Chapter 2 The Meeting (Part Two)

Bella nodded apologetically at the two men before she quickly caught up with the other two.

"Mr. Mo, are you okay?" After watching their retreating figures, the other women gathered around Larry to wipe off the stains from his clothes.

"Fuck off!" he said coldly.

"You may leave now," Nathan ordered. He handed a towel to Larry before watching the other women got out of the room.

"You should know who she is." Although Zoe didn't show up on any magazines and the Mu Family had made sure to keep her from the outside world, Zoe was still familiar to the upper class circle, given her attendance in banquets and cocktails.

"This is interesting." Larry allowed himself to smile as he stared at the door in front of him.

There was something about his smile that made everyone wish they had an early death.

"Let go of me, Zoe," Daisy snapped as she got dragged out of the club.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Zoe finally loosened her hold on the woman.

"Are you that desperate for money?" Daisy gritted her teeth. She rubbed her aching wrists. "Yes! I'm that desperate for money. Just because you're born with a silver spoon in your mouth, it doesn't mean you get to boss me around!"

"What the hell are you talking about? What? Just because we're rich, we have absolutely no idea what's going on with you, right? So we could just watch you whore yourself around? Is that right?" Zoe yelled.

Daisy didn't say anything in response.

"Shut up, Zoe," Bella interrupted.

"Me? Or her?" Zoe pointed at Daisy.

"We've been trying so hard to take care of your self-esteem. When we heard what had happened to you, we rushed here regardless of the consequences. Tell me, is that because we know nothing? Is that because we don't care?"

"I didn't ask you to come here."

"That's right. I'm just a heartless bitch. You know what? You're right. Why should we be worried about you? If you still want to throw yourself at that man, then be my guess." Zoe stomped out of her way. The sound of her heels tapping against the concrete broke Daisy's heart.

Bella glanced at Zoe's retreating figure before gazing at Daisy. "You know how she is. She may have a sharp tongue, but she has a soft heart. She was supposed to have dinner with her sister-in-law, you know. But when Zoe heard you were going to the Dark Night, she dropped everything and spent the next hours looking for you."

Daisy lowered her head in shame.

"We all know that you didn't come from a rich family, but even then, we still treat you as our equal. Whenever you get into trouble, you've seen how Zoe acts when it comes to you. Please don't misunderstand her. You are our friend," she said sincerely.

"I know, Bella. You can go see Zoe. I won't do that again."

Bella nodded in reply. She knew that Daisy needed some time to calm herself down, so she left her alone before going after Zoe.

Watching the pair's receding figures, Daisy clenched her fists. She knew that what Bella had said was true, but she still couldn't help but feel inferior to the two women, especially when they tried to give her some money. All she ever wanted was to be regarded as their equal, no matter what.

When Zoe was home, Zack Mu was sitting on the sofa. She furrowed her eyebrows, as she tried to look for Kate Gu. "Is my sister-in-law angry?"

"Not at all," Zack Mu smiled softly. "Have you finished your work?"

She shook her head, not bothering to tell him about Daisy.

"Please extend my apologies to Kate." Zoe and Kate Gu didn't get along very well with each other. They were supposed to have dinner together tonight, but Zoe left as soon as Kate Gu had arrived. In all honesty, Zoe actually liked her sister-in-law. Kate Gu was quiet and elegant, and she reminded Zoe of her deceased mother. Maybe it was because of this that Zoe was naturally more distant to her, afraid that the woman would remind her too much of the past.

When she walked past Paul Mu's study, she could see that he wasn't there. She sneered. He never came back home to be with them. What was the point of having such a large mansion if they couldn't even see each other? Daisy thought that Zoe had such a good family background, but she had no idea how much it hurt to be under the spotlight. How could she ever understand the numbness that Zoe felt every time she attended each banquet? How could she ever understand the feeling of loneliness? It seemed, this was the battle that Zoe had to face alone.

Staring at the documents in his hand, the gentleness in Zack Mu's eyes disappeared in an instant.

In the morning, when Zoe arrived at school, Bella caught up with her. "You went too far yesterday," she lectured. "You shouldn't be too harsh on her."

"I know that, but why didn't she tell us in advance? We could've been there to help her."

Bella sighed. Although her friend could be harsh, she had always been soft-hearted.

Upon seeing them, Daisy caught up to them. "I'm sorry for what I did yesterday."

Zoe shrugged. "I'm sorry for what I said too." Although her voice held a notion of indifference, her eyes told another story.

"Okay, now that's over." Bella quickly grabbed their hands and cheered. Zoe and Daisy shared a smile. It was as if every one of their problems had vanished. What they didn't know was that this was only the calm before the storm.

Looking at the smiles on their faces, Larry gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to destroy them.

"What brings you here, Mr. Mo?" The headmaster nodded and bowed to the man in front of him.

"It's simple. The Mo Group is looking to recruit new actors. I wanted to see if the headmaster has any suitable candidate in mind," Larry said casually.

"This school is the best art school in the city. I'm sure that you'll be satisfied with the caliber of our students." The headmaster clasped his hands together. Everyone knew for a fact that Larry was a very influential man in the entertainment circle. Every artist that the Mo Group had managed had become famous overnight.

"But..." The headmaster looked up, afraid that the man would change his mind. "But what?"

"I have a few requirements."

"Mr. Mo, you can have a dozen requests if you please." However, when he heard his request, the headmaster froze.

"She–she has potential!"

the headmaster stuttered out.

"Is there a problem?" Larry raised an eyebrow.

"No problem, absolutely no problem." The headmaster broke out in cold sweat under Larry's gaze.

"I'll wait and see." The bait had been thrown. Now, all Larry needed to do was to sit back and wait.

When Randal Shen came to pick up Zoe, she couldn't help but gaze at his formal clothes. "What's wrong?" He would never wear such formal attire unless they needed to attend something.

"Uncle Paul and Zack wants to see me."

"Why?" Zoe frowned.

"I guess we'll know when we get there."

"I'll head back now." Zoe scratched the back of her neck as she glanced at Bella and Daisy. Randall Shen smiled gracefully at them.

There was a hint of attachment in Daisy's eyes, but it was gone in an instant.

"I hope everything goes well with them," Bella mused. Although they didn't love each other, Randall Shen was a decent man. Bella could only wish the best for the couple.

The car that was supposed to pick Bella up had also arrived. "I'll be leaving now too."

Daisy nodded. As she watched the cars leave, she walked towards the dormitory building alone. Just as she was halfway through, her phone rang. When she saw the familiar number popping up into her screen, she could feel her heart clenched.

"What do you want?" she answered bitterly.

"Is that the way you talk to your father?" a drunken man slurred.

"Are you even my father?" Daisy snorted.

"Look, just raise the money for me. I'm being chased by these men again."

"Money! Is that all you know? I'm not your ATM! If you want some money, then you can go get it yourself!" After ruthlessly hanging up the phone, Daisy leaned against the wall as she hugged herself. Why was she born in such an unlucky family? Why did she have a father who cared about nothing but alcohol? Why was she so poor? Couldn't she have a gentle man she could rely on? At the thought, tears ran down her cheeks.