Lorenzo casually threw out a question about his big brother's leg injury and the costs, like a bucket of cold water poured over everything.
It extinguished the wild thoughts in Celine's mind and instantly cooled her boiling blood.
At that moment, reason completely returned.
The redness in Celine's eyes quietly faded, replaced by a deep, bottomless coldness and clarity.
"The surgery fee... wasn't high. Our family managed to scrape it together, plus what my brothers and I saved, it was enough."
She paused slightly, as if choosing her words carefully. Her lowered eyelashes perfectly hid the sarcasm in her eyes.
"But... the follow-up recovery treatment is more troublesome."
"The doctor said we need imported medicine and specialized therapy. That cost... is indeed a bit higher."
"Luckily, some relatives also helped out, so for now, it's enough."
She spoke those four sentences almost without pause, and each word was very clear.
Especially the last three words, "it's enough," which she deliberately slowed down, full of confident certainty.
Those lightly spoken words, "enough," were like an invisible needle, precisely piercing a secret spot deep inside Lorenzo's heart.
Lorenzo stayed silent for a few seconds, as if making a plan or weighing his words.
Only the faint sound of traffic outside the window filled the living room.
Finally, he seemed to make a decision. He lifted his head, his eyes carrying a deliberately heavy look, and spoke to Celine with a serious tone:
"Celine, I... want to ask you for a favor."
"Ask?"
The word from Lorenzo's mouth was full of irony.
Celine sneered silently inside but showed just the right amount of appropriate surprise and doubt on her face, tilting her head slightly:
"What is it?"
Lorenzo took a deep breath. His face was full of worry and difficulty. His voice lowered, carrying pain:
---
"My mom... she had a health check recently, and they found... found a tumor. The situation isn't good."
Here it comes.
The same pattern, the same feeling.
Celine lowered her eyes, hiding the cold flash that passed through them.
In her past life, he said the exact same thing.
He used his mother's "life-threatening" illness to gain her sympathy and worry.
Back then, she was so distracted by concern for his mother's health.
Words like "tumor" and "not good" pulled her attention away, so she didn't notice the flaws in his story.
Later, she found out that Lorenzo's mother only had a common uterine fibroid.
It was benign, could be fixed with a small surgery, the recovery was short, and the cost was limited.
It was not nearly as serious or urgent as he said, and didn't need a large amount of money to save her.
He only exaggerated and made up this horrible lie to get money from her!
All the things from the past were like a brand, deeply engraving this man's fake face into Celine's soul.
So, every expression and word from Lorenzo was just a poorly acted show she could easily see through.
Ridiculous and laughable.
But still, the show had to go on.
The revenge game needed patience and planning.
Celine didn't mind carefully building a stage and giving Lorenzo the main role.
Let him act according to his own script, and then step by step walk into the gorgeous trap made just for him.
That way, he would truly know what it means to be doomed.