It was Elise's fourth day at the office.

Nothing had gone as smoothly as she anticipated, but she was managing just fine.

The department heads had submitted their reports after the meeting, but they were clearly half-hearted efforts. Benjamin Scott had undoubtedly instructed them to do so.

Thankfully, Elise had maintained regular contact with Thomas Wright, who kept her informed about Stellar Group's inner workings. The meeting was merely a tactic to gauge the department heads' attitudes, making future interactions more predictable.

Still, Elise found herself frowning when her phone rang, displaying a number she despised.

She let it ring until the last possible second before answering, only to be met with immediate scolding. "Ignoring my calls?! That mother of yours clearly failed to teach you any manners!"

"Sounded more like a rabid dog than a call to me," Elise retorted coldly.

"How dare you call me a dog, you ungrateful brat! You'll pay for this!" Margaret Scott's voice escalated to a shrill pitch.

"Then shouldn't I keep my distance? Don't want to catch whatever you have, do we?"

"You little..." Margaret sputtered, too furious to form coherent words.

Benjamin snatched the phone, his voice booming with anger. "Enough, Elise! Show some respect when speaking to your grandmother!"

"And what kind of respect does she deserve?" Elise shot back.

Was she supposed to grovel before the woman who had tormented both her and her mother?

Benjamin didn't bother arguing further, getting straight to the point. "It's her birthday this Saturday. She's inviting you to the manor for the celebration. Be there."

Elise actually laughed at that.

Margaret hadn't invited her to the seventieth birthday, yet the old woman had managed to make Elise the laughingstock of all Crestwood.

And now, suddenly, an invitation?

Still, Elise had her own reasons for facing the Scotts, so she agreed without hesitation.

"Fine," she said.

Though surprised by her quick compliance, Benjamin hung up without another word.

Elise simply tucked her phone away, long accustomed to the Scott family's abusive behavior.

Undisturbed, she continued working until eight in the evening.

Setting aside the documents in her hand, she stepped out of her office.

Natalie Green's desk was already vacant.

No matter how busy Elise became, Natalie never stayed a minute past her scheduled hours, always leaving precisely on time.

This worked perfectly for Elise, who quietly settled into Natalie's chair and powered up the computer.

Her expression remained neutral as she typed in Natalie's password, accessing the system to search for anything useful.

Thirty minutes later, she removed the USB drive from the computer and departed.

The next morning, another call woke Elise.

Checking the caller ID, she decided to ignore it and return to sleep.

But the calls persisted, until sheer annoyance forced her to answer.

"Where are you, Elise Scott?! Why aren't you here yet?!" Margaret screamed.

Elise glanced at the clock—it was only seven in the morning.

"Cat got your tongue?!" Margaret continued her tirade.

"What's the emergency? Did someone die?" Elise asked icily.

"W-What did you just say?!"

"If no one's dead, I'll come when I'm ready."

With that, she hung up, leaving Margaret to potentially have a stroke from rage.

However, the yelling had thoroughly awakened her, leaving her tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall back asleep.

She rose, her eyes falling upon the only photograph she had with her mother.

Gazing at her mother's youthful beauty, she wondered how Benjamin could have been so blind as to fall for someone like Victoria Scott.

Taking a moment to collect herself, she took her time getting ready, leisurely washing up and applying her makeup.

By the time she arrived at Scott Manor, it was ten o'clock, and several guests had already gathered—all Scott relatives. It appeared they were keeping the celebration private rather than hosting a grand banquet.

Naturally, no one greeted Elise when she appeared; some even looked at her with open contempt.

She had received those same looks throughout her childhood.

Some bullied her for being motherless, others mocked her for her supposed loose morals, while many compared her unfavorably to Sophia...

But no matter what insults they hurled, Elise had grown accustomed to it.

She walked into the main hall with composed elegance, where Margaret sat centered on the sofa, surrounded by fawning relatives.

Benjamin stood greeting guests with Sophia and Victoria at his side, though all eyes turned to Elise as she entered.

Though it had been years since Margaret last saw Elise, she gave only a cursory glance before launching into criticism. "Late to my birthday celebration? Anyone would think you're not a Scott."

"Daniel isn't here either, is he?" Elise countered.

Daniel Scott was Victoria's son with Benjamin, two years younger than Elise.

His birth had been Victoria's ticket into the Scott family.

At the mention of Daniel, Margaret immediately jumped to his defense. "How dare you mention Daniel! He's just a child! He was working late with your father last night and needs his rest!"

Elise scoffed inwardly.

Daniel, working? More likely he'd been locked in his room playing video games all night.

But ultimately, the Scotts were a typical patriarchal family.

In that sense, Sophia had been clever—knowing she would never inherit the Scott estate, she had set her sights on Stellar Group instead.

"It's alright, sis. Daniel has always needed his beauty sleep. Come, sit with us," Sophia said sweetly, putting on a show of kindness and understanding for their relatives' benefit.