Chapter 80
The living room fell silent again, except for Gaia's suppressed sobbing and Qiana's broken gasps.
Porcelain shards littered the floor. Dark red bloodstains splattered the wall. The switchblade lay in the corner, its blade reflecting a cold gleam.
Lucinda looked at Gaia, the corner of her mouth curving slightly. "You did well."
Gaia wiped her face roughly with the back of her hand, walked over to Lucinda, and bowed deeply. Beside her, Qiana struggled to stand from the floor and shakily bent at the waist as well.
"Ms. Wipere, thank you… If it weren't for you today, my mom and I…" The rest of Gaia's words caught in her throat. She couldn't continue.
Lucinda steadied her, glanced toward the doorway, and her gaze darkened. "That Pearl isn't someone who lets things go. She took a loss today. She'll definitely come back with more people to cause trouble. You can't stay here anymore."
Gaia bit her lip and didn't respond.
She walked over to Qiana and held her mother's arm. "I know. Actually, I've thought about moving for a while, but…"
Her gaze swept over the cramped room. "This is my grandfather's house. If we leave, this place will fall completely into their hands. I'm not willing to let that happen."
Beside her, Qiana, who'd been silent, suddenly turned and shuffled back into the inner room.
A moment later, she came out trembling, holding a small metal box. She opened the lid. Inside were neatly stacked bills.
These were all the savings she and her daughter had scraped together over the years.
Tears streamed down Qiana's face, her voice hoarse. "Gaia, your grandfather left this house to you. I know you can't bear to leave it. But you're more important than it. If something happens to you, I can't go on living. Let's move. Sell this place. We won't let them have it cheap."
Gaia's eyes reddened again. She wanted to say something.
Qiana's hand covered the back of hers and patted gently, stopping all the words lodged in Gaia's throat.
Lucinda stood to the side, witnessing the entire exchange. Her brow furrowed, and she suddenly thought of something.
She happened to have a few apartments in the city center. Now that an employee was in trouble, it was the perfect time to lend a hand.
With that thought, she spoke. "I have a friend who has a three-bedroom in the city center. It's sitting empty anyway. She asked me to help find tenants. Fifteen hundred a month, utilities included. If you're willing, you can move in anytime."
Gaia's eyes went wide. "A three-bedroom in the city center? Fifteen hundred a month?"
She blurted out, "Ms. Wipere, a three-bedroom in that area goes for at least five thousand a month. This is—"
"It's a friend's place. She doesn't need the rent money. She just wants reliable tenants so it doesn't sit empty and mold." Lucinda's tone was casual. "Consider it doing her a favor."
Gaia turned to look at Qiana. Qiana's lips trembled, her cloudy eyes brimming with tears.
A three-bedroom in the city center. Fifteen hundred dollars.
They weren't fools. There was no such cheap rent in this world.
But Qiana didn't point it out. She just smiled and nodded, tears falling.
"Live well. Live better than the people who bullied you. That's the best repayment you can give me." Lucinda said lightly.
Gaia bit her lip and nodded hard.
They began packing immediately.
The mother and daughter didn't have much—a few changes of clothes, some old photo albums, and a portrait of her grandfather.
Gaia wrapped it in a clean cloth and held it tightly in her arms.
Qiana pulled out the deed to the house and shakily placed it on the table.
"This house… let's list it online and sell it. The sooner the better. We'll leave tonight. We're not staying here anymore." Qiana's voice carried reluctance, but more than that, it carried resolve.
Gaia picked up her phone. Her finger hovered over the screen, then suddenly stopped.
"We can't… If we list this house, my dad will know immediately. Pearl took a loss today. She'll definitely go back and exaggerate everything to him. If he finds out we're selling the house, he'll send people to seize it. Not only will we not get the money, we might not even be able to move out."
As her words fell, the air in the living room seemed to thin.
The light in Qiana's face slowly dimmed. Her fingers gripped the corner of the deed, her knuckles white.
Lucinda reached out and took the deed from Qiana's hand. "Don't worry. Sell it to my friend. You can come back and stay anytime you want."
Gaia froze, not expecting Lucinda to be so generous.
She bent down and thanked Lucinda profusely.
After settling Gaia and her mother, Lucinda brought Fiona to a tech manufacturing plant on the other end of Maple Avenue. They proceeded with the inspection, negotiation, and contract signing as scheduled.
As Fiona took notes, she watched her boss negotiate with the other company's CEO without batting an eye, refusing to budge on any clause. Yet her mind kept replaying the image of Lucinda's trench coat flaring as she kicked the thug earlier.
She took a deep breath and clutched her notepad tighter.
Her boss was incredibly formidable.
Late afternoon, the Lancaster Group CEO's office.
Reginald sat behind his desk. An unsigned document lay in front of him, but his gaze stayed fixed on the phone beside it. The screen was dark. He glanced at it every few seconds.
His assistant stood to the side, watching his boss's state and silently sighing inwardly.
A few days ago, the boss had called him into the office and immediately demanded, "Find me a project that can establish long-term cooperation with Ridgeway Tech. Preferably something that requires daily coordination."
He'd almost thought he'd misheard.
The Lancaster Group and Ridgeway Tech—their scales were incomparable. Where would they find so many "daily coordination" collaborations?
But he'd followed Reginald for years. What outrageous task hadn't he seen? He'd spent several days sifting through over a dozen business sectors under the Lancaster Group and finally picked out this tech project, handing over the entire production side to Ridgeway Tech, bundling quality control, logistics, and after-sales along with it.
"Mr. Lancaster, the factory just sent word. The contract's been signed." The assistant collected his thoughts and reported dutifully.
Reginald picked up his phone and dialed. When the call connected, he visibly brightened. "Where are you? I want to see you."
His voice was completely different from moments ago.
Lucinda said something on the other end. The corner of his mouth curved upward. He responded with a quick "Okay, don't move," grabbed his coat, and headed out.
The assistant stood beside the desk, watching his boss's long strides disappear at the elevator. He looked down at the unsigned document on the desk and filed it away.
He never knew the boss could be this clingy.