Three Steps from Having Nothing

I caught the sly glint in Carol's eyes and instantly understood what she really meant. This wasn't about giving up a wedding dress. No, it was about giving up the position of Mrs. Lyon.

Before I could respond, Victor chimed in, "Of course she'd be willing. That dress has just been collecting dust at home anyway. Besides, who knows if she could even fit into it now? Lending it to you is practically doing a good deed. You'll be happy about it too, won't you, Lilian?"

He looked at me, full of certainty.

I let out a soft laugh. Then, I stepped forward and helped adjust the strap on Carol's shoulder.

"Of course I don't mind. After all, it is Mr. Braun Senior's dying wish. By the way, the wedding is set for next Monday, right? Don't worry, I'll definitely be there on time. I'll even give you a big wedding gift. Besides, watching your own husband marry another woman isn't exactly a common experience."

Carol's smile froze on her face. She clearly hadn't expected me to be so nonchalant.

Ignoring her shock, I gently tugged at the strap I was holding and said with a smile, "But Carol, you haven't been eating well lately, have you? Look, there's such a big empty gap at your chest—your pasties are showing."

Carol's expression stiffened. Instinctively, she raised her hand to pull the front of her dress higher.

I immediately grabbed her hand. "Let me help you with that."

Since the man who gave me this wedding dress had long since had a change of heart, there was no longer any reason for this dress to exist.

I gave it a hard yank. With a loud rip, the front of Carol's wedding dress tore open, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and the dense cluster of hickeys across her chest.

Carol gasped, clutching her chest as she stumbled back, her eyes reddening.

"My wedding dress! Lilian, what are you doing? Even if you're not willing, there's no need to tear it in public and humiliate me like this! Fine, I'll just give it back to you if it's such a big deal to you."

Victor was furious. He rushed over and shoved me hard to the ground, then stood protectively in front of Carol.

"Lilian Holcomb, have you lost your mind? Why are you picking on Carol? It's just a stupid wedding dress—it would've gone to waste sitting at home anyway. What's the harm in letting Carol wear it? How can you be so vicious?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. In the end, he once again used my family as leverage.

"Since you're being so unreasonable, I don't see any need to continue the collaboration on the family company's project. Go think about what you've done. I'm taking Carol to the hospital now. If she ends up upset about this, you're dead."

With that, he scooped up the aggrieved Carol in his arms and turned to leave.

Carol looked up at me and flashed a provocative, triumphant smile. However, I didn't care in the slightest, nor was I the least bit bothered by Victor's threats.

After all, whether the collaboration continued was no longer his decision to make. Besides, he didn't even have the funds to back up that project anymore.

I took out my phone and called my lawyer, Austin Clay.

"Mr. Clay, you can execute that agreement now."

"Very well, Ms. Holcomb."

I lowered my phone and slowly let out a breath.

With that, all of Victor's assets were completely wiped clean, and the power to call the shots had firmly fallen into my hands.