He’d snuck into the construction site to steal steel bars because his family wouldn’t buy him a phone. Fed up, he decided to earn his first dollar by himself. 

Since Cayson couldn’t walk, two cops came to his ward to take his statement. As soon as Eden walked in, Amaya started wailing, saying he was their only child. If he ended up crippled, he’d never get into a good college or find a wife. 

And since Cayson was still underage, both emotionally and legally, the construction site had to shoulder all the blame. On top of the medical bills and nutrition costs, the site would have to cough up extra cash as compensation for emotional distress. 

On the way over, Sandra had already filled Eden in on everything about the family. So when Amaya started yelling, Eden didn’t hold back. 

“The cops haven’t even figured out who’s responsible yet. Why are you making such a scene? Until the official report comes in, there’s no point in making demands,” Eden said. 

Amaya wasn’t about to give up. “I saw online that someone died trying to steal fruit from an orchard, and the owner had to pay a lump sum in compensation.” 

Eden chuckled. “Yeah, I know that case, but it’s not even close to what happened with your son. They’re totally different situations. 

“First, that orchard didn’t have any ‘No Trespassing’ or ‘No Climbing’ signs. But our construction site is fenced off all the way around, with warning signs posted everywhere. 

“Second, in the fruit case, there was a wild chase, so the cause and effect were obvious. But when your son was stealing steel bars, the guard was asleep; he didn’t see it, didn’t interfere, nothing. 

“And finally, the guy who stole the fruits died right then and there. Out of basic decency, the orchard owner had to pay something. But your son just got some scratches and bruises; no broken bones, no internal injuries. How can you seriously ask for so much money?” 

The cops wouldn’t have the official report for at least a couple of days, and until then, Eden wasn’t about to pay a single cent. Cayson’s parents, of course, weren’t having any of it. 

They kept switching tactics; first, they claimed Cayson was just a kid and didn’t know any better. Then they started tossing around numbers, saying the construction site was rich anyway, so paying 30 thousand dollars was no big deal. 

And to top it off, they even bragged about having a relative who was some big shot in the government. 

Eden went all in. “Your son goes to Flusall CityFortuna High School, right? Maybe I’ll call up the school and 

1/3 

16:10 Sat, Aug 29 

Villainous Real Heiress Refuses to Behave 

ask the principal how they teach their students; are they telling kids it’s okay to steal now?” 

10 

55 vouchers 

The moment Eden finished, Cayson broke down, sobbing and begging her, “Please, don’t tell the school! Please!” He promised his parents he would straighten up and pleaded with them to stop talking about money, swearing he would do better from then on. 

Eden knew she wasn’t in the wrong, so she wasn’t afraid to stir up trouble if she had to. Even if this construction site got shut down, she still had over a dozen other properties in her portfolio; losing one wouldn’t faze her at all. 

With the cops staying out of it and Eden refusing to give an inch, even threatening to drag the whole mess to the school, Amaya finally backed down. 

After leaving the ward, Eden quickly realized something important. With twenty properties to her name and juggling music and script projects, Eden knew she desperately needed a solid lawyer to keep her covered. 

Especially since she was about to launch a short film studio and a game studio, she’d need someone to make sure all the copyrights, contracts, and tax stuff were locked down tight. 

If she had a lawyer, she wouldn’t even have to deal with messes like this herself; her attorney could take care of everything. 

Back at the construction site, Eden and Sandra were having a lively conversation when Eden’s phone suddenly buzzed nonstop; Annabelle was spamming her with messages. 

Annabelle had already messaged Eden the night before, hinting she wanted to be friends with Ed. But Eden just shot back her usual reply: [Busy right now. Catch you later.] 

Annabelle wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. She decided to try something new. She sent Eden more than twenty professionally edited photos all at once. 

The photos came in all kinds of styles, from innocent and charming to a little more bold. Then, to drive her point across, Annabelle included one final message. 

[Don’t worry, Ms. Carr. I’ve shot several small commercials before, so I’m definitely not a total rookie. Whatever vibe you need, I can handle it.] 

After seeing all those photos and Annabelle’s final message, Eden knew exactly what Annabelle was playing at Sure enough, a few minutes later, Annabelle frantically fired off two more messages 

[Ed, I’m really sorry! Your WhatsApp profile pic looks almost identical to another director’s, so I ended up sending you all the photos that were meant for her.] 

[I can’t delete them from my side, so could you please help me out and remove them? Thanks for your help!] 

Then she followed up with a crying emoji. Eden couldn’t help but snort, then shot back a classic line from a famous TV drama: [Annabelle, you’re such a tease!] 

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16:11 Sat, Aug 29 

Villainous Real Heiress Refuses to Behave