Chapter 233
Dahlia still stood by the doorway. No one asked her to sit. No one spoke up for her.
She clenched her fingers, nails digging into her palms. Finally, she walked to the farthest seat at the edge of the table and sat down in silence.
Seeing everyone take her side, Hestia let a triumphant smile creep onto her face.
Where no one could see, she smugly raised an eyebrow at Dahlia, then covered her face and burst into tears again.
Seeing that smug look, Dahlia felt like she was going to explode with rage!
But she was powerless to do anything about it. She could only swallow this humiliation in silence.
Lucinda sat at the center of the round table. She hadn't said a word the entire time.
From the moment Hestia threw herself into Yvonne's arms, Lucinda's gaze had rested lightly on her.
The tear in the dress hem—its edges were clean and uniform, as if cut with a blade. Even the direction of the fabric fibers was consistent.
How could a dress that had been "torn" look this neat?
She lifted her teacup, took a sip, and lowered her eyes as if she'd seen nothing.
Whether Dahlia had torn the dress or not—she didn't care.
Whether Hestia was putting on an act—she didn't care either.
She just didn't want to get involved.
Just then, the door to the private room opened again. Reginald and Milton walked in one after the other.
In an instant, the noisy room fell silent, as if someone had hit mute.
The two men carried an oppressive aura unique to those in power, making everyone instinctively hold their breath.
Yet these two men—normally cold and imposing—were each holding an exquisite pastry box in their hands.
The moment they entered, neither spared even half a second's glance at the sobbing Hestia. They made a beeline straight for Lucinda.
"Cindy." Milton adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and stepped up to Lucinda's side first.
His gentle face was full of affection. He carefully opened the pastry box and held it out to her. "This is from that shop you love—the molten lava cakes. Fresh out of the oven. Try one."
Seeing this, Reginald quickly squeezed in as well, forcibly pushing his own box onto the table in front of Lucinda. "Lucinda, eat mine. I waited in line for half an hour. Mine's hotter than your second brother's."
One was the world's richest man, the head of Dusk Reign Crew—a ruthless "living King of Hell" in the outside world.
The other was a titan in the scientific research community, the untouchable pride of the Douglas family.
Yet at this very moment, they acted like two children competing for attention, hovering eagerly around Lucinda, eyes fixed only on her.
Lucinda looked at the two men practically glued to her sides and rubbed her temples helplessly.
Childish.
So incredibly childish.
Meanwhile, everyone else in the room had been completely sidelined.
Torn dresses? Adopted daughters fighting for favor? In the eyes of these two top-tier moguls, none of it was worth a single strand of Lucinda's hair.
Hestia, who'd been waiting to watch Dahlia get humiliated, now gripped the hem of her dress so tightly her nails nearly broke skin.
Why?
She'd cried so pitifully, suffered such a huge "injustice"—and yet these two most handsome, most powerful men in the room wouldn't even spare her a glance!
Their eyes only had room for that country bumpkin, Lucinda!
Just then, Milton received a phone call.
He frowned, said something into the phone, then looked at Lucinda apologetically. "Cindy, there's an emergency meeting at the research institute. I need to head back right away."
"Alright, go ahead. Don't let it delay your work. I'll walk you out." Lucinda stood.
Reginald, sitting beside her, immediately stood as well, his gaze glued to her. "I'll come too."
Lucinda glanced at him coolly, her tone indifferent. "You stay here."
She pointed at her coat and bag on the table. "Help me pack my things. Wait for me here."
If it were anyone else speaking to Reginald in such a commanding tone, they'd probably never see tomorrow's sunrise.
But Reginald simply replied obediently, "Okay. Come back soon. I'll wait for you."
His docile demeanor—if the employees of Lancaster Group ever saw it, their jaws would hit the floor.
Lucinda sighed inwardly.
These two were insufferable enough on their own. It was better not to let them be together.
She accompanied Milton out of the private room and took the exclusive VIP elevator down.
Outside the elevator, at the entrance to the club, Milton's driver had already pulled the car up.
"Milton, drive safely." Lucinda said her goodbyes.
Milton stood on the steps, gazing at Lucinda with reluctance in his eyes.
Before leaving, he took two more steps toward her. With slender, clean fingers, he gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Don't stay up too late tonight. Take care of yourself. If anything comes up, call me anytime, okay?"
"I know, Milton." Lucinda felt a warmth in her chest. Rarely showing such tenderness, she stepped forward and gave him a light hug. "Go on now. Don't waste time."
Milton smiled and patted her back gently before turning to get into the car.
The car slowly drove away.
Meanwhile, Allegra—who had witnessed the entire scene from the first-floor lobby—was hiding behind a Roman column, taking it all in.
A faint shutter sound clicked.
Allegra held up her phone, capturing the moment when Lucinda and Milton embraced—crystal clear.
She'd been waiting in the lobby all along, unwilling to give up. She wanted to see if those two devastatingly handsome men would come back after Marshall left.
But when they returned, they'd used the VIP-only passage and elevator. She hadn't even caught a glimpse of their coat-tails. She'd waited all this time for nothing.
Just as she was about to leave in frustration, she stumbled upon this scene!
"Lucinda… you slut!"
Allegra stared at the photo on her phone, her teeth grinding with hatred, her face twisting with jealousy.
Why?
Why did Lucinda—this country bumpkin—get all the best opportunities, all the top-tier resources?
Even men this handsome, this distinguished, treated her with such care and tenderness?
This world was so unfair!
But soon, Allegra took a deep breath, a flash of crazed anticipation gleaming in her eyes.
"Lucinda, having Marshall wasn't enough for you. Now you've hooked another one. Let's see what happens when the other man finds out you're a two-timing whore!"
At that thought, her lips slowly curled into a smile.
She would stay here and wait for the other man—the one from the restroom earlier—to appear!
If she used this photo wisely and showed it to him, let him see Lucinda's true colors, he'd be utterly disgusted with her!
Then, she could trample Lucinda underfoot and take her place!