Chapter 68
The draft in the hallway swept past Joseph from behind. The cold sweat clinging to his shirt chilled him so sharply he nearly shivered.
He'd been in this business for nearly a decade. He'd seen trust-fund heirs parachuted in from above. He'd seen executives dispatched from headquarters. He'd seen all kinds of young people here to pad their resumes. But none of them were like Lucinda.
Silent. Unassuming. By the time you realized what was happening, the blade was already at your throat.
At the office door, Lucinda was speaking quietly to Gaia.
Gaia's eyes were still red, but she was no longer hunched over. Her spine was straight.
"After this, the company will undergo a comprehensive personnel restructuring." Lucinda spoke each word deliberately. "As long as you're at Ridgeway Tech, and as long as you don't violate any fundamental principles, you will always have a place here."
Gaia's lips trembled. Finally, tears spilled from her eyes.
She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, then bent at the waist and bowed deeply to Lucinda. "Thank you, Ms. Wipere… Thank you so much…"
Lucinda reached out, steadying Gaia's shoulders and gently lifting her upright. "Take two days off to rest. Come back when you're ready. Your desk isn't going anywhere."
Gaia nodded hard and turned to leave.
At the door, she paused. She looked back at Lucinda, her lips moving as if she wanted to say so much more. In the end, only one sentence came out. "Thank you."
Lucinda returned to her desk and opened the next file.
The office fell silent again. She threw herself fully into her work.
Some time later, there was a knock at the door.
Three measured taps.
"Come in."
The door opened. Joseph walked in.
His suit was fully buttoned now. His tie had been straightened, lying neatly against the front of his shirt.
He stood across from Lucinda but didn't sit. His hands hung at his sides, fingers unconsciously rubbing the seams of his trousers.
"Ms. Wipere." His voice was lower than usual. "About Yves—could you show some leniency? He's my brother-in-law. My wife only has one brother. Let him off this time, and I promise I'll keep him in line. He'll never set foot in this company again."
Lucinda set down her documents and looked up. "Mr. Miller, do you really think this is negotiable?"
Her tone was calm, unhurried—but it sent cold sweat trickling down Joseph's back.
"You feel sorry for your brother-in-law getting hauled into the station. But what about Gaia? What about Xyla? What about Remy? Those girls fresh out of college, dragging their suitcases from other cities to this one, thinking they'd found a job that could give them stability—and the first door they walked through had your people sitting behind it."
Her gaze pinned him in place. "For the rest of their lives, every time they close their eyes, they'll see that office. You call it a momentary lapse in judgment. Who's going to compensate them for the rest of their lives?"
Joseph's lips moved several times before he finally forced out a sentence. "Those people… they're just outsiders from other cities…"
Hearing those words, Lucinda let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
Even now, he felt no remorse.
Then there was nothing more to say.
"Get out."
She cut him off at the root with those two words.
Joseph stood frozen. His expression shifted from ashen to humiliated. He wanted to say more, but when he met Lucinda's cold, unyielding face, he couldn't force out a single word.
He turned and walked toward the door, each step heavy and dragging.
By evening, Lucinda stepped out of the Ridgeway Tech building. Reginald's Maybach was already waiting at the curb.
He leaned against the car door, eyes fixed on the building's exit. The moment he saw her, his eyes brightened. He straightened up.
"How long have you been waiting?"
"Not long."
He opened the car door, his hand resting on the upper edge of the frame.
But the shoulder of his coat was dusted with the faint glow of dusk, and his hair had been tousled slightly by the wind. He didn't look like someone who'd only been waiting "not long."
When the car pulled into the quiet tree-lined drive of the Douglas Estate, Valencia and Wesley were already standing at the entrance.
Seeing Reginald step out of the driver's seat, Valencia's smile slowly spread across her face. "Reginald's here too! Perfect. We just finished making dinner. Come in and eat with us."
Reginald glanced at Lucinda, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. Then he nodded to Valencia, his voice softer than usual. "Thank you, Mrs. Douglas."
At the dinner table, Wesley had two glasses of wine. His face flushed slightly, and he became more talkative than usual.
"Cindy, I heard all about what happened at Ridgeway Tech. Ella, Yves, Joseph—you rooted them all out in less than a week. Clean and efficient." He paused, his eyes lighting up. "How about the two companies up north and that project down south? Why don't I hand those over to you too—"
"Dad, I really don't have the time." Lucinda set down her utensils, her tone tinged with helplessness.
Wesley looked at her face, which practically screamed "Please spare me", and fell silent for a moment. He waved his hand. "Fine, fine. I won't push you."
Before his words had fully settled, Reginald, sitting beside Lucinda, set down his utensils.
He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a document. The cover bore the emblem of a notary office.
He placed the document on the table, his long fingers resting on the cover, and slid it toward Lucinda. "This is a notarized declaration of my assets. Everything under my name—Lancaster Group equity, real estate, investment projects—can all be transferred to you."
The table fell silent instantly.
Valencia's utensils froze mid-air. Wesley's hand, holding his wine glass, hung suspended. His face was full of disbelief.
The Lancaster family was the wealthiest in the world. Their fortune exceeded even the Douglases'.
And he was just… giving it to Cindy?
Reginald's voice was calm and steady as he pushed the document closer to Lucinda. "Sign it, and it's all yours. If you don't want the workload, I'll still manage everything. You can just sit back and collect the money."
Lucinda pushed the document back. "I don't want it."
"The notarization is already done." He pushed it back.
They stared at each other for a long moment. Lucinda took a deep breath and pushed the document aside. "Let's eat first."
Reginald's lips curved slightly. He picked up his utensils and speared a piece of steak for her.
In the shadows of the staircase, Dahlia stood at the corner, one hand gripping the banister so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Her gaze was locked on the notarized document Lucinda had pushed aside. Her nails dug into her palm. The pain made her entire arm tremble.
Reginald was going to transfer all his assets to Lucinda?
Lancaster Group equity, real estate, investment projects—he didn't even blink before offering to hand it all over to Lucinda?
No!
That was hers!
Reginald was hers. The Lancaster family fortune was hers. Why should it all go to Lucinda?
Then she heard Lucinda's "I don't want it." She heard the sound of the document being pushed aside, paper scraping against the table.
Her breathing eased for a moment. Slowly, she released her grip on the banister. Her palm bore several deep red marks from her nails.
'Lucinda, at least you have some self-awareness. You know not to take what doesn't belong to you. Just wait. One day, all of this will be mine.'
She turned and headed upstairs, her footsteps light. Back in her room, she sat at her vanity and stared at herself in the mirror for a long time.
The face staring back was still beautiful. Delicate features. Smooth skin. A perfectly contoured jawline.
She reached for a dress she'd bought long ago but never dared to wear—a silk slip dress. The fabric clung to her body. The neckline plunged low, revealing a graceful collarbone and the soft curves beneath.
She turned slightly in front of the mirror, then slowly smiled.
There was still a chance.
As long as Lucinda hadn't signed that document. As long as Reginald didn't truly belong to her yet. There was still a chance.