Revenge is best served cold

To my surprise, Liliana remained silent for a long time after hearing my words. When she finally spoke, she shook her head. "No."

I stared at her, shocked.

There was a hollow look in her eyes as she continued, "I still have my father to take care of. Getting involved in all of this would take too much time. I know you're a good person, and I'm sorry. If it weren't for you, my dad wouldn't even be in this hospital. I'll pay you back every cent."

She avoided my gaze, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

I had never wanted to force her into anything, but I couldn't help trying one last time. "I understand your worries. But Elsa didn't just take away your future. She's stolen from many others too. This isn't the first time she has plagiarized someone's work. No one has ever exposed her before.

"I finally found you. If even you won't stop her, she'll just keep hurting more people -maybe even you again."

Liliana let out a long sigh. "She won't be able to steal from me anymore. I've already decided I'm done with design. There's too much uncertainty in this industry. I can't afford to take this gamble."

After hearing that, I realized my words wouldn't change anything.

I nodded, swallowing my disappointment. "I see. Then just focus on taking care of

your father. If I get the chance, I'll come visit."

With a sigh, I pulled Eric along and left the café.

Before heading home, I stopped by the hospital one more time to cover some additional medical expenses. Only then did I leave with a sense of relief.

Walking next to me, Eric looked like he had something to say.

I caught his look and smiled. "Go ahead. Just say what's on your mind."

He looked at me, let out a soft chuckle, and shook his head with a touch of helplessness. "You're still too softhearted."

"I can't help it." I gazed out the window and said in a calm voice, "She has her own struggles. I can't force her. At this point, I'll just have to find another way."

Eric was right. Even after living through everything again, I still couldn't harden my heart completely.

When it came to people like Elsa and Jeremiah, my resentment made it easier to be ruthless. But facing someone like Liliana, someone just trying to survive, I couldn't bring myself to be like Elsa and force her into a corner. sŵnovel

Forget it. There were plenty of ways to expose Elsa. I'd just have to find another

one.

The final round only gave contestants a week to submit their designs. Once I sent mine in, all that was left was to wait.

A week later, the results were announced. There was only one first-place winner. Upon seeing Shirley written at the top, I couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

After all, I was a designer with international recognition. Competing in a domestic competition like this was basically overkill.

But the final round came with a designer's banquet. And how would I expose Elsa in person if I didn't attend?

Besides, I had my own reasons for going.

When I saw the ranking, I took a

screenshot and posted it on Twitter under my Shirley account. "I'm

honored to be recognized by net

National Interior Design

Competition! This isn't just my achievement. It's also a win for LunaGlo!"

LunaGlo had been making waves domestically, but there hadn't been much positive buzz ever since the clothing scandal. This was the

perfect opportunity to bring

attention back to the brand.

Before I could even check the growing comments, Dad's name flashed across mynoveldrama

screen.

The moment I picked up, I could hear the excitement in his voice, even through the phone.

"Jae, come home for dinner tomorrow. Bring Eric with you. Your sister just won an interior design award, and we're celebrating as a family!"