Lola now hated Freya with all her being and wanted nothing more than vengeance. Lola quickly asked, "So, what's the next step, Mom?"

Sophie smirked and replied, "No need to worry. Freya seems to enjoy playing the fool, so we'll let her continue. I want to see what other tricks she can come up with. Your father's birthday is just seven days away, and he's invited many influential guests. On that day, Arthur will sign a contract with your father. I'll make sure to invite Owen Austin, along with Freya and that useless Bradley."

Lola was confused and asked, "But why do we need Owen Austin?"

"You're pregnant, aren't you? You are pregnant, aren't you? Our plan will fail if Owen Austin doesn't show up." Sophie explained.

Lola still didn't fully grasp the situation and requested, "Mom, please explain more clearly. I'm having trouble following."

Annoyed, Sophie pointed at Lola's forehead and said, "Owen is a traditional person who values family legacy. If we want Ethan to accept the child as his own, we need Owen's help. Now go to the hospital, bribe a doctor, and falsify a pregnancy record. On your father's birthday, announce to everyone that you got pregnant after Ethan got drunk and slept with you. This way, you can salvage your reputation in social circles, and Ethan won't be able to deny the child."

"Mum, your plan is brilliant!" Lola's eyes sparkled, and she eagerly grabbed Sophie's arm. "If I can truly marry into a wealthy family, I promise to treat you well."

After finalizing their plan, Lola suddenly remembered something and asked, "What about Freya? Mom, have you thought of a way to handle her?"

Sophie replied with a smug expression, "Of course, Lola. Do you know why Arthur brought Freya to the Royal Garden Mansion?"

Lola nodded, "Yes, it's to humiliate Bradley, that useless guy."

Sophie's tone turned malicious as she explained, "Exactly. We can publicly embarrass Bradley by making him believe Freya cheated on him. It's a win-win: we get to ruin her name, and Arthur gets to vent his pent-up anger. The Austins will be eternally grateful to us."

Lola couldn't contain her admiration, "Mom, you're incredible. I love you so much."

Sophie let out a cold snort, "If I didn't have a few tricks up my sleeve, how could I have gotten rid of Freya's mother and taken her place? There's a reason I could go from being a mistress to Mrs. Lawson."

"Please, Mom, show me how to do that. In the future, when I marry into the affluent Austin family, I will not stand for any form of bullying."

Lola vividly recalled the cruel actions her mother had taken against Charlotte. Sophie’s ruthless tactics had escalated to the point where Charlotte was forcefully expelled and met with a tragic end.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you all my tricks," Sophie reassured Lola.

Initially, Sophie hadn't intended to get rid of Freya. But now that Freya was no longer disabled, there was no reason for her to remain by their side.

...

After returning to the Royal Garden Mansion, Freya wasted no time in processing the herbs she had purchased.

Merely providing acupuncture to Bradley during the night wouldn't yield optimal results; she needed to concurrently address his internal and external conditions in order to swiftly alleviate his headache symptoms.

Freya couldn't stay at the mansion for long, and she had to fully heal Bradley before leaving.

Freya prepared some of the herbs as aromatherapy and placed them in Bradley's bedroom. It would aid his sleep at night without disrupting her acupuncture sessions.

As Freya busied herself, evening arrived, but Bradley had yet to return. After dinner, Freya returned to her room only to receive a sudden message.

"Freya, your father's birthday is in seven days. Bring Bradley back home with you for the party."

Bruce's birthday was seven days later, which also happened to be close to Freya's birthday and the day Charlotte passed away. Freya had been preparing for this day for seven full years.

The memory of her mother's death haunted Freya incessantly.

It was a rainy day when Charlotte took Freya out to celebrate her birthday. They parked the car by the roadside, and Charlotte went to fetch the birthday cake.

As she returned with the cake, a speeding truck collided with her, causing her body to be thrown through the air. The beautiful cake splattered on the ground, mixing with Charlotte's blood.

Freya watched in horror as her mother's eyes closed, never to open again.

The truck driver managed to flee, leaving the authorities unable to catch him despite years of investigation. The case was never officially solved, and it had been simply categorized as a traffic accident.

For years, Freya had sought the assistance of Abby to find the truck driver, but there had been no progress or leads. It seemed as though the driver had vanished completely. Frustratingly, Freya's quest for justice remained fruitless.

After Charlotte's passing, all of her assets were transferred to Bruce's name. Sophie and Lola took advantage of this situation to assert their authority over Charlotte's position. On the other hand, Freya became an abandoned child, forcefully expelled from the house by Bruce.

Freya had sworn by Charlotte's grave to seek justice, restore their rightful bond as theirs, and clear Charlotte's name from the false accusations.

All of Sophie's lies about Charlotte being unfaithful to Bruce were part of a plan to replace her. Charlotte's marriage began to fall apart after she was framed, and she eventually split up with Bruce.

If Freya's assumptions about today's events at the HealWell Clinic were correct, Lola might have begun to wonder if Freya wasn't a fool than she seemed.

Freya had no doubt that Sophie and Lola would devise a number of strategies to combat her, and the best opportunity would be at Bruce's birthday party.

To find out how many guests Bruce had invited, Freya contacted Abby. She planned on using that day as vengeance for what Sophie and Lola did to Charlotte.

Abby was an expert hacker and a spy, and she immediately forwarded Freya's guest list.

"Freya, they even invited Owen. What do you think they are planning?" Abby asked with curiosity.

Freya smiled and responded, "Remember when Lola announced she was pregnant? They plan to involve Owen in a scheme to frame Ethan. After all, all she wants to do is to marry into the Austin family."

Curious, Abby asked, "Who knocked up Lola?"

Freya replied, "I don't know about the details, but I'm certain it’s not Ethan."

"Have you made any plans?"

Freya calmly brushed her hair back, and a cold smile flickered in her eyes. "Since they are so determined to retaliate against me, let's turn the tables on the Austin family and publicly expose and humiliate them."

"Okay, just let me know if you need any help. I'm here for you," Abby assured her.

After chatting with Abby for about thirty minutes, Freya gathered her pajamas and prepared to take a shower. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a wheelchair outside.

She realized that Bradley had returned home.