Faced with Robert Lancaster’s questioning, Sylvia Lancaster and Elaine Hughes didn’t dare to utter a word.

"Starting today, turn off the coolers in the courtyard. On a day this hot, do you really have to drink tea outside?! And those Jacuzzis of yours—you’re forbidden from using them ever again!" Robert Lancaster slammed his hand on the table in anger. "Do you have any idea how strapped for cash the company is? The two of you don’t earn a single penny, yet all you do is hold the family back!"

Robert Lancaster thought for a moment, then turned to Sylvia Lancaster. "Go and sound out the Sutton Family again. The capital injection they promised still hasn’t come through. The Lancaster Family raised you all these years, but not so you could just get married and become some wealthy man’s wife. You should be thinking about how to repay the Lancaster Family at all times! Otherwise, we might as well just have our real daughter back!"

Robert Lancaster had never spoken so harshly to Sylvia Lancaster before. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, and she stared blankly at him, not daring to say a word.

It wasn’t that Sylvia Lancaster hadn’t brought up the capital injection with Ethan Sutton, but Mr. Sutton was the one calling the shots in the Sutton Family now; Ethan didn’t have the final say. Her little wiles were enough to charm Ethan, but she would never dare pull a stunt like that in front of Mr. Sutton.

Sylvia thought to herself, ’I’m going to marry into the Sutton Family. I can’t let Mr. Sutton get the wrong impression of me, thinking I’m the kind of daughter-in-law who leeches off her in-laws to prop up her own family. Besides... the Lancasters aren’t my real parents anyway! I don’t need to sacrifice my future for them!’

"Alright, don’t take your anger out on our child." Elaine Hughes couldn’t bear to see Sylvia looking so sad and quickly interjected, "We have a few antique paintings at home from my dowry. I was planning on giving them to Sylvia for her dowry, but if you’re really that short on cash, just take them and sell them."

Hearing this, Robert Lancaster sighed, nodded without another word, and got up to leave.

Sylvia Lancaster, however, couldn’t stop herself from sobbing softly. Mr. Lancaster had recently sold off many assets, a good number of which had been promised as part of her dowry.

"Sylvia, don’t be upset. Your father didn’t mean it. You will always be Mommy and Daddy’s most beloved daughter." Elaine Hughes’s heart ached as she pulled Sylvia into her arms, comforting her gently.

"Mom, my heart aches for Father, too, but... if I marry into the Sutton Family empty-handed, won’t they look down on me?" Sylvia Lancaster said between sobs.

Seeing her dowry being sold off piece by piece by Mr. Lancaster, Sylvia grew anxious. Ethan’s parents already had reservations about her not being a true Lancaster by blood. If she married into their family empty-handed, how would the Suttons ever take her seriously?

In the end, Elaine Hughes’s heart went out to her. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Mom still has some of my dowry and personal savings left, including a sapphire necklace. I’ll add it all to your dowry for your engagement. Don’t worry, Mom won’t let the Sutton Family look down on you."

Sylvia Lancaster knew there was an incredibly valuable, antique sapphire necklace in Elaine Hughes’s dowry. That necklace was her target, but she still feigned reluctance. "I couldn’t accept that. Besides... what will my sister do when she gets married?"

Sylvia lowered her head, hiding the true emotion in her eyes, and asked softly, "If Mom gives all her personal savings and dowry to me, what about my sister when she gets married? After all, she’s your real daughter. Mom, you should just forget about me. It’s okay if I have to endure a little hardship."

Elaine Hughes was conflicted for a moment but finally said, "Melody is different. She’s my biological daughter. Even without a dowry, no one would look down on her. She’ll understand."

Elaine Hughes made up her mind. ’Even though I’m giving all the money to Sylvia now,’ she thought, ’I can make it up to Melody Summers with love later.’

"So, will my sister come to my wedding?" Sylvia Lancaster hoped Melody Summers would come. She wanted Melody to witness the love between her and Ethan Sutton, to witness her victory. ’So what if she’s the biological daughter?’ she thought. ’Didn’t I take everything from her in the end?’

"Mom will make her come. Sylvia, once you’re married, you’ll be moving out. She’ll have no reason to hold anything against you anymore."

Her mind made up, Elaine Hughes gently wiped Sylvia’s tears. "It’s been so long since we went shopping together, just the two of us. How about I take you to buy some jewelry? That set you had your eye on before—what if I buy it for you as part of your dowry?"

"Thank you, Mom! I’ll go change and get ready to leave right now." Her objective achieved, Sylvia’s earlier gloom vanished, replaced by sheer delight.

*

At the same time, Sophie Thorne and Melody Summers were also browsing in a luxury boutique.

Sophie Thorne’s father was a good friend of Mr. Sutton, so he had also received an invitation to Ethan Sutton and Sylvia Lancaster’s engagement party.

However, the recent decline of both the Lancaster and Sutton families was becoming hard to ignore, and Mr. Thorne didn’t want to get too involved with either of them. He decided to have his daughter, Sophie Thorne, attend in his place.

Sophie Thorne didn’t know Ethan Sutton well, and she knew Sylvia Lancaster even less. She had no desire to go, but the invitation had already arrived.

It was just an engagement party, after all. Sophie decided she would just buy a piece of jewelry as a gift, drop it off, and leave early. Finding the idea of shopping alone boring, she invited Melody Summers to come with her.

Melody was also curious to see what things were like outside lately, so she agreed to go with her to the luxury boutique.

The sun was scorching and blinding, baking the earth.

The two drove from The Metropolis Residences to the city center, seeing nothing but empty streets along the way. There wasn’t a single person in sight; everyone was presumably indoors, escaping the heat.

Thanks to the country’s impressive infrastructure, the houses on both sides of the road that had been damaged by the tornado were almost completely repaired, their facades newly decorated.

Upon entering the downtown mall, they found that commercial electricity was now being rationed, so the central air conditioning was off. Without the usual crowds seeking free AC, the mall felt deserted.

The luxury boutique, however, was running its own generator to power the air conditioning. Inside, it was refreshingly cool, comfortable, and fragrant.

There were no other customers in the store, and the staff greeted Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne warmly. One young sales associate was particularly eager, asking to add Melody Summers as a contact.

Melody tactfully declined. "I’m not exactly a high-earner. I don’t think I’m your target customer."

The young associate was sharp, though. Right now, ordinary people were struggling with water and power restrictions—even taking a proper shower was a luxury. But Melody’s clothes were neat and clean, and her hair was fresh. It was clear at a glance that she had resources.

So her smile became even more genuine as she said to Melody, "Please, add me, Miss Summers. That way, you can contact me anytime if you need anything in the future."

Seeing how sincere she was, Melody felt she couldn’t refuse again, so she took out her phone and added her.

Sophie quickly settled on a Ruby necklace and paid with a swipe of her card. Melody, who had never been to a place like this, was curiously examining the glittering jewelry in the display cases.

Just then, Elaine Hughes walked in with Sylvia Lancaster.

Elaine Hughes and Sylvia Lancaster were both VIPs at this boutique. Sylvia loved the brand, so Elaine often brought her here to pick out jewelry.

Melody was sitting with her back to them, so Elaine recognized Sophie Thorne first.

"Sophie?" Elaine Hughes said in greeting. "Are you here shopping, too?"

At the sound of that voice, Melody’s heart sank.

’This family just won’t leave me alone.’

Ever since Melody had refused her phone call asking her to come home for Sylvia Lancaster’s engagement party, Elaine had been relentlessly texting her from different numbers. Melody blocked them one by one, but it was beyond annoying.

Sophie Thorne also turned her head to greet her. "Mrs. Lancaster."

"Just call me Miss Lancaster," Elaine Hughes said with a smile, then turned to Melody. "And this is?"

Elaine assumed she was the daughter of some prominent family. She had recently started looking for a marriage candidate for her eldest son, so she was paying close attention to girls in this circle.

Melody pretended not to hear.

Not knowing what Melody was thinking, Sophie took the initiative to introduce her. "This is my friend."

Sylvia Lancaster, however, recognized Melody’s profile. She called out hesitantly, "Melody?"