Chapter 451
“So let me ask you this—now that you’re back, besides visiting the clan head, do you have any other agenda p>
“Agenda p>
Lisette Cavendish smiled. “Judging by how things look right now, whether I actually have one or not doesn’t really matter, does it? What matters is that all of you already seem convinced I came back with some hidden motive. Otherwise, why would everyone rush all the way here and sit around staring at me like this p>
“Dinner’s about to start, by the way. And funny, I never heard my father say he invited all of you over for a meal p>
Her voice was soft, almost lazy, but every word had a sting buried inside it.
And the wild part was, she was still smiling.
At first glance, she looked gentle, harmless even—the kind of woman who didn’t seem sharp enough to cut anyone.
But the message was crystal clear.
Don’t test her.
The people who hadn’t dared pick a side yet, the ones still watching her again and again, quietly gave her a score in their heads.
For now.
Sixty points.
A passing grade.
Still needed more watching before they made any real move.
Lisette accepted every measuring look thrown at her without the slightest discomfort. While speaking, her gaze drifted casually across the room and brushed over the woman seated below the Eight Elders.
She was wearing a tailored business suit.
Clean-cut. Efficient. No wasted detail.
She looked young, probably not even thirty, but the pressure around her wasn’t something age gave—it was the kind of edge forged by sitting in power for years.
Sharp. Strong. Very much not someone to underestimate.
So that must be the “Miss Vivian” everyone kept talking about—Vivian King.
And yeah, one look was enough to tell.
She really was capable.
No wonder people in Northaven kept bringing her up, acting like the big question was whether she or Lisette would come out on top in this fight for position.
That comeback caught the man who started it all completely off guard. He choked for a second, then instinctively glanced at Vivian King before forcing out, “We’re just concerned about the patriarch. We heard his biological daughter had come to Northaven, so of course we came to see for ourselves p>
“Oh?” Lisette Cavendish lifted her brows, sounding genuinely surprised. “So you all care that much about my dad? You really have him at heart p>
The man immediately nodded. “Of course. Every member of the King family respects and supports the patriarch p>
Lisette smiled, slow and light. “I see p>
“I’ve heard my dad say before that all of you are always thinking about the family and showing respect to him as patriarch. I didn’t really feel it before, but after hearing this gentleman say it himself, wow, looks like it’s actually true.” Her eyes swept across the room, her tone soft, but every word landed with weight. “No wonder you’re all so invested even in my dad’s daughter p>
She had already lifted them all so high they could barely step down. Then she tilted her head and asked with a bright, almost playful smile, “So if my dad says something, you’ll definitely listen, right p>
She was making her move.
Lisette Cavendish was about to seize power.
Vivian King and the people backing her instantly went on alert, the tension in their expressions turning sharp.
Just a few casual lines, and Lisette had shoved them into a dead-end. If they nodded, wouldn’t that mean they were accepting the patriarch naming Lisette as the next heir? But if they shook their heads, wouldn’t that be the same as admitting they were disloyal to the patriarch?
What a Lisette Cavendish.
The whole rhythm Vivian’s side had prepared was thrown totally off by her. The script they wanted? Gone. Wrecked on the spot.
So they had no choice but to strike first.
“Miss Cavendish,” someone said coldly, “after going in circles for so long, what you really want is to become the next head of the King family, isn’t that right p>
Lisette let out a cool little laugh.
Truth be told, she had never been all that interested in managing the King family. But her father had pinned huge expectations on her. And Sisi had personally taught her, spent so long giving her lessons, walking her through everything step by step. If she backed off now and said no, wouldn’t that be a direct slap to her father’s face? Wouldn’t that just disappoint him?
Her back straightened. In that instant, the lazy ease around her vanished, and the aura of a true heiress came out in full.
“So what if I do p>
The other side clearly hadn’t expected her to answer that directly. After a beat, someone stiffened and said, “Who becomes heir is the patriarch’s decision. That part isn’t for us to interfere with. But the King family has its own rules. You’re still carrying the Cavendish surname right now. We cannot accept an outsider with a different last name becoming the King family’s heir p>
“That’s right! We don’t accept it p>
“Your surname is Cavendish, not King. You can’t be the King family’s heir p>
“Exactly! The King family’s legacy has lasted for hundreds of years. There is no way it can end up in the hands of someone with an outside surname p>