Chapter 267

Chapter 267

Lucinda paused at those words.

Royce had never brought up Cleo in front of her.

So he'd sent Tamsin because he was worried she'd be hurting alone.

She looked away. The corner of her mouth softened.

"Come on, let me show you the dorm." Tamsin linked their arms and walked her inside. Valencia and Wesley followed, taking in their surroundings with approving nods.

The institute's main complex was a cluster of gray-white buildings ringed by neatly trimmed lawns. In the distance, the glass facades of several lab buildings caught the sunlight.

Royce hadn't come out himself, but he'd arranged everything ahead of time.

A young man in glasses waited at the foot of the dormitory building, a set of keys in hand. The moment he saw Lucinda, he came forward quickly.

"Ms. Wipere, Professor Castillo has arranged for you to have the entire top floor of Building Three. Ms. Boleyn's room is next door. Everything's been prepared."

He led them to the elevator.

The top floor of Building Three had just two doors.

The left one read "Lucinda." The right one read "Tamsin."

He handed over the keys and discreetly stepped back to wait by the elevator.

Valencia pushed open the left door and peeked inside.

She let out a soft exclamation.

The room was spacious. The floor-to-ceiling windows faced a small lake behind the institute, where white waterfowl skimmed low over the surface. Linen-colored curtains hung with a natural drape. Pale gray carpet covered the floor.

A wide desk sat positioned by the window, already stocked with a fresh notebook and a few pens. On the small side table, someone had placed a small bunch of white daisies.

Valencia touched the flowers and turned to Lucinda. "They really take care of you here."

Wesley stood in the doorway, scanned the room, and nodded. He didn't say anything, but the satisfaction in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Valencia worked through the bathroom, the wardrobe, the mattress firmness, and even tested the bedside lamp for brightness before finally stepping back with a satisfied sigh. "Alright. Very good. As long as you're comfortable here, I'm at ease."

Lucinda stood by the window, watching the waterfowl on the lake. She said nothing.

From below came the sound of engines—Reginald's convoy beginning to pull out one by one. He hadn't come up. He'd taken a call at the institute gate and hadn't returned to the car since.

Valencia and Wesley chatted with Lucinda a little longer, confirmed she had everything she needed, and headed downstairs.

The sound of footsteps faded. The hallway went quiet.

Tamsin leaned against the doorframe of the room next door, yawned, and waved a lazy hand at Lucinda. "I'm going to sleep. Do your thing."

She closed her door.

Lucinda stood in the center of the room and looked at the daisies. She reached out and lightly touched one of the white petals.

At the corner of the institute hallway, Reginald had just ended his call. The phone screen was still glowing.

He pocketed it and turned toward the dormitory building—then caught a flash of white in his peripheral vision.

Dahlia stood three steps away, her expression carefully arranged into something fragile.

"Reginald..."

Reginald turned. He looked down at her from his full height.

His eyes were deep and completely without warmth—the same flat look you'd give a stranger you had no connection with whatsoever.

Under that gaze, Dahlia went cold all over.

But Violette's words echoed in her head. She forced herself forward, her voice soft and helpless. "Reginald, this place is so big, and I'm a little scared on my own... My room is far from Lucinda's. Could you... could you walk with me for a bit? Help me get my bearings?"

She bit her lower lip lightly, tilting her head, trying to mirror the cool composure Lucinda carried so naturally.

Reginald simply watched her.

"Dahlia." His voice was quiet. Each word landed like ice. "Drop the imitation. It doesn't suit you."

Dahlia's face went white. "Reginald, I just—"

"Stay away from me." He cut her off. "Fake. Two-faced. Self-important. Did you really think those petty little games of yours were invisible? You've been performing at the Douglas family, and now you're trying to copy Cindy?"

He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. "You don't come close to her. Not even close. I'm warning you—even if you had her face, I wouldn't spare you a second glance. If you come near me again, or if you lay so much as a finger on Cindy..."

His eyes narrowed. "I have every means to make sure you don't last here. Are we clear?"

He didn't wait for an answer. He turned and walked away without looking back.

Dahlia stood frozen in the hallway.

Then she turned and ran back to her room.

It was on the fourth floor of the standard block. No floor-to-ceiling windows. No lake view. No white daisies.

Just a single bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.

She closed the door, dropped her bag on the floor, and curled into the chair, knees pulled to her chest, face buried against them.

Her phone lit up.

She reached for it and opened the chat.

[He tore into me. Said I was fake and two-faced. Said I'm nothing compared to her.]

The reply came fast. [He said that and you're already crying?]

Her tears came anyway, her fingers trembling as she typed. [He didn't even look at me properly.]

[That's because you have nothing right now. Men are all the same—the more you chase, the less they respect you. The day you're standing somewhere he can't reach, he'll turn around.]

Dahlia stared at the screen, nails pressing into her phone case.

[Everything that woman has right now should have been yours. She took your home, your parents, your fiancé. You just need to take it all back.]

[When it hurts, remember—all of it was yours first. She stole it. The more you hate her, the more strength you'll have to take her down.]

Dahlia stared at the words.

The tears stalled somewhere in her throat.

Slowly, she straightened up. She flipped the phone face-down on the desk and breathed in deep.

From below came the sound of engines. Valencia and Wesley's convoy was rolling out through the institute's front gates.

Valencia sat in the back seat, glancing back through the window toward the dormitory building. "Do you think Cindy will feel at home there?"

The butler smiled as he drove. "Don't worry, Mrs. Douglas. Professor Castillo clearly looks after Ms. Wipere very well. You saw it yourself."

Valencia nodded.

The convoy turned onto the main road.

Up in the hallway above, Lucinda stood at the window and watched the tail lights shrink into the distance.

She turned away and sat down at the desk.