Chapter 172
"I'm sorry, Ms. Wipere." His voice carried an apology. "It's my fault for not securing the entry access properly. I let the Wipere family in. Mrs. Adams's belongings were taken—that's on me."
Lucinda stopped and turned to look at him. "It's not your fault."
Her voice was flat. "I know that family's character better than anyone. A locked door won't stop them. If they couldn't get in today, they'd find another way tomorrow."
Dwight opened his mouth, about to say something more, but Lucinda had already continued walking.
He stood in place, watching her retreating figure.
"I'll strengthen security," his voice called after her. "This won't happen again. I'll personally oversee Mrs. Adams's care. No one will get past me again."
Lucinda didn't turn around. She simply nodded slightly. "Thank you."
With that, she disappeared down the end of the corridor.
Dwight remained standing there, watching her figure vanish around the corner. He didn't move for a long time.
At the other end of the hallway, two young nurses carrying medical charts passed by. Seeing Dwight standing there in a daze, they exchanged glances and slowed their steps.
"Dr. Mitchell, what are you still looking at? She's long gone."
She followed Dwight's gaze toward the end of the corridor, then looked back at his distracted expression. She couldn't help but smile. "Dr. Mitchell, do you like Ms. Wipere?"
The ponytailed nurse beside her quickly tugged her arm and shot her a look.
But Dwight heard.
He didn't deny it. He didn't confirm it either. He just curved his lips slightly, though the light in his eyes was impossibly tender.
"Like?" He repeated the word, as if savoring its taste. "She's the most outstanding person I've ever met. Bar none."
He paused, his gaze falling on the half-open door at the end of the hall. "If I can keep up with even a fraction of her pace in this lifetime, that would already be remarkable."
The round-faced nurse froze, her mouth opening and closing, wanting to say something but not knowing what.
Dwight withdrew his gaze, slid his hands into the pockets of his white coat, and turned toward the patient rooms.
The hallway fell quiet. The round-faced nurse stood there for a long moment before coming to her senses. She turned to her colleague. "What Dr. Mitchell just said... does he like her or not?"
The ponytailed nurse sighed and hugged her charts a little tighter. "Whether he likes her or not doesn't matter. What matters is, he thinks he's not good enough for her."
The two exchanged glances, neither saying another word. They hurried toward the nurses' station, charts in hand.
After leaving the care facility, Lucinda didn't return to the research institute immediately.
The scenery outside the car window flew past in reverse. She sat in the back seat, her face so cold it held no trace of warmth.
All she could see in her mind was her grandmother's pale, frail figure lying in that hospital bed.
At the thought, Lucinda slowly closed her eyes. Her fingertips tightened bit by bit. The suppressed rage in her chest was about to break through the last threads of her rationality.
Just then, she opened her tablet and began reviewing the Wipere family's recent asset transfer records.
The more she read, the darker her expression became.
Ten minutes later, Lucinda suddenly let out a cold laugh.
On the screen, a new piece of information was displayed prominently.
The century-old estate under her grandmother's name—worth over a hundred million—had already been listed on a trading platform.
For sale. The application time? This morning.
The last trace of warmth in Lucinda's eyes vanished completely. She let out a low laugh, but the sound sent chills down the spine.
Her grandmother was still alive, and these people had already started eyeing her inheritance. How eager they were.
The next second, she made a call.
"Boss." The call connected quickly.
"Look into the private residence under Preston's name."
The person on the other end paused. "You mean Cloudview Villa?"
"Yes." A flash of coldness crossed Lucinda's eyes.
That property—Gemma didn't even know about it. It was where Preston had secretly kept his mistress and stashed his private funds all these years.
"Get the paperwork ready. Prepare to list it for sale."
The other end went silent for two seconds, then immediately understood. "Got it. I'll send you the documents in half an hour."
She hung up and gazed out the window, her eyes ice-cold.
Since they loved selling other people's things so much, she'd let them taste what it felt like to have their own assets sold off.
Forty minutes later, the car stopped in front of the Wipere Villa.
Lucinda got out directly. The gate opened. The maid, Opal, was just coming out to take out the trash.
Seeing Lucinda walk in, Opal froze for a moment, then a sneer spread across her face.
"Oh, look who's here. Did you hear the Wipere family's been making money lately and come crawling back for a handout?"
As she spoke, Opal looked Lucinda up and down, her gaze dripping with contempt.
Over the years, Gemma had disliked Lucinda, and even the household staff felt emboldened to step on her.
In their eyes, Lucinda was nothing more than an unwanted country bumpkin.
But the next second, the smile on Opal's face froze.
Before the scream could leave her mouth, Lucinda stepped forward, twisted her wrist, and locked Opal's arm in place.
Crack. The sound of a joint popping echoed sharply.
Searing pain shot through her. Opal's entire face contorted. "Let... let go of me..."
Lucinda's expression remained cold. She grabbed a car-cleaning rag from nearby and stuffed it into Opal's mouth, then twisted her around and tied her to a large tree in the yard.
Her movements were clean and efficient. The entire process took less than a minute.
Opal's tears streamed down her face, but all she could manage were muffled whimpers.
Lucinda didn't even glance at her. She left her there and strode straight into the villa.
The moment she stepped inside, laughter drifted down from the second floor.
"Mom, this necklace is so beautiful."
"Of course it is. It was designed by an international master. It's yours now."
Lucinda's steps halted. Her gaze turned ice-cold. Then she headed straight upstairs.
The door was kicked open with a single strike. The two people inside jumped in shock.
Gemma was holding a diamond necklace, about to fasten it around Allegra's neck.
On the bed beside them lay several jewelry boxes—all freshly looted from Cleo's hospital room.
Seeing this scene, the coldness in Lucinda's eyes surged.
That necklace—it was the birthday gift she'd given Cleo.
One of a kind in the world. Worth over a hundred million. And they'd just taken it without a word?
Before Gemma could react, a figure closed in on her in a flash. The next second, the necklace was in Lucinda's hand.
The entire room went silent.
Gemma froze for a moment, then exploded in fury. "Lucinda! Who said you could come in here? Give that necklace back to me!"
Lucinda lowered her gaze to the necklace in her hand, gently wiping away the marks left by their touch. Only then did she slowly lift her head. "Give it back to you?"
She smiled. But the words that came out were colder than ice. "Are you worthy?"
Gemma's face turned ashen. "This is my mother's! Her things will be mine eventually! What's wrong with me taking it?"