On a muggy summer night, the chirping of cicadas gradually faded under the oppressive heat, and the distant sky rumbled with the threat of an impending storm. Inside the grand Smith Manor, lights blazed, and voices buzzed with excitement.
"Place the air-freighted flowers here," one staff member instructed.
"The scent of the aroma in the corridor is not to Miss Emilys liking; change it," another demanded.
"All these dresses must be ironed tonight for Miss Emily to choose from tomorrow," a maid stated.
"Whos coming with me to the wine cellar?" a butler asked.
Upstairs, in a bedroom, Emily Smith sat quietly on the edge of her bed, listening to the intermittent conversations outside her door, all concerning her sisters birthday gala the following evening.
A maid zipped up a suitcase and stood before her. The girl, with her slight frame curled in, had long black hair partially concealing one side of her porcelain-like face, her amber eyes beautiful yet lifeless and dim.
The maid sighed inwardly and approached her. "Miss Emily, your luggage is packed."
Emily snapped back to reality, "Hmm, thank you..."
"Seems like its about to rain. Let me get you a coat before you leave," the maid offered, leaving the room.
The ticking of the wall clock grew more pronounced in the darkness before her eyes. Emily hugged her knees, burying her face.
After a while, the bedroom door opened again, and someone entered.
Thinking it was the maid returning, Emily straightened her posture, licked her dry lips, and softly asked, "Lily, could you pour me a glass of water, please?"
There was no response.
In her uncertainty, she heard the sound of water being poured.
The person approached her, and Emily extended her hand, waiting for the water glass. But instead, a scalding glass was thrust into her hand.
"Ah—"
She dropped it, unable to bear the heat, and the glass shattered on the carpet, spilling hot water everywhere.
"Sister, youre blind, cant you even hold a water glass properly?" Emilys sister, Lily Smith, mocked.
Emily jolted at the words.
Lily stood before her, smiling at Emilys startled expression, "Sorry, maybe the water I just poured was too hot. Are you alright?"
"What do you want?" Emilys voice was slightly bitter.
"I just came to see if youve packed up. After all, youre now disabled and have difficulty moving around. Is there anything you need help with?" Seeing her press her lips together in silence, Lily dropped her smile.
"Once youre packed, take your luggage downstairs and dont waste anyones time."
As she was about to leave, Lily leaned in and whispered in Emilys ear, "Sister, my birthday wish this year, turning twenty-one, is that I never have to see you again. Thank you for granting it in advance."
After Lily left the room, Emily slowly raised her head, felt for her cane by the bedside, stood up, and with a few swings of her hand, found the luggage handle.
She leaned against the wall and slowly made her way out.
Today marked the thirtieth day since her accident that left her blind, and at least she no longer felt as helpless as before.
A thunderclap outside signaled the arrival of a downpour.
And she had no reason to stay any longer.
—
Emily reached the bedroom door and, before opening it, overheard the maids gossiping outside.
"I heard theres a VIP guest coming tomorrow night? And its related to Miss Lily? Who is he?"
"Youre just finding out? Its that man Miss Lily has liked for a long time, very wealthy and powerful. Hes apparently coming tomorrow to discuss a marriage alliance with Miss Lily."
"Marriage alliance? No wonder the family is so focused on this birthday banquet."
"Yes, I heard the man came back to the country specifically to marry Miss Lily. Its a marriage alliance, but theyre actually in love."
"Thats so enviable..."
Emily opened the door, and the maids stopped talking upon seeing her. Lily, who had come from the dry cleaning room, approached and draped a coat over her, "Miss Emily, Im sorry I was called away to do other things earlier."
"Its okay."
"Let me help you downstairs."
The other maids gave Lily looks to dissuade her from helping, but she shook her head and took the luggage.
A few of them grumbled in low voices, "Why bother serving someone whos leaving? Miss Lily might get angry if she sees this."
Emily descended the stairs, and the people in the living room, including her stepmother, Feng Zhuang, and several relatives who were chatting and helping Lily choose a dress, all stopped laughing and looked at her with various expressions.
"Leaving so late at night?" Feng Zhuang continued her sister-in-laws words, leaning on the sofa, "Youve lived in the Smith household for over twenty years; its about time you moved out."
One of the girls nearby smirked, "Right, cousin Emily has hands and feet; shes just blind. Shes not going to die without someone to take care of her."
"Children should be quiet..."
But Feng Zhuang agreed, "Sisi is right. Hasnt Emily had enough of her pampered life? The Smith family has taken care of her for long enough."
Emily listened to her stepmothers undisguised disgust and clenched her fingers:
"Ms. Feng, it doesnt matter about me... but please take care of Dad."
Feng Zhuang scoffed, "I dont need your reminders."
Emily went to the entrance, put on her shoes, and as she opened the door, she felt a gust of wind blow in, and the rain roared.
Lily walked up behind her, looked outside, and handed her a blue umbrella with a faint smile.
"The rain is quite heavy; take this, and be careful on the road."
The door closed behind her.
Emily stood in front of the rain, as dark as an abyss.
She opened the umbrella and stepped into the rain, only to feel the downpour directly on her head. She reached for the umbrella and found several ribs broken, with the small half drooping down.
Unable to stop, Emily could only hold her luggage and cane in one hand and the umbrella handle in the other, struggling to move forward.
The taxi driver waiting at the door saw the girls condition, realized something, immediately got out of the car, ran over to take her luggage, and opened the passenger door for her.
After getting in the car, the driver asked, "Miss, you cant see, can you?"
"Mm..." She clenched her skirt, "Could you give me some paper?"
The driver, looking at the girl of an age with his own daughter, felt a pang of heartache and put the paper beside her, "Wipe yourself quickly, dont catch a cold. Its dangerous for you to go out alone in such heavy rain."
Emily clutched the paper, touched by the strangers kindness, and suddenly felt a sourness in her nose, shaking her head lightly, "Its okay, thank you, sir."
"To the Sherry Sky City?"
"Yes."
The driver chatted with her while stepping on the gas.
—
On the other side, at the underground garage of Lincoln International Airport, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom slowly emerged.
The man in the back seat, with his legs crossed, had a laptop on his lap, and his clean, slender fingers occasionally tapped on the keyboard.
His white shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing the prominence of his wrist bones. The neon lights outside cast his face in sharp relief, making him appear cold and noble.
Aaron Mitchell looked at the annual financial statements and risk assessment of the Smith Enterprises on his computer screen, then put the computer aside and took off his glasses.
"Its a mess."
The assistant in the front seat turned around at the sound, smiling helplessly, "No one dares to take over Smith Enterprises now. If you dont intend to get involved, it will soon declare bankruptcy."
Aaron slowly wiped the lenses, "Others want to take over, but they also need to see if they have the strength to swallow it."
Smith Enterprises, with a certain technical foundation, became an unshakable luxury watch manufacturer in the last century due to its technological barriers, a century-old shop, and a prosperous period.
However, due to its single product structure