Rhea snorted. "That's nonsense!" Lily's words had struck a chord, but Rhea couldn't show it. She remembered her parents' neglect during childhood, her futile attempts to gain their attention, and the unshakeable feeling that Anastasia held precedence. To Rhea, kinship paled in comparison to power and money.
"Cut the crap! There are no good parents in the world! They only care about self-interest," Rhea said coldly. "If you could exchange your children's lives for a chance to live, wouldn't you do it?" She believed everyone would.
"Of course not!" Lily replied readily. "Would you? Would your parents?"
She'd struck a nerve. Rhea shouted, "What do you care?!"
"Well, my decision is also none of your business, right?" Lily asked steadily, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Rhea was speechless.
"Fine, I won't waste my time arguing with you. Unlike you, I still have many important experiments and wonderful things to create. Too bad you won't see them," Rhea said, envisioning her future.
Lily shook her head. "How do you know I won't have that chance, while you do?"
"Stop speaking in riddles!" Rhea narrowed her eyes. "Do you even realize what will happen to you?"
"Save your concern for yourself," Lily said, turning away. Then, pausing, she looked back over her shoulder. "So you willingly walked into the trap?"
Rhea nodded, then quickly shook her head. "What are you talking about? I wanted to rejoin the organization."
"I honestly don't get it. Why would anyone want to become someone else's lapdog?" Lily asked casually, raising an eyebrow.
"You—" Rhea stopped, taking a deep breath. "Being the lapdog of someone powerful is better than being a nobody. Do you think you're better than me? No matter how influential your husband is, he couldn't save you, could he?"
Rhea tilted her head, surveying the room. "Why don't you beg me to fulfill your last wishes? Perhaps I might help you… when I feel like it."
Lily closed her eyes and ignored her. Bored, and curious about why she'd been brought there, Rhea searched the room. Finding nothing unusual, she suspected surveillance devices, but couldn't understand Fred's motives.