Chapter 166
Allegra froze. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Grandma... I spent so long making this for you..."
She looked utterly pitiful, as if she'd suffered the greatest injustice in the world.
Gemma's face darkened instantly. "Mom, what's your problem? Allegra went out of her way to cook for you, and you're acting like this? Since when do you refuse your own granddaughter's kindness?"
Cleo stared at her coldly. After a long pause, she suddenly laughed. "Kindness? You people dare use that word?"
That one sentence silenced the entire hospital room.
Gemma's expression turned ugly. "Mom, what's that supposed to mean?"
Disappointment flickered in Cleo's eyes. "What does it mean? You know exactly what you've done. If you hadn't lied to me all those years ago and sent Cindy away, would the Wipere family be in this mess today?"
At the mention of Lucinda, Gemma's face turned stormy. "Her again! What kind of spell did she cast on you?"
Cleo's voice rose sharply. "Shut your mouth!"
Everyone in the room flinched.
Cleo's chest heaved violently—she was clearly furious. "After Cindy left, the Wipere family went downhill fast. Have any of you ever stopped to ask yourselves why? You're all greedy, selfish, and self-centered. You brought this on yourselves. Who else is there to blame?"
Preston's face went pale. He kept his head down, unable to say a word.
But Gemma refused to back down. "Mom! What's the point of bringing this up now? The company's about to collapse! The real issue is you handing over those shares to save us!"
At that, Cleo's gaze turned ice-cold. "Shares? So that's why you came today?"
Gemma dropped the act entirely. "Yes. I'm your daughter. If you don't give them to me, who will you give them to?"
Cleo let out a bitter laugh and refused without hesitation. "No one."
Gemma's face changed instantly. "What?"
Cleo spoke slowly, each word deliberate and firm. "No shares. No house. No car. No bank accounts. Everything under my name—you won't get a single thing."
The room fell into dead silence.
Gemma's face turned ashen. Her whole body trembled with rage. "Are you insane? Are you seriously planning to give everything to that outsider?"
Cleo's gaze was sharp. "I'd give it to anyone before I gave it to you. Especially you. Starting today, don't even think about my assets."
That sentence lit the fuse on Gemma's fury.
She lunged forward and grabbed Cleo by the collar. "You stubborn old hag! Don't push your luck!"
Beside her, Allegra finally dropped her mask. A cold glint flashed in her eyes. "Grandma, aren't you being a little too biased? We're your real family."
Cleo, lying in the hospital bed, finally sensed the danger.
Her face went pale. Instinctively, she shrank back.
Suddenly, Lucinda's earlier words flashed through her mind.
"Grandma, if anyone tries to hurt you, press this button. Leave the rest to me."
At the thought, Cleo's eyes lit up. Without a second's hesitation, she pressed the inconspicuous red button at the head of her bed.
A soft click. The next second, the door burst open.
Several security guards rushed in, their movements swift and coordinated, their presence commanding.
Gemma jumped. "What are you doing?"
The lead guard strode quickly to the bedside. "Cleo, are you all right?"
Cleo's face was still pale, but she immediately pointed at the three Wiperes. "Get them out of here. And don't ever let them in again."
"Yes, ma'am." The guards moved immediately.
Gemma panicked. "On what grounds? I'm her daughter! She's my mother!"
No one paid her any attention. Two guards grabbed her by the arms and dragged her toward the door.
Allegra panicked too, struggling wildly. "Let go of me! Do you know who I am? I'm the eldest daughter of the Wipere family!"
Still, no one listened.
Preston tried to explain, but before he could get a word out, he was escorted out along with the others.
Within moments, all three were unceremoniously thrown out of the care facility.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Gemma's face turned green with rage. She stood at the entrance, pounding on the door like a madwoman. "You old witch! Just you wait! If you've got the guts, don't you dare die! Because the second you do, everything you own will be mine anyway!"
Her shrill voice echoed through the area. Passersby turned to stare.
Finally, several guards approached again, and Gemma had no choice but to leave, still seething.
The three of them made their way to the parking lot, fuming. Gemma grew angrier with every step, finally kicking the car door viciously. "That stubborn old bat! She'd rather give everything to a stranger than her own daughter!"
Preston's expression was grim, but he wasn't focused on his anger. He was worried about something else. "Do you think... Mom's already planning to transfer everything to Lucinda?"
At that, Gemma froze mid-step. Her face changed instantly.
Allegra looked up too, panic flickering in her eyes.
If that were true, then today's visit had been for nothing.
The more Gemma thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Her face grew darker and darker. "No. We can't let that happen."
She clenched her fists, a vicious glint in her eyes. "We have to stop it. No matter what, those assets can only belong to us."
The next day, the entire city of Starlight was bathed in bright morning light.
At the Lancaster Estate, breakfast was nearly finished.
Niamh clung to Lucinda's arm like a koala. "Master, I'm going to the office with you today."
Lucinda glanced at her. "Don't you need to rest?"
"Rest? What for?" Niamh pouted. "I finally made it back. Of course I'm staying with you."
As she spoke, she shot a wary glance at Reginald, as if afraid her brother might steal Lucinda away.
Reginald's jaw twitched. "Niamh."
"What?"
"Have you forgotten your last name?"
Niamh looked completely unbothered. "Nope. I'm a Lancaster. But I'm also Master's person."
Reginald fell silent.
Hayden chuckled from the side. "All right, all right. If Lucinda's willing to take you, go ahead."
Niamh cheered immediately. "Thanks, Dad!"
She happily followed Lucinda out the door, leaving Reginald's expression darker by the second.
The butler stood nearby, barely holding back his laughter.
He couldn't help but think that Reginald's biggest rival in the future might not be another man—it might be his own sister.
Half an hour later, the car pulled up outside Ridgeway Tech headquarters.
The moment they got out, Niamh froze.
The entire front of the building was lined with luxury cars—Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Maybachs, one after another. At the entrance stood a crowd of people she'd only ever seen on the financial news.
Business tycoons. Leading figures in scientific research. Directors of national-level research institutions. All of them were waiting. And clearly, they'd been waiting for a while.
The moment Lucinda stepped out of the car, the crowd stirred.
"Ms. Wipere is here!"
"Ms. Wipere!"
"Good morning!"
Voices rang out one after another, brimming with enthusiasm.
Niamh stood beside her, completely stunned.
She knew her master was impressive, but seeing this scene with her own eyes hit differently.