Chapter 14
The nutritionist stepped forward and nodded respectfully. "Ms. Wipere, from now on I'll customize your meal plans based on your physical condition. I'll ensure balanced nutrition, and the flavors can be adjusted anytime."
Lucinda looked at the scene before her, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Valencia held her hand, eyes reddening again. "Cindy, I couldn't sleep last night. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. You suffered so much out there. Now that you're home, I want to give you the very best. But..."
She paused, voice catching. "There are so many things I don't think of. If there's anything you want, you must tell me, okay? Don't let yourself suffer."
Lucinda looked at Valencia's reddened eyes. Something stirred in her chest.
She couldn't quite name the feeling.
In the Wipere family for twenty years, no one had ever looked at her like this. No one worried whether she ate well or slept well. No one's eyes ever reddened over a bowl of plain congee in front of her.
"Okay." She nodded, voice softer than usual.
Only then did Valencia break into a tearful smile, holding her hand and not letting go. "That's good then."
Dahlia sat at the table, watching the scene. Her smile had completely crumbled.
Uma stood nearby. Seeing Dahlia's pale face, she felt sympathy and leaned over to whisper, "Ms. Douglas, don't be upset. You've been in this family for twenty years. Mrs. Douglas and Mr. Douglas still care for you most. Ms. Wipere just came back—they're just excited for a couple of days..."
Before she finished, Dahlia's expression turned even worse.
She bit her lip, fingers gripping the napkin under the table so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Lucinda had been back two days, and Mom and Dad couldn't wait to lay the whole world at her feet.
Excited for a couple of days?
This wasn't excitement. This was favoritism!
From the first second Lucinda stepped through the door, Mom and Dad only had eyes for her.
Dahlia took a deep breath, pushed back the stinging in her eyes, and plastered a smile back on her face.
"Mommy's right." She stood, voice still sweet. "Lucinda suffered out there. Now that she's home, she should be well nourished. Nutritionist, please take extra care—make sure my sister gets nice and healthy."
Her words were gentle and gracious, like a considerate younger sister.
But no one looked at her.
Valencia was still holding Lucinda's hand, chattering away.
Wesley stood beside them, gaze never leaving Lucinda's face.
Dahlia stood at the table, smile frozen, fingers gripping so hard her knuckles turned white.
The nutritionist worked quickly.
In less than half an hour, a completely new breakfast was brought to the table.
Tuna sandwich, avocado salad, fresh fruit and vegetable juice, and a bowl of rich, thick congee with a small dish of homemade jam on the side.
Valencia sat beside Lucinda, watching her eat with more satisfaction than if she'd eaten it herself. "Take your time. Don't rush. The nutritionist said your nutrition hasn't been adequate all these years. You need to supplement gradually, not too aggressively all at once."
Lucinda took a bite of the sandwich. The taste was surprisingly good.
The bread was perfectly toasted, the tuna mixed with mayo melting in her mouth.
She ate at an unhurried pace, posture natural, nothing like the ravenous wolfing Valencia had imagined.
Wesley sat across from her, watching his daughter eat, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Lucinda's manners didn't seem like someone raised in a modest household.
Lucinda finished the last bite, set down her utensils, and looked up. "Mom, Dad, I have something to take care of today. I need to go out."
Valencia froze, instinctively about to ask what it was, but swallowed the words back.
Her daughter had just returned. She didn't want to seem too controlling. "Alright, I'll have the driver take you. Just tell him where you want to go."
Lucinda nodded. "Okay."
Dahlia sat nearby. Hearing "Mom, Dad" spoken so naturally from Lucinda's lips, she nearly dropped the spoon in her hand.
How easily she said it.
That afternoon, Lucinda changed clothes and came downstairs.
Valencia was already waiting in the entrance hall, a man in his fifties standing beside her, dressed in an immaculate uniform, back straight as a rod.
"Cindy, this is Zane, our family driver. Just tell him wherever you need to go."
Valencia pulled out another bank card from her purse and pressed it into Lucinda's hand. "When you're out, you can't be without money."
Lucinda looked at the card, then at Valencia's earnest eyes. She didn't refuse. She pocketed it.
Zane opened the main door. Lucinda walked out, her gaze falling on the car parked at the entrance—
A Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Lucinda's steps paused slightly.
This car—base price over ten million dollars.
In her twenty years with the Wipere family, Preston's most expensive car was only five million.
Zane opened the car door, voice respectful. "Miss, please."
The car pulled out of the estate and merged into traffic.
The interior was so quiet you could barely hear the engine. The leather seats were soft as sinking into clouds.
Lucinda leaned back against the seat, watching the streetscape blur past the window, and suddenly spoke. "Zane, what exactly does the Douglas family do?"
Zane glanced at her in the rearview mirror and smiled. "You don't know? The Douglas Group is a holding company—top three on the domestic wealth rankings for nearly a decade. Mr. Douglas started with energy and real estate, then invested in high-tech and biomedical industries. Now the family's involved in countless sectors."
Lucinda's gaze stilled.
Top three on the domestic rankings.
She recalled what that couple in the Wipere family had said.
The slums. Unemployed drifters. Three lazy brothers.
The biological parents they'd described and the Douglas family before her were separated by an entire galaxy.
Gemma probably couldn't dream that the "poor family" she'd described was the Douglas family.
And the Wipere family she was so proud of? Before the Douglas family, they weren't even fit to carry their shoes.
Lucinda leaned back in her seat, watching the sunlight outside, that faint curve at her lips slowly fading.
The car passed through the bustling district. Lucinda pulled back her thoughts and gave an address.
Zane acknowledged and flipped on his turn signal to change lanes.
At the Douglas residence, Lucinda's car had barely left the estate when Valencia still stood in the entrance hall, gaze following that retreating vehicle, unwilling to look away.
"Alright, she's long gone." Wesley came up from behind and gently put his arm around her shoulders. "She's out handling something. You can't exactly follow her, can you?"
Only then did Valencia pull back her gaze, eyes reddening again. "I just feel for her. You saw how she ate breakfast—ate so little. She must have gone hungry so often before that her stomach shrank..."
Wesley sighed and patted her shoulder, saying nothing.