Chapter 74
Ella's fingers slid down from her face, revealing a tear-streaked, unrecognizable visage.
"I was a victim at first too. It was Joseph. He lured me in with a high-paying job, saying if I just worked hard for him, the company would be ours one day. Then he drugged me. That's how the first time happened… I felt so guilty toward my husband. I tried to cut things off. But then—he'd recorded a video. He said if I dared disobey, he'd send it to my husband, to my family, post it online."
Her voice broke apart, like someone drowning and desperately clinging to the last piece of driftwood. "I wanted to die. I really thought about it… but I couldn't. My child is so young… I had no choice but to listen to Joseph. Whatever he told me to do, I did it. Those girls, the gambling schemes, the counterfeit goods—everything was his idea…"
Lucinda straightened up, her gaze ice-cold. "You suffered, so you went and hurt people weaker than you? Their children aren't children?"
Ella's crying stopped abruptly. She stared at Lucinda, mouth open, unable to utter a single word.
Lucinda didn't spare her another glance. She turned to Fiona and spoke one sentence. "Notify security. Call the police."
Fiona immediately picked up the phone. Ella collapsed on the floor, no longer struggling.
The police arrived quickly. Two female officers lifted Ella from the floor and escorted her out.
At the doorway, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Lucinda. Her makeup had been cried off, revealing an exhausted, ashen face.
"All these years, no one exposed any of this." Her voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "I've been at this company for nearly ten years. I watched it get hollowed out bit by bit. Watched people come in batch after batch, only to be destroyed batch after batch. It's not like no one tried to investigate—it just always went nowhere. I never thought… the one who'd finally drag it all into the light would be a young woman like you."
Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to smile—or maybe cry. "This company… there's hope for it now."
Lucinda glanced at her calmly, her expression unchanging.
Belated remorse. She didn't need it.
Fiona stood at the door, watching as the people were loaded into police cars, her fingers tightening around her pen.
Then she saw Joseph being escorted out from the opposite hallway by two officers.
His suit jacket hung open. His tie was askew. The composure he'd worn for nearly a decade at this company had completely shattered.
As he passed the office door, he suddenly turned his head. His gaze met Lucinda's through the glass.
His lips moved silently, but the shape of the words was clear.
"Just wait. I'll be back soon."
Fiona's heart clenched sharply.
She walked into the office, lowering her voice. "Ms. Wipere, Joseph has connections at headquarters. He has people in the authorities too. He's spent years cultivating those relationships. I'm afraid he'll be out soon."
Lucinda stood by the window, watching the police cars flash their red and blue lights as they drove out through the gate below. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "It'll be more fun if he gets out."
Fiona froze, staring at those cool, clear eyes.
There was no excess emotion in them. Instead, they were full of certainty—like a cat that had been waiting in the shadows for a long time, finally hearing the sound of the mouse's footsteps.
Fiona suddenly remembered the Maybach parked outside the company this morning. The tense string in her heart slowly loosened.
A woman who could be the richest man's partner—she probably never needed to worry about things like this.
That night, at the Douglas Estate.
Wesley sat on the sofa, holding a document in his hand, his brow furrowed.
Valencia sat beside him. He'd been holding his tea for ages without taking a sip. Her gaze rested on her husband's face, tinged with concern.
"What's wrong?" Valencia set down her teacup. "You've had that dark look on your face since you got home."
Wesley placed the document on the coffee table, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his voice heavy. "I thought I'd give Cindy a small company to play with, let her get some practice. I didn't expect such a huge mess to come out of it."
On the staircase, Dahlia's footsteps stopped.
She'd just come down from the second floor. Hearing her father's words, her eyes slowly brightened.
It seemed Lucinda had caused trouble.
She hurried down the stairs, her face adopting a worried expression, and sat across from Wesley. "Dad, don't blame Lucinda. She came from a small place. She hasn't seen much of the world. It's normal for her to lack experience and capability. Company matters are so complicated. She's an outsider. If she messed up, it's not entirely her fault."
She paused, her gaze sweeping over her parents' faces, her tone growing more considerate. "Even though Lucinda ruined the company, after going through this, she'll definitely be more careful in the future. She can stay home quietly from now on. It'll be a good chance for her to spend more time with you and Mom."
After finishing, she lowered her head, the corner of her mouth curving into a faint arc.
One step at a time. As long as Lucinda caused enough trouble, piece by piece accumulating in Mom and Dad's hearts, one day there'd be no place left for her in this family.
Valencia heard the words "spend more time with you and Mom," and her tense expression relaxed slightly. "That's true. If Cindy could stay home and spend more time with us, that would be nice."
Dahlia immediately latched onto the thread, her tone earnest. "Then just let Lucinda stay home from now on. She can't handle things outside anyway. Don't let her go out and embarrass herself anymore."
Wesley's brow furrowed. He looked up at Dahlia, displeasure flickering in his gaze. "Embarrass herself? Who told you Cindy embarrassed herself? She achieved something major. There was a parasite embedded in that company, hollowing it out from top to bottom for years. One more delay, and the company would've been finished—and it would've dragged headquarters down with it. Who knows, the entire Douglas Group might've been caught up in the mess."
Dahlia's smile froze on her face.
Wesley picked up the document, his tone proud, and recounted the entire story from start to finish.
When Valencia finished listening, her teacup froze mid-air. Her mouth hung slightly open. It took her a long moment to snap out of it.
"Our Cindy did all that?" Her voice rose several pitches, surprise layering in her eyes, then transforming into pride—pride that practically overflowed.
Then she suddenly remembered something. Her expression changed. She grabbed Wesley's sleeve. "She's just a young girl. Doing something so dangerous—what if those people lash out in desperation? You need to assign more people to watch over her. No, no—maybe she shouldn't go to the company anymore—"
Wesley patted the back of her hand, his own brow furrowed.
Of course he was worried. But more than that, he was astonished.
This daughter who'd suffered outside for twenty years—since coming home, she'd surprised him again and again. Each time, he felt more acutely that what he owed her was far more than he'd imagined.
Across from them, Dahlia sat with her fingers slowly clenching on her knees. The smile on her face was on the verge of slipping.
She took a deep breath, swallowing down the bitterness rising in her throat, and forced her lips to curve upward again—stiff and strained.
"Lucinda's so lucky. She actually managed to catch the bad guys. But then again, she came from a small place. She's seen plenty of those lowlifes who can't make it onto the stage. Naturally, she's more experienced dealing with that kind of thing than us. I grew up in the Douglas family. I've never seen those dirty, filthy things. I'm really not as knowledgeable as Lucinda." She spoke gently, her words seemingly full of praise—but every sentence carried a hidden barb.
She was implying that Lucinda had grown up mingling in the streets, accustomed to dirty tactics, and wasn't pure at heart.
Wesley and Valencia both fell silent.
Valencia's eyes slowly reddened. She lowered her head and wiped the corners of her eyes with her fingers.
How much suffering had Lucinda endured outside for twenty years to develop such skill in dealing with evil people?
Wesley said nothing. He looked up at Valencia. The two exchanged a wordless glance.
Then he pulled his phone from his pocket. Valencia picked up hers as well.