Chapter 48
The car stopped in front of the Ridgeway Tech building.
Lucinda withdrew her hand and pushed open the door. Reginald's voice came from behind her. "I'll pick you up after work. Don't disappear again."
Lucinda didn't answer. She closed the car door, turned, and walked toward the building.
That gaze followed her back until she disappeared through the entrance. The car slowly pulled away.
She entered the lobby. Ethan was already waiting by the elevator.
He held a stack of documents. When he saw Lucinda, he hurried over and bowed slightly. "Ms. Wipere, here's today's schedule and a few documents that need your signature."
Lucinda took the documents, flipping through them as she walked into the elevator.
Ethan followed behind her, his explanation clear and methodical. "The project coordination with BlueWave Tech is complete. The partner is very satisfied with our proposal. Additionally, the financial audit for Ridgeway Tech is still ongoing. We've already uncovered quite a few issues. As for Kaida—"
He paused. "Some matters may require your personal attention."
"Understood." Lucinda closed the documents. The elevator door opened, and she stepped out.
At the same time, across the street from the Ridgeway Tech building, a black sedan was parked at the corner.
Allegra sat in the back seat, her expression sour.
She'd only found out last night about the disaster at home—a hundred million dollar loss, all partners terminating cooperation. The Wipere family was on the verge of collapse.
She hadn't slept well all night. This morning, Gemma had dragged her out the door.
"Mom, who exactly are we looking for?" Allegra's tone was impatient. "Why are we out here so early?"
Gemma's face was sallow, dark circles under her eyes. She looked like she'd aged ten years overnight.
She clutched her purse strap, her voice hoarse. "BlueWave Tech is our biggest partner. They suddenly terminated cooperation. Your father says if we can convince them to continue working with us, our family will be saved."
Preston sat in the passenger seat, his face ashen, silent.
"But they won't see us." Allegra frowned. "We went to BlueWave Tech earlier. They wouldn't even let us through the door."
"That's why we followed him here." Gemma's gaze was locked on the entrance to Ridgeway Tech. "Ethan is the VP of BlueWave Tech. He's here on business. We'll wait. When he comes out, we'll approach him."
Allegra sighed, leaning back in her seat, staring out the window with bored eyes.
Then her gaze froze.
In the lobby of Ridgeway Tech, a woman was walking through the entrance.
Black suit jacket. White undershirt. Hair pulled back, revealing a slender neck.
She held documents in her hand, head lowered as she spoke to someone beside her. The lines of her profile were cool and composed, like a painting.
Allegra's pupils contracted slightly.
Lucinda.
Before she could speak, she saw Ethan hurrying over from another side of the lobby. He approached Lucinda, bowed slightly, his demeanor as respectful as a subordinate.
He was saying something—too far away to hear—but the posture was unmistakably humble. Like... a subordinate addressing a superior.
Her mind went blank.
Gemma saw it too.
She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Ethan was still standing in front of Lucinda, flipping through documents to show her.
"What's going on?" Gemma murmured. "This can't be..."
Preston saw it too. His face was full of disbelief.
Fortunately, Ethan didn't talk to Lucinda for long before walking out of Ridgeway Tech.
He straightened his documents and headed toward his company car.
Seeing this, the Wipere family couldn't worry about what they'd just seen. They quickly started the car, trying to follow him.
Just then, two security guards in black uniforms walked toward them. One approached the driver's side and knocked on the window.
Preston rolled down the window. Before he could speak, the guard's voice came through, cold and firm. "Sir, you've been following for several days now. If you continue, we'll call the police."
Preston's face darkened. The veins on his hand gripping the steering wheel bulged.
Still, he could only force a smile. "All right. I understand."
Once the guards left, Preston's expression turned vicious. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel. The horn let out a sharp, short blare.
"Why?" His voice was hoarse. "Why does she get to see him? We can't even get through the door!"
Gemma bit down hard. "That little bitch must have used some kind of trick. Didn't you see? That Ethan was so respectful to her. She's barely in her twenties. What gives her the right to be treated like that?"
Allegra suddenly sat up straight, her eyes lighting up as if she'd figured something out.
"Mom, yesterday when I went out with Marshall, we ran into her twice. Guess what? She was with one man at noon, then a different man in the evening. She changes men twice a day. This Ethan—" She paused, her tone certain. "He must be another one she's latched onto. She whispered in his ear, got him to cut off cooperation with us. She's getting back at us on purpose. She's deliberately trying to ruin us!"
Gemma's eyes went wide. The more she thought about it, the more her daughter's words made sense.
"That little bitch!" Her voice turned shrill. "She freeloaded off the Wipere family for twenty years, and now she turns around and bites us? Does she have no conscience?"
Preston said nothing, but his expression grew even darker.
He stayed silent for a few seconds, then started the car and turned to leave.
Allegra leaned back in her seat, watching the scenery blur past the window. Her lips curved slightly.
So what if Lucinda had latched onto rich men? It was all bought by selling herself.
But she, Allegra, was with Marshall—clean, proper, and respectable.
The car drove for a while. Gemma's stomach growled.
Only then did she remember they hadn't eaten all morning.
Preston patted his pocket. His wallet only had a few bills left.
He stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke. "Let's go to the nursing home."
Gemma froze. "What for?"
"That old woman's nursing fees cost a fortune every month." Preston's voice turned cold. "She's not waking up anyway. Instead of throwing money into that bottomless pit, we might as well use it for now. Once we're back on our feet, we'll bring her back."
Gemma hesitated, but quickly nodded.
That old woman wasn't waking up anyway. What difference did it make where she was kept?
Better to use that money for emergencies than let the nursing home take it.
Allegra said nothing, but satisfaction flickered in her eyes.
Grandma's assets should have been hers all along.
Lucinda wanted to take them? Not a chance.
The car changed direction and headed toward the nursing home.
At the same time, in the Ridgeway Tech office, Lucinda sat at her desk reviewing documents when her phone suddenly buzzed.
She picked it up. It was a call from Nash at the nursing home.
She answered. Nash's voice came through, carrying a note of gravity. "Ms. Wipere, the matter you asked us to investigate—about the poppy husks at the airport—we've made progress."