Tia felt that Lina's gaze seemed to pierce through all her plans and motives.
Her smiling eyes, however, sent chills down Tia's spine.
Swallowing uneasily, Tia forced a strained smile and asked, "Lina, where did you get the money?"
"From Mr. Daniel's contract bonus," Lina answered calmly as she placed a paper bag on the coffee table.
As soon as Vivian recognized the logo on the bag, her eyes widened.
Dior lipstick! And not just one tube—every single one was a trending shade.
It was overwhelming.
Vivian's envy and fury mingled. How could Lina, a mere intern, have earned so much commission?
Evan must have bought these for her!
She had pretended to be reluctant while being chased by her brother, but deep down, she was probably ecstatic. So manipulative!
After a long moment, Tia finally spoke, "Lina, do you know that Evan wants to surprise you?"
"Eh? What?" Lina was momentarily taken aback.
"No need to act innocent—you must know my brother will be coming soon!" Vivian rolled her eyes exaggeratedly.
She had already told Evan about Lina destroying the vase and how Lina had spoken ill of him. Vivian had expected that her beloved brother would break things off with Lina, but instead, he had advanced discussions about their marriage alliance!
Lina's heart clenched.
Wasn't the marriage discussion supposed to be tomorrow? How had it been moved forward?
Tia gestured for Lina to sit, plastering on a fake smile. "You look beautiful today—you'll give Evan a surprise. You two really are a good match."
Lina suppressed a laugh. The surface sweetness in Tia's voice couldn't hide her underlying desire to crush Lina into dust.
Such acting skills—truly wasted if she weren't trying to ruin others.
"She's not good enough for my brother!" Vivian sneered.
"Even with him, she still cares for other men!"
Lina looked at Vivian with a half-smile that wasn't really a smile. "I thought you'd thank me for handling your trash."
"…" Vivian, realizing Lina was bringing up past humiliations, quickly changed the subject. "Lina, Evan doesn't like heavy makeup-remove your lipstick immediately!"
"Why should I try to please him?" Lina's lips curled lazily. "Vivian, you've been staring at me-do you like my lip colour?"
"I…I don't! I'm still a student!" Vivian's guilty eyes darted around.
Lina shrugged. "Well, forget it. I was actually thinking of giving you one."
Vivian angrily tugged at her clothes. Why was Lina so different from before? Previously, she would give gifts to curry favour. Now, refusing verbally, yet her eyes still betrayed her intent.
"Tia!" Nick Gray entered the room, and Tia's smile instantly became sweet and cordial.
An elderly man with sharp features and a stern expression followed—Elder Mr. Black.
Lina inhaled sharply. Why was the head of the Black family here?
Elder Mr. Black's gaze lingered on Lina for nearly a minute before turning to Tia. The aura between the sisters was starkly different.
Behind them, Evan entered—the man Lina couldn't help but loathe. Clearly, Mr. Black had been invited as a witness.
Lina froze, and Evan noticed. She was stunning today. Just a touch of lipstick made her outshine the delicately made-up Tia. When she glanced at him with her sharp, icy gaze, Evan's heart skipped a beat.
"Lina… you look extraordinary today."
Hearing Evan's compliment, Nick Gray's eyebrows knitted in displeasure. She was stealing the spotlight from his most beloved daughter.
"Dad." Lina acknowledged Nick casually, rising with ease.
"Play amongst yourselves; we have matters to discuss," Nick waved dismissively.
Lina couldn't leave—she couldn't risk repeating the mistakes of her previous life. Today, she had to stake her ground. She was adamantly against marrying Evan.
Approaching Elder Mr. Black, Lina smiled warmly. "Grandpa Black, I don't idolize celebrities, but I do admire you. Opportunities like this are rare, and I want to stay by your side!"
The old man was taken aback. Known for his stern demeanour, it was rare to see him pleasantly surprised, especially by a young girl he barely knew.
"Your daughter is rather interesting. Sit down—tell me why you admire me," Elder Mr. Black said, softening slightly.
Nick rubbed his hands together awkwardly. Ever since Lina returned home, he had seldom spoken to her beyond reproaches for her years away. He had never mentioned Mr. Black before.
"She's wild and often causes trouble for me! How could she admire you without ever having met you? She's just talking nonsense!" Nick muttered.
"Who said I've never met Grandpa Black!" Lina said brightly. "I saw him at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Crown Harbour Commercial Zone! Even foreign scholars wanted to learn from Grandpa Black!"
"Nonsense! You were so young back then; how could you have seen the ceremony?" Nick snapped. Lina had been kidnapped by traffickers at the time—she hadn't even been in Harbour City.
"I watched the video recording!" Lina replied cheerfully.
Elder Mr. Black looked thoughtfully at Lina.
"What else do you know?"
"The sea-crossing bridge in Harbour City," Lina said as she sat beside him, smiling brightly. "Many experts said it wasn't possible. But Grandpa Black, you drafted the design!"
Elder Mr. Black was slightly surprised. Of course, Lina knew—even though the bridge wasn't built yet, in five years, Adrian would complete the project.
"Dad often tells us how much he admires you!" Lina joked lightly, easing Nick's tension.
Nick, worried about the Gray and Black families, hurriedly said, "Evan, discuss your matters first."
Vivian, rushing down the stairs, wanted to prevent her brother from marrying Lina.
"Brother, think carefully! Marriage isn't like buying something you can return!"
Nick's face turned cold. Many were watching Cole Pharmaceuticals' stocks closely, so he needed to ensure the marriage proceeded.
"What do you know, child?" Nick scoffed.
Evan's eyes never left Lina. He knew his motives for marrying her were not purely romantic—but even he couldn't ignore her beauty.
He glanced angrily at Vivian. "I genuinely like Lina. She will be your sister-in-law soon; respect her."
"She doesn't even respect me!" Vivian protested. "She took Adrian's side today and humiliated me in public!"
Smack! Lina swiftly slapped Vivian across the face.
Clutching her swelling cheek, Vivian stared at Lina in disbelief. "How dare you? You hit me in front of my brother?"
"In front of your brother?" Lina flicked imaginary dust off her hand, staring at Vivian sideways.
"You dared to insult Grandpa Black's grandson, Adrian the Blind, in front of him. For that, you deserve a slap!"