In truth, Kyle was exceptionally unwilling to get involved in Antonette's plan, he had been from the start. Besides, if anyone found out, he had s.e.x.u.a.l i.n.t.e.r.c.o.u.r.s.e with his cousin.

"Kyle, if you help me this time, I'll never tell anyone about our… relationship." Antonette laughed maniacally to herself; Kyle was so easy to read!

"Are you threatening me now?"

"I have kept the recording, of course. Do you really think I'm just a woman with 'big b.r.e.a.s.ts and no brain'?"

Thanks to Kyle's reluctance, Antonette was forced to b.a.r.e her fangs and show her true nature.

She would get what was destined for her, by any means necessary!

Kyle had always cared most about his reputation. All those years, he had carried himself with restraint. Even in the face of Brian's public taunts, he didn't use force. His tolerance was solely to protect his good name and image.

But now, Antonette was threatening all the work he'd put in to build up his status.

At last, Kyle gritted his teeth and said, "What do you want me to do?"

Antonette let out a sigh of relief. Everything would be much easier with Kyle's help.

"I only need a small favor from you. I'll try my best to collect evidence about my Mother and Simon William's relationship in those years. And then I need you to help spread the news."

"Are you going to try and manipulate public opinion to force Simon William to accept you?" Kyle asked skeptically. "Do you know what kind of person he is? He'll surely figure you out."

Antonette sneered at his worrying.

"A man like him has enough skeletons in his closet that he'll always fear something coming out. If he doesn't accept me, the William reputation will be damaged. By that time, he won't be the only one to be hurt."

Although her idea was insidious, Kyle had to admit it could be effective.

Kyle was reminded of the years of suffering he had suffered from Brian and others in the family. The possibility of revenge weighed heavily in his mind.

"All right, I promise to help you. But, you must delete the recording first."

Antonette flashed Kyle a smile and took her phone out, then deleted the recording, right in front of him.

This act of good faith on Antonette's part made him feel much better.

"Waiting for your good news." Antonette chuckled.

"Well…" Kyle began.

As he thought of how to help Antonette, Kyle lost concentration, and Antonette seized the chance to come up close to him. She whispered seductively in his ear, "Kyle, do you want…

"Get away from me!" Kyle was startled by her sudden closeness. He stepped back immediately as if she were something dirty.

Though Antonette was disappointed, she soon put on an obsequious smile and kissed him goodbye.

Kyle stood there in embarrassment but couldn't help thinking about that crazy night with Antonette. He began to blush heavily.

Damn it! He closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

Back at Grace's villa, there was plenty of chatter and excitement.

Diana and Sybil were in the kitchen, preparing a sauce to have with some spaghetti.

Sybil had often cooked for herself whilst studying abroad. Moreover, cooking was one of her hobbies, so she was good at it.

Full of admiration for her talent, Diana stood beside, watching intently.

As Sybil was preparing the sauce, she chatted happily with Diana.

"The most important part of spaghetti is the sauce. The longer we let it cook, the better it will become. We'll keep adding spices and constantly stirring, so it's a little time-consuming, but the taste will be fantastic!"

"Did you learn these skills overseas?"

Sybil nodded her head, "In fact, I found Italy a little boring. In the first year, I studied in Florence. The local economy there is quite poor, and the unemployment rate is very high, so they have a lot of social problems. On the other hand, they do have very beautiful architecture. In the second year, I went to Paris. Paris has a profound culture and lots of delicious food. But if it's your first time there, then make sure to pay attention to your belongings, it's quite common for tourists to be robbed.

Everything foreign was completely fresh to Diana; she had never left her home country. So, she grabbed this opportunity to ask Sybil to tell her more.

Sybil was also very happy to talk with Diana about this subject. She had few friends in France since her French was not good enough to have deep communication with locals. So she was delighted to have a beautiful and cute audience to hear her story.

"Last time I was there, I got an extraordinary necklace and set of bracelets at a second-hand market. I planned to give them to Mum, but she doesn't like old stuff. I can give them to you if you'd like? If you don't want to wear them, you can give them to someone else."

Certainly, Diana was happy to accept Sybil's present.

"Great! You're so nice. When I was a child, I used to collect bamboo arts and crafts from my parent's hometown. Next time I go back, I'd love to bring you back some."

"Thank you!"

Within an hour, Diana and Sybil had become one harmonious whole. Brian was relieved they were getting on so well. Though it wasn't much of a surprise as the two girls' characters were very much alike.

Sybil was definitely not like Carol, a scheming woman, full of arrogance and misplaced pride. Sybil had an honest, straight-up character, which, considering she was from a rich family, Diana found very refreshing.

A few minutes later, the sauce was ready. Sybil poured it onto the spaghetti, then sprinkled a few drops of olive oil and added a generous serving of black pepper. The last step was to mix it all together.

The smell was mouth-watering, particularly for someone who liked the food as much as Diana.

Seeing her happiness, Brian was lost in thought.

Was he really unkind to her? Why had she never truly smiled like that in front of him?

Brian was unable to ponder his questions any longer, as dinner was served. Grace, Brian, Sybil, and Diana sat down together, eating the spaghetti and talking happily with each other. There was a great atmosphere in the room, and everyone was having a great time.

However, happiness is always temporary, as proven when Brian received a call from his father halfway through the meal.

Brian frowned at the sight of his father's number flashing on the screen and walked out to take the call.

"What is it this time?" he said in a low voice.

Influenced by the warm atmosphere of the dinner, Brian's tone was unusually bright, but Simon's words quickly changed that.

"We are going to have a family party. You and Sybil must come!"

Brian instantly understood the meaning behind the 'family party.' As a rule, not only the children of the William family would be invited, but also other families that were friends with the William's. It was essentially an elaborate dating party.

"I don't want to. I am busy."

Brian rejected his father's invitation directly. He was bored of meeting all those women trying to catch his attention. He was different now. He didn't need to prove he was a charming man by attending such parties, as he had now fallen in love. He didn't want to waste time on other women.

"You are ridiculous!" Simon shouted furiously. "I can accept that you have fun with ordinary girls. But how could you refuse to attend such a party?"

"Haven't you assigned me a fiancée already? Why do you still want me to join this party?" Brian said coldly.

"That's the reason you must attend this party," Simon uttered.

"What do you mean?"

"You are no longer young. And Carol is back now. This is a chance for you to announce your engagement."

"What? You haven't even asked me if I want to!" Brian shouted angrily.

"I have agreed to the engagement with Carol's parents. There is no way we can back out now! We are cooperating with Mr. Jefferson now, and this deal is worth a tremendous amount of money. The engagement will show our commitment. I will not allow you to say no in this matter!"

"Why do you always force me to accept your ideas? I don't love Carol, and I will not get engaged with her! You handle your promise with her parents. It's none of my business!"

"This is serious! How could you be so childish? When will you start acting like an a.d.u.l.t?" Simon yelled.

"You have never respected me," Brian said in a cold voice. "You just think I am a tool to help you keep your power to be used at any time you like. Have you ever thought that I am my own man? What about my dignity?!"

"You have the cheek to speak about dignity with your father? How dare…"

Brian ended the call before Simon could finish his next bit of criticism.

The veins on his forehead were popping out by that point; he had forced himself to hang up before he said something he might regret.

Kate heard their quarrel. She sighed and tried to comfort Brian.

"Brian, you are right. Of course, you should be able to choose your own wife. Your father was always so obsessed with money and power. He never cared about us. That is why I chose to divorce him. So, Brian, stay true to yourself, don't change for him."

Actually, Diana had also heard the conversation. But it would have been improper for her to make any remarks. After all, it was Brian's private matter; she wasn't the one that he loved. Yet Diana couldn't help feeling vexed about it. She and Brian had become quite close in recent days; it didn't seem impossible that she could fall in love with him one day.

After finishing dinner, they all said goodbye to Kate.

"Diana, I saw your room earlier today. It is wonderful! Can I sleep with you in your room tonight?" Sybil asked.

"You have your own room. Why do you want to take Diana's room as well? Brian questioned irritably.

"Take? No! I said that because I like her. Is it OK with you, Diana?"

Diana felt lucky to have met Sybil and to have become one of her friends. She smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. I also want to chat with Sybil."

Brian looked at her hesitantly. He had planned to have a talk with Diana, and now Sybil had ruined it.

Meanwhile, Simon William was in a furious state. He had never expected that Brian would talk with him so rudely. He could accept Brian's attitude, but if he refused to show up to the party, Simon's business with Carol's father would be impacted. No! He couldn't allow that!

And Simon blamed all of this on Diana. He had sent his people out to investigate her and found that Diana was intimate not only with Brian but also with Kyle.

Simon made a call. He decided Diana had to know who she was dealing with; he was going to teach her a lesson. Life is not a fairy tale; ordinary girls do not marry rich men.