Chapter 61
In the car, Lucinda leaned back in the passenger seat, phone pressed to her ear, her voice cool and efficient. "I reviewed the audit report for Ridgeway Tech. Transfer Kaida's case directly to legal. Have Ethan bring the revised project proposal from BlueWave Tech to meet me tomorrow."
Kenna on the other end responded crisply and reported a few more matters.
Lucinda listened to each one, issued brief instructions, and hung up.
The car fell silent.
She turned her head and found Reginald watching her.
At some point, his hand had reached over and taken hers.
His gaze rested on her face. He said nothing. Just looked at her.
Lucinda felt a little self-conscious under his stare. "What are you looking at?"
"That call lasted six minutes." His voice was low, tinged with grievance. "Since I got in the car, you've said maybe a handful of words to me. But you said a whole lot to whoever was on that call."
Lucinda looked at him.
The chairman of the Lancaster Group, the world's richest man, currently wore the expression of a child whose candy had been stolen.
"That was work."
"Is work more important than me?" His brow furrowed slightly, his tone serious. He wasn't joking.
Lucinda stayed silent for a second, deciding not to argue with someone who was jealous of a work call.
But Reginald seemed to grow even more aggrieved. He held her hand tighter.
Lucinda glanced down. Fine. She wasn't going to argue about anything anymore.
The car stopped at the corner near the Douglas Estate. Lucinda glanced at Reginald's hand again.
Reginald took a deep breath, let go of her hand, pushed open the car door, and got out. He walked around to her side and opened the door for her himself.
"Go on in." He stood under the streetlight. "Get some rest."
Lucinda nodded, turned, and walked inside.
The door closed behind her.
Reginald stood there, staring at the shut door.
Warm yellow light spilled through the cracks. He could faintly hear muffled voices inside.
He stood there a moment longer before finally turning back to the car.
Inside, the living room was brightly lit. Valencia sat on the sofa, phone still clutched in her hand. When she saw Lucinda walk in, her eyes lit up instantly. "Cindy's home!"
She rushed over, her smile so bright it could melt butter. "Mr. Hayden Lancaster just called personally! He said you're the best girl he's ever met. He even said—he's never asked anyone for anything in his life, but today he's asking us to let our daughter marry into the Lancaster family."
Lucinda's mouth twitched slightly.
Wesley stood up from the sofa and picked up the thread. "He also had someone send over two plots of land—one in the West City development zone and one in the South District commercial area. He said it's a greeting gift for his daughter-in-law. The deeds have already been delivered. They're just waiting for you to sign and transfer ownership."
He picked up two documents from the coffee table and pushed them toward her.
Lucinda glanced down. She mentally calculated the market value of the two plots, and her brow twitched. "This is too much. I should—"
"Keep it, keep it." Valencia pushed the documents back, smiling warmly. "This is Mr. Hayden Lancaster's gesture of goodwill. If you refuse, you'll hurt his feelings. Don't worry—we've already worked it out. These plots will be registered under your name. They'll be your premarital property."
Lucinda looked at the two documents, then at Valencia and Wesley's faces, both of which clearly read Our daughter deserves the best. She stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.
In the shadows of the staircase, Dahlia stood at the corner, her fingers gripping the banister so tightly her knuckles turned white.
She hadn't expected Hayden to personally call and praise Lucinda—much less send over two plots of land through his closest confidant.
She took a deep breath, swallowed the bitterness rising in her throat, plastered on a gentle smile, and descended the stairs gracefully. "Lucinda's home."
Her voice was sweet as honey. Her gaze swept over the two deeds, and her smile deepened. "I heard the Lancaster family sent Lucinda two plots of land as a greeting gift? That's wonderful. I'm so happy for her."
She spoke with such sincerity that her eyes even reddened slightly.
Lucinda looked at her for two seconds.
Then the corner of her mouth curved, and she let out a barely audible scoff.
Her smile was faint, but to Dahlia, it felt like a crisp slap across the face.
Dahlia's smile froze for a beat. Quickly, she smoothed over the crack with practiced ease.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at Lucinda with the gaze of someone older and wiser observing a naive child. Her tone was gentle. "But there are some things I feel I should say—for your own good."
She paused, her voice softening further. "You spent twenty years in a small town. You don't understand the rules here in Starlight City. Mr. Hayden Lancaster likes you—that's your good fortune. But he—"
She stopped deliberately, her gaze carrying the certainty of someone who knew better. "What he values most is real talent and skill. Someone like me, for example, can at least show him an award from a design competition. That makes him happy. But you—"
Her gaze swept over Lucinda from top to bottom, and she shook her head with concern. "Once the novelty wears off, what will you have to keep Mr. Hayden Lancaster interested? I'm genuinely worried for you."
Lucinda looked at her, her gaze as calm as still water. "So?"
Dahlia's brow furrowed slightly. Before she could think of how to respond, Lucinda's voice rang out again. "Then why, when you went to the Lancaster Estate today, didn't they even ask you to stay for dinner?"
The air in the living room froze.
Valencia's smile faltered. Wesley's hand, mid-flip through a document, stopped in mid-air.
Dahlia's face went deathly pale.
She opened her mouth, trying to find an excuse, but all the words stuck in her throat. She couldn't force out a single syllable.
Because Lucinda was right.
She'd walked through the Lancaster Estate doors, hadn't even warmed the seat, and was promptly shown out.
Meanwhile, Lucinda had done nothing and still ended up sitting beside Hayden.
Lucinda didn't look at her again. She turned and headed upstairs.
Her footsteps were unhurried, disappearing at the top of the stairs.
Dahlia stood frozen, her nails digging into her palms. The pain brought tears to her eyes.
She bit down hard on her lip, swallowing the indignation and humiliation rising in her chest.
Then she turned around. Tears were already streaming down her face. "Mommy…"
Her voice trembled, as if she'd suffered the greatest injustice. By the time she reached Valencia, her steps were unsteady. "I don't know why Lucinda treats me this way. I really was just trying to help her. I was afraid she wouldn't know anything and would be laughed at by people at the Lancaster family… But Lucinda… she seems like she can't stand me."
Valencia froze, quickly reaching out to steady her.
Dahlia's tears fell harder. "I know I'm not Mom and Dad's biological daughter. Now that Lucinda's back, I should be happy. But she always seems to think I'm trying to steal what's hers… Mommy, I'm really not. I was just afraid people would look down on Lucinda, so I said a few things out of turn…"
"As for Mr. Hayden Lancaster, I have no idea why he has a misunderstanding about me. Today I went to wish him a happy birthday. I saw Lucinda chatting happily with him, but the moment I walked over, she stopped talking—like she'd said something she didn't want me to hear. Then he didn't even offer me tea before sending me away…"
She looked up, her tear-filled eyes meeting Valencia's. "Mommy, did I do something wrong?"
Both Valencia and Wesley had felt a twinge of displeasure at what Dahlia had said to Lucinda earlier. But now, seeing her look so pitiful, Valencia's heart softened. She pulled Dahlia into her arms and patted her back gently, soothing her. "Don't cry, don't cry. Your sister just has that kind of personality—she speaks bluntly. She's not targeting you on purpose. As for Mr. Hayden Lancaster, maybe he just got out of the hospital and was in a bad mood. It wasn't about you. Don't take it to heart."
Wesley walked over and patted Dahlia's shoulder. "Dahlia, don't overthink it. You've been in this family for twenty years. You're our daughter. Now that Cindy's back, there's one more person in the house. But that doesn't mean you'll have any less of a place here. That will never change."