Chapter 43
As soon as she finished speaking, Kaida turned and shouted down the hallway, "Security! Get this arrogant intern out of here!"
Two security guards came running from the stairwell. They flanked Lucinda on either side, reaching out to grab her arms.
Lucinda shifted to the side. Her left hand locked around the left guard's wrist and twisted. Before he could react, he was slammed against the wall.
The one on the right had barely reached out when her elbow was already pressed against his chest. The force wasn't much, but the placement was precise. He let out a muffled grunt, staggered back several steps, and crashed into the glass covering the fire hydrant.
In the blink of an eye, both guards were on the floor, groaning in pain.
The hallway fell silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Kaida stood with her mouth open, her expression shifting from arrogance to terror, her hand still frozen in midair.
She looked at Lucinda, instinctively backing up several steps. "You... don't come near me! I'm warning you, this is a workplace. You can't—"
Just then, the conference room door opened.
The BlueWave Tech team walked out, led by the person in charge of this collaboration.
BlueWave Tech's Vice President, Ethan Stewart.
The moment he stepped through the door, his gaze landed on Lucinda. He froze in place like he'd been struck by lightning.
After processing the shock, he hurried over in quick strides and, under everyone's stunned gazes, bowed deeply to Lucinda.
"Boss!"
The hallway fell deathly silent.
"What are you doing here?" Ethan's voice trembled. "I... I didn't know you'd come in person—"
Lucinda glanced at him, her tone calm. "It's fine."
Kaida's mind went blank.
Boss?
This girl she'd been ordering around like an intern—she was the boss of BlueWave Tech?
Her legs went weak. She had to lean against the wall to keep from collapsing.
Just then, a sharp voice rang out from the back of the crowd. "She's from the partner company? Then what was she doing sneaking into our company? Stealing trade secrets?"
The speaker was a supervisor from the finance department—one of Kaida's cronies.
As soon as those words left her mouth, several executives' eyes lit up, as if they'd grabbed onto a lifeline.
"That's right! She's from a competing company. She infiltrated us to spy!"
"This is corporate espionage! Call the police!"
Kaida's spine straightened a little. "I knew something was off. How could an intern have that kind of nerve? Turns out she's here to steal information! Mr. Stewart, is this how BlueWave Tech conducts business? Sending spies into our company—"
"Enough."
A steady voice came from the far end of the hallway.
Everyone turned to see a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit striding toward them.
It was Orion Powell, head of the Douglas Group's legal department, holding a document.
The moment Kaida's eyes landed on him, she froze like she'd been struck by lightning.
Her legs gave out. She instinctively took a half-step back, the color draining from her face.
Why was the Douglas Group's legal department here?
Her mind exploded. All the dirt buried in the ledgers—the shady kickbacks, the forged contracts—everything came flooding back.
Had they been discovered?
She swallowed hard, forcing out a smile uglier than crying. "Mr. Powell, what brings you here? Is there some misunderstanding? We were just dealing with a minor conflict—"
She bent low at the waist, her tone dripping with flattery.
Orion didn't look at her. He walked straight to Lucinda and stopped.
"Ms. Wipere, Mr. Douglas instructed us to keep your identity confidential for the time being. But given the circumstances—" He opened the document in his hands, facing everyone. "This is the Douglas Group's equity transfer document for Ridgeway Tech. Effective today, Ms. Wipere officially becomes the controlling shareholder of Ridgeway Tech and concurrently assumes the role of President."
The hallway fell into dead silence.
Kaida's smile was still plastered on her face, but it had frozen.
Her pupils dilated slowly. The color drained from her face bit by bit until it turned ashen gray.
She opened her mouth, a strangled sound escaping her throat.
"Impossible..."
She murmured, "This can't be..."
Lucinda took the document, glanced through it, and closed it.
She lifted her head, her gaze sweeping over Kaida's face before moving to the pale-faced executives behind her.
"Ms. Scott." Her voice was calm. "You just said this company answers to you?"
Kaida's lips trembled. She couldn't get a single word out.
Behind her, one of the executives was already breaking into a cold sweat, his tie askew but too afraid to straighten it.
Lucinda didn't look at her again. She turned to Ethan. "Today's negotiation ends here. I'll notify you about next steps."
Ethan nodded immediately. "Understood."
Lucinda turned to Orion. "Notify finance and audit. Starting today, we're conducting a full review. Every single transaction over the past three years—I want every flow of funds traced. Kaida and everyone behind her—"
"Don't miss a single one."
The moment Kaida heard the words "full review," it was like the bones had been pulled from her body. She slumped against the wall, her face ashen.
Behind her, some of the executives were already trembling.
Lucinda pushed open the door to the general manager's office, walked in, and closed the door behind her.
She stood by the window, looking down at the traffic below. Before she could even sit down, there were two light knocks on the door.
"Come in."
A young woman in a black suit entered—late twenties, short hair, sharp eyes.
This was Kenna Barnes, Lucinda's assistant. She'd been by Lucinda's side since she'd first started her business, helping her manage all kinds of affairs.
Kenna closed the door, walked to the desk, and pulled a report from a folder. "Boss, the situation with the Wipere family—we've got everything."
Lucinda took the report and opened it.
"Preston invested in an overseas project three months ago. It went under. Losses on paper total a hundred million dollars. He's been robbing Peter to pay Paul, using funds from other projects to cover the hole. His cash flow is about to collapse." Kenna paused, watching Lucinda's expression. "You had us quietly help him cover it before. Now..."
Lucinda closed the report and set it on the desk.
She stayed silent for two seconds, her voice flat. "Stop covering it."
Kenna's eyes brightened slightly.
"From now on, the Wipere family's affairs have nothing to do with me." Lucinda leaned back in her chair. "Pass the word down—any companies connected to me are to cease all cooperation with the Wipere Group."
Kenna's lips curved upward. She tried to hold it in for a second but couldn't—a smile spread from her eyes. "Understood, Boss. I'll handle it right away."
She turned and walked out. The door closed softly behind her, her footsteps fading down the hallway.
Lucinda sat at the desk, glanced down at the report, pushed it aside, and opened her computer to start handling Ridgeway Tech's backlog of work.
At the Wipere Villa, Gemma leaned against the sofa, her face sallow, a sheen of sweat on her forehead.
She clutched her chest, breathing heavily, her body curled into the cushions. Her voice was weak. "Opal... where's the medicine? Bring me the medicine..."
The maid, Opal, stood nearby holding a glass of water, her expression conflicted. "Mrs. Wipere, that medicine... ran out a long time ago."
"Then go buy more!" Gemma's voice shot up, but it was quickly swallowed by a fit of coughing.
Opal hesitated before speaking. "Mrs. Wipere, that medicine... Ms. Lucinda Wipere used to make it herself. You can't buy it anywhere."
Gemma froze.
She leaned back against the sofa, her expression shifting several times before she forced out a disdainful sneer. "She made it? What could she possibly make that's any good? Probably some random concoction that happened to work by luck."
She waved her hand dismissively. "Fine. If it's gone, it's gone. Call Allegra and tell her to come back and keep me company. That girl is my lucky charm. When she's here, any illness I have gets better."
Opal nodded and picked up the phone to dial.
It rang several times before someone picked up. Allegra's voice came through, the background noisy—like she was somewhere lively.
"Mom? What's up? I'm busy right now."
"Allegra, I'm not feeling well. Come back and keep me company—"
"Mom, I can't leave right now." Allegra's voice carried a hint of impatience. "Marshall's introducing me to some important people. These are connections—they're good for our family. Have Opal take care of you. We'll talk later."
The call ended.
Gemma held the phone, frozen for a moment, her expression worsening.
She put the phone down and turned to Preston, her tone tinged with grievance. "Look at this—even Allegra won't come back..."
Preston sat on the opposite sofa, scrolling through his phone, ignoring her.
He stared at the screen, his face growing paler and paler.
That overseas project—the other party had run off.
A hundred million dollars. Gone.
His fingers began to tremble. Before he could even process the news, his phone buzzed again.
Three partner companies had sent notifications almost simultaneously—terminating cooperation.
Preston's phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor, the screen cracking.
He collapsed against the sofa like all the bones had been pulled from his body, his gaze vacant, his lips moving soundlessly.