Chapter 174
But before her hand could land, Lucinda's was faster. Her five fingers locked around Gemma's wrist.
Gemma's arm froze mid-air, trembling from shoulder to fingertips.
Her face went white from the pain. She tried to pull back—couldn't. Tried to swing forward—couldn't.
Lucinda twisted her wrist and shoved outward.
Gemma stumbled backward several steps, her body tilting. A sharp crack sounded from her lower back.
She'd thrown out her back.
She grimaced in pain, her entire body tumbling out the doorway and rolling down two steps of the staircase.
"My back... my back..."
Allegra stood in the doorway, watching her mother sprawled on the ground. Her eyes darted, then she suddenly let out a shriek and swayed to the side, plopping down onto the floor. "Lucinda... how could you do this... Mom was just trying to talk to you... why did you push her..."
Lucinda looked at her, her lips curving slightly.
That smile was faint—so faint it sent chills down the spine.
"If I catch you stealing from Grandma again—" She took a step forward, looking down at Allegra slumped on the ground. "I'll chop off your hands and feed them to the dogs."
Allegra's body stiffened. Her tears nearly stopped mid-stream.
Just then, Lucinda suddenly pulled a document from her bag and tossed it directly into Preston's arms.
"Take a look."
Preston instinctively opened it. One glance, and his face changed drastically.
It was a property deed. Written clearly across the top: Cloudview Villa.
The house he'd secretly bought to stash his private funds.
Even Gemma didn't know about it.
If she found out, she'd definitely divorce him!
"How... how did you know about this?" Preston's voice trembled.
Lucinda smiled faintly. "I know a lot more than you think."
"If you don't want this exposed, bring me the paperwork for Grandma's house sale right now. Otherwise..." She tapped the document. "This property will be on the auction block tomorrow."
Preston's breath caught. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
That house didn't just hold money—it held plenty of things that couldn't see the light of day. It absolutely could not be exposed!
"I'll get it! I'll get it right now!"
Hearing this, Gemma panicked. She clutched her back and scrambled up from the floor. "Preston! Have you lost your mind? Why are you giving it back to her? That's my mother's house!"
"Shut up!" For the first time, Preston exploded in fury, roaring at her. "Haven't you caused enough trouble already? Go get the paperwork right now!"
Gemma froze under his yelling, her eyes instantly reddening.
But seeing the livid expression on her husband's face, she ultimately didn't dare cause more trouble. Reluctantly, she returned to her room and retrieved the freshly processed sale documents.
Lucinda took them, confirmed everything was in order, and tucked them into her bag. Then she slowly lifted her gaze.
"Preston, control your wife and daughter. Otherwise, you'll regret it."
With that, she didn't spare the Wipere family another glance. She picked up her things, turned, and left.
Even after she'd completely exited the villa, the hall remained terrifyingly silent.
Preston stood in place, letting out a heavy sigh. He seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
Gemma and Allegra's faces were both uglier than the last.
An hour later, at the care facility.
Lucinda returned to the hospital room and placed the jewelry and medicine back beside Cleo's bed, piece by piece.
Seeing the familiar items, Cleo's eyes immediately reddened. "You got them back?"
Lucinda held her hand and nodded gently. "Yes. They're all back. No one can take them again."
Cleo finally let out a breath of relief. The weight on her heart lifted.
The atmosphere in the room grew warm once more.
Just then, Lucinda's phone vibrated softly.
She glanced down. It was a message from Manuel.
[Are you coming home for dinner tonight?]
Followed by a hopeful emoji.
Lucinda couldn't help but smile. The anger that had been building all day dissipated slightly.
She typed back: [Yes.]
The message had barely sent before he replied almost instantly.
[Really? I'll have the kitchen make a few of your favorite dishes. Come home early.]
Just a few short sentences, but they warmed Lucinda's heart.
She put away her phone and looked out the window at the gradually setting sun. The tension that had gripped her all day finally began to ease.
The car pulled through the gates of the Douglas Estate. The sky had already darkened.
Lucinda pushed open the car door and walked toward the main building, bag in hand.
The night breeze blew in from the garden, carrying the sweet scent of osmanthus.
She'd only taken a few steps when a figure came jogging from the side.
The person was carrying a bucket, her steps hurried, as if rushing to do something.
She had her head down, not watching where she was going. As she rounded the corner of a flower bed, her shoulder collided directly with Lucinda's arm.
The bucket sloshed, splashing a few drops of water onto Lucinda's sleeve.
The person stopped abruptly and looked up, revealing a young, round face with wide eyes. She looked no older than her early twenties, dressed in a light gray maid's uniform with a brand-new name tag pinned to her chest.
A new hire.
Lucinda didn't recognize her.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I wasn't watching where I was going, I'm really sorry..." The girl's voice was frantic and panicked. She bowed repeatedly, bending deeply at the waist, as if afraid of being punished.
Lucinda glanced down at the water stains on her sleeve, her tone flat. "It's fine. Go on."
The girl looked relieved and apologized several more times before hurrying off toward the side entrance with her bucket.
Lucinda continued forward, not giving the incident another thought.
Just then, a sudden burst of sharp barking erupted nearby.
A massive black hunting dog suddenly broke free from its leash and charged at Lucinda like it had gone mad.
It moved incredibly fast. Its sharp fangs gleamed coldly in the evening light. Several servants in the distance screamed in alarm.
"Miss! Watch out!"
The dog was about to lunge at her, but Lucinda didn't even take a step back.
She slowly lifted her gaze, her cool eyes locking directly onto the dog.
Human and beast. Eye to eye.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
The next second, the previously vicious dog suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Its ears, which had been standing upright, immediately drooped. Its tail followed suit, and it even took half a step back, looking guilty.
It looked exactly like it had just encountered some terrifying force it couldn't mess with.
The surrounding servants were stunned.
Lucinda raised an eyebrow slightly and beckoned with her hand. "Come here."
Her voice was soft, but the dog seemed to understand. It immediately wagged its tail and trotted over, circling her twice before flopping down at her feet, exposing its belly in total submission.
Lucinda crouched down and scratched its head. The dog hummed contentedly.
But the next second, her movements suddenly stopped. Her eyes turned cold.
Something was wrong. This dog.
There was an extremely faint irritant scent on it—one ordinary people couldn't detect, but one that would make dogs abnormally excited, even lose control.
Lucinda lowered her head and sniffed her own sleeve.
The spot where the maid had bumped into her earlier carried the same scent, but at a much higher concentration than on the dog.
Her gaze turned ice-cold.
She lifted her head, her eyes cutting through the garden lights and landing on the shadowy corridor leading to the servants' quarters on the side of the main building.
Two people stood there.
One was in front, one hand against the wall, craning her neck to look in this direction.
The lamplight fell across her face, illuminating her carefully made-up features clearly.
Dahlia.