Cecilia gave Lyon no chance to argue.

She sent the auction house’s accountability letter, the insurance company’s estimated losses, and the restoration team’s written report straight to his email. She also copied the two Melville family Consiglieri in charge of finance and legal affairs. Each loss was documented clearly, like she was handling a business claim with no emotion.

Lyon glanced at the emails. His face darkened. “I said I’ll cover the costs. You didn’t need to send these to the family Consiglieri.”

“This is my project, not a training ground for your mistress.”

Cecilia looked at him. “You used the Melville name to boost her fame. When something goes wrong, it naturally has to follow the Melville family’s process.”

Lyon frowned and turned toward the small terrace to make a phone call.

Gianna lifted her head and looked at Cecilia. She had no fear or remorse on her face, only smugness.

“See?” Gianna said in a low voice. Her eyes shone with triumph. “All I need to do is say just one word, and Don Melville will take your firm and put it under my name. Everything you built, your connections, collectors, and reputation, is worth less to him than the dress I’m wearing tonight. Cecilia, you’re insane. You held Donna’s position for too long, and yet, in the end, you still lost.”

Cecilia looked at her arrogant, triumphant face and smiled.

“Yeah, I guess I lost my mind before. Since you know I’m insane, why do you challenge me like this?”

Cecilia raised her hand and slapped Gianna squarely in the face.

The sharp smack echoed through the lounge.

Gianna stumbled back. She covered her face and stared in shock. She clearly did not expect Cecilia to hit her.

At almost the same moment, Lyon finished his phone call and turned around.

He saw Cecilia’s hand strike Gianna, and then Gianna fell to the floor.

“Cecilia!”

Lyon’s expression darkened. He pushed Cecilia aside with all his strength and caught Gianna in his arms.

Cecilia was caught completely off guard. The force sent her stumbling backward. Her side hit the sharp corner of a display table. Pain shot through her waist, and cold sweat soaked her back instantly.

Lyon did not look at her pale, hurt face. He checked to see if Gianna was hurt.

Then, he looked up at Cecilia. His voice was icy and terrifying. “Cecilia, enough!”

Cecilia gripped the edge of the table and endured the pain. She said coldly, “Enough? You used my daughter’s trust fund to fill her gaps. You used my preview to prop her up. You covered for her on my own project. Lyon, do you know what you look like right now? You look like a dog on a leash being led around by Gianna!”

Lyon’s chest heaved with rage. He swung and slapped Cecilia hard across the face.

“Don’t cross the line!”

After that, he pulled Gianna close and walked out in long strides.

Cecilia pressed her hand to her face. The burning pain grew stronger. She suddenly laughed.

She laughed bitterly at herself for being so naive and for ever believing this man’s promises.

She laughed at herself for acting like a madwoman all those years, just to repay a favor.

Some time later, the phone rang, breaking the silence. It was Margaret.

Cecilia took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound normal. “Madre.”

“Cecilia,” Margaret said apologetically, “the paperwork will be fully completed in five days. You can rest assured. I know Lyon betrayed you. The assets that belong to you have already been sorted out by the lawyers. I’ll never let you or Isabella lose anything.”

“Thank you.”

“There’s one more thing,” Margaret continued after a pause. “In a few days, there’ll be a memorial mass for the old Don. By family tradition, there’ll also be an afternoon luncheon. The old Don liked you very much while he was alive. Would you help me one last time and make sure both the mass and the luncheon are organized properly?”

Cecilia was silent for a few seconds. The old Don had indeed treated her kindly. This would be her final farewell to the family.

“All right. I’ll take care of everything.”

The day of old Don’s memorial mass was bitterly cold.

Cecilia arrived at the estate early. She checked every detail herself, from the wreaths and the guest list to the arrangements for the family luncheon in the afternoon.

No matter how badly her marriage with Lyon had fallen apart, the old Don had treated her well. She wanted to see this farewell done with dignity.

Just before the ceremony began, engines roared outside.

Lyon had returned.

He was not alone.

Gianna stepped out of the car wearing an overly formal black dress. She linked her arm with his and walked slowly toward the estate. Her expression was composed. She looked like a woman who already had one foot inside the Melville family.

Cecilia glanced at her and said nothing.

During the entire mass, she hardly spoke to Lyon.

The priest read the eulogy at the front while family members laid flowers one by one. Margaret’s expression was tense from beginning to end.

After the mass, everyone moved to the side room for the memorial luncheon.

The table was filled with traditional Cicilian dishes and cold cuts. The atmosphere should have been restrained and solemn. Gianna’s presence, however, made it awkward.

Finally, Lyon’s aunt, Elizabeth Melville, set down her knife and fork. She said with a cold face, “Lyon, you know what kind of occasion this is. Bringing a woman from outside to a family memorial is an embarrassment to everyone, isn’t it?”

Her words silenced the entire room.

Gianna pressed her lips together. Her eyes quickly turned teary.

She hesitated for a moment, then pulled a prenatal test report from her bag. Her voice trembled as she said, “I know I shouldn’t have come. But this child in my belly is part of the Melville bloodline. I just wanted him to know what his grandfather was like.”

The words “bloodline” changed everyone’s expressions.

Some frowned, some exchanged glances, and most instinctively looked at Cecilia.

Even Lyon froze for a moment. He clearly did not know about this.

Gianna looked up at him with a pleading face. “I wanted to tell you in private, Don Melville. I didn’t want to force you. I only want the child to grow up knowing who his grandfather was.”

Margaret clenched her napkin tightly.

Elizabeth’s face turned red with anger. “Cecilia and Isabella are here! If you want to act crazy, at least pick another day!”

Lyon was silent for a few seconds. He did not deny anything. He said coldly, “Since she’s pregnant, her coming to the memorial mass doesn’t break any rules.”

His words cut through the room like a knife and stripped away the last layer of restraint.

In the past few years, Lyon had come across women trying to have his child through their own tricks. He had always spent money to make them disappear.

He had said that no other woman could bear his child. No matter how messy things got, Isabella remained the only child of the Melville family.

But Gianna was pregnant, and Lyon had admitted the child was his.

If this had happened before, Cecilia might have smashed a glass or overturned the table.

But she remained seated. She felt surprisingly calm.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, but Cecilia stood and beat her to it.

“Today is the old Don’s memorial,” she said indifferently. “Let’s not ruin this solemn occasion.”

She reached for Isabella’s hand.

Isabella wore a little black dress. She looked around at the adults with wide, innocent eyes. She did not understand what was happening, but she could feel the tension in the room. She quietly let her hand slip into Cecilia’s.

Cecilia looked at Margaret. “Madre, I’ll take Isabella back home then. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Margaret’s lips moved. Her eyes shone with awkwardness and apology. She whispered, “Go ahead.”

Cecilia nodded and led Isabella toward the door.

When she passed Lyon, it seemed he wanted to reach out and stop her. But in the end, he only frowned and said, “Cecilia…”

She did not look back.

Lyon stood frozen. He looked at her straight and determined back and felt a strange unease.

But he pushed that down almost immediately.

Cecilia had loved him for so many years. She would not leave him easily.

After Cecilia took Isabella back to the villa, she let her take a nap as she headed into the study.

The divorce procedures were almost finished. She did not want to waste any more energy on Lyon or Gianna.

Some people, however, seemed determined to push her to the edge.

In the late afternoon, the nanny came to the study door, almost in tears.

“Donna Melville! Isabella’s missing!”

Cecilia sprang to her feet. She knocked over the chair.

“What do you mean? Wasn’t she painting in the backyard?”

“I went to the kitchen to get her some juice. When I came back, she was gone!” The nanny’s hands shook as she handed Cecilia a voice recorder. “All I found by the lawn was this…”

Cecilia forced herself to stay calm and pressed play.

A woman’s voice came through. It was distorted but sharp and triumphant. “Cecilia, you tried to put an obstacle in my path, and your daughter’s going to be a problem for my child. If you won’t give up the spot, I’ll decide for you.”

Even with the distortion, the tone and the way the words were spoken left no doubt.

It was Gianna.

Luckily, the bracelet Isabella always wore had a tracking chip.

Her assistant quickly pinpointed the signal. The location was an old dockyard in Booklyn. It was a ship maintenance warehouse that had remained out of use for years.

Cecilia snatched her car keys and ran out the door.

She pressed the gas hard as she drove and gave orders over the phone. “Find everything on Gianna. Nightclub security footage, fake diplomas, bank transfers with producers, and any contracts showing that the company cleaned her records. I want it all released tonight.”

Her assistant replied, “Understood.”

By the time Cecilia reached the old dock, it was completely dark.

The warehouse area was a mess. Shipping containers were stacked like walls. Thick smoke poured from the farthest warehouse, and gasoline had been poured across its entrance. Flames crawled up the metal walls.

Inside, Isabella was locked in.

“Mamma!!!”

Isabella’s tearful cry hit Cecilia like a knife.

She ignored the danger. She grabbed a blanket from the ground, wrapped it around herself, and kicked the half-closed metal door open. She ran straight inside.

The warehouse was stacked with old ropes and wooden crates. The wiring was ancient, and the fire spread fast. Smoke filled the air, and it made Cecilia’s eyes sting.

At the far end, Isabella crouched under an old workbench. Her face was streaked with tears.

“It’s okay! I’m here.”

Cecilia grabbed Isabella and held her tight. She wrapped her in her soaked coat and whispered calming words as she pressed against the wall. She then ran toward the exit.

A sudden crash came from behind. A burned wooden beam fell and nearly hit her shoulder.

She did not look back. She kept her arms around Isabella and ran through the flames.

When they finally collapsed on the ground, Isabella coughed violently from the smoke. Her hands shook as she clutched Cecilia’s coat. She cried so hard that she could barely speak.

Cecilia held Isabella. Her body was trembling all over.

Fear, anger, and a fierce need for revenge boiled inside her.

After the ambulance took Isabella to the hospital, Cecilia finally freed a hand and checked her phone.

Within hours, Gianna’s name was on every major headline.

Leaked videos, old bills, nightclub photos, behind-the-scenes footage, and evidence of bribed doctors fabricating reports all came out.

Gianna’s careful “innocent rising star” image was shattered completely overnight.

Footsteps pounded down the hospital corridor.

Lyon arrived with his men. His expression was dark. Gianna followed behind him, and her face was wet with tears.

“Cecilia!” he demanded the moment he walked in. He held back his anger as he spoke. “Was this your doing? Gianna’s getting attacked all over the internet right now! Are you happy now?”

Cecilia slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze. Her eyes were icy.

He did not even ask about Isabella’s condition. Instead, the first thing he did was defend Gianna.

This was ridiculous!

Cecilia smiled and asked, “Lyon, do you know your daughter was almost burned alive at the docks tonight?”

His anger froze instantly.

Gianna, behind him, went pale.

He finally seemed to realize what had happened. His eyes moved past Cecilia toward the hospital room door. His voice grew tight. “Isabella… how…”

Cecilia said nothing. She tossed the voice recorder to him.

“If you want to know how, listen to it yourself.”