The Woods Residence - Living Room - 9:30 AM

The basement door closed behind them with a soft click as Lu Rowan helped Mei up the final step. Her legs were unsteady, but her spine was straight as they entered the living room where the Liang family waited like a tribunal of judges whose power had just been stripped away.

Lu Rowan's arm remained around Mei's waist protective. When he spoke, his voice carried the quiet authority of a man who had never doubted his right to take what belonged to him.

"I don't know if Mei told you, but we're now married."

The words dropped into the silence like stones into still water, creating ripples that would reshape everything.

Mr. Liang was the first to find his voice, his face flushed with indignation. "Why did you do that? You had promised to be engaged to Bai and Mei was already engaged to Shen Ji"

"I'm not a fan of arranged marriage," Lu Rowan interrupted, his tone conversational but final. "And as far as I know, Mei's situation was a forced marriage, not an engagement she chose."

Mrs. Liang opened her mouth to protest, but Lu Rowan continued before she could speak.

"Thank you for raising her this far. You seemed like such good parents to her, pinching her, taking her phone, locking her in dirty basements." His voice dripped with sarcasm . "From now on, don't worry about her."

Shen Ji, who had been silent throughout the confrontation, finally stepped forward. "This is ridiculous. I haven't broken up with Mei officially. My family doesn't even know about this... this situation."

Mei's face went pale, the old fear flickering in her eyes at the mention of his family's ignorance. But before she could spiral into panic, Lu Rowan's hand found hers, squeezing gently.

"That's our problem now," Lu Rowan said firmly, his gaze never leaving Shen Ji's face. "I'm going to be with her throughout all of it. Every phone call, every confrontation, every consequence she won't face any of it alone."

The certainty in his voice seemed to steady Mei. Some of the tension left her shoulders.

"And today, I'm going to take her with me." Lu Rowan turned to Mr. Liang, who had remained conspicuously quiet throughout the entire exchange. "I guess your silence is a go-ahead for me?"

Mr. Liang studied Lu Rowan for a long moment, his businessman's mind calculating angles and outcomes. When he finally spoke, his voice carried a weight that made everyone in the room listen.

"If you're saying this was love at first sight," he said slowly, "then go ahead."

The admission hung in the air like a challenge. Mrs. Liang stared at her husband in shock, while Bai Liang's face crumpled with the final death of her dreams.

Lu Rowan met Mr. Liang's gaze steadily. "I'm saying I see her worth in ways you never did. Whether that's love or not..." He paused, glancing down at Mei. "I suppose time will tell."

But even as he spoke the careful, diplomatic words, something in his chest tightened at the thought of anyone, even Mei herself believing this was just another business arrangement.

"Mei," Mrs. Liang's voice was sharp with desperation. "You can't just leave. After everything we've done for you"

"Everything you've done to her," Lu Rowan corrected quietly. "There's a difference."

Mei looked around the room that had been her prison for twenty years at the marble floors that had echoed with her footsteps as she tried to make herself invisible, at the walls that had witnessed her silent suffering, at the faces of people who had claimed to love her while teaching her she was worthless.

"I'm ready to go," she said simply.

And for the first time in her life, walking toward the door felt like walking toward freedom instead of another beautiful cage.

Lu Rowan's hand remained steady on her back as they moved toward the entrance, but he paused at the threshold, turning back to face the family one final time.

"Oh, and one more thing," he said, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. "If anyone from this house contacts Mei with threats, manipulation, or attempts to guilt trap her into returning, you'll be dealing with me directly. I trust that won't be necessary."

The door closed behind them with a finality that echoed through the house like a gunshot.

In the sudden silence that followed, the remaining occupants of the Liang household were left to contemplate the ruins of their carefully constructed world and the girl who had finally found the strength to burn it all down.

The marriage news was quick to reach the Lus mansion and Lu Rowan was summoned to the Lu Mansion