Chapter 128
Gaia didn't say anything.
Her gaze shifted away from the young woman's face and landed on the coat the sales associate was holding. She stared at it for a moment, then looked away.
What was she thinking?
There was no way she could afford that coat now…
She took a deep breath, swallowing down the humiliation rising in her chest. She turned around, head lowered, and walked toward the door step by step.
Behind her, the girls' voices drifted over—not too loud, not too soft, just enough for her to hear.
"She actually dared reach for something Ms. Gonzaga wanted?"
"She's obviously just some working-class nobody. Probably came in to window-shop."
"Look at what she's wearing. She's got some nerve walking into a store like this. No shame at all."
"Tell her to get lost. She's in Ms. Gonzaga's way."
Gaia quickened her pace. The grievance in her chest grew heavier. Her shoulders hunched slightly. She just wanted to escape this suffocating place as quickly as possible.
She reached the door. When her hand had just touched the handle—
A hand reached out from behind her and pressed firmly on her shoulder.
"Stop."
Gaia's body went rigid. She turned around and saw Lucinda standing behind her.
There was no expression on her face, but her eyes were as cold as a frozen lake.
"Where are you going?" Lucinda's voice was neither loud nor soft.
Gaia's lips moved. Before she could say anything, the women in the store had already turned their gazes toward them in unison.
"Another one." The woman in the magenta cape leaned against the counter, arms crossed, a smile playing at her lips. Her gaze swept over Lucinda from head to toe.
White shirt. Black slacks. Flats. Not a single piece of jewelry on her entire body.
She laughed once, her tone dripping with contempt. "Another broke nobody. What's this—did you two plan to come here together to put on some kind of show? Best friends forever? Get lost together?"
The girls behind her laughed again, their eyes gleaming with amusement.
The sales associate stood behind the counter, her expression awkward.
Lucinda didn't look at them.
Her gaze landed on Gaia's face. She saw her lips pressed together until they were white.
She looked away and turned around.
Step by step, she walked forward—not too fast, not too slow—but her presence made the women's laughter gradually die down.
It wasn't because she'd said anything harsh. It was because as she approached, she carried an oppressive aura that made people instinctively hold their breath.
The woman in the magenta cape's mocking expression froze the moment Lucinda's gaze landed on her face, like someone had pressed pause.
The girls behind her stopped laughing too. Their laughter caught in their throats, as if something had blocked it.
"You—" The woman in the magenta cape opened her mouth, trying to say something, but when she met those eyes, all her words stuck in her throat.
Why did this woman have such a powerful presence?
But she quickly snapped out of it.
She was a Gonzaga family heiress.
The Gonzaga family ranked in the top five on Seaside City's wealth list. They'd had business ties with the Douglas family for over a decade. She'd grown up alongside Dahlia. The two of them were close friends. Everyone in Starlight City's socialite circles knew Sabrina Gonzaga.
Why should she be afraid of some nobody wearing knockoffs?
Sabrina straightened her back and lifted her chin even higher. "I was wondering who it was, making such a grand entrance."
She took a step forward, her gaze pinned on Lucinda's face. She looked from her eyes to her nose, from her nose to her lips, and from her lips to her jawline.
Suddenly, the more she looked, the more familiar the face seemed.
This person… she felt like she'd seen her somewhere before.
That's right—on Dahlia's phone!
Dahlia had shown her a photo once, pointing at the woman in it. "That's her. The moment she showed up at the Douglas family, she took everything. Mom and Dad don't want me anymore. Reginald doesn't want me anymore. I have nothing left."
When Dahlia said that, tears had fallen one by one onto her phone screen, landing on that woman's face.
Sabrina had been so angry she'd smashed a glass.
Now, that face was standing right in front of her—ten times more beautiful than in the photo.
Her chest felt like it had been slammed by something. She instinctively blurted out, "You're Lucinda?"
Her voice shot up several notches, her tone laced with pure malice. "Dahlia was right. You really are a vixen. What's the point of being pretty? Deep down, you're just a shameless slut."
Gaia stood by the door. Her face changed. She instinctively moved forward.
Lucinda raised her hand, stopping her.
Sabrina saw the gesture and laughed, her voice growing louder. "What, did I say something wrong? Didn't you climb your way up using that face? Seducing Dahlia's fiancé, stealing Dahlia's parents, turning her family into a complete mess—and you still have the nerve to show your face in public?"
She took another step forward, reaching out. Her finger nearly poked Lucinda's face. "I can't stand people like you. Relying on a pretty face to—"
She didn't finish the sentence.
Lucinda's hand shot up. The movement was so fast it was almost invisible. In the next second, her five fingers locked around Sabrina's wrist and yanked her forward. Her other hand was already gripping Sabrina's throat.
Sabrina's face instantly turned red.
She struggled to pull back, but that hand was like an iron clamp, locked firmly around her throat—not too tight, not too loose, just enough to make breathing difficult without causing her to suffocate.
"You—let go—"
The girls behind her screamed. None of them dared step forward.
"What did you just say?" Lucinda's voice was calm, but it sent chills down everyone's spine.
Sabrina's lips trembled. Her eyes reddened. Tears hung on her lashes.
Her hands clawed and scratched at Lucinda's wrist, but the grip didn't budge.
"Dahlia told you I was a vixen?"
Sabrina's body began to tremble.
"She told you I seduced her fiancé?"
Sabrina's tears finally fell, streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto the back of Lucinda's hand.
"You—let go first—"
"Speak." One word. Cold as if pulled from an ice cellar.
Sabrina's face went from red to white.
She felt her consciousness slipping away bit by bit. Her ears buzzed. Her vision started to go dark.
"It was… it was Dahlia…" Her voice came out broken, each word squeezed through her teeth. "She told me… She said you stole her parents… stole her fiancé… She said you were the third party… a vixen…"
"She asked me to teach you a lesson for her… She said someone like you… doesn't deserve to stay in the Douglas family…"
Lucinda stared into her eyes.
Those eyes were filled with terror. There was no room for lies.
Her fingers slowly loosened.
Sabrina's legs gave out. Her entire body slid toward the floor. The girls behind her scrambled to catch her.
She bent over, hands braced on her knees, gasping for air. Tears and snot streaked her face. She looked nothing like the arrogant Gonzaga family heiress from moments ago.