Chapter 102
Marshall's expression darkened. "You can't just say things like that. No one can afford to offend the Douglas family."
"Of course I know that." Allegra pulled out her phone from her handbag, scrolled to the photos she'd taken earlier, and held it in front of Marshall. "Marshall, I'm only telling you this because I trust you. Look—this is a photo of her with Ollie at the entrance. And now she's with the Douglas family patriarch. He's even handing her things, smiling so happily."
Marshall took the phone and looked down at the screen.
The first photo: Lucinda standing at the entrance, next to a man in a charcoal gray suit. They were close together, the angle carefully chosen to make it look ambiguous.
The second photo: In the VIP section, the Douglas family patriarch leaning toward her with a smile, holding a box, as if offering her something.
Marshall's frown deepened, though he still said, "This doesn't really prove anything…"
"There's more." Allegra took the phone back, scrolled through a few more pictures, her tone growing more concerned. "When I went to the restroom earlier, I also saw Lucinda with that man in the hallway… they looked very intimate. I didn't dare take a picture—I was afraid of being caught. Marshall, why do you think Lucinda would make such poor choices? A perfectly good girl, but she insists on going down this path. That Douglas family patriarch has a wife and daughter. If she keeps throwing herself at him and the Douglas family finds out, she'll be ruined."
She paused, sighed, and lowered her voice. "Though I suppose it makes sense. Lucinda's so beautiful—what man could resist? No wonder the Douglas family patriarch treats her so well—bringing her into the VIP section, handing her things."
Marshall's expression changed completely.
His gaze landed in Lucinda's direction. That deep blue silhouette sat quietly in the VIP section, her profile serene and delicate—like a painting.
When he'd first seen her moments ago, his heartbeat had skipped.
He'd even thought—what if the engagement with the Wipere family had been with her instead? What if she hadn't rejected him? What if she'd been willing to be with him properly—
But now, he just felt disgusted.
Disgusted that he'd been so captivated by a woman like this.
Selling herself for favors. Seducing a married man. Shameless.
He pulled his gaze away, his voice cold as ice. "She brought it on herself. The Douglas family—who are they? The wealthiest family in the country. She thinks she can play games with people like that? When she's found out one day, she won't even know how she died."
He turned to look at Allegra, his gaze softening slightly. He reached out and took her hand. "You're different. Clean and pure. Not like her—degrading herself."
Allegra lowered her head, her mouth curving into a bashful smile, her voice soft. "Marshall, don't say that about Lucinda. She has her own difficulties."
"What difficulties? She needs money? Even if she needed money, she shouldn't do something like this." Marshall's voice was full of disgust. He released her hand. "Don't learn from her. Stay away from her from now on. Don't let her corrupt you. And don't get involved in anything with the Douglas family either. If you attract trouble, no one will be able to save you. She doesn't value herself—if something happens, she'll have brought it on herself."
Allegra nodded obediently. "I understand, Marshall. I won't cause any trouble."
She lowered her head, her mouth curving into a fleeting smile, satisfaction flickering in her eyes.
'Lucinda, what do you have to compete with me? No matter how beautiful you look, in Marshall's eyes, you're nothing but a shameless tramp. And I, Allegra—I'm the one he sees as clean, pure, and worth cherishing.'
Her gaze landed on that deep blue figure in the VIP section, her smile slowly deepening.
Just wait.
When the Douglas family finds out one day, let's see how long she can stay smug.
The lighting in the VIP section was soft and bright, illuminating every face clearly.
Valencia was looking down at her phone. The screen lit up with a message.
She opened it, her brow furrowing slightly before smoothing out again, a layer of surprised delight surfacing in her eyes.
She handed the phone to Wesley beside her, her voice low but her excitement impossible to hide. "Mom woke up. The hospital just called. She woke this afternoon—conscious, able to recognize people."
Wesley took the phone, glanced at it, and his mouth curved into a smile. He nodded. "Good news. Let's go see her."
Valencia stood, smoothed the hem of her gown, and turned to look at her two daughters.
Her gaze landed on Dahlia first, her voice gentle. "Dahlia, your grandmother woke up. We need to go to the hospital. You stay here and accept your award. I'll make it up to you with a celebration later."
Dahlia immediately stood and looped her arm through Valencia's, her eyes slightly red, her voice tinged with emotion. "Mommy, Grandma woke up? That's wonderful! Go ahead—don't worry about me. I'll come home right after I accept the award. I'll be waiting for good news."
Valencia patted the back of her hand, then turned to Lucinda. "Cindy, we're going to the hospital. You—"
Lucinda lifted her head, glanced at her, and her mouth curved slightly. "Go ahead. I'll stay here."
Valencia looked at her nonchalant expression and couldn't help but smile. She bent down and kissed her forehead, gave a few more instructions—"Don't wander off," "Eat something if you're hungry"—then hurried off with Wesley.
Their silhouettes disappeared into the shadows of the side entrance. The VIP table instantly fell quiet.
Dahlia returned to her seat. The warmth and obedience on her face vanished completely.
She picked up her juice, took a sip, turned her head to look at Lucinda, and smiled meaningfully. "Lucinda, you came at the right time today. Getting to see me win first place in person—consider it an eye-opener. This level of awards ceremony—I doubt you've seen anything like it in that little backwater town of yours, have you?"
She finished speaking and waited for Lucinda's reaction.
Lucinda pulled earbuds from her handbag, put them in, and opened a game on her phone.
A line of text appeared on the screen. Her fingers swiped across it twice, her expression flat, as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Dahlia's smile froze.
She stared at Lucinda with her earbuds in, head down, playing her game—and it felt like a stone was lodged in her chest.
She was here showing off her achievements, and that woman was wearing earbuds playing a game, not even sparing her a glance.
"You—" She opened her mouth to say something, but seeing Lucinda's eyes not even looking in her direction, all her words stuck in her throat.
She took a deep breath, swallowed down the surge of anger, and turned her head toward the stage.
Just wait.
When she goes up to accept her award, let's see if Lucinda can stay this indifferent.
The stage lights dimmed. A spotlight hit center stage.
The host walked up—suited, smiling, holding a gold-embossed card.
He stood before the microphone, his voice booming.
"Distinguished guests, welcome to the City Jewelry Design Competition Awards Ceremony. Today, we will unveil the top ten works of this year's competition. After rigorous evaluation by our judging panel, ten works have emerged from over a thousand entries."
The large screen lit up. Ten display stands covered in red cloth were arranged in a row, each concealing a design sketch and a finished piece of jewelry.
"Now, we will begin the unveiling from tenth place."
As the host finished speaking, the first red cloth was slowly lifted.
Polite applause rippled through the audience.
Tenth place: a silver brooch. Simple design, fine craftsmanship—but nothing spectacular.
Ninth place, eighth place, seventh place… one piece after another was revealed. Applause followed in waves. The atmosphere gradually heated up.
Lucinda kept her head down, fingers swiping rapidly across her phone screen. The game sound effects in her earbuds mixed with the music in the venue. She didn't even lift an eyelid.
Dahlia sat beside her, back ramrod straight, gaze fixed on the stage.
Her fingers tapped lightly on her knee. Her heartbeat quickened with each unveiling.
Sixth place, fifth place, fourth place.
Finally, after third place was revealed, the host stood center stage, his voice rising several notches.
"Next, we have second place in this year's competition."