Chapter 325

Her son, naturally, followed suit. His attitude toward her was far from polite; just moments ago, he hadn’t even dared to meet Andrew Lane’s eyes, but now he glared at her, holding his breath in defiance, and muttered a reluctant, “Ms. Blair.”
It was then Emily Blair finally understood what had changed.
A moment ago, they hadn’t known who she really was. They’d mistaken her for Amelia Lane, Andrew Lane’s biological sister, addressing her as Ms. Lane and treating her with an almost obsequious respect.
But now, their tone had shifted, along with the way they called her “Ms. Blair.” Emily could guess, more or less, what had happened.
They must have looked her up and realized she wasn’t Andrew Lane’s real sister. She wasn’t Amelia Lane at all. And with the recent scandal involving her and Isabella Austin all over the internet, it wouldn’t have been hard for them to uncover her true identity.
And as it turned out, Emily’s suspicions were right.
Mr. Green had truly been worried about offending Mr. Lane and his sister, wracking his brains to figure out how to apologize and salvage the situation. Desperate, he’d turned to the internet, searching for information about Mr. Lane and his supposed sister.
He hadn’t expected what he found.
As the hospital director, Mr. Green was always busy-he barely kept up with anything online, let alone the viral drama of the past few weeks.
But as he scrolled through forum threads and news stories, piecing together the whole sordid affair, it became clear: Mr. Lane’s “sister” was no real sister at all.
Emily Blair was just the daughter of Kevin Lane’s driver, once adopted by the Lane family and raised as a pampered heiress for a few years, only to be thrown out recently. Now she was renting a modest apartment somewhere in town.
Emily Blair was, in short, a cast-off. The Lane family’s discard. Someone with no value, no need to be feared.
The fact that Mr. Green had clawed his way from a small-town upbringing to the position of hospital director was proof enough of his shrewdness. With the story blowing up online and public opinion entirely one-sided, not to mention Andrew Lane’s official statement, the truth was obvious.
The Starlight Piano Competition wouldn’t have attracted so much attention without Andrew Lane’s behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
Seeing the avalanche of online insults aimed at Emily Blair, and Andrew Lane’s utter silence, Mr. Green drew a simple conclusion.
Emily Blair meant nothing to Andrew Lane.
There was only one woman who mattered to Andrew Lane: Isabella Austin.
Isabella was the woman he cherished above all else.
Since Emily Blair was no longer important, the hospital incident didn’t seem that serious anymore. Mr. Green didn’t feel the need to grovel in front of her, nor did he worry much about the consequences.
Once he’d arrived at this realization, he and the woman relaxed, exchanging a knowing smile.
Emily Blair, it turned out, was just another woman the Lane family had cast aside, undeserving of concern.
Still, since Andrew Lane had made the request, even if Mr. Green knew Andrew disliked—perhaps even despised-Emily Blair, he would at least put on a show.
He’d go through the motions for Andrew Lane’s sake. Once he’d appeased Andrew, he could deal with Emily Blair as he wished, venting his frustrations on her at his leisure.