Lola dashed hastily home, but not before stopping at a public restroom to take a pregnancy test. The outcome verified her worst fears: she was indeed pregnant.

She couldn't wait to talk to Sophie about plans to make Ethan believe he was the father.

Even though she and Ethan were no longer together, they were once an item. She was confident that her mom could handle anything that came her way.

In addition, she had to discover Freya's motivation for pretending to be a fool. She thought Freya was up to no good and was probably planning some sort of vengeful scheme.

Sophie had just gotten dressed to go to a party with other upper-class women. She opened the door to find Lola sweating heavily and waiting for her there.

Sophie asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong? Why did you need to rush?"

After showing her mother the positive pregnancy test, Lola told her, "Mother, I'm pregnant."

Sophie looked down at the test, her expression shifting as she focused on the two red lines. "Lola, whose child is this again?"

"I don't know."

"What? You don't know about that?" Sophie's rage burned deep within her as she grabbed Lola's arm firmly, admonishing her, "This has happened multiple times in the past few months! Lola, can't you adopt some self-control? If you want to get pregnant, at least ensure it's Ethan's child."

Lola clung to Sophie's arm as they sat on the sofa. She responded, "Mother, that's precisely what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, Ethan and I haven't been together for a very long time. How can I make him believe that this child is his?"

"What do you mean? You expect Ethan to shoulder all of this?" Sophie understood her daughter all too well, and she could tell exactly what was going through Lola's mind with a single glance. Yet, transferring the burden to the Austin family did seem like a clever plan.

If they could pressure Ethan into marrying Lola, she would become one of the Austins.

With the support of the affluent Austin family, they would undoubtedly be able to enter high society. The other wealthy families who had once looked down on them would then come to flatter and benefit them.

Sophie pondered for a moment before turning to face Lola, her gaze steady. "Tell me, when did you become pregnant?"

"Before I dated Ethan," Lola confessed, feeling somewhat guilty. She had been involved with several guys at the Shangri-La Bar, and now she had no clue who the father of her unborn child was.

"Lola, do you want to push me to the brink of madness? Why would the Austins take you in if you were pregnant before you started dating Ethan? Do you seriously believe that the Austins are so easily duped?"

Sophie clutched her chest in annoyance. If Lola had become pregnant after a few months of being with Ethan, it would have been easier to trap him into assuming responsibility. But several weeks had already passed, making it nearly impossible for them to deceive anyone.

"I don't care, Mom. You have to find a solution for me," Lola stubbornly insisted. She was determined to climb the ladder of wealth and prestige and establish herself in high society. She cared little for anything else except for convincing Ethan that she was pregnant with his child.

As Sophie and Lola discussed their plan, Bruce entered from outside and asked them, "What plan are you talking about, Lola? Have you caused trouble again?"

Sophie quickly shot Lola a warning glance, silently cautioning her against revealing anything to Bruce. She knew that if Bruce found out about Lola's pregnancy and her plan to blame it on the Austin family, he would certainly react violently.

Lola understood her mother's unspoken message and remained silent. The memory of the slap she received when she got pregnant before was still fresh in her mind, and she wanted nothing more than to avoid a similar confrontation.

Unable to discuss the pregnancy, Lola diverted the conversation to the topic of Freya pretending to be a fool.

"Dad, perfect timing. There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Lola said, putting on an innocent facade as she removed Bruce's suit jacket.

She recounted what had happened that day, embellishing the story and adding fuel to the suspicion of Freya's condition.

"What? Freya is pretending to be a retard?" Sophie's surprise was evident, although she had already harbored doubts. Her jaw dropped in surprise.

"No doubt about it. She's definitely pretending. Mom, Dad, think about it. Ever since Freya returned to town, she's acting weird."

Bruce carefully listened to Lola's account, piecing together the clues in his mind.

However, he still couldn't grasp the core issue. Freya did have developmental disabilities when she was twelve, but he had no idea how she miraculously recovered afterwards.

Since her return home, he sensed something was off with her.

Furthermore, despite Freya's foolish expression, there was an unmistakable resentment and hatred.

One night at the Shangri-La Bar with his mistress, Bruce spotted a girl on stage who bore a striking resemblance to Freya, singing and dancing with remarkable talent.

Freya had inherited her mother Charlotte Lawson's musical and dancing abilities. In fact, she had even participated in international dance competitions for children and won first place.

Initially, he dismissed the possibility that she was performing at the bar, considering Freya's diagnosis of intellectual disabilities. However, his suspicions grew when the Austins unexpectedly barged into the Lawson household, and Freya was nowhere to be found that night.

Later, Freya manipulated and deceived Ethan, swindling the Austin family out of a substantial sum of money. This only deepened Bruce's suspicion that Freya was far more cunning and intelligent than she let on. Now, hearing Lola's revelation, he had no choice but to accept that Freya was indeed pretending to be a fool.

"Regardless of whether Freya is pretending or not, she was intellectually disabled in the past, and she still is now. Let's not bring up this matter again," Bruce said firmly.

Bruce was able to secure the contract with the Austins after Arthur sent Freya to the Royal Garden Mansion on the pretense that she was disabled. If Arthur found out about the truth, he would definitely take measures to exact revenge.

"Dad, why not? If Freya is pretending to be ignorant, we won't be able to take advantage of the situation. Now she's colluding with the Royal Garden Mansion against us," Lola thought that Bruce would be angry and scold Freya harshly, but she didn't expect him to redirect the blame onto her and Sophie.

Expressing his frustration, Bruce said, "If Arthur finds out that we have deceived him, not only will we lose our benefits, but we may also be expelled from this town. I am currently negotiating with the Austins, so you mustn't cause any trouble. Even if Freya is not as simple-minded as she seems, we should remain composed and refrain from taking any actions, do you understand?"

After saying this, Bruce stormed upstairs, venting his anger by kicking the door. He intended to confront the Smith family and demand answers.

He couldn't believe that the Smiths deceived him, and he swore they would pay the price for their deceit.

Lola watched Bruce leave and clenched her teeth. She realized that Bruce implied they should continue pretending, but she couldn't accept that. At this very moment, all she wanted was to kill Freya.

Lola decided she wouldn't let Freya get away with it!

Despite her father's prohibition against taking action, she didn't care. She would teach Freya a harsh lesson until she was completely defeated.

"Mother, are we going to allow Freya to bully us like this? She's just a small-minded, vindictive imbecile." Lola's anger intensified as she contemplated the situation. She refused to accept being treated in such a way.

Sophie sneered in agreement, "You're absolutely right. Freya has been pretending to be naive for seven years. I'm sure she must have a hidden plan. Since she can't be of any use to us, our only option is to ruin her."

Sophie and Lola were responsible for the death of Charlotte many years ago. If Freya were to dig deeper and uncover the truth, it would lead to serious trouble for them.