Marlene's hurtful words held no power over him.

Observing Jerrold's expression, Lilah felt a wave of relief wash over her and held him tightly. “I'll do my best to shield you from those hurtful words in the future."

"It doesn't matter, Mommy," Jerrold responded with gentle reassurance, his hand gently stroking Lilah's back. "I only care about you."

Tears welled up in Lilah's eyes as she nodded fervently. “Alright, from now on, I'll be here for you."

Upon returning home, they set about organizing their purchases.

Jerrold stayed by Lilah's side, keeping her company to prevent her from feeling bored or tired.

With Gerard away on a business trip, it was just the two of them, and Lilah prepared a meal consisting of two dishes.

They enjoyed their dinner together, and after the meal, they sat on the sofa while watching cartoons. In that moment, Jerrold appeared to be a typical five-year-old child, and Lilah couldn't help but smile, her heart brimming with contentment.

However, their peaceful interlude was abruptly interrupted by an unexpected phone call from an unknown number.

Lilah furrowed her brow, deducing the identity of the caller, and promptly hung up.

The caller persisted in trying to reach Lilah multiple times, beginning to test her patience. She gently touched Jerrold's head and whispered, “Jerrold, I'll take this call. You can continue watching your cartoon."

"Okay," Jerrold responded obediently.

Lilah got up and made her way to the bedroom to answer the persistent phone calls. Upon connecting the call, she was met with the anxious voice of Matthew. “Lilah, do you even realize the trouble you've caused?"

"Marlene?" Lilah responded nonchalantly.

"You know it's about Marlene. How could you slap her? Do you have any idea how much her family values her? Do you want to be ostracized from our social circle?"

Matthew's anger was palpable, stemming from Lilah's recent exposure of his involvement in tarnishing the reputation of the Phillips Group.

And now, she stirred up yet another trouble.

Marlene had enjoyed a privileged upbringing from a young age, and her education at Mirello only solidified her status as the most enviable young lady in their social circle.

Given Lilah's physical altercation with Marlene, it was inevitable that Marlene's family would retaliate and make life difficult for Lilah.

The repercussions were bound to impact the family business.

Lilah responded to Matthew's concerns with an air of indifference and disdain, saying, "So what? What can they possibly do to me?"

Matthew's head began to throb when he heard Lilah's words. "You need to think about more than just yourself; consider the group too. I'm buying lunch for everyone tomorrow, and you need to come and apologize to Marlene. We're family, and this matter will be over with a sincere apology."

"I'm not going," Lilah said, rejecting the idea outright.

“Lilah!" Matthew raised his voice in anger.