Chapter 198
The person on the other end was silent for two seconds, as if recalling. "The Douglas family? They only have one daughter—her name's Dahlia. Why do you ask?"
Gemma's grip on the phone loosened abruptly.
She leaned back against the sofa and let out a long breath. "No reason, just curious. Thanks. I'll treat you to dinner sometime."
She hung up and turned to Preston, her tone returning to its usual sharpness. "See? I told you! How could she possibly be from the Douglas family? They only have one daughter—Dahlia—a proper heiress. How could someone as lowly as Lucinda have that kind of luck? She probably latched onto some wealthy person, borrowed their living room, and took a few photos. That's all."
Preston glanced at her but didn't respond.
Gemma kept going, her voice sharp and certain. "She's not that kind of person. No matter how much she pretends, she could never be. The daughter of the wealthiest family? She's dreaming."
She spoke forcefully, as if trying to convince herself.
Meanwhile, at the Douglas Estate dining table, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Valencia brought out a bowl of freshly made fish soup from the kitchen, smiling as she called out, "Wesley, Cindy got first place today. I had the kitchen prepare a few extra dishes. Milton's back too, so it's perfect—the whole family can have a nice meal together."
Wesley sat at the head of the table, already picking up his utensils.
Manuel hadn't come home yet, but there was an extra person at the table—Milton.
He wore a dark gray coat and looked travel-worn, as if he'd just rushed back from out of town.
He sat down at the table, his gaze searching for Lucinda. When he finally saw her coming down the stairs, he let out a breath of relief and waved her over. "Cindy, sit here."
Lucinda walked over and sat beside him.
Valencia set the fish soup in front of her and ladled another bowl for Milton. "You came back at just the right time. Your sister got first in the nation. We're celebrating."
Milton murmured in acknowledgment, but his gaze stayed fixed on Lucinda, his eyes bright. "Cindy, you know what? Our project landed!"
He set down his utensils, speaking faster than usual. "The Starship project. We'd been stuck at the fuel system stage and were about to give up. Luckily, I got in touch with Felix—the Felix from the research world. You've heard of her, right? I had to go through so many people in the system just to reach her."
"She gave me a completely different technical approach and even sent over a batch of raw materials we couldn't get our hands on anywhere. We redid everything according to her plan, and now all the indicators are meeting standards. We're in the final assembly phase!"
He spoke animatedly, practically glowing with excitement. "You have no idea—Felix is incredible. The plan she gave us, I've gone over it more than ten times. Every step fits perfectly. Everyone on our team said if it weren't for her, this project would've been delayed at least another three years."
Lucinda held her soup bowl, listening to him go on and on about how amazing "Felix" was. She didn't say anything, just kept a faint smile on her lips.
Milton talked for a while longer before finally pausing to take a sip of water. He turned to her. "Cindy, you work in research too. You must know how incredible Felix is, right?"
Lucinda set down her soup bowl, looked up at him briefly, and nodded. "I know."
She lowered her head, speared a piece of fish with her fork, and placed it in her bowl. She didn't say anything more.
Milton didn't notice the subtle, knowing look in her expression. He turned back to Valencia and continued talking about the project, his tone brimming with barely contained joy.
Valencia listened while peeling shrimp.
The shell came off cleanly. The shrimp meat was placed on the small plate in front of Lucinda.
She looked up, watching as Lucinda speared the shrimp and brought it to her mouth. Only then did she smile with satisfaction.
"Cindy, eat more. You used so much brainpower today. You need to replenish."
Lucinda chewed the shrimp and nodded.
Valencia speared a piece of pork rib, carefully removed the bone, and placed it in Lucinda's bowl. Her movements were smooth and practiced.
Milton, sitting across from them, watched for a while before finally setting down his utensils, his voice tinged with grievance. "Mom, I came back too. You haven't served me anything."
Valencia didn't even look up, her tone casual. "You have hands, don't you? Peel it yourself."
Milton opened his mouth, watching as his mother placed a freshly peeled shrimp into Lucinda's bowl, then glanced at his own empty plate. He sighed, reached for a shrimp, and started peeling it himself.
He wasn't very skilled. The shell cracked in a few places, and his fingers got oily, but he managed to peel out one intact piece.
He didn't put it in his own mouth. Instead, he looked up, reached across the table, and placed the shrimp in Lucinda's bowl. "Cindy, try the one I peeled."
Lucinda glanced down at the extra shrimp in her bowl, and the corner of her mouth curved. "Thank you."
Milton's smile deepened. Even his utensils seemed lighter in his hands.
Valencia's movements paused. She turned her head to look at Milton, her brow arching. "What are you doing? I'm serving her. Why are you competing with me?"
"Who's competing with you?" Milton said matter-of-factly. "I care about my sister too. Is that not allowed?"
Valencia huffed and speared another piece of fish, placing it in Lucinda's bowl. "You caring is your business. Me caring is mine. Cindy, eat mine."
Lucinda looked at her overflowing bowl, then at the subtle rivalry brewing between her mother and second brother. She smiled helplessly. "That's enough. Really, it's enough."
"Not enough."
They both said it at the same time.
Dahlia sat at the far end of the table. The food in her bowl had barely been touched.
She kept her head down, pushing her utensils around the bowl, watching Valencia peel shrimp for Lucinda, serve her food, remove bones for her.
She watched Milton place his own peeled shrimp in Lucinda's bowl. Watched the entire table's attention orbit in that direction.
She took a deep breath, shoved down the churning emotions, and put that soft, gentle expression back on her face. "Milton, don't you think… ever since Lucinda came back, the family's focus has shifted?"
Her tone carried a hint of grievance. "Actually, I'm used to it by now. Before Lucinda came back, everyone's attention was on me. Now it's all on Lucinda. You just got back, so you might not be used to it yet. But it's fine. You'll get used to it eventually."
Milton, who'd been peeling another shrimp for himself, paused at her words. He looked up at her.
His gaze was flat, tinged with the irritation of someone interrupted. "What are you talking about? I care about my sister. What's the problem with that? Besides, Cindy is my real sister. If I don't care about her, who should I care about?"
Dahlia's expression froze for a moment. She was about to say something when Milton had already turned back to Lucinda, his tone warming again. "Cindy, do you have a digital copy of that perfect score exam? Let me see it. I want to study it."
Lucinda glanced at him. "I'll send it to you later."
"Great."
Dahlia sat there, her utensils hovering at the edge of her bowl. She looked down at the food inside and said nothing more.