Chapter 657

It was 9:00 a.m. in the Lodge family's main hall. A serious meeting was underway. Elders from the branch families sat on either side of a conference table; Jonathan presided from the head. He occasionally coughed, clutching the wooden box containing the family seal—the family's most important possession.

Lily, dressed in black and with a grim expression, sat at the table. Jonathan, still angry about the previous day's events, felt slightly better knowing Alexander was absent. “This child is not easy to deal with! I must find a way to banish Lily from the family as soon as possible,” he thought.

Restlessness grew among those present. Most family members had arrived, but Henry and Justin were missing. Finally, someone spoke, "We've been waiting over thirty minutes. Why aren't Henry and Justin here? Are we to wait indefinitely?"

"Any time now," Jonathan replied calmly, blinking slowly. His vague response left everyone waiting, unsure of how long "any time now" actually meant. Lily, however, waited patiently. As one of the youngest members, she sat at the end of the table, sipping her tea while awaiting the late arrivals. She was prepared to address the false accusations against her once and for all. She'd spent the past three days preparing her counterattack against the fabricated evidence used to accuse her of murdering her grandfather.

After another thirty minutes, the sun rose fully, its rays warming the hall. Then Henry entered. In stark contrast to Lily's dark attire, he was dressed in white, a white flower pinned to his chest. He appeared anything but sorrowful; a slight smile played on his lips.

"I apologize for my lateness, Uncle Jonathan," he announced, his voice carrying to the room. "And to all the other family members, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

As he passed Lily, he smirked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. She smiled back. He noticed, dumbfounded, his smirk freezing and his step faltering. Quickly recovering his composure, he continued to the front.

Clearing his throat, he nodded at Jonathan. "Since we're all here, shall we begin?"

Jonathan, using his cane, stood with Henry's assistance. "Since we've gathered, let's begin the meeting. Everyone here is a Lodge family member; there are no outsiders present," he stated, pointedly looking at Lily.