wasn’t keeping quiet because he wanted to—he just didn’t dare to make a sound.
Lisette Cavendish was the Emperor’s own daughter, the future head of the Royal Family, the wife of Tobias Hastings, and the eldest Miss of the Cavendish family p>
Any one of those titles was enough to crush him flat.
And she had all of them.
She didn’t even need to lift a finger. One sentence from her and everything he had would vanish like smoke.
The Douglas family had no use for someone who caused trouble.
And Fiona Douglas wasn’t even his real sister—just a cousin. Even if she had been his biological sister, for the sake of his future, Martin Douglas wouldn’t have said a single extra word.
Martin shrank back again and again, watching helplessly as Fiona was tossed out without mercy.
Once she was gone, Lisette gave the crowd below a mild, almost effortless smile. “Sorry for the disturbance. Please head inside in order. My sister’s acknowledgment ceremony will officially start in twenty minutes. See you in a bit p>
With that, she and Tobias each supported Eleanor Hastings by an arm and walked into the Palace Residences.
The guests below were left staring at each other, whispering nonstop:
“That adopted daughter of the Cavendish family is actually the Emperor’s biological daughter p>
“You heard right. It’s true p>
“She’s not just the little royal princess, she’s also the richest man’s wife and the number-one socialite in Veridia p>
“So did we all miss the point? Forget whether the Emperor’s goddaughter will inherit anything—turns out the Emperor actually has a biological daughter! A legitimate heir! She’s obviously going to inherit the Royal corporation p>
“I used to wonder if the old guards would accept a woman taking over the entire empire, but now? Yeah… we were overthinking p>
“We really were. And with the famous investor Tobias Hastings around—he’s basically a walking legend—no matter how massive the royal industries are, he can handle it p>
“But honestly, the Princess herself has intimidating presence. Even without relying on Tobias, with the Emperor coaching her personally, running the Royal Family’s businesses wouldn’t be an issue p>
In the rising wave of chatter, someone suddenly blurted out, “You’re all fixated on the Emperor’s daughter… but isn’t anyone curious who the Crown Princess’s mother is p>