Back at the Silk-River Residences.


    Walking into the elevator lobby, she saw Susanna sitting on the sofa.


    Upon seeing Ste, she quickly got up and embraced her, "Honey, a man is worth nothing. I''ll hook you up with someone way hotter tomorrow." Ste simply nodded, "Okay."


    Susanna,forting her, was puzzled by Ste''s unusual calmness.


    Stepping back to give her a once-over, Susanna gasped upon noticing blood stains on Ste''s coat.


    "Oh my God! Are you hurt? Where''s the injury?"


    Ste nced down to find a few droplets of blood on her beige coat.


    "It''s not mine."


    "Whose is it, then?" Susanna asked, her voiceced with panic.


    "Probably Urs''s or Yorick''s."


    "What?!"


    "I gave Urs and Yorick some beating."


    Susanna''s brows twitched at the words. She had just seen Yorick and Urs at the hospital this morning, and by noon, Ste had already served them a piece of her mind.


    She couldn''t help but give Ste a thumbs up.


    "Being hot-headed can be a hassle, but when ites to dealing with jerks and mean girls, you''ve got the right spirit."


    Even Susanna felt her temper rising at the thought, let alone Ste being the victim. She had worried Ste mighte back sobbing over Urs''s antics. Instead, Ste handled it with a fist.


    Even though Susanna was confused about her behavior, she felt more of pleased. In fact, it wasn''t like Ste had a bad temper; the thing was when it came to something rted Urs, she would easily lose control. "Forget going upstairs; let''s grab some lunch. It''s about that time."


    Ste nodded, "Did you specially take the day off?"


    Susanna replied, "Kind of. I left early. Gotta head back after lunch."


    With Ste''s wedding a week away and her facing such turmoil, Susanna was genuinely concerned that she might be unable to think it through.


    ...


    They settled for a nearby restaurant.


    Ste struggled with her steak, "Let''s not do this next time; it''s not hitting the spot."


    She had always preferred something moreforting, like a hearty stew, which Susanna knew all too well.


    "It''s midday, darling. Our options were limited. Next time, we''ll go for that stew, promise."


    Lunch breaks during workdays were usually quick and uneventful.


    "So, what''s your n with Yorick?" Susanna asked.


    The mention of Yorick made the steak taste even nder to Ste.


    "Help me post a cancetion notice for the wedding."


    Susanna paused upon hearing it, her utensils in midair, "Did both the Larkin family and the Quarry family agree to this?"


    Ste''s efficiency was astounding. In just a few hours, she had managed to confront the situation head-on, without waiting for any familial consent.


    Ste answered, "No need for their agreement."


    Susanna was rendered speechless, acknowledging silently the truth.


    The engagement had been arranged without Ste''s consent.


    When the truth about Urs not being a blood rtive of the Larkins and even being a daughter of their maid came out, some of the elders in the Quarry family wanted to call off the marriage union.


    The Larkin family was expressly anxious due to the fact that multiple projects in theirpany needed reliance on the Quarries. Having discussed with ise Larkin, Ste''s father, Cloudia hastily promised Ste to Yorick.


    Moreover, after Ste and Urs''s fallout two years ago, Yorick shifted his attitude, standing by Ste''s side. Once Urs was sent away, he appeared to pamper Ste even more.


    Ste had thought he''d seen through Urs''s true colors that time. Now, it appeared to have been a strategy to keep Ste pacified during these two years.


    After all, Ste was hell-bent on sending Urs in prison back then.


    Understanding theplexity of their rtionships, Susanna cursed Yorick for his deceit, "He''s the worst. Speaking of which, you knew well what kind of person Yorick was two years ago, right? Why did you agree to the engagement then? Today you even went to try the wedding dress, were you nning to go through with the wedding in one week?"


    Susanna couldn''t make sense of it.


    At Susanna''s question, Ste''s gaze darkened with unspoken thoughts.


    Why? Because they all meant to get what they needed, though harboring different thoughts?


    "Let''s not dive into that. Just make sure to include those hospital photos of him and Urs."


    Seeing Ste''s reluctance to discuss further, Susanna didn''t push. As long as Ste wasn''t blindly in love with Yorick, that was all that mattered.


    "Alright, I''ll post it now."


    With a few taps on her phone, Susanna, a former journalist with significant social media influence, set the digital realm abuzz.


    The Quarry family was the top n in Portis City; Yorick''s wedding news was naturally a hot topic there. If it was handled unsessfully, Ste''s reputation would take a hit.


    Within half an hour, two headlines dominated the online world: "The Larkin family''s adopted daughter seemingly returned from abroad, spotted at the hospital with Quarry family''s heir" and "The Larkin family''s true heiress calls off engagement with Quarry''s son!" The adopted daughter and the true heiress, the news reignited public interest in the family''s past drama, cing Ste and her decisions under the spotlight once again.


    Then, Ste''s phone was bombarded with calls.