When Lucille heard her daughter's name, she rolled her eyes and then sighed in exasperation.

'That girl just can't keep her feet at home! She only needs an excuse to go gallivanting outside.' She grumbled in her heart but how could she say something bad about her child in the presence of an enemy?

Therefore, she sniffled her nose as she wiped away her previous tears with a pure silk pale yellow handkerchief.

"Your sister is such a caring person. She is so bothered about others that she scarcely pays attention to her own health." She began building a tower of praise in honor of her daughter.

Lina went along with Lucille's remarks and nodded her head in agreement, expressing just how much she knew about Mandy's 'caring and affectionate' nature.

"But where exactly is she? It is almost dinner time. We have strict rules about not serving dinner past a certain hour in this household." Lina reminded the elder woman in a polite tone.

The newcomer had been staying in this house for almost three months now. Hence she was well aware of such a rule that the Butler and kitchen staff strictly adhered to.

"She has been at a friend's place since sunrise. This child has no sense of time and makes me worry about her all day!" Lucille chided Mandy's absentminded behavior but the proud and affectionate tone in her voice did not go unnoticed.

"She got a call that her friend was injured and had rushed out without even having her breakfast. That poor child!" She sighed in defeat after she was done divulging where Mandy had gone.

'Ah…!' Lina nodded her head when she heard this.

"I think I might know where she is. She has gone to meet her friend Miss Liang, hasn't she?" She smiled while disclosing this particular detail.

Lucille tilted her head in confusion and disbelief as she was the only person in this house to know about this information.

'How did she know? Does she have spies planted on us? Mandy and I were alone when she received that phone call following which she hurried away!' Her troubled thoughts were apparent on her face.

'Wait a minute…. There was one other person there with us!' She grimaced as she thought of her foolishness for believing him.

'That servant boy, Richy must have told Lina about our talks!' She reckoned and the chances of this being true were extremely high.

Lucille was wondering about how she should punish that traitor who had leaked their secret talks after they had so graciously decided to take him under their care.

"H-how did you know that?" She stammered while polling Lina about her knowledge of Mandy's whereabouts.

Just as Lina was about to answer this question, she was cut off by a mocking chuckle.

Lina and Lucille turned towards the door and this was when they caught sight of Mandy Rong standing at the door of the house.

Dressed in a simple blue skirt and white shirt, Mandy walked into the house with her heels clicking against the marbled floor.

She gave her mother a respectful nod before turning towards Lina.

The respect and reverence which she had shown her mother faded and in its place was a deriding smile and a vicious glint in her eyes.

"I'll tell you how she knows about that, mum." She generously offered and then walked up to Lina and stood before her.

Looking down at the woman whom she had come to hate in the past few days, Mandy could not help but clench her fists and her jaw.

"She knows about Jeanie's injury because guess what?" She scoffed and then turned to look at her mother.

Lucille frowned when her daughter was trying to play guessing games with her and a look of impatience flashed in her eyes.

'Spill it out already!' She commanded with her eyes which was understood by her obedient daughter.

"She was the one who injured Jeanie!" She accused and then turned her face towards Lina.

"Didn't you!?" She interrogated with a firm voice but it did not affect Lina in the least bit.

Lucille gasped out loud and hurried to cover her palm over her mouth.

Though it looked like this action was to conceal her surprise, it was done in a quick attempt to hide the smile that had appeared when she heard this amazing news.

'What an idiot!' She ridiculed Lina not for harming Jeanette but for getting caught after she did that.

"Don't try to deny it because Jeanie would never lie to me!" Mandy screeched when she saw that Lina had not responded or reacted to her accusations in any form.

"I don't have to give you any explanations." Lina muttered while lazily glancing at her manicure.

'Both the best friends have similar attitudes, that the whole world owes them an explanation.' She rolled her eyes and decided to ignore her.

Looking at her devil may care attitude about maliciously injuring her best friend, Mandy could not keep her cool.

Lucille was quick to observe the changes in her daughter's breathing pattern as she started huffing in her seething anger.

"Baby, you can't simply accuse your sister without proof. Come tell mummy what happened with Miss Liang." She coaxed her in order to avoid any unwanted incidents from occurring.

Mandy did not dismiss her mother's words but was quick to take a seat next to her.

Holding onto her hands, Mandy glared at Lina before she glanced at Lucille with pitiful eyes.

"Mum, Lina pushed Jeanie when all Jeanie did was she had tried to question her regarding the incident at the debut ball." She informed and then bit her lips.

'This happened because of me yet she never once blamed me!' Mandy's guilt grew heavier and she felt like she had saved an entire universe in her previous life that she had gained such a loyal and loving friend in this life.

"Jeanie is so considerate to stand up for me but thanks to that… Now she has a hard time standing up on her own feet!" She then went on to narrate in what situation she had met Jeanette Liang today.

'Such exaggeration, much wow!!' Lina couldn't stop herself from snickering but it was overshadowed by another sound.

Lucille gasped after she heard the entire story and then glared at Lina.

"Child, no matter how angry you are. You shouldn't harm someone else for it." She reprimanded Lina as an elder would.

"It's not my fault that your friend is that weak and delicate." Lina shrugged but did not bother to defend herself as that would be utterly useless in this situation.

"Look at how haughty she is, mum!" Mandy complained as she pointed her finger in Lina's direction.

"I was silent even when you humiliated me at the debutante ball but this time you crossed the limit, Lina." She spat those words out begrudgingly.

Lina was silent when she heard this and simply glimpsed at Lucille.

Seeing that Lucille was not about to say anything, she shook her head and sighed.

'Not worried that I'll expose the truth before your daughter? Too trusting!' She remarked yet she did not plan to reveal her discoveries before this agitated woman. At least not right now.

"The matter about the ball… You can take that up with Uncle Pat. I had no clue that he would do something like that." She explained and just as she had anticipated, she heard Mandy scoffing at her.

"I will talk to daddy when he arrives. As for your words, I'd be a fool to trust them." Mandy declared and rose from her seat.

'I will claw her face in if I stay here any longer!' She narrowed her eyes at Lina and then stomped her way out of the main hall.

Lina turned around to watch her leave and then glimpsed at Lucille.

"I'm shocked she left so soon. No overdramatic fuss? No tears?" She uttered, amused at Mandy's odd behavior.

Lucille was just as shocked as Lina because she was well aware of her daughter's bratty personality.

'Why did she not blow her fuse like she always does? She just complained about Lina and then left? Something is fishy here!' She surmised and the curiosity to know what had changed now filled her mind.

"Excuse me." She muttered and not bothering about Lina's response, she walked in the direction that her daughter had stormed away in.

Lina sat in the same place and tilted her head in confusion when White lotus and White lotus Jr. both backed away without a fight.

"Well… Good riddance!" She exhaled and shrugged her shoulders.

She had already obtained valuable information from her little chat with Lucille.

'She panicked when I announced that I knew about Mandy not being Uncle Pat's daughter and she froze when I said that she had tried to trick him into sleeping with her. This means that I am on the right track.' She summarized while rubbing her chin.

She was in such deep thought that she had failed to notice a pair of eyes watching her from a distance.

Even Lina's keen sense of perception and awareness of her surroundings could not make out this individual's presence which certainly was alarming.

However, the person did not stay there for long and was quick to sneak away into the shadows that they had been seeking refuge in all along.

The only thing visible to identify this secret observer was the bright sparkle of a diamond earring that shone when the light fell on it before this too faded away just like its owner.