Chapter 7 Taking Back What's Mine

"Someone's taken over my house? Who?" Elena's expression darkened as she stared at Charlotte.

Charlotte hesitated briefly before answering, "It's one of Christine's relatives."Christine Hayes—Mandy's mother and the woman Robert married after Elena's mother had passed away. Robert and Christine had been having an affair even before Cecilia Thorne's death.

After Cecilia died, Christine quickly established herself in the Reed household, taking control of the family finances. Not only did she seize the company shares that Cecilia had worked her entire life to build, but at one point, she even cut off Elena's college funding.

Now, of all Cecilia's assets, only this house remained in Elena's name. She never imagined that during her few years abroad, Christine would have her relatives take over her house as well.

This house held too many precious memories for Elena. Years ago, when she couldn't afford to study abroad, she had chosen to sacrifice herself rather than sell this house. And now Christine thought she could just take it?

"Elena, what do you want to do about this?" Charlotte studied her friend's face carefully.

Elena crossed her arms, thinking for a moment before responding, "I'll go there tomorrow and reclaim my house."

"And Charlotte, please have all the property documents ready for me."

Charlotte nodded, "Of course."

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Connor, who had already noticed something unusual about Lily, approached her with Mia's gaming phone in hand.

He cautiously tried to engage her in conversation.

"Mia, do you want to play some games on your phone?" Lily looked at Connor and nervously shook her head.

Her behavior made Connor even more suspicious about her identity.

Connor continued, "Mia, what would you like to eat? I can order takeout. How about your favorite steak?"

Lily shook her head again. As she gazed at Connor, her delicate, slender hands incessantly fiddled with the hem of her shirt, betraying her apprehension and unease.

Despite this being their first encounter, Connor felt an immediate connection with Lily—the bond of triplets. Could this really be his long-lost sister?

He needed to observe her carefully.

Seeing that Lily wasn't responding to him, Connor didn't press further. He picked up his laptop and sat in the corner of the room. After logging into his messaging app, a notification immediately popped up.

[Connor, it's Mia. Through a mix-up, I've been taken to the Frost house—yes, THE Frost Industries family.]

[Also, the girl who looks like us who's with you right now might be our sister.]

[Connor, we don't know the whole story yet, so we need to be careful. Lily isn't in good health, so please take care of her, okay?]

Mia had sent several voice messages to Connor through their private messaging app.

Connor looked up at the quiet Lily again, a thought forming in his mind. Quickly, he typed "Frost Industries" into his laptop's search bar.

At the same time, Mia, now at the Frost mansion, was using Lily's tablet to communicate with Connor through their messaging app.

She had just finished sending her messages when Mandy came upstairs looking for her.

"Lily, it's Mommy. Where are you, sweetie?"

Mia quickly closed the tablet and approached Mandy. She couldn't possibly call this woman "Mom"—not after Mandy had secretly pinched her earlier. According to what she'd just discovered, Mandy was Elena's stepsister, and she had apparently bullied Elena constantly. They were enemies.

Her mom's enemy was her enemy too.

Mia's gaze toward Mandy was far from friendly. Under normal circumstances, Mandy would have seized this opportunity to discipline the child. But after being scolded that afternoon and being in the Frost mansion, she forced herself to be gentler with Mia.

"Lily, tell me what you'd like for dinner, and I'll make it for you. How's that?" Mandy tried to make her voice sound as sweet as possible.

But some people were born demons. No matter how gentle she tried to be, she couldn't hide her true nature.

"I want steak, pizza, and lasagna. You'll make those for me, right?" Mia deliberately challenged Mandy, listing several difficult dishes.

Mandy's brow furrowed slightly.

How dared the little brat grow so bold? Probably because Harrison was home, and she knew Mandy had to be on her best behavior.

As the pampered daughter of the Reed family, Mandy had rarely lifted a finger at home. She could manage simple tasks like frying an egg or washing vegetables, but preparing such complex dishes was beyond her capabilities.

Suppressing her anger, Mandy tried to reason with Mia, "Lily, it's evening now. Too much meat isn't good for little children's digestion. Listen to me, some oatmeal will be perfect. I'll make you some right now, okay?"

When Mia heard Mandy suggest oatmeal, her little lips immediately formed a pout. She suddenly realized why Lily was so frail—feeding her oatmeal every day would make anyone weak.

Mandy was asking what she wanted to eat, pretending to be accommodating, but it was all for show—just to present herself as a good mother in front of Harrison.

But Mia wasn't Lily, and she would never let go of the chance to teach Mandy a lesson.

With a slightly dismissive look at Mandy, Mia said in a measured tone, "I don't want oatmeal. If you can't make what I want, don't bother. I won't starve to death if I miss one meal."

With that, Mia turned and headed toward Harrison's study.

Before she even reached the door, she called out loudly, "Daddy! Daddy! I want meat!"

Harrison, who had been working in his study, heard Mia's request for meat. His typically serious expression immediately softened.

Lily had always been fragile. Over the years, he'd hired the best doctors and top-notch nannies to carefully raise her to the age of five. Usually, she was picky about food, refusing many things and finding fault with others, which contributed to her weakness.

Now, hearing his daughter suddenly ask for meat was a delightful surprise. Wasn't this something to celebrate?

Harrison set aside his work and stepped out of his study, immediately scooping Mia into his arms.

Behind Mia, Mandy's face visibly darkened. Was this little troublemaker about to tattle on her again?