《My Weak Wife Is a Real Goddess》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 My Weak Wife Is a Real Goddess Chapter 1 ¡°B*tch! How dare you push Zoey down the stairs? You deserve to die!¡± At the outdoor swimming pool, a group of people had cornered a delicate-looking girl with a pale ¡°Lucille Jules! Just because you¡¯re the Jules family¡¯s little princess, it doesn¡¯t mean you can treat Zoey like dirt. She has us, her friends, to protect her. We won¡¯t let you get away with this!¡± A sharp-tongued woman narrowed her eyes and sneered, ¡°Lucille can¡¯t even swim. Let¡¯s give her a taste of the pool!¡± In an instant, a group of attractive-looking young men and women closed in on Lucille, their faces twisted with malice. With a forceful shove, they sent her tumbling into the water. Sploosh! Like a wounded bird, Lucille iled in the water, gasping for air. N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. They gathered around the pool, watching her like a pack of wolves. ¡°Still trying to get out, are you?¡± one of them taunted. ¡°Hold her down!¡± Without mercy, they pushed the struggling Lucille back into the water. She fought back with all her might, but it was no use. Her movements grew weaker and weaker until she finally slipped beneath the surface¡­ ¡°Is she not moving anymore? Did we just kill her?¡± someone eximed in shock. ¡°Quick! Pull her up!¡± another person shouted. The drowning Lucille was dragged to the shore, but then she suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed the neck of the person who pulled her up. She looked just as weak and helpless as before, but there was a chilling glint of bloodlust in her eyes. ¡°Let go of me!¡± the guy whose neck was grappled by Lucille cried out in fear. The lead girl¡¯s face turned pale with anger and she ran over, yelling, ¡°Lucille! You¡¯re asking for it!¡± But before she could even finish her sentence, Lucille swiftly turned and delivered a perfect sidekick, sending her crashing to the ground. Everyone was stunned. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Is Lucille crazy?¡± The lead girl, whose name was Jenny Zanes, furiously roared, ¡°What are you waiting for? Beat the hell out of her!¡± As the crowd closed in, Lucille effortlessly overpowered each and every one of them, tossing them into the pool with ease. When she had dealt with them all, she looked around in a daze, stumbled forward two steps, and then copsed, her eyes rolling back in her head. ¡­¡­ The dark enveloped a solitary and fierce young woman. Donning a sleek ck suit, she sprinted with all her might. Out of nowhere, a hauntingly long voice echoed from the sky, ¡°Lucille, run for your life. Survive!¡± Lucille stopped in her tracks, turned around abruptly, and saw a raging fire all around her. mes danced and spread towards her, swallowing her up. But Lucille remained unmoved. Staring ahead nkly, she uttered a single word, ¡°Mother¡­¡± Thedy¡¯s sorrowful voice reached her again, like the mourning of a cuckoo, every word seemingly filled with tears. ¡°Lucille, in the Jules family, your ancestors were all of great merit and loyalty, with an unyielding spirit. And your father always acted with a clear conscience. Yet, he died an innocent man, so you must live on and clear his name!¡± ¡°Lucille, you are the only bloodline of the Jules family in Dilsburg. Survive! Bring justice to the wrongly executed souls of the Jules family!¡± ¡°Escape! Hurry!¡± The woman¡¯s voice turned hoarse and desperate. In the end, it became sharp and piercing. Lucille, tears in her eyes, watched as the woman was engulfed in mes and screamed, ¡°Mom!¡± In the hospital room¡­ Lucille, lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes. All she saw was a blinding white. What was happening? Wasn¡¯t she dead? The previous night, she went on a top-secret mission. Unexpectedly, the n was leaked, and she was surrounded by enemies. After a bloody battle, she barely escaped death. But then, while going to meet herpanions at the alleyway, she was shot with a nerve toxin from behind and died on the spot. She never knew who betrayed her until her death. But now, why was she lying in a hospital bed? Could it be that she didn¡¯t actually die? Suddenly, she remembered the scene where she brutally beat up a group of rich girls by the poolside¡­ She had truly been reborn! With a loud bang, the hospital door was rudely pushed open. Two nurses strolled in and paid no attention to Lucille who was lying in bed. ¡°Did you hear the news? Last night, Lucille, the daughter of the Jules family in Dilsburg, was executed formitting treason!¡± ¡°What? The Jules family¡¯s daughter was a gifted and aplished warrior. She followed in her father¡¯s footsteps and became a legend for countless victories. Why on earth would she betray her country?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but news about her is everywhere now. After her death, the Jules family in Dilsburg is really gone.¡± Lucille widened her eyes suddenly, and her hand, hidden under the covers, clenched tightly. The Jules family was known for their loyalty and bravery, but who would have thought they would end up like this? Lucille bit her lip hard, two drops of tears escaping her eyes before she forced them back in. No tears allowed! She wouldn¡¯t let go of anyone who had ever mistreated or plotted against her or her family. With this second chance at life, she would seek the truth and avenge her family using the enemies¡¯ blood. The nurses were chatting animatedly about thetest gossip when one of them had her attention was drawn to Lucille, who was lying in bed with an unnaturally crimson gaze fixed upon the ceiling. Why were this mute¡¯s eyes bloodshot? The intensity of her re was so unsettling that it sent shivers down her spine, and she couldn¡¯t help but stare at Lucille in shock and confusion. ¡°How¡­ how¡­¡± The long-haired nurse was horrified, her voice trembling as she stared at Lucille. The short-haired nurse, annoyed, turned to look and saw Lucille staring calmly at the ceiling, her expression indifferent. She sneered, ¡°She¡¯s mute, anyway.¡± The long-haired nurse let out a sigh of relief as she noticed Lucille¡¯s calm expression. She realized that it was just her imagination. ¡°By the way, this youngdy from the Jules family is also called Lucille,¡± she said. The short-haired nurse snorted, ¡°Hmph! What is she to bepared to the God of War? She¡¯s a worthless nobody who only knows how to bully Miss Johnson. She¡¯s not even qualified to carry the God of War¡¯s shoes!¡± Lucille¡¯s eyes flickered with a hint of coldness. Just then, the door to the ward opened again. A delicate-looking girl was wheeled in. When she saw Lucille, she furrowed her brows with concern. ¡°Lucille, you¡¯re finally okay! Are you feeling any difort?¡± Lucille slowly turned to face the stranger and suddenly, an overwhelming hatred surged within her chest. It was a hate that made her heart race and her breath catch in her throat. Then, a flood of memories that didn¡¯t belong to her came rushing into her mind. It turned out that she had been reborn into this girl with the same name: Lucille Jules, the youngest daughter of the Jules family in Shein City. She had been cherished since birth but had her life turned upside down when Zoey Johnson appeared at the age of ten. Zoey was the daughter of a close friend of Howard Jules. When Lucille was ten years old, Zoey was brought back to the Jules family. It was said that Zoey¡¯s father died saving Howard, which caused Howard to feel extremely guilty about Zoey and treat her with utmost care and protection. However, since Zoey¡¯s arrival, Lucille had been plunged into a painful abyss. Zoey was skilled at deception, always hiding her true intentions behind a smile. She was cunning and maniptive, and had always used any means necessary to take away everything that Lucille cared about. Whether it was Lucille¡¯s favorite doll or her beloved group of friends, Zoey always managed to take them away. Eventually, Zoey even took away Howard¡¯s affection and earned the unconditional trust and love of Lucille¡¯s three older brothers. In the eyes of the Jules family, Lucille ¨C Howard¡¯s own daughter and her brothers¡¯ sister ¨C gradually became an eyesore and a thorn in their side. Whenever Lucille tried to expose Zoey¡¯s schemes in front of everyone, she was scolded and used of being ungrateful and purposely bullying Zoey. As for Zoey, she enjoyed everything that originally belonged to Lucille. She even used Lucille of stealing in school, causing Howard to punish Lucille severely and almost beat her to death. After that incident, Lucille waspletely heartbroken and stopped rebelling, bing quiet and submissive. Her grades also plummeted, and she was given the nickname ¡°mute and idiotic¡±. Originally, Lucille thought she would live the rest of her life like this. However, at her 19th birthday party, she unintentionally discovered her fiance and Zoey kissing in the stairway. Overwhelmed with grief and anger, Lucille confronted them and ended up ¡°identally¡± pushing Zoey down the stairs. While everyone was concerned about Zoey¡¯s injuries, no one noticed that poor Lucille was being assaulted by Zoey¡¯s friends and eventually drowned in the pool. Recalling all of this, Lucille felt an intense resentment building up inside of her, almost suffocating her. She took a deep breath and whispered to herself, ¡°Let it go. I will avenge you.¡± After that, the resentment in her body gradually dissipated. Zoey stared at Lucille¡¯s pale face, her gaze darkening. She couldn¡¯t help but feel that Lucille seemed different from before. She seemed to have a colder and more piercing look in her eyes. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2 ¡°Lucille.¡± Zoey bit her lip and pleaded pitifully, ¡°Are you still ming me for what happened yesterday? I¡¯ve exined to Dad and our brothers, but they don¡¯t believe me¡­¡± Lucille sneered, revealing a sh of defiance in her eyes. ¡°If you really want to help me clear my name, why not just show them the surveince footage?¡± She leaned against the bed, her delicate face slightly pallid. It was clear that she was frail at the moment. But the coldness in her eyes was chilling. She used to be a silent and introverted person, but her entire demeanor had changed. Was this still the naive Lucille from before? Zoey suddenly felt a sense of panic, her fingers on the armrest of the wheelchair turning slightly white. Sheposed herself, turned her head to the two men behind her, and spoke in a whiny voice, ¡°Samuel, Charles, I knew that Lucille was still angry with me. Could you help me persuade her, please?¡± Lucille felt nauseous from Zoey¡¯s coquettish tone, but unfortunately, these two men were clearly enjoying it. Charles Jules stepped forward confidently. ¡°Lucille, if it wasn¡¯t for Zoey¡¯s plea, I would never apologize to you. You have to know that Zoey is the real victim¡­¡± ¡°Charles,¡± Lucille suddenly spoke, interrupting him. Her voice was like a fine crystal, ringing out clear and pure. Charles was taken aback. Lucille hadn¡¯t called him by his name in a long time, and he was somewhat unustomed to it. Lucille raised her eyes, calmly looking at Charles, her voice hoarse. ¡°Last night, you guys took Zoey to the hospital, and I was pushed into the water by the people at the banquet. I almost drowned¡­¡± ¡°So what?¡± Charles replied unkindly, ¡°You didn¡¯t die, did you? Besides, if you hadn¡¯t pushed Zoey downstairs first, would they have pushed you into the water?¡± Lucille felt her chest tighten at his heartless response. The pain she had felt before, a familiar and dull ache, returned with a vengeance, making it hard to breathe. The injustices and pain that the original owner of this body had endured were now being visited upon Lucille. Her words were heavy with sorrow as she said, ¡°So just because I didn¡¯t die, you think it¡¯s okay to use me so cruelly? What if I had died?¡± Did Charles know that his own sister would nevere back alive? He was willing to throw his own flesh and blood under the bus to protect a girl who was nothing to him. The sheer callousness of it all left Lucille reeling. If the original owner of this body were still alive, how heartbroken and sad she would be at this moment? Charles looked at Lucille in a daze. Herst line just now somehow made his heart miss a beat. What if she had died¡­? And yes, everyone knew that Lucille couldn¡¯t swim¡­ If it weren¡¯t for her luck, she might have really died. Zoey noticed Charles¡¯ distraction and immediately spoke up, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lucille. It¡¯s all my fault. If I hadn¡¯t lost so much blood and fainted, our brothers wouldn¡¯t have rushed me to the hospital and neglected you. You can me me if you want¡­¡± Zoey¡¯s words were a clear reminder to Charles that Lucille had pushed Zoey down the stairs the previous night, causing her to lose a lot of blood and fall into aa. As expected, Charles¡¯ slight feeling of guilt disappeared immediately upon hearing Zoey¡¯s words. ¡°You said ¡®if¡¯, didn¡¯t you?¡± he retorted. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re not dead or missing any limbs. But look at Zoey now, you caused her to end up in a wheelchair.¡± Not dead? Lucille¡¯s lips curled in anger. She couldn¡¯t help but recall the moment when the original owner of this body drowned, feeling suffocated and upset. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. She was only neen years old, with her whole life ahead of her, yet a group of people mercilessly forced her into the water. Before dying, she had tried to open her eyes and take onest look at the world. But all she saw were a group of cruel and demonic perpetrators. At that moment, she had no more hope for this world. The Jules family would never know what she saw in herst moments. She saw the days when her father and three brothers doted on her when she was a child. Despite all the injustices and suffering she endured, she still didn¡¯t want to hate these people who hurt her. But what did they do in return? They Ignored her, mocked her, and made fun of her¡­ Had the Jules family forgotten who she was? How could they act so callously?! Suppressing her surging anger, Lucille said in a low voice, ¡°Although I didn¡¯t die, the fact is that they attempted to kill me!¡± She would never let go of those devilish people. They were responsible for the death of the original owner of this body, and they must pay a heavy price for it! Zoey noticed Lucille¡¯s serious expression and realized that she wasn¡¯t joking around. ¡°Lucille, my friends were just angry when they heard that you pushed me down the stairs. They lost their temper for a moment, and I apologize for their behavior. Please, don¡¯t hold them ountable.¡± She then grabbed Lucille¡¯s hand tightly and continued, ¡°If you¡¯re still upset, you can hit me or curse at me. They didn¡¯t mean it.¡± Lucille looked at Zoey coldly, feeling the pain of her fingernails pressing into her hand. She knew that this was Zoey¡¯s usual trick. The previous night, Zoey had used this method, too. Though now she seemed to be pleading for her friends, she was secretly pinching Lucille. When the original owner was in pain and pushed her away the previous night, Zoey pretended to fall down the stairs¡­ Hmph! If she were the original owner, she would have fallen right into Zoey¡¯s trap. It was a pity that the one sitting in front of her right now was Lucille Jules, the God of War of the Jules family. Such small tricks could not trap her. With a deft move, Lucille grabbed Zoey¡¯s hand and applied pressure to a sensitive point on her wrist. ¡°Ah!!¡± A scream echoed through the hospital room. Zoey pped Lucille¡¯s hand and spoke with an angry yet still gentle voice, ¡°Lucille, I know you¡¯re still mad at me. This pain is nothing. I can take it.¡± Samuel Gilbert, who had remained silent until then, couldn¡¯t take it anymore and angrily rebuked, ¡°Lucille Jules! You¡¯ve gone too far! Zoey was only being kind. Why did you have to hurt her again and again?¡± Charles also red angrily, ¡°Lucille Jules, you¡¯re shameless!¡± Charles was the original owner¡¯s brother, whilst Samuel was her fiance, but both were so partial that they were like blind to the truth. Lucille lowered her gaze, looking at her red hand, her eyes icy cold. Suddenly, she raised her hand and fiercely pped Zoey across the face. She had put in all her strength. p! Zoey¡¯s face immediately turned red and swollen. She couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°You hit me?¡± she eximed, holding her throbbing cheek. Lucille sneered, ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who said I can hit or curse at you? What¡¯s wrong? You changed your mind?¡± Charles was the first to react, his anger boiling over. ¡°Lucille, how¨C¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Lucille shot back. ¡°I¡¯m your brother. How dare you speak to me like that?!¡± he shouted. ¡°You show favoritism to an outsider such as her, mistreat me, ignore the truth, and make baseless usations. You don¡¯t deserve to be my brother!¡± Chapter 3 Chapter 3 My Weak Wife Is a Real Goddess Chapter 3 ¡­¡­ Silence hung heavy in the sickroom. Charles stared at Lucille, and the disappointment and indifference in her eyes sent a shiver down his spine. Suddenly, he remembered how she had been in a state of constant breakdown the night before, relentlessly questioning Samuel and Zoey with tears streaming down her face. She neverid a hand on anyone. In fact, Zoey was the one who reached out to hold her hand. When Zoey fell down the stairs, Lucille looked shocked, as though the whole thing was unexpected. Could he have been wrong about her all along? ¡°Charles, I¡¯m in so much pain,¡± Zoey whined, covering her face and turning to Charles for attention. ¡°Do you think my face is bruised?¡± She wasn¡¯t faking it this time. Her wrist felt like a thousand ants were biting it, and her face was on fire. ¡°D*mn Lucille,¡± Zoey thought. She didn¡¯t know what Lucille had done to her, but she¡¯d get her revenge when she had the chance. Charles red at Zoey¡¯s swollen face and seethed, ¡°Lucille, you¡¯re a monster! You nearly disfigured Zoey¡¯s face!¡± Lucille smirked and replied sarcastically, ¡°So what? Her face isn¡¯t disfigured, is it?¡± ¡°You!¡± Charles was so enraged that he couldn¡¯t even speak, and his chest heaved with anger. Samuel red at Lucille with disgust. ¡°Lucille, I love Zoey, and I can¡¯t stand the sight of you anymore. I¡¯ll find a way to break off our engagement. You¡¯re on your own now.¡± With that, Samuel scooped up the weeping Zoey and headed out of the sickroom. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Zoey. I¡¯ll take you to see a doctor.¡± Charles stood his ground, ring at Jules. ¡°Samuel and Zoey are a perfect match, you don¡¯t stand a chance with him. My advice to you is to stop pestering him or you¡¯ll just be aughingstock!¡± With that, he stormed off in anger. Lucille sneered, her eyes filled with contempt. The engagement between Samuel and the original owner of this body was witnessed by both families¡¯ elders and recorded in an engagement contract penned by Samuel¡¯s grandfather. Even the engagement ceremony was steeped in traditional and ancient customs. All these were clear indications of both families¡¯mitment to the union. It was ironic that the original owner was now being med, despite the fact that Samuel, who cheated on her with Zoey, was originally set to marry her. The Jules family was truly blind to what was happening! Lucille clutched her chest in pain. ¡°Do you see now? It¡¯s not worth being upset over heartless people like them.¡± Years ago, she, too, witnessed her family¡¯s downfall, shouldering the burden of avenging her family and carrying on their legacy. As a young girl, she found the political situation in Dilsburg to be tooplex to navigate, with hidden alliances and deceitful schemes at every turn. His father¡¯s enemies were everywhere. Thus, she had no choice but to bide her time, carefullyying the groundwork and building up her power in secret, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Even so, she still hadn¡¯t cleared her father¡¯s name or given closure to the Jules family¡¯s unjust deaths, all while being deceived by those around her. But so what? Lucille never believed in fate! Determined to make the most of her second chance at life, she vowed to seize every opportunity that came her way. Nothing would stand in her way, as she was going to rewrite her story and create the future she deserved. With that in mind, Lucille took a deep breath, got out of bed, and left the room. As she arrived at the entrance, she saw Howard hastily getting out of his car and rushing into the hospital, looking panicked and worried. He must be here for Zoey. If she didn¡¯t know any better, she would have thought he was going to im Zoey¡¯s body. Hmph! What a blind fool! His own daughter was standing right in front of him, yet all he could think of was Zoey. Lucille scoffed and looked away, walking straight to the curb to hail a taxi. Across the street, a ck Maybach was parked. The back window rolled down, and the man inside nced over, his gaze falling directly on Lucille. She was tall and slender, her baggy hospital gown hanging off her. It was as though a gust of wind could knock her over. Her delicate and clean-cut face was slightly pale, giving off a hint of frailty. Below was a long swan-like neck. With the cor open, it revealed a small section of her exquisite vicle that glinted in the sunlight. The man was momentarily stunned, his gaze fixed on Lucille¡¯s eyes. They were so clear and bright, even more so than crystal, with a chilly aura. He would say that her aura was mostly aloof but with a healthy dose of pride. She looked so familiar¡­ Joseph Collins narrowed his eyes as his deep and seductive voice filled the car. ¡°Culver, drive over there.¡± Culver Johnson turned around in surprise, only to see Joseph ncing over with a rare and intense passion in his eyes. Following his line of sight, Culver saw Lucille impatiently flipping her hair. ¡°Her?!¡± Culver eximed. ¡°Mr. Joseph, you may not know this, but that woman is Lucille Jules, the youngest daughter of the Jules family. Her character is famously terrible ¨C not only is she mncholic and unfriendly, but she also bullies Zoey, the adopted daughter of the Jules family, every day!¡± ¡°Lucille Jules?¡± Joseph murmured the name softly, a glimmer in his eyes. ¡°Someone who is mncholic and unfriendly doesn¡¯t seem like the type to bully others.¡± ¡°Mr. Joseph¡­¡± ¡°Drive over there.¡± Joseph¡¯s voice was calm, but there was an underlying sense of authority that made it impossible to say no. Culver had no choice but to drive the car over. Lucille had been waiting for a taxi for a long time, but none had stopped for her. The scorching sun was making her increasingly irritable. Just then, the ck Maybach slowly pulled up in front of her. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. The window rolled down, revealing the stunning profile of the man inside. Lucille looked up and was taken aback by his charm. Joseph was a man with a chiseled jawline, piercing eyes, and a proud nose. His exquisite features were beyond reproach, and his ck designer suit hugged his muscr frame with an air of sophistication. His presence was striking, and his remarkable poisemanded respect. Perhaps sensing her gaze, Joseph turned slightly, revealing a breathtakingly handsome face. His almond-shaped eyes carried a hint of flirtatiousness, with the corners slightly upturned and a smoky redness that diffused outwards. At first nce, Joseph was aplete enchantment. But his cold, aloof gaze weakened his allure, giving him an air of cool detachment. Lucille raised a brow nonchntly, making no attempt to hide her amazement. There was no denying it: this was the most handsome man she had ever seen. She just didn¡¯t like the way he looked at her. It was soposed and scrutinizing, as if he was sizing up his prey. Lucille¡¯s eyes narrowed as her expression turned cold. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. Joseph¡¯s gaze became even more intrigued, as she was the first woman who dared to speak to him in that tone. He gave a slight smile, his voice low and seductive. ¡°Where are you headed? Let me take you there.¡± Lucille, who was getting impatient waiting for her ride, did not hesitate to open the car door and hop in. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said. Joseph¡¯s eyes sparkled with amusement as he admired her exquisite profile. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯m a bad guy?¡± he asked in a low, sexy voice. Lucille nced ahead nonchntly and raised an eyebrow. ¡°In broad daylight, you can eat me up?¡± After all, she was the God of War who was ustomed to living on the edge. Two big men like them? Not a chance. Joseph chuckled at her carefree attitude and asked, ¡°Where?¡± Lucille named the hotel where the original owner of this body held her birthday party the night before. Joseph nodded, then turned to the stunned Culver. ¡°Don¡¯t know the way?¡± he asked with a raised eyebrow. Culver turned his head beforeing to his senses. He then started the car. My goodness, not only had Mr. Joseph invited that notorious Lucille to ride with him, but he had also initiated a conversation and even smiled at her. It must be an illusion. As the ck Maybach inched its way through the congested traffic, Lucille gazed out of the window. The car was barely moving, and she couldn¡¯t help being lost in her thoughts. It had been almost 20 hours since the incident the previous night. The surveince footage had probably been deleted by now, but she was determined to find it and personally send those who had killed the original owner of this body to jail, one by one. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Even catching them deleting the surveince footage would not matter. She would find a way to obtain evidence. Suddenly, Lucille detected a faint scent of medicine and felt her heart calm down. When she turned to look, she saw Joseph staring at her with a shallow but intense gaze. The medicine scent wasing from him. Lucille furrowed her brows, puzzled by his sudden scrutiny. ¡°Do we know each other?¡± she asked. With a barely-there smile, Joseph introduced himself, ¡°Joseph Collins.¡± Lucille was slightly taken aback. The introduction was unexpected. Well, since Joseph had introduced himself, it was only polite to return the gesture. Hence, Lucille followed suit, ¡°Lucille Jules.¡± Joseph extended his hand. ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± he said, giving Lucille a polite smile, one that didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. Lucille¡¯s focus quickly shifted to his extended hand. It was firm and well-groomed, with fingers that were lean and masculine. She ced her own delicate hand in his, giving it a light squeeze before quickly retracting her hand. Joseph, momentarily lost in thought, looked down at his palm where her touch still lingered. Although their interaction was brief, he couldn¡¯t shake off the unexpected warmth he felt from her touch. Her hand was cool to the touch, yet it sent a strange, inexplicable heat through him. Joseph pulled his hand back and hesitated for a moment, his eyes flickering with aplex emotion. When they arrived at the hotel, Lucille thanked Joseph and got out of the car. It was early evening, and the sun had just set, leaving Lucille struggling to keep her eyes open. She was about to hurry inside when a shadow suddenly fell over her, bringing her some coolness. Looking up, she saw Joseph holding a ck umbre behind her. He met her gaze with an unflustered expression and said, ¡°I¡¯m heading the same way. Let me walk you in.¡± Lucille arched an eyebrow but didn¡¯t say anything. She huddled under the umbre with him and walked into the hotel by his side. It was only a few steps, but Lucille felt like she was burning up. As they stepped into the air-conditioned lobby, she finally started to feel relieved again. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. They exined their purpose to the security guard, but as Lucille had expected, the guard immediately began to make excuses. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Miss Lucille, the cameras suddenly malfunctioned this morning. When the repairman came to fix them, he identally formatted the U disk. I¡¯m truly sorry.¡± What a convenient excuse, and such a clumsy lie! Lucille sighed and feigned disappointment. ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡± The security guard saw the disappointment on her face and felt a hint of disdain. It was easy to deceive someone as naive as her. ¡°Can I go to the surveince room and take a look?¡± Lucille asked. The security guard immediately nodded. ¡°Of course, feel free.¡± Of course, he already knew the video had been deleted. Even if shebed through theputer, she would not find anything. Smugly the security guard led the way, without being concerned at all. To his surprise, as soon as Lucille sat down at theputer, her fingers flew over the keyboard with expert speed, leaving only a blur of movement in their wake. [ A minuteter, she had a USB drive in hand. She tucked it away and turned to the guard. ¡°I guess the video really is gone. s!¡± The security guard repeated his apology, unaware that Lucille had seen past his deception. With a derisive nce, she turned to depart. However, just as she turned the corner, she ran into a wall of flesh, causing her to stumble backward. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lucille covered her nose, furrowing her brows in annoyance. The familiar scent of medicine hit her. Somehow, the scent eased her tension a bit. She looked up and saw Joseph, his impossibly handsome face raising an eyebrow at her. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked, her own eyebrows knitting together. Joseph lowered his head and smiled charmingly, ¡°Do you believe it¡¯s just a coincidence that we met here?¡± Lucille rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± In such a big hotel, how could he have bumped into her at the corner of the hallway by ident? It was obvious that he had nned this. Lucille diverted her gaze, trying not to be charmed by Joseph¡¯s charisma and appeal. He was not just good- looking, but also had an irresistible charm that could easily capture a woman¡¯s heart. Yet, Lucille was no ordinary girl who would just fall head over heels for someone such as Joseph. Lucille had seen too many yboys like him during her time in Dilsburg. Joseph was a man of deep thought, and it was difficult to read his true intentions. He was a mystery deep and unfathomable. Although he had always shown a gentle and friendly side in front of her, his eyes never revealed his true feelings. Every time she looked closely, she could see the coldness in his eyes that made her wary. Lucille knew that he was highly dangerous, and she should keep a safe distance from him. Joseph chuckled, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already figured out my intentions, why don¡¯t you just go with the flow and let me take you home?¡± Lucille remained silent. She thought he was a distant and unapproachable god-like man, but as it turned out, he had a thicker skin than she did. Since he seemed sincere, and she happened to be penniless at the moment, she reluctantly agreed to his invitation. ¡°Jules Vi, thank you,¡± Lucille said. Joseph raised an intrigued eyebrow. ¡°What a coincidence! I happen to be heading that way.¡± Lucille shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Together they walked down to the lobby, where Culver was waiting. He nearly dropped his jaw when he saw them walking together. What the hell was going on? Why did Mr. Joseph leave him waiting here to go look for Lucille instead? What made this hypocritic girl so special? And why was Mr. Joseph being so attentive to her? ¡°Culver,¡± Joseph said, ¡°Take Miss Jules to the Jules Vi before we head home.¡± Johnson¡¯s eyes widened in shock. The Jules Vi and Collins mansion werepletely opposite to each other. What kind of joke was this? It was all a ploy to impress a woman, Culver realized. Mr. Joseph was lying through his teeth! Half an hourter, the Maybach came to a stop outside the Jules Vi. It was a luxurious standalone mansion in an exclusive vi area. As Lucille stepped out of the car and thanked Joseph, she gave him a quick once-over and offered some advice. ¡°The herbs you¡¯re taking have a cooling nature that can be harmful in the long run. I suggest you switch to a milder form that may not be as effective, but is gentler on your body and won¡¯t cause harm.¡± Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Without regard to how Joseph might react, Lucille turned around, walking away. Joseph leaned back on the car seat, casting a sidelong nce at Lucille¡¯s receding figure. She could smell the medicinal fragrance emanating from him and tell what it was. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she was truly the silly girl as people said. It seemed that rumors could be misleading. ¡°Mr. Joseph,¡± Culver finally spoke up, unable to contain himself any longer. ¡°Lucille Jules is notorious for her wicked ways. You mustn¡¯t believe anything she says. The medication you¡¯re taking was prescribed by Mrs. Jules¡¯ personal physician. What could a little girl like her know about medicine?¡± Joseph continued to stare in the direction Lucille had gone, remaining silent for a long moment. Finally, he spoke in a low voice, ¡°I believe her.¡± The medicine prescribed by his grandmother¡¯s personal physician might have been effective, but it was also detrimental to his health. He could feel that his physical condition had worsened considerably over the past few days. The fact that Lucille was able to detect the issue with just the scent of that medicine so easily suggested that she was indeed knowledgeable about medicine. By bringing the problem to his attention, she was simply returning him a favor. After all, he had given her two free rides. Hmph! It seemed that¡­. She didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with him. Culver stared in astonishment, unable to believe his ears. What did Mr. Joseph say? He actually believed Jules? Good heavens! Was Mr. Joseph under some kind of spell cast by Lucille? Why was he taking her side at every turn? ¡°Mr. Joseph, are you perhaps interested in her?¡± Culver cautiously asked, ¡°She¡¯s already engaged to Samuel Gilbert, you know.¡± Joseph withdrew his gaze and looked ahead nonchntly. ¡°So what?¡± She was only engaged to Samuel, and even if he snatched her away from Samuel, what could the Gilbert family do to him? In the Jules Vi. When Lucille entered the house, she realized that it was very lively inside. Zoey, who had been in the hospital, had returned home before her. Howard and Charles were having dinner with Zoey. As soon as Lucille entered, she could hear the two of them asking after Zoey¡¯s well-being. -¡°Have some more food, Zoey. It¡¯s really good for you.¡± ¡°Drink up the broth to help you feel better.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Zoey smiled warmly, holding her bowl gracefully as she ate. Lucille stood at the door, watching this scene unfold in front of her, and suddenly felt a dull pain in her chest. The previous owner¡¯s painful emotions surged up again. She had longed for this kind of attention and affection, only to be ignored and excluded countless times. She had to watch her own father and brothers dote on another woman who was not even rted to them. Meanwhile, she had to shrink into a corner like an injured animal, licking her wounds alone and feeling invisible. Zoey enjoyed the attention proudly, but when she caught a glimpse of Lucille¡¯s figure, her expression changed suddenly. She pretended to be worried and put down her bowl. ¡°Dad, I¡¯m still worried about Lucille. She¡¯s been out of the hospital for so long. What if something happens to her? After all, she almost drownedst night.¡± Now that this was brought up, it filled Howard with an intense feeling of anger. He let out a cold snort and snapped, ¡®Why bother bringing up that sc*mbag? Let her run away if she wants to, even if she dies outside it¡¯s none of our concern! Since she has the guts to push you down the stairs, she should have nevere back home again!¡± Lucille stood frozen in ce, a sharp pain suddenly piercing her heart. She felt acutely the pain and bitterness of the previous owner of this body. Why? Why was she being treated so cruelly? She was his biological daughter! What did she do wrong? She should not have been born into this world, into this household¡­. Lucille took a deep breath and sighed internally, ¡°Silly girl, I told you never to be sad for someone who doesn¡¯t care about you.¡± The servant saw Lucille standing at the door, looking pale, and greeted her hurriedly, ¡°Miss Lucille, you¡¯ve returned?¡± Howard had a total of four children. Lucille was the youngest and originally ranked fourth. But after adopting Zoey, Lucille became the fifth child in the family, with Zoey taking over her ce. Lucille gave a light response and headed upstairs. As Howard noticed Lucille¡¯s return, he mmed his fist onto the table and scolded, ¡°Look who¡¯s here, and not at word of hello to your own father? You no longer see me as your father?¡± Lucille responded with a coldugh and an apathetic tone, ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. She could sense that the original host¡¯s disappointment towards her father was slowly disappearing. Now that her emotions had settled down, she wouldn¡¯t be easily saddened or heartbroken by their interactions with her. She had nothing to do with Howard, anyway. Howard was the father of the original owner of this body, not hers. ¡°You-¡± Howard was so infuriated that his face contorted at her response. ¡°You¡¯re a disrespectful daughter!¡± Lucille retorted nonchntly. ¡°S*cmbag!¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± Howard couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Say it again?¡± Lucille idly fiddled with the edge of her hospital gown, her gaze icy as she appraised Howard. ¡°You always y favorites and can never tell right from wrong. Besides, you spoil that adopted daughter of yours while scolding me, your own flesh and blood! When you add it all up, just calling you a s*cmbag is already too kind of me.¡± Well, she could havee up with worse remarks. ¡°You!¡± Howard turned livid with anger and smashed a bowl on the ground. ¡°Do you think you can get away with talking to me like that? Kneel down and apologize to me!¡± After speaking, he ordered the butler with a grim face, ¡°Bring me the whip!¡± The butler didn¡¯t dare to refuse and turned to fetch the whip. ¡°You¡¯ll kneel and beg for forgiveness,¡± Howard growled as he took the iron-ck whip with sharp spikes, his expression dark and menacing. Lucille¡¯s gaze fell upon the scary whip, and a wave of uncontroble panic coursed through her body, paralyzing her with fear. She knew it was the original owner¡¯s emotions. Previously, when Zoey falsely used her of stealing. Howard nearly beat the original owner of this body to death with this whip. If the original owner wasn¡¯t afraid of the whip, it would be strange. Zoey, still harboring resentment towards Lucille for pping her at the hospital, wasted no time in provoking Howard. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be angry. Lucille almost drownedst night and hasn¡¯t fully recovered. She¡¯s not in a good mood because of me and Samuel. Please forgive her.¡± Howard looked at her withpassion, ¡°She pushed you down the stairs and almost killed you. Why are you so kind to help her? Don¡¯t worry, I will give you justice!¡± He then waved the whip. The whip whistled through the air as he gestured with it. ¡°Lucille! Kneel down!¡± Lucille sneered, ¡°Why should I kneel? And, what do you mean by ¡°justice¡±?¡± ¡°You know very well that Zoey deliberately seduced my fiance Samuel and yed the innocent victim. Yet you not only failed to defend me, but you also sided with her.¡± ¡°Back in the old days, Zoey¡¯s actions would have been condemned and punished in public. But now you¡¯re making her out to be the victim? Are you serious?¡± Lucille¡¯s voice rang out, clear and strong, as she confronted Howard. ¡°Where is the justice in what you¡¯re doing?¡± Her words cut through the tense silence like a knife, her voice increasing in volume like a crescendo. And, Howard was left speechless, rooted to the spot. He had never expected the usually reserved and quiet Lucille to be so forceful and articte in her arguments. He was silent for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Upon seeing this, Zoey secretly gritted her teeth, wishing she could tear Lucille¡¯s mouth apart. D*mn it! Howe this b*tch has be so hard to deal with since waking up from drowning?! ¡°Dad, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Zoey lowered her head and started crying again. ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have epted Samuel¡¯s pursuit. Please hit and scold me instead!¡± Charles looked at Zoey with distress and said, ¡°What kind of era do we live in now? Zoey and Samuel have feelings for each other, yet you keep harassing Samuel just because of some old engagement arranged by the previous generation! Your behavior is bringing shame to our family, Lucille!¡± ¡°You not only pushed Zoey down the stairs, but now you¡¯re also showing disrespect towards your own father. This behavior ispletely uneptable!¡± Upon hearing this, Howard immediately waved his whip and shouted, ¡°You are one rebellious daughter! Kneel down now!¡± ¡°You think you have the right to make me kneel?¡± Lucille sneered at Howard. She would only kneel to her parents, and not to anyone else. Who did Howard think he was? Did he really think he could make the God of War of Dilsburg kneel to him? ¡°You!¡± Howard was almost driven to insanity, raising the whip and ready to strike Lucille. ¡°I¡¯m so going to kill you today!¡± Lucille sneered coldly, her lips curling in anticipation of the fight. As she lowered her wrist, preparing to strike, a deep and maic voice boomed from the doorway, interrupting the tense silence. ¡°Mr. Jules, it seems that you¡¯re busy. s, it appears that I have arrived at an inconvenient time.¡± Howard was frozen in ce, his body tensed in shock as he stared at the neer in disbelief. ¡°M-Mr. Joseph¡­¡± he stuttered, unable to contain his surprise. Joseph Collins was a name that resonated throughout the business world. The Collins family, a prestigious and influential aristocratic family that had reigned over Shein City for over a century, was renowned for its vast power and reach. Joseph, on the other hand, was a man of remarkable talents and strategic acumen. He was hailed in the business world as the undisputed ¡°king ofmerce¡±, thanks to his unparalleled expertise and astute decision- making abilities. With his sharp insight, Josephmanded the respect of everyone in Shein City, young and old alike. So, how could a person of such high stature suddenly appear in their humble abode, when they two had literally no chance of ever crossing paths? Zoey gazed at Joseph in stunned silence, her heart beating wildly within her chest. He was incredibly handsome! She could hardly believe that such a stunning man existed in the world! Zoey¡¯s heart was pounding as she finallyid eyes on Mr. Joseph, whose name she had only heard This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. before. Now, she understood the true definition of the word ¡°magnificent¡±. Howard was equally ted and rushed over to greet him, ¡°Mr. Joseph, why have youe? Please take a seat! Someone, bring tea!¡± Joseph nced coldly at the whip in his hand and asked, ¡°Mr. Jules, are you weing me or trying to chase me away?¡± Howard awkwardly smiled and handed the whip to the butler to take away. Howard had never encountered anyone of Mr. Joseph¡¯s stature before. Now that Mr. Joseph hade to their home, he felt the weight of the responsibility to serve him with the utmost reverence and respect. *I apologize, Mr. Joseph, for my momentary negligence. Please forgive me.¡± He gracefully lowered his hand as he took a seat on the couch. Culver then approached him with a beautifully wrapped silk box in hand. ¡°This is a gift from my grandmother, as a token of apology to Mr. Jules,¡± he said in a calm yetmanding voice. Howard was struck dumb, only then realizing what had happened two days prior. Two days ago, Madam Collins¡¯ car had rear-ended Howard¡¯s car. Howard had declined her offer ofpensation then, and that had led to their meeting now. Little did he expect that Madam Collins would go as far as sending Mr. Joseph himself to his doorstep. Howard was beyond thrilled. He epted the gift graciously. ¡°Please help me extend my gratitude and regards to Madam Collins.¡± Joseph replied, ¡°May I inquire if your outburst earlier was rted to the event that happened to Miss Lucillest night? I heard that she¡¯s been wrongly used.¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Howard froze in shock. What did Mr. Joseph mean by suggesting that Lucille was wrongly used? And why was he bringing up Lucille¡¯s name all of a sudden? Wasn¡¯t he here because of Madam Collins? Charles couldn¡¯t help but interject, ¡°Mr. Joseph, you must be wrong. Lucille was not wrongly used. She did push Zoey down the stairsst night.¡± Joseph gave him a cold nce and asked, ¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°I am Charles Jules, Lucille¡¯s older brother.¡± Joseph¡¯s lips curved in a sneer. ¡°No wonder.¡± Charles furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes turned icy as he replied, ¡°If even her own brother does not believe her and speaks up for an outsider, how can anyone else believe that Miss Lucille was wrongly used?¡± The color drained from Charles¡¯ face, leaving him at a loss for words. Howard was struck with a sudden jolt. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. His mind racing, he struggled to make sense of Joseph¡¯s cryptic words. Lucille¡¯s eyes flicked with interest as she raised her eyebrow, taking an extra nce at Joseph. She never expected him to speak up for her. Joseph noticed her gaze and looked up to meet her eyes. As their eyes met, a spark of emotion flickered between them and silently grew. Lucille kept herposure, appearing serene and unaffected. Joseph chuckled lightly, gracefully standing up. ¡°I¡¯ve delivered the gift, so I won¡¯t disturb you any longer,¡± he said. Howard hurriedly offered to see him off. ¡°No,¡± Joseph nonchntly replied as he buttoned his suit. ¡°Let Miss Lucille send me off.¡± With his words, the living room fell into an eerie silence. All eyes were on Lucille, and the weight of the attention was too heavy for her to stay quiet any longer. ¡°Mr. Joseph, this way please,¡± she said, walking out confidently and ignoring the variousplex emotions behind her. Lucille stopped in front of the Maybach. ¡°Mr. Joseph, take care.¡± With that, she turned to leave. But Joseph blocked her way with his hand. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Lucille raised her head and looked straight into his eyes with a clear gaze. Joseph locked eyes with her, then abruptly lowered his head. Lucille was caught off guard, her heart beating faster. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he was up to something bying closer to her. She quickly stepped back two paces, but then heard him let out a lowugh. It was only then that Lucille realized she had been tricked. Frustrated, Lucille looked up at Joseph, but he held out his hand and revealed what was in his palm. ¡°You dropped this in my car,¡± he said, showing her the USB drive. Lucille narrowed her eyes in disbelief. How could that be? She had put the USB drive in her pocket right after leaving the surveince room. How did it end up in Joseph¡¯s hand? Joseph handed Lucille the USB drive, his deep, sexy voice whispering, ¡°Be careful not to be so careless with your belongings next time.¡± ¡°And, if you fall for me, be warned that I may not let you go so easily.¡± Lucille was rendered wordless. Why did he have to act so flirty when he talked? Couldn¡¯t he just speak properly? Bang! ¡°Ouch!¡± Meanwhile, Culver, who was getting ready to open the car door, was startled by Joseph¡¯s words and fell down. Lucille nced at him, tightly holding onto the USB drive. Thank you,¡± she said. Afterward, she pretended not to hear Joseph¡¯s remark and turned around to leave. Inside the vi. Zoey watched the door from afar, seething with anger. She couldn¡¯t understand why Joseph, a man of such refined tastes, would treat Lucille, an idiot, with such attention. Her eyes flickered as she pretended to be worried and asked Howard, ¡°Dad, I heard that Joseph is terminally ill and has only a few days left. Is it true that Madam Collins wants to find him a wife for his household, and they despise those who spread gossip behind their backs. You must never utter these words again.¡± Zoey lowered her head, concealing the frostiness in her eyes. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m only concerned that Lucille might offend Mr. Joseph subconsciously. After all, we can¡¯t afford to provoke the Collins family.¡± Howard darkened his face. ¡°This troublemaker, I¡¯ll deal with herter!¡± As they spoke, Lucille had already made her way into the house. Howard immediately took on the role of a father and asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t say anything wrong in front of Mr. Joseph, did you? Let me tell you, Mr. Joseph is someone you cannot even hope topare to¡­¡± L Lucille ignored him and headed straight upstairs, leaving him to fume in the living room. Once upstairs, she went directly to Zoey¡¯s room and kicked the door open, shouting, ¡°Someone, get rid of all this junk!¡± The servant, Madam Dahlia, hurried over and said, ¡°Miss Lucille, these things belong to Miss Zoey-¡± ¡°Start working!¡± Lucille¡¯s voice was cold and unwavering, leaving no room for doubt. Madam Dahlia was the only person in the Jules family who genuinely cared about Lucille. Seeing her resolute attitude, she quickly gathered Zoey¡¯s belongings and followed Lucille¡¯s instructions, dumping everything in the hallway. Lucille stood by the doorway, looking at the luxury bags and clothing scattered on the floor, feeling a sense of satisfaction. As expected, after getting revenge on Zoey, the original owner of this body felt rather invigorated. Madam Dahlia was, too, relieved. In fact, Madam Dahlia had never understood why Howard and the Jules brothers treated Miss Lucille so poorly. She was the legitimate daughter of the Jules family, yet they all seemed blind to her and favored that adopted daughter, Zoey. This room was originally Miss Lucille¡¯s, but after Zoey arrived at this house, she cried and begged until she managed to take all that belonged to Lucille for herself. Now that Miss Lucille had thrown all of Zoey¡¯s belongings out, it was truly satisfying to watch! Howard and the others rushed over when they heard themotion and saw clothing strewn all over the hallway. They were furious at that sight. ¡°Lucille Jules! What are you doing?¡± Howard shouted. ¡°Why are you throwing Zoey¡¯s clothes away?!¡± Lucille ignored him and told Madam Dahlia, ¡°Please move my things in there.¡± Madam Dahlia quietlyplied and hurriedly went to Lucille¡¯s room to pack up her belongings. Zoey saw all her beloved clothes, bags, and jewelry on the ground, and she was so angry that she felt like her lungs would explode. She bit her lip and began to cry. ¡°Dad, does Lucille really hate me? What did I do wrong? Why is she treating me like this?¡± Zoey¡¯s pitiful tears immediately ignited Howard¡¯s wrath toward Lucille. ¡°Lucille, you b*stard, apologize to Zoey!¡± he roared. Charles¡¯ heart broke to see Zoey shed tears. He whispered to Zoey, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will make things right for you.¡± Then he turned to Lucille andmanded, ¡°Quickly pick up Zoey¡¯s things and put them back in their proper ce, and apologize to her!¡± ¡°Who are you to speak to me in that tone?¡± Lucille leaned against the door, exuding an air of indifference and pride that was in stark contrast to the meek and obedient girl she used to be. Her eyes glinted with steely resolve, her entire being suffused with a chilling, indomitable energy. It was as if she had be apletely different person! The three of them were left bbergasted, their tongues tied as they faced Lucille¡¯s sudden surge of dominating aura. The more Howard pondered on the situation, the more his rage boiled over. ¡°Who on earth gave you the audacity to talk to us in such a manner? Begone from this ce! Leave at once!¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Lucille sneered, her arms crossed as she radiated a powerful aura. ¡°Do I need to remind you that this house is the inheritance left to me by my mother? You all are the ones who should leave!¡± Before her death, Lucille¡¯s mother had bequeathed to Lucille a vast inheritance, including the Jules Vi and 40% of the shares in the Jules Group. It was much more than the 30% share held by Howard and the 10% share held by each of her other three brothers. In other words, Lucille was thergest shareholder and had the most say in thepany. Despite this, the Jules family had been suppressing her and using her as a punching bag. They were truly heartless and cruel. Howard¡¯s face changed slightly. ¡°How do you know all this?¡± ¡°I not only know that, but I also have the will and property deed in my possession. I didn¡¯t say anything before out of consideration for our family ties, but now that you¡¯re treating me this way, I won¡¯t be kind to you anymore!¡± Lucille sneered. ¡°This vi belongs to me, and if you don¡¯t want to be kicked out, you¡¯d better listen to me. Otherwise, don¡¯t me me for being unkind!¡± N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. Hearing this, the three of them were ovee with fury. Lucille didn¡¯t pay them any more attention and went straight into the house, mming the door shut with force. Charles looked at Howard in disbelief. ¡°Dad! Is what she said true? Did Mom really leave the house to her?¡± Howard took a deep breath, indicating that it was true. This news not only stunned Charles but also hit Zoey hard. Lucille, who had always bullied her, suddenly became the owner of the vi. How could she ept this? ¡°Sorry.¡± Zoey sobbed, her head bowed. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. If it weren¡¯t for me, you wouldn¡¯t have to endure this humiliation.¡± Howard and Charles looked at her with tenderness. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Zoey. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let you suffer. I¡¯ll personally teach this heartless girl a lesson someday.¡± Howard said so, but he had a different n in mind. The will had always been his biggest concern. He didn¡¯t care about the house, but the 40% stake in the Jules Group was what he valued most. No, he couldn¡¯t let that rebellious Lucille take it away. He had to figure out how to get the shares back! In the bedroom. Madam Dahlia reced everything with new things and brought in a few more maids to move Lucille¡¯s belongings into the room. Lucille stood by the window and gazed at the scenery outside with an indifferent expression. Madam Dahlia let out a sigh and whispered, ¡°Miss Lucille, given what you¡¯ve done, I believe that they won¡¯t let this matter slide easily.¡± The Jules family was a tough nut to crack. Howard¡¯s indecisiveness and favoritism towards Zoey left onlookers bewildered. Charles, on the other hand, was a gullible simpleton who fell for Zoey¡¯s facade and bought into her false usations. Meanwhile, Bernard Jules, the eldest brother, had a heart as cold as ice and didn¡¯t seem to care for anyone. Yoshua Jules, the second eldest, was the only level-headed one who treated Lucille kindly, but he left home years ago to carve his own path, and hadn¡¯t returned since Now, almost everyone in the Jules family had been deceived by Zoey and stood by her Lucille nced back at Madam Dahlia, who was looking at her with a worried expression, and felt a sense offort wash over her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Let them do what they want. We¡¯ll confront whatever challengese our way¡± Madam Dahlia let out a sigh. ¡°But why did you suddenly bring up your mother¡¯s will today? It¡¯s supposedly yourst card!¡± Howard would definitely try to find a way to make Miss Lucille sign over the shares when he found out that the will and property deed were in her possession. Miss Lucille had a gentle and kind-hearted personality and wasn¡¯t cunning like the others. There was a possibility that she¡­ ¡°Madam Dahlia, I know what you¡¯re worried about,¡± Lucille said calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t give them at chance.¡± Madam Dahlia looked at the confident and unyielding girl in front of her, surprised and unsure of herself. Was this really the same Miss Lucille who used to be so timid and quiet? Or was she hiding her true self all along? Was this the real Lucille now? If so, then her worries were unnecessary. Madam Dahlia breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Then you rest first, I¡¯ll go to the kitchen and make some food to help you recover.¡± ¡°Thank you, Madam Dahlia.¡± After Madam Dahlia left, Lucille immediately turned on theputer, inserted the USB sh drive, and opened the disk. As she had expected, the contents of the USB had been read and all the surveince videos had been cleared. Lucille¡¯s eyes narrowed as a chill ran through her. What was Joseph up to? He returned her USB and deleted the videos? Just as Lucille was about to call him to find out the answer, theputer suddenly beeped with an alert sound The next second, two videos were remotely transmitted to her. Lucille stared at the two videos, squinting her eyes. Then, a line of text appeared on theputer screen. ¡°Were you just badmouthing me?¡± Lucille furrowed her brows. Lucille felt a chill run down her spine as she wondered if Joseph had installed some sort of surveince in her mind. How did he know that she had just thought about him? As she pondered this, a new message appeared on herputer screen. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me. I¡¯m a good guy. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to apologize to me?¡± Apanied by that was a string of digits. It was Joseph¡¯s private number. Even though only a select few would have ess to his number, it was now being prominently disyed to Lucille. Lucille raised an eyebrow and her fingers flew over the keyboard. Within seconds, the offending message disappeared. Did he really expect her to apologize to him by calling his private number? Dream on! She closed theputer and went to take a shower. But when she saw her reflection in the mirror, she froze. The face looking back at her was the same pale, delicate one that she once looked like previously. She turned around and removed her top, then examined her back carefully. It was smooth and unblemished, without the ugly scar that had been there before. Lucille got dressed again, her eyes dark with thought. It seemed that the connection between her and the original owner of this body was not a simple one¡­. On the top floor of the Collins Mansion¡­ Joseph stood pensively on the balcony of the mansion¡¯s highest floor, his eyes glued to the phone he held. The anticipated call was still nowhere in sight. The night breeze blew gently, bringing with it a hint of restlessness. Culver watched anxiously as Joseph coughed lightly after the wind blew on him. ¡°Mr. Joseph, pleasee inside. The doctor said you can¡¯t be exposed to the wind, it will cause a chill.¡± Joseph remained in the same spot, motionless. Culver¡¯s worry was beginning to get the best of him as he spoke, ¡°Mr. Joseph, why are you so concerned about Miss Lucille? Was it because she looks like the little girl from ten years ago who died?¡± Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 As thest syble of Culver¡¯s sentence faded, the air grew heavy and still. The surrounding environment became silent, so much so that even the sound of the wind ceased. Culver quickly realized his mistake and paled in fear. ¡°Mr. Joseph, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean it¡­¡± Joseph turned around, and his limpid eyes were filled with an inscrutable coldness. After a brief pause, he spoke sternly. ¡°Go down and ept your punishment, leave my sight!¡± Culver shuddered, responding with a trembling voice, ¡°Yes!¡± And, he quickly scurried away. Joseph took a deep breath, turned around, and gazed at the moon behind him. The coldness and aloofness. around him dissipated, leaving only the darkness and solitude that enshrouded him. The dawn began to break. The rest of the Jules family was still asleep, but Lucille had already started her morning exercise in the garden. This body was too weak, and she needed to get stronger as soon as possible. Otherwise, even with all her skills, this body would only hold her back if something happened. After finishing her exercises, Lucille panted lightly as she made her way back upstairs. However, she encountered Zoey, who was about to head down the stairs. Zoey was surprised to see Lucille up and exercising so early. She smiled and said, ¡°Lucille, you¡¯re up early. You seem to have recovered well.¡± Lucille couldn¡¯t be bothered with her and walked past without even looking. Zoey wasn¡¯t offended at all. She turned to admire Lucille¡¯s graceful figure, boasting, ¡°Do you know that Samuel, only likes gentle girls like me? No matter how perfect your figure is, he won¡¯t even bother to take a nce at you.¡± In private, Zoey had never bothered to hide her contempt for the previous owner of this body. Lucille stopped in her tracks, her back turned to Zoey as a cold smirk formed on her lips. Zoey really knew how to hurt her with words, as she clearly knew the previous owner well. The original owner believed Zoey¡¯s lies and thought that Samuel liked sexy girls, so she wore a sexy dress on his birthday. backless Who knew that Samuel would publicly berate her as shameless and say that only girls like Zoey, who came from a reputable family, were the ones he liked. Because of this incident, the original owner became everyone¡¯sughingstock, and she never wore a dress again. Lucille let out a light sigh. What a silly girl, why did she have to do that? ¡°You can¡¯t force someone to love you, no matter how much you do for them,¡± she mumbled silently. Seeing that Lucille didn¡¯t speak, Zoey¡¯s smile became smugger. ¡°This is just a kind reminder from me. After all, no one knows Samuel better than me.¡± -Lucille turned around and looked at Zoey with a faint smile. ¡°So what? The Gilbert family would never marry a mistress.¡± One lightment was enough to make Zoey feel both ashamed and angry. ¡°Ugh!¡± Zoey huffed before sneering, ¡°What¡¯s that you have to be proud of? Even if I¡¯m no good, I¡¯m still better than a mute girl like you that everyone loves to pick on.¡± Lucille chuckled more confidently. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. I do have both wealth and power ¨C I hold 40% of the Jules Group. I¡¯m sure those pests in the gutter, such as you, are now green with envy.¡± ¡°You!¡± Zoey was breathless with rage. She couldn¡¯t understand how Lucille had suddenly be so sharp-tongued. She used to be the kind of person who couldn¡¯t fight back or speak out. Well, Lucille would soon find out she could not bask in her pride for long! Zoey narrowed her pupils, returned to her room, and deliberately hobbled down the stairs with a cane. In the living room, Samuel was waiting to take Zoey to school. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. As Zoey came down the stairs with a cane, Samuel immediately came forth to her. ¡°Zoey, why didn¡¯t you let mee up and get you?¡± As he spoke, he hugged her in his arms. Zoey¡¯s brows furrowed as she batted her eyshes and pouted, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Samuel, I didn¡¯t mean to trouble you. It¡¯s just that¡­¡± She trailed off, deliberately looking downtrodden and helpless. Samuel¡¯s expression grew stormy. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Did Lucille give you trouble again?¡± Zoey shook her head with red eyes. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Zoey, you don¡¯t have to lie to me.¡± Samuel was serious. ¡°What did she do to you?¡± Zoey bit her lip and refused to speak, but gave a nce to the maid beside her. The maid, who had enjoyed many favors from Zoey before, quickly defended her, ¡°Please don¡¯t me Miss Zoey, Mr. Samuel. It¡¯s just that Miss Lucille has gone too far. She not only humiliated Miss Zoey and took away her room, but also threw away all of her belongings. She even threatened to kick Miss Zoey out, and mentioned that Mr. Howard can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± As soon as Samuel heard this, his face turned red with anger. ¡°What?! That¡¯s outrageous! Where is she now?! The maid hurriedly replied, ¡°She hasn¡¯te downstairs yet.¡± Zoey clung to Samuel¡¯s arm and pleaded, ¡°Please, Samuel, don¡¯t do anything. I¡¯m just a foster daughter after all. I can handle this little setback.¡± ¡°No!¡± Samuel was furious, ¡°Your tolerance will only make her worse. Wait for me, I will teach her a good lesson, today!¡± As Samuel spoke, a drawling voice echoed down the staircase, ¡°Oh? How do you n to give me a lesson?¡± Samuel was taken aback and raised his head, only to see a ck figure descending the stairs gracefully. She was dressed in an embroidered ck gown that made her skin as white as snow. Her delicate waist looked as though it could snap at the slightest touch. And, her swan-like neck was exposed, revealing her prominent vicles. Half of her palm-sized face was hidden by her jet-ck hair, and her features were so beautiful that they were perfect. With just one nce, she captivated everyone¡¯s gaze. Samuel was dumbfounded. He couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. ¡°Lucille Jules?!¡± How could it be possible? Lucille seemed ordinary before, but where did this overbearing confidence nowe from? Her whole demeanor haspletely changed. She had transformed into one that was detached, alluring, and beyond reach. Was this still the same old Lucille Jules? Samuel hid his amazement and warned, ¡°Lucille Jules, I¡¯m warning you not to bully Zoey!¡± Lucille descended the stairs with a cold curl of her lips, each step measured and deliberate. Samuel stared at her intently and subconsciously swallowed his saliva. Samuel braced himself for her exnation, but to his astonishment, she walked right past him to the door without even sparing him a nce. Samuel enapped ¡°Lurifle the had no time to Zom etond frozen hi in meing wit The event wat ni undeilding the way With Lurille gnns how wee che going to ban the eher gings Let it po. Charles Zony breathed out her voice barely above a leger Can you please take me to sched? oning to Drily then Samuel withdrew his angry re she took her hand tatt ge take you he said firmly Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Lucille left the Jules Vi and walked to the roadside to wait for the bus. It might sound unbelievable, but as the daughter of the Jules family, she had no money on her. Howard had frozen all her bank ounts as a punishment. And even the driver of the house had been assigned to serve Zoey, not her. The reason for Howard¡¯s action was to force Lucille to hand over her 40% shares. Thinking of this, Lucille couldn¡¯t help but sneer. Oh, how she looked forward to showing Howard the true definition of regret. Beep! Suddenly, a loud car horn startled her out of her thoughts. She raised her head and saw a top-ss luxury car slowly stopping in front of her. The car window rolled down, revealing a man with a stunningly gorgeous side face. ¡°Hey, little girl, get in the car,¡± he said. Lucille looked at Joseph, who was sitting in the back seat, and her eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°Mr. Joseph, what a coincidence?¡± Lucille¡¯s choice of words was not lost on Joseph, as the word ¡°coincidence¡± carried an implicit message. Joseph turned his head, revealing a sharp, refined gaze that settled upon Lucille¡¯s exquisite, fair features Though her lips curved into a smile, they appeared superficial, never reaching her eyes. There was some vignce deep in her eyes. Joseph couldn¡¯t help butugh. Her superficial mannerisms and polite gestures came across to him as insincere andcking in genuine warmth. He withdrew his gaze and smirked, ¡°It¡¯s not a coincidence. I have been nning this for a long time.¡± He had been nning this for a long time? Lucille squinted her eyes. ¡°What does Mr. Joseph want from me today?¡± Joseph didn¡¯t answer her question. He just lowered his head and fixed his sleeves, saying, ¡°Get in the car, and I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Without a second thought, Lucille pulled open the car door and hopped inside. Around the street corner, there was a white luxury car parked. Zoey and Samuel sat in the car, staring incredulously at the scene before them. What did they just witness? Lucille getting into a luxury car? Zoey narrowed her eyes, and a cruel glimmer flickered in them. ¡°Samuel, I can¡¯t believe what I just saw,¡± Zoey eximed, her eyes shing with anger. ¡°Lucille got into a stranger¡¯s car like it was nothing! Doesn¡¯t she have any self-respect? Even if the guy is loaded, she shouldn¡¯t lower herself like that.¡± Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she looked pitiful. ¡°If Dad finds out about it, he will beat her to death!¡± Without knowing the truth, Zoey had already formed an opinion of Lucille as being someone who Samuel took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. ¡°Shame on her!¡± Zoey sighed and shed a sinister smile where Samuel couldn¡¯t see her. She had something good waiting for Lucille when they arrived at schoolter! Outside an elite aristocratic school. Culver stopped the car. ¡°Mr. Joseph, we have arrived.¡± Lucille looked out the window with a calm expression, not at all surprised that Joseph knew she was attending this school. The original owner of this body was a freshman studying medicine in this college, and today was the day for registration. If it weren¡¯t for this, she wouldn¡¯t have wanted toe. ¡°Thank you.¡± Lucille pushed open the car door and prepared to get out. But Joseph grabbed her wrist. ¡°Wait.¡± Lucille turned her head and ran into his charming eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were locked on Lucille¡¯s brown orbs, as he uttered, ¡°A mere thank you, is that all?¡± Lucille lifted an eyebrow in response. ¡°Do you require something more from me to express my gratitude?¡± Her tone was even-tempered, and her eyes held steady. And, herposure was unwavering under the weight of Joseph¡¯s dominating presence. Joseph remained transfixed on her, almost as though he was trying to see past her and gaze upon someone else, his eyes shrouded in deeper mystery. After a while, he slowly let go of her wrist. ¡°Forget it.¡± He didn¡¯t even know what he was expecting from her.. Lucille was puzzled as she watched him, and she withdrew her hand before getting out of the car without looking back. She walked into the campus, and the scorching gaze from behind only disappeared when she was far away. She wasn¡¯t stupid. Joseph must have had some ulterior motives toward her, even if he denied it. However, she knew that Joseph was not someone to be trifled with. Her intuition told her that this man was dangerous. And, he seemed to be constantly testing her. Had he discovered something? Lucille shook her head and stepped into the teaching block of her subject. This building was full of painful memories for the original owner of this body. She had been bullied, isted, and hurt by cruel words here. As soon as Lucille entered the building, she felt a strong sorrow and pain from the original owner. Despite the difort, Lucille forcefully suppressed it and whispered, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I won¡¯t let anymore.¡± Her emotions gradually stabilized as she made her way up to the third floor ssroom. you suffer When she arrived at the door, she saw the previously restless ssmates quiet down immediately upon seeing her. Their eyes were gleefully waiting for her to be the butt of their jokes. -Lucille sneered, then kicked the door with great force. This caused a bucket filled with excrement to fall and stter all over the students in the ssroom. It drenched almost everyone in brown filth and filled the room with a putrid stench. No one was spared. ¡°Argh! Help! That¡¯s so smelly!¡± ¡°Oh! I¡¯m going to vomit. Help me!¡± ¡°Oh my god, what¡¯s this? Is this a maggot? Psst!¡± Lucille stood at the door, arms crossed, coldly watching it all unfold. The ssmates screamed in disgust and agony. If it were the original owner of this body, she would have been drenched in filthy water, then humiliated and mocked by them. One of the girls who enjoyed picking on the original owner gritted her teeth and let out a furious shout, ¡°Lucille Jules! Do you have a death wish? Who gave you the right to fight back?¡± Lucille smirked. It was almost like they thought it was perfectly fine to torment Lucille, but the moment she stood up for herself, she was in the wrong. Well, today, she would teach these people a lesson! Lucille nonchntly kicked the door open once again, and walked into the ssroom. The backlight framed her in an awe-inspiring silhouette, her cold and aloof demeanor only adding to her allure. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Dressed in a long ck gown, her fair skin glowed like snow, and her noble temperament made her seem like a sacred and invible goddess. The crowd was instantly stunned, their jaws dropping in awe. Was this the same Lucille who used to be meek, wearing only white T-shirts and jeans, and rarely spoke up? How could she have changed so much? The boys present all looked at Lucille with sparkling eyes, as if she were a goddess that had descended to earth. They were utterly spellbound. The girls, on the other hand, were burning with jealousy. The leading girl of the bullies, consumed by envy, rushed forward and pped Lucille across the face. ¡°B*tch! You¡¯re digging your own grave!¡± Lucille sneered and swiftly grabbed the girl¡¯s wrist, twisting it back with force. A sharp crack echoed through the ssroom, followed immediately by an otherworldly scream of agony. ¡°Ah!! My hand!¡± The crowd was suddenly frightened, taking in a sharp breath of cold air. Who would have thought that Lucille would break Jenny¡¯s hand right before their eyes?! How could this be possible?! But wasn¡¯t she someone who never fought back before? Lucille tilted her head, wearing a sinister smile. Lucille held Jenny¡¯s hand tightly and spoke with a nonchnt tone, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. My hand slipped. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you recover.¡± And then, she applied force on her wrist once again. There was another resounding cracking sound. Jenny screamed again, her face turning deathly pale with agony, and her forehead covered in a cold sweat. Her body was also trembling. Demon! Lucille had transformed into a demon! Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Burning with fury, Jenny¡¯s face contorted in pain. She refused to give in. She couldn¡¯t believe that the once pliable Lucille, whom she used to toy with, was now daring to openly rebel against her in front of her ssmates. Being humiliated this way made her blood boil. ¡°B*tch! How dare you break my hand! I¡¯m going to the police! I¡¯m going to sue you for breaking my arm!¡± Jenny shouted fiercely. Lucille sneered and pushed Jenny back forcefully. Jenny immediately stumbled and fell back, just in time to fall into the bucket just now. Her whole body was soaked in the stench of poop. Instantly, the crowd recoiled in disgust, covering their noses and retreating as far away as possible. Jennyy in the bucket, and her face was sshed with shit. She felt like she was going crazy. She stood up with anger, her finger pointing at Lucille. ¡°You better wait! I will get you locked up for sure!¡± Lucille chuckled mockingly. ¡°Lock me up? And how exactly are you going to do that?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Jenny suddenly fell silent, surprised to find that her hand was not injured at all! What was going on here? Wasn¡¯t her arm broken? She couldn¡¯t help but wonder how her hand was perfectly fine now. No, her hand wasn¡¯t broken; it was just dislocated, and Lucille had put it back in ce. How could this be possible? Was Lucille infamous for being an absolute airhead? How on earth could she know how to reset a dislocated bone? Didn¡¯t she always end up at the bottom of the ss in her test scores?! Jenny took a deep breath and immediately gave a wink to the follower next to her. That person immediately stood up, her head held high, and said, ¡°We all witnessed you attacking Jenny in front of so many people! You can¡¯t deny it!¡± ¡°Exactly! We can all testify.¡± The others chimed in one after another. ¡°Besides, you have stained our designer clothes. You mustpensate us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We must make her pay! Jenny, let¡¯s call the police and have her arrested!¡± Themotion in the ssroom was like a buzzing fly trapped in a straw pit, making Lucille¡¯s ears ache. She looked coldly at the group of people before her. Many of them were the culprits responsible for the original owner¡¯s death that night. They had forced her into the pool, and when she struggled to climb out, they cruelly pushed her back in and drowned her alive. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. However, these people showed no remorse upon seeing Lucille. Instead, they grew even more ruthless. Lucille couldn¡¯t help but wonder, had they lost all sense of humanity? Her lips curled into a cold smile, void of any warmth. Her icy gaze swept over the faces of these people, sending a bone-chilling coldness through their bodies. Suddenly, everyone felt a chill run down their spine and a coldness rising from their feet spreading throughout their bodies. Lucille took a step forward, her voice low and menacing. ¡°Call the police? Perfect, I have something to say to them too.¡± Her cold eyes red at each of the people who had harmed the original owner. ¡°You deliberately pushed me into the water, causing me to drown and nearly die. Whose crime is worse here you think?¡± Everyone¡¯s faces turned pale as they took a few steps back guiltily. Jenny snorted coldly. ¡°What do you mean? Deliberately pushing you into the water? You almost killed Zoey, we had to stand up for her!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re such a vicious woman, pushing Zoey down the stairs because of your jealousy. That¡¯s too much of you!¡± ¡°How can you hurt such a kind person like Zoey? An evil woman like you deserves to die!¡± Lucille¡¯s face darkened, her eyes devoid of any emotions as a chorus of malicious insults echoed through the ssroom. At that moment, Zoey walked into the room, pretending to be surprised. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is the ssroom so messy?¡± Following that, she approached Lucille feigning worry. ¡°Lucille, have they gotten the wrong idea about you again? Jenny, the truth is not what you believe. Let¡¯s not pick on her further.¡± Jenny red at Lucille with anger. ¡°Zoey, why are you being sopassionate? She clearly hated you, yet you¡¯re still defending her. Such a malevolent woman like her doesn¡¯t deserve to exist!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Zoey. Don¡¯t defend her. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll all stand by your side and protect you!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a scene today and get the school to fire her!¡± Lucille leaned on the podium and said, ¡°You said I pushed Zoey? Who saw it? Where¡¯s the evidence?¡± Everyone was immediately taken aback. Yes, everyone said that Lucille pushed Zoey down the stairs, but who saw it when it happened? Jenny narrowed her eyes and said spitefully, ¡°Who else could it be but you?¡± Lucille sneered and turned on theputer on the podium, inserting a USB drive. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Since everyone is so outraged about that day, why don¡¯t I rey the scene for you?¡± Zoey was struck dumb as she watched Lucille turn on herputer and project the screen onto the projector. ¡°Lucille, you¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, the surveince video of the incident began ying on the In the video, it was clearly shown that Zoey and Samuel were hugging and kissing in the corridor. The more they kissed, the more they grew fervent. Samuel¡¯s hands roamed her chest, and as they continued to kiss, they walked toward the bedroom. The ssroom erupted in a collective gasp. ¡°Oh my god, is that you, Zoey?¡± eximed someone in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s so wild! She usually acts so innocent, but I guess it¡¯s all an act, someone ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk, this is getting interesting,¡± someone else said. Hearing the boys¡¯ lewdments, Zoey¡¯s face turned deathly pale. What was going on? Hadn¡¯t all the videos been taken care of? How could Lucille have a video in her possession? Lucille looked at Zoey with a smirk, closed the video, and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I identally hit the wrong button. It¡¯s my fault for showing you the scene of these shameless lovers cheating on me behind my back.¡± With that, she clicked on another video. In the video, Lucille emerged from the stairwell, tears streaming down her face as she loudly interrogated Samuel and Zoey. ¡°Why did you do this? Samuel, you¡¯re my fiance. Why did you get involved with Zoey? She¡¯s my sister!¡± ¡°And you, Zoey. You knew he was my fiance, yet you chose to hook up with him. Don¡¯t you feel any shame? Do you know what this makes you? A sl*t!¡± ¡°Lucille!¡± Zoey cried, her eyes brimming with tears. She rushed over and grabbed Lucille¡¯s hand. ¡°Please, listen to me. Things aren¡¯t what they seem.¡± Lucille winced and suddenly pulled her hand away from Zoey¡¯s grip. In that instant, the video froze, zooming in on the hand that Zoey had ced on Lucille¡¯s wrist. Everyone could see from the video that Lucille was wincing in pain as Zoey¡¯s thumb dug into her wrist. Then the video resumed ying normally. In the footage, Lucille was in pain as she forcefully shook off Zoey¡¯s hand. But despite having plenty of room to move to a safer location, Zoey purposely fell towards the stairwell, even looking back before falling as if to find the right angle. It was such an obvious fake fall that anyone with eyes could see through it. Lucille slowly curled her lips into a sneer. ¡°Zoey,¡± she said, her voiceced with disdain. ¡°Why would you deliberately fall down the stairs in such a wide corridor? Did you take the time to find a good spot to and grab the handrail. That¡¯s weird.¡± Send Gift Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Zoey stood where she was, her face deathly pale and her lips quivering. She didn¡¯t know how to respond. Jenny gritted her teeth and fumed. ¡°The video was definitely edited by someone! Maybe you even used Al face- swapping technology! Lucille, you have no shame! First, you almost killed Zoey, and now you¡¯re trying to frame her!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s obviously a fake video. How could Zoey be such a person?¡± ¡°Lucille Jules, you¡¯ve gone too far! Just go die!¡± Lucille smiled. To be honest, while she had experienced simr situations during her time in Dilsburg, her family had always protected her well. The people around her also treated her kindly, taking her background into consideration. Therefore, it was the first time she had met people who were so shameless and could lie without batting an eye. What really stood out to her was that they had no remorse at all. Without saying a word, she yed the scene of the original owner being pushed into the pond and drowned to death by them. The original owner¡¯s screams in the video were agonizing and ear-piercing. Just listening to them was enough to make people¡¯s hair stand on end. ¡°Help¡± I don¡¯t know how to swim!¡± ¡°Please, save me I swear I didn¡¯t push her.¡± ¡°I was wrong. So wrong. If I had known this would happen, I would not have chosen to be born into this world¡­¡± This was thest thing the original owner said. After uttering these words, she seemed to have lost all will to live and allowed the group of people to press her underwater. What were these murderers doing then? Theyughed and insulted her. They scolded her, saying she deserved to die. No one believed her. Everyone thought she deserved to die. It was they who pushed her to a dead end. Lucille turned off the video and looked down at the crowd, who had turned pale. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you also want to use me of editing this video?¡± Everyone involved in this matter knew what really happened. Guiltily, they took a step back and remained silent Jenny couldn¡¯t hold back her anger any longer and stood up, saying sternly. ¡°So what? I said you brought this on yourself. You deserved it!¡± Lucilleughed instead of getting angry ¡°Whether I deserve to die or not will be determined by thew. But as for you all, do you need me to educate you on thew? Aren¡¯t you all medical students? Do you know the kind of punishment you¡¯ll receive for the crime of intentional murder?¡± ¡°ording to Article 232 of our country¡¯s Criminal Law, intentional homicide is punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for more than 10 years!¡± ¡°For less serious offense, the sentence is imprisonment for more than three years but less than ten years.¡± ¡°Instead of thinking about how to make amends and reduce your sentence, you¡¯re still here speaking up for Zoey Johnson? Are you brainwashed by her?¡± Jenny¡¯s face turned as white as a sheet at the usation. Like the rest, Zoey¡¯s face was pale and her hands hung tightly by her sides as she seethed with hatred in her eyes. That cursed Lucille! How dare she strike her like that! Jenny panicked and lost herposure. She had taken the lead in the incident that day. If they were really convicted, she would definitely have the most serious charge. She was still young and the thought of spending the rest of her life behind bars was unbearable. However, her confidence quickly returned. ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second that I¡¯m intimidated by your legal threats. As long as we deny everything, what can you do? Thew will not hold us all ountable! And besides, you¡¯re standing here with us, so where¡¯s the evidence that we intended to kill anyone?¡± Lucille sneered with her head down. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t standing here, you would be charged with actual murder, my foolish friends!¡± In fact, they had been murderers all along. The original owner of this body was killed, and an innocent life was taken! Lucille would personally help her get justice! ¡°It¡¯s useless to try to talk your way out of this,¡± Lucille said icily. Take your excuses to the police, where you belong!¡± After turning off the video and clutching the USB in her hand, she turned and left. She felt more and more disgusted by this filthy ce with every passing second. Panic spread among them when they found out she was going to call the police. ¡°Zoey!¡± Jenny ran to look for her. ¡°Please help us! We only did that for you!¡± Zoey bit her lip tightly, suppressing her surging hatred, and chased after Lucille. She rushed up and grabbed Lucille¡¯s wrist, desperation in her voice. ¡°Please, don¡¯t be so cold-hearted, Lucille! I¡¯ll kneel to you if I have to, but please don¡¯t make things difficult for them!¡± Thud! Zoey dropped to her knees. When a boy who had a crush on Zoey saw this, he became furious. Zoey, don¡¯t kneel down to her! Let her call the police if she wants to! With so many of us, are we afraid of her?¡± ¡°Exactly¡± another person agreed. ¡°She¡¯s been bullying you. We don¡¯t have to put up with it!¡± Jenny was deeply moved to see Zoey kneel down and beg for mercy on their behalf. In a moment of heated passion, she eximed, ¡°Zoey, get up! I¡¯m not afraid of her! I want to see what she can do to Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. us!¡± Jenny had every reason to be confident. Her family was powerful and influential, much more so than the Jules family. She had nothing to fear. Upon hearing Jenny¡¯s words, the individuals who had participated in the assault immediately regained their courage, the fear in their hearts vanishing into thin air. Their previous arrogance and conceit returned. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Zoey. We¡¯ll protect you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t let Lucille off the hook!¡± Lucille¡¯s eyes were cold and distant as she gazed down at the weeping Zoey. Her lips curved into a sly smile. She was so sick and tired of this ruse. But did Zoey have any other tricks up her sleeve? Lucille knew she was quite cunning. Every time Zoey yed the victim card, this group of fools behind her would fall for its hook, line, and sinker. No wonder the original owner of her body was trampled and abused by Zoey. Lucille snorted coldly and ignored Zoey, allowing herself to be helped up by others. Just then, four police officers entered the room. ¡°Who here knows Lucille Jules?¡± Lucille turned around. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± As she waited for her ride on the roadside that morning, Lucille had already called the cops, determined to resolve this matter today. The surveince footage had been turned over to the police, and Lucille believed that justice would be served soon. Thew would never let a guilty person slip through the cracks! The officer walked in and said, ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who reported that someone tried to kill you? The suspects are all here. Come with us.¡± The policeman took out his notebook and called out the names of the participants one by one. The crowd immediately cowered and stammered, ¡°Officer, we didn¡¯t mean to kill anyone. It was just a harmless prank.¡± The officer immediately frowned and scolded, ¡°A prank? Do you take thew as a joke? Even if you were just ying around, your recklessness almost caused someone¡¯s death. That¡¯s still considered attempted murder! Take them away!¡± Several other officers rushed in and prepared to take the suspects away. The group immediately looked at Zoey in panic. On the night of the incident, Zoey solemnly informed them that she had asked Samuel to delete the surveince footage just in case. However, to their surprise, the surveince footage still ended up in Lucille¡¯s hands. Well, the data of the surveince cameras had been wiped clean anyway. They believed they could get away with iming that the footage in Lucille¡¯s possession was a forgery. Comforted by their belief in their own innocence, the group sneered at Lucille and prepared to leave. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Jenny taunted Lucille, ¡°I dare her to try and use that footage to convict us!¡± Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13 The police car red as it sped away from the school. A total of nine people, including Lucille, were in the car, the other eight being the culprits involved in the drowning incident. As she watched Lucille and the others leave, Zoey suddenly felt a surge of anxiety. For some reason, she always had a sense that things were going to spiral out of her control. Zoey immediately called Howard, feigning panic in her voice. ¡°Dad! Bad news! Lucille suddenly reported to the police and took her ssmates to the station. Even the Zanes family¡¯s daughter, Jenny, is there! What are we going to do? You¡¯re supposed to coborate with the Zanes family soon, right?¡± Howard was furious. He screamed on the phone, ¡°That d¡¯mn girl! Let me handle her!¡± The incident was so big that even the principal was rmed and rushed to the police station to find out what happened. Upon learning that it was Lucille who called the police, the principal¡¯s face turned ck. It was that troublesome girl, Lucille, again! Was she trying to ruin the school¡¯s reputation?! The principal quickly called the dean in an empty corner, ¡°Quickly inform the Zanes family and have them figure out a way to get people out of the police station! We can¡¯t let this matter get out to the media. It¡¯s crucial that we keep it under wraps.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. As soon as Lucille arrived at the police station, she was promptly called in to give her statement alone. She recounted the events of that night in great detail, and presented the hospital¡¯s medical records that she had prepared beforehand. The medical records clearly indicated that she had suffocated and suffered a heart attack due to drowning. It was only after an entire night of intense rescue efforts by the doctors that she was finally revived. Afterpleting her statement, the officer looked at her with sympathy and said, ¡°You may leave now.¡± Lucille stood up, thanked him, and left the interrogation room. However, as soon as she stepped out into the police station¡¯s main hall, she was met with a p to her face. The unexpected blow caused her face to tilt to one side, and a fiery pain surged through her face while a metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She raised her hand to touch her red and swollen cheek, her eyes shing with a wave of fierce and chilling anger. ¡°Lucille! You ungrateful beast!¡± Howard¡¯s eyes zed with fury, as he wished he could tear her apart with his gaze. ¡°We have raised you for years, and this is how you repay us?¡± With his rage still unquenched, Howard raised his hand again and tried to strike her once more. The nearby officers could not tolerate his behavior and quickly grabbed his hand, reprimanding him, ¡°What¡¯s all this noise? This is a police station, not your home!¡± Taking a deep breath, Howard forced a smile and said, ¡°Officer, I¡¯m just teaching my daughter a lesson.¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, you can¡¯t resort to violence! This is domestic violence, a serious crime. We can press charges against you!¡± The officer¡¯s voice was firm and resolute. Immediately scared, Howard cowered and apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, officer. I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± As soon as the officers left, Howard revealed his true colors and red at Lucille with disgust. He growled in a low voice, ¡°You b*stard! Who told you to call the police? Drop the case now! Don¡¯t you know that the Zanes family is my important business partner? By sending their daughter to the police station, are you trying to sabotage me?¡± ¡°Drop the case and apologize to your ssmates! Beg for their forgiveness!¡± he ordered. Looking at her heartless father in front of her, Lucille couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for the original owner of this body. How could such a cold-blooded person be so heartless to his own daughter? Did he even deserve to call himself a father? Seeing Lucille¡¯s silence, Howard¡¯s anger grew. ¡°You evil creature! Are you deaf? Are you ying dumb with me? Watch me beat you to death!¡± Unable to bear it any longer, a female police officer ordered Howard to be kicked out. She handed Lucille an ice bag and said, ¡°Put this on. Don¡¯t leave any scars on that beautiful face of yours.¡± Lucille whispered a thank you and took the ice bag. She stood aside and quietly applied the ice to her face. With her lowered gaze and silence, she appeared well-behaved and quiet, exuding a captivating charm that drew sympathy from all who beheld her. The police officer gazed upon her with apassionate expression, shook her head gently, and turned to enter the interrogation room. Seated in the interrogation room was Jenny, wearing an arrogant expression. She and the other seven individuals were brought into an unused interrogation room. Yet they remained unafraid, for they had secretly exchanged their confessions long ago. Jenny was unwavering in her confidence; she knew her family woulde to her aid shortly, having already arranged for her protection. Seated across from her, the police officer began the interrogation, starting with the question of her name. Jenny impatiently rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°I am Jenny, the eldest daughter of the Zanes family.¡± ¡°Age?¡± She calmly replied, ¡°I am neen years old.¡± The officer then asked, ¡°On the night of the incident, were you the first person to push Lucille into the water?¡± Jenny nonchntly gazed at the ceiling and replied, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t.¡± The officer didn¡¯t believe her and directly presented a screenshot of the surveince video, challenging her to tell the truth. Jenny crossed her legs and remained fearless. ¡°Even if you asked me ten thousand times, I would still say the same thing: no!¡± The officer inhaled deeply and suppressed her rage. ¡°We had the video verified by an expert. There are no traces of fabrication. You may choose to lie, but remember, once the police find the evidence, a new charge will be added to your crimes!¡± Jenny sneered, ¡°Whatever you say.¡± In any case, they had coordinated their stories, all eight of them. They would unanimously im their ignorance of Lucille¡¯s usation. What could the police do to them? However, what Jenny didn¡¯t expect was that a boy from their group, unable to withstand the police¡¯s interrogation due to his humble background, confessed everything. ¡°At first, Jenny was the one who pushed Lucille into the water. She did not allow her to swim to the shore. We¡­ We wanted to stand up for Zoey, so we held Lucille¡¯s head and kept her submerged.¡± -The officer frowned, ¡°How is what you did any different from murder?¡± The boy shifted his gaze uneasily. ¡°Later, she drowned and lost consciousness. We were afraid and immediately rescued her. Who would have known that as soon as she made it ashore, she woke up and became a different person. She suddenly choked me, and then she hit all of us. I still have bruises on my body!¡± After speaking, he seemed to remember something, and stared at the officer with wide eyes. ¡°Sir, what Lucille did constitutes intentional harm, right?¡± The police officer¡¯s face turned grim. ¡°That was a case of self-defense. As a university student, you should learn some basicws.¡± The boy shrank back and added, ¡°We didn¡¯t intend to harm her. After all, she was the one who pushed Zoey down the stairs first.¡± The officer suppressed his desire to strike the boy and demanded, ¡°You were present when the incident. urred. Why did you not intervene and stop her from shoving Zoey down the stairs? We have investigated the matter and discovered that you and your group constantly isted and bullied Lucille. So, why did she invite you to her birthday party?¡± The boy stammered for a prolonged moment before finally confessing. ¡°She did not invite us. It was Zoey who invited us as she feared that Lucille¡¯s birthday party would be toockluster.¡± The officer and the recording staff beside him exchanged a knowing nce as Zoey¡¯s name had been. mentioned numerous times throughout the investigation. It appeared that the crux of this incident revolved around her. ¡°Fetch Zoey Johnson here,¡± ordered the officer, determined to uncover the truth. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Upon receiving the call from the police, Zoey threw herself into Samuel¡¯s arms and cried out in agony, ¡°Samuel, what¡¯s happening? Why are they summoning me to the police station? What has Lucille bbed to them?¡± Samuel lovingly embraced her andforted her, saying, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, my dear. With me here, no one will harm you. As for Lucille, I¡¯ll deal with her when the timees!¡± Zoey nestled her face against Samuel¡¯s chest and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re so kind, Samuel.¡± Samuel¡¯s love for her grew even stronger, and he personally drove her to the police station. The moment they entered the police station, they ran into Lucille, who was just about to leave. Samuel red at Lucille with contempt and spat, ¡°Lucille, I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯ve be increasingly disgustingtely. You¡¯re using such low tactics just to get my attention. It makes me sick!¡± Lucille remained silent, speechless. She had encountered many strange individuals before, but never one so narcissistic as him. Which eye of his had seen her trying to attract his attention? There was no denying it ¨C Samuel and Zoey were a match made in heaven. What an oddball and a b*tch ¨C unbelievable! Lucille made no attempt to hide the contempt in her eyes. With a derisive snort, she walked away. Samuel, on the other hand, believed that Lucille was embarrassed. He lifted his hand to stop her and put his other arm around Zoey¡¯s waist. ¡°Lucille, I warn you. Drop the charges now or not only will the Zanes familye after you, but I will make you regret it, too. Besides, the school won¡¯t tolerate you. Soon, you will be expelled!¡± Lucille sneered and lowered her head, then looked up with a cold gaze. ¡°What¡¯s it to you, b*stard?¡± Samuel and Zoey were both stunned. Neither of them had expected Lucille to answer back. Samuel held back his anger for a long time before he said, ¡°You dare use suchnguage?¡± Lucille raised her eyes, her exquisite face shining in the sunlight, so fair and delicate that it could easily Property ? N?velDrama.Org. blind. any onlooker. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you have any problems with that?¡± she asked coldly, her voiceced with a hint of icy disdain. ¡°Haha!¡± Suddenly, a deep, sensual chuckle echoed through the air from a nearby corner. Lucille narrowed her eyes and turned her head, only to see Joseph standing at the gate of the police station, looking at her with a smile. Joseph standing at the gate of the police station was tall and elegant, with an air of nobility that was impossible to ignore. His strikingly handsome face was godlike in its perfection, leaving everyone breathless and in awe. Fixing his gaze intently on Lucille, his eyes were filled with a captivating charm that could ensnare anyone who gazed into them. A faint red tint curved up at the corners of his eyes, exuding an enchanting and alluring vibe. Truly a devil in disguise he was! Lucille¡¯s heart rate elerated suddenly, but she managed to slow it down and looked away calmly. Samuel stared at Joseph warily, but was instantly overwhelmed by the powerful aura emanating from him. He stood up straight, determined not to be defeated. But Joseph didn¡¯t spare him a nce and walked straight to Lucille. Lucille subconsciously stepped back, but behind her was a chair. In a moment of carelessness, she lost her bnce and fell back. ¡°Watch out!¡± Above her head, Joseph let out a worried cry and swiftly moved to her side, a zing-hot hand sping her waist before pulling her forward. Lucille cried out in surprise and suddenly found herself in Joseph¡¯s embrace, smelling the scent of medicinal herbs all over his body. Their bodies were pressed tightly against each other in a tantalizing pose that hinted at something deeper. Lucille was the first to recover herposure. A rare expression of embarrassment and annoyance shed across her usually calm face. Unfazed, Joseph held her waist in a firm embrace, his thin lips curling up into a seductive grin. ¡°Miss Lucille, are you trying to hit on me? It seems I have no choice but to surrender myself to you,¡± he said with yful allure. Lucille regained her senses, only to find that she was tightly embracing him by the waist. Her ears blushed crimson, and she pushed him away with both embarrassment and irritation. ¡°That was an ident,¡± she said. Joseph chuckled softly, his gaze pausing on her rosy earlobe, and his eyes darkened. As she was about to speak, a group of people suddenly burst into the room. They were all the parents of the students Joseph squinted his eyes and grabbed Lucille, who was about to leave. ¡°Come with me,¡± he said. Without regard to her struggling, he took her hand and they left through the side door. Zoey leaned into Samuel¡¯s arms and watched them leave, her jealous eyes on the verge of popping out of her skull Once again! Mr. Joseph had once againe to the aid of that despicable woman, Lucille Jules! *mn it! What was so great about that b*tch? Why could Mr. Joseph only see Lucille and not her? ¡°Samuel¡­¡± Zoey bit her lip, beginning to whine again. ¡°After all, Lucille is still your fiancee, even if it¡¯s only nominal. How can she flirt with another man in front of you?¡± Samuel¡¯s face immediately darkened. Although he was the one who cheated on her first, he was a man! Most men would be unfaithful in their rtionships anyway. But Lucille was a girl. How could she hook up with another man so brazenly in front of him?! In old days, her action was punishable by death! ¡°What a sl*t! Shameless!¡± Samuel said angrily. ¡°Just wait, I will break off the engagement with her as soon as possible! Zoey, my wife can only be pure and kind like you.¡± Zoey lowered her head, concealing the triumphant gleam in her eyes. ¡°Samuel, that¡¯s so kind of you, but¡­¡± She feigned a sigh of disappointment. ¡°I am just an adopted daughter of the Jules family, unlike Lucille, who holds so many shares of the Jules Group. The Gilbert family will definitely look down on me.¡± Samuel took a deep breath and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will talk to Mr. Jules ande up with the best solution.¡± Lucille was just a fool; what right did she have to hold so many shares? -She should surrender them all to Howard, and gave the half of it to Zoey. In that way, Zoey could use the shares as her dowry and marry him! In the Maybach. Joseph held Lucille¡¯s hand and got into the car. He whispered, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it happened suddenly. I¡¯m just afraid they will harm you.¡± Lucille lowered her gaze to the strong hand on her wrist, her pupils narrowing. She had thought Joseph was a frail man, but she was surprised by his strength. ¡°Let go,¡± she murmured. Joseph arched an eyebrow and calmly released her hand. ¡°Miss Lucille, aren¡¯t you curious about why I¡¯m here?¡± Rubbing her sore wrist, Lucille turned to gaze out the window. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Are you here to help me?¡± she asked skeptically. Joseph turned his head and looked at her with a yful glint in his eyes. ¡°Well, that¡¯s possible.¡± Lucille was momentarily taken aback, her expression darkening. ¡°Joseph, I don¡¯t like to beat around the bush. What is your purpose for getting close to me?¡± Joseph raised an eyebrow and answered with a question, ¡°What did you call me?¡± Suppressing her anger, Lucille replied through gritted teeth, ¡°Joseph.¡± Joseph¡¯s thin lips curved slightly. ¡°I like it.¡± Lucille remained silent, unsure of what to say next. Did he have a serious illness? She posed a question, but he responded with an unrted answer. Could anyone be really so dismissive? Lucille took a deep breath, ready to speak, but before she could, he interrupted, ¡°It¡¯s time for dinner.¡± The implication in his words was self-evident. Lucille turned her gaze forward and said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any money.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Joseph said with a meaningful smile. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you.¡± He instructed Culver, ¡°Go to Roger¡¯s Fine Dining.¡± Lucille furrowed her eyebrows, suddenly feeling that something was amiss. Had she been duped? Roger¡¯s Fine Dining was situated in the heart of Shein City, its tranquil environment and exquisite dishes. making it a standout among the bustling surroundings. Without a reservation, one could not even get inside. Yet, a single phone call was all it took for him to be warmly received. When Lucille got out of the car, she noticed that there was a pawnshop called Mount Ocean House next to Roger¡¯s Fine Dining. Rumor had it that the enigmatic figure behind the Mount Ocean House was a powerful yet mysterious magnate known throughout the world. Whispers of his true identity circted among the elite, but no one dared to speak his name aloud. The Mount Ocean House boasted an impressive collection of globally renowned treasures, obtained through mysterious means. Despite the potential risks, they boldly auctioned off their finds, exemplifying their daring attitude. Lucille¡¯s gaze fixated on the Mount Ocean House, her eyes sparkling with an unreadable gleam. She had been dreaming of visiting the Mount Ocean House, but never expected to arrive so soon due to a twist of fate. ¡°Mr. Joseph, please proceed inside. I have some unfinished business to attend to,¡± Lucille said, excusing herself. ¡°What did you just call me?¡± Joseph furrowed his brows in confusion. Lucille let out a deep sigh and reluctantly said, ¡°Joseph.¡± Joseph finally nodded in contentment. I¡¯ll head in first and wait for you.¡± As he walked away, Lucille couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes and mutter, ¡°You¡¯re impossible!¡± With her handbag gripped tightly. Lucille strode confidently into the Mount Ocean House. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Mount Ocean House was indeed living up to its name as the world renown pawn shop. Its decor inside was extremely luxurious, as evidenced by its jade floors. As soon as Lucille stepped into the shop, someone greeted her with a smile. ¡°Miss, do you need any help?¡± Lucille nodded. ¡°I want to pawn something of mine.¡± The man immediately bowed and gestured with a smile, ¡°Please, follow me.¡± A few secondster, Lucille was brought to a secluded room. Before her chair could even get warm, two appraisers dressed smartly in suits and leather shoes walk in with briefcases in each hand. After they settled, Lucille went straight to the point. ¡°I want to sell 40% of the Jules Group¡¯s shares. Please, give me your best price.¡± It was obvious that the other party was used to such bold gestures. His expression remained the same. ¡°Sure. However, ording to the rules, Mount Ocean House gets one percent asmission. So tell me, Miss, do you still agree to our deal?¡± Lucille smiled. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s only fair.¡± After that, she pulled out the shareholder¡¯s agreement as well as thend title documents for the Jules family¡¯s vi and handed them to the appraiser. ¡°In addition, I want you to sell this vi for me.¡± The appraiser nodded, took both documents from her and began to review them. The Jules family¡¯s vi was located in a residential area where famous, wealthy people lived. It was a golden. spot that spanned quite some distance. Naturally, the price would not be low. After thinking about it for some time, he quoted her with a price of 100 million dors. Lucille raised an eyebrow and tapped her finger on the table. After all, Shein City was not as developed as Dilsburg. To be able to sell it for that much was already a miracle: After reviewing the vi, the appraiser moved onto her shares from Jules Group. Although Jules Group was quite a bigpany, Howard had recently made several questionable calls which caused their stock prices to plummet continuously. This, decreased their value tremendously in the business. world. The best offer he could give her was a billion dors. It was a total of one point one billion. Putting aside the thousand dor fee that she had to pay Mount Ocean House, Lucille would still be able to earn more than a billion. It might¡¯ve sound like a lot, but in fact, Lucille was at a deficit. However, she didn¡¯t feel like it was a loss. Without saying a word, she signed the contract without hesitation. At this time, the appraiser, who hadn¡¯t said a word since the beginning, finally broke his silence. ¡°Miss, are you sure you don¡¯t want to give it more thought?¡± After Lucille finished signing, she leaned back in a domineering manner. ¡°I never regret the decisions I make.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but see Lucille in a different light. For someone her age, she had such courage and boldness. The appraiser could tell that she was going to be a bigshot in the future. He solemnly epted the documents and passed them over to the guy beside him to transfer the ownership. Reassuring her, he said. ¡°The reason how our business has grown so big, is because honesty is the motto we live by. One billion eight thousand and nine hundred dors isn¡¯t a small number, but we have enough capital. Don¡¯t worry, the money will be transferred to your ount in two hours.¡± Lucille leaned her face against the palm of her hand and said in aid back manner, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Please donate the one billion to charity and transfer the remaining money for the vi to me.¡± Hearing this, the appraiser could no longer keep his coolposure. ¡°Wha- I¡¯m sorry, donate it?¡± Was he mistaken? 1 Why would someone donate everything they have to charity? ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lucille said. ¡°Remember to donate it under my name.¡± She wanted to make sure the people who received her kindness remembered her name. They shouldn¡¯t forget someone as generous as her. The appraiser was shocked by her generosity. He quickly prepared the charity donation list. After Lucille signed her name, he looked at her with great respect and said, ¡°Thank you, Miss Jules, for your contribution to charity. Those who have received your help will always remember you.¡± Lucille didn¡¯t say anything. She just smiled, took the documents and the certificate of donation, then turned to leave. As she walked down the corridor, she could hear the noise of bantering from another room. She stopped in her tracks and listened for a while. The person in charge followed behind her and exined awkwardly, ¡°I apologize for the ridiculous noise. Not long ago, we received a property to auction for next month, but it¡¯s something that you can¡¯t put a price on. Hence, the debacle on what to set the starting price at.¡± Lucille nodded slightly and couldn¡¯t help ncing over. Somehow, she could feel this maism towards the room that made her zoom in closer. She narrowed her eyes and wanted to see what it was, but there were too many people in the conference room and she couldn¡¯t see anything. The person in charge seemed to have seen through her thoughts and said with a smile, ¡°Miss Jules, don¡¯t you worry. We will advertise all our items from the auction in three days time. If you¡¯re interested, you can keep an eye out then.¡± Lucille withdrew her gaze and shook her head with a smile. ¡°Forget it, I don¡¯t have enough money left for you.¡± the person in charge was amused by her and chuckled. ¡°You really are the jokester.¡± After that, she couldn¡¯t help but sized Lucille up from head to toe. Rumors said that the fifth daughter of the Jules family was an introvert with a bad attitude and no manners. But after meeting her today, it seemed that the rumors were not true. It was evident that Lucille was an elegant girl that shone in the dark like the moon! In a small room within the kitchen¡­ Culver pushed the door open in a rush and barged in. He whispered in Joseph¡¯s ear, ¡°Miss Jules left for Mount Ocean House. She sold the shares of Jules Group and even the Jules family vi! She would¡¯ve earned a billion dors but she donated all of it instead!¡± He continued to whisper, ¡°I heard when she signed the paper for donation, she didn¡¯t even bat an eye. If Howard found out, he would die of anger!¡± Joseph¡¯s thin lips curved into a smile as a hint of interest shed across his eyes. ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely something she¡¯s capable of.¡± Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Culver was extremely surprised. ¡°But wasn¡¯t that what her mother left for her. How could she just donate it without any hesitation?¡± Joseph nced back and said in a low voice, ¡°That¡¯s her personal property. Even if she were to give it up for free, no one should have a say in it.¡± Culver immediately shut up. .Got it! Mr. Joseph didn¡¯t even know the details of what went down, but he was already protecting her name from a corner. If he really managed to win her heart, wouldn¡¯t he spoil her rotten? Culver gulped as he worked up the courage to ask him if he truly fancied Lucille. As soon as his lips parted, someone knocked on the door. ¡°Pleasee in.¡± Lucille pushed open the door and walked in briskly. ¡°Sorry for making you wait so long.¡± Joseph looked at her intently. He stood up and helped her pull out a stool. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Sometimes it¡¯s worth waiting for nice things.¡± His words always had a deeper meaning behind them, and Lucille couldn¡¯t help but feel that he was implying something. As her gaze intertwined with his, she was greeted with a cheeky grin as he passed her a menu, ¡°I¡¯m talking. about the food.¡± Lucille was speechless. Culver, who was watching from the side, couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous for him. Mr. Joseph! This isn¡¯t how you get the girl! Lucille took the menu. Ignoring the 4 digit prices of all the dishes, she graciously ordered eight dishes. At the end of it, she decided to kindly add on a big bowl of herbal tonic soup. Lucille raised her eyes and looked at Joseph, who had by now gone green. She smiled meaningfully. ¡°The soup is good for you, especially men as weak as you.¡± The man¡¯s face sank. After a while, he suddenly chuckled and said, ¡°Miss Jules, you seem to care a lot for my body. Is it because¡­¡± Lucille¡¯s smile froze. ¡°What is it?¡± Joseph stopped mid sentence to leave the rest up to her imagination. As if he had said something inappropriate, Lucille coughed lightly and picked up her cup of water to ease the awkwardness. After dinner, Lucille managed to get the bill ahead of Joseph. ¡°Let me pay this time. Since you¡¯ve helped me out so much, we¡¯ll call it even once this meal is over.¡± Joseph had been in a good mood at first, but when he heard the phrase ¡®call it even¡¯, his face immediately. darkened. He turned around and forced Lucille into a corner. ¡°So, you want n to use this meal to draw a line between the both of us?¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Cowering in the corner, Lucille could feel the cool marble wall stered against her back, and a tall man¡¯s frame blocking her from in front. The man was just inches away from her face. His deep eyes stared straight into hers, as if he wanted to see through what she was thinking. Lucille did not like this kind of intimate distance, so she pushed him back. However, Joseph did not give up. He drew in closer again. ¡°Tell me, why are you trying to draw the line? What are you afraid of?¡± Lucille tilted her head to avoid his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± Joseph¡¯s voice turned deep. It was oozing sexiness and maism. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you dare to look me in the eye?¡± Lucille took a deep breath, organized her thoughts, and raised her head in a hurry. ¡°Who said so?¡± As soon as she raised her head, she got drowned into his eyes which were as deep as the Antic Ocean. This was the first time that Lucille had looked at Joseph¡¯s face so closely. Even though they had looked at each other dozens of times, she still felt that this man¡¯s eyes were really beautiful. It was hard to tell what he was, he could¡¯ve been a prince or a monster. But she knew that the more charming something was, the more dangerous it would be. The same concept applied to men. Lucille held her breath, trying hard to look calm. But her red tinged ears betrayed her right away. Joseph lowered his eyes and looked at the girl before him, who was like a frightened white rabbit with This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. its anxious eyes. His thin lips curled up slightly. He liked to see her panic. This showed that in her heart, he was special. The man lowered his head and was about to speak when a male voice called out to him in surprise. ¡°Joseph? Joseph and Lucille froze at the same time. The next second, Lucille pushed him away and jumped to stand beside him. Outside the door, a young man with blonde hair walked in and said, ¡°It really is you!¡± With that, he looked curiously at Lucille. When he saw her face clearly, he was so scared that he took a step back. ¡°I saw what you were doing earlier¡­ Joseph, you, you¡­¡± Lucille tidied her hair and said in a cold voice, ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± After she left, Austin Collins immediately made his way to stand right in front of Joseph. ¡°What is going on Joseph? When did you associate yourself with the ck sheep of the Jules family? Do you know how bad her reputation is in Shein City? Almost everyone in the city knows that she is a scandalous woman with no morals. She¡­¡± -Before he could finish his words, the man grabbed his ear and kicked him onto the sofa. ¡°Ouch!¡± Austin screamed as he fell onto his back. Shielding his ears, he red at Joseph. ¡°How dare you hit me, Joseph?! I¡¯m telling Grandma.¡± Without so much as a backward nce, Joseph quickly ran out of the restaurant to catch up with Lucille. The more Austin thought about it, the more upset he became. He immediately pulled out his phone to report everything he had seen to their grandmother. Hmph! He wasn¡¯t going to let Joseph be led astray! He felt the duty to extinguish whatever they had now before the sparks of love ignite! Thinking that Madam Collins would be furious, never in his wildest dreams would he imagine her to be over the moon to hear this piece of news. ¡°Really? Has he finally fallen for that girl?¡± Austin was stunned. What was going on? ¡°Grandma, did you miss the main point?¡± he screamed in his head. That wasn¡¯t what Austin was trying to do! ¡°Grandma! That girl is famous for being a sly fox! Joseph is going to fall for one of her cunning ns!¡± Austin shouted into the phone, afraid that his grandmother might¡¯ve been deaf. Madam Collins grinned from ear to ear. ¡°Great! Joseph has finallye to his senses! It would seem that I¡¯ll get to see my grandchild very soon! You said that the girl is the daughter of the Jules family, didn¡¯t you? I¡¯ll pay them a visit tomorrow and have the marriage arranged right away!¡± After that, she hung up the phone excitedly, leaving Austin alone in a mess in the wind. What was going on? Why was Grandma so happy? Wasn¡¯t she angry that Joseph was fooled by that scandalous b*tch? Lord, he couldn¡¯t understand this world anymore¡­. Hold on a minute! Austin¡¯s body froze in shock. It finally dawned on him that Madam Collins had said the word marriage. Joseph hated that word more than anything in the world! if Joseph found out he was the culprit behind this, wouldn¡¯t he skin him alive? Sh*t! Better run and find cover for now! After leaving Mount Ocean House, she quickly hailed a cab, thinking she could head back to Jules Vi. On the way back, her phone kept ringing with foreign numbers. After picking up two calls, all of them were from the parents of the murderers. As soon as the line was connected, there was a harsh curseing from the other end. ¡°Little b*tch, you were a vicious one from such a young age. Your mother really didn¡¯t raise you right!¡± ¡°Go withdraw your report at the police station immediately, otherwise you¡¯ll be sorry!¡± ¡°If you dare to leave a stain on my son¡¯s record, I¡¯ll make sure you regret it.¡± In addition to those arrogant parents, there were one or two who begged for mercy. ¡°Miss, I beg of you, please withdraw the case. My child is not even twenty years old. If there¡¯s even the smallest stain on his record, her life will be ruined forever! She did it because she was naive, please forgive her!¡± Without exception, Lucille hung up the phone. Their children were human beings, but the victims weren¡¯t? -That was a life they were talking about! Could naivety be an excuse for a life sacrificed? In their dreams! The phone continued to buzz nonstop. Lucille finally turned her phone off to get some peace of mind. When they returned to Jules Vi, Lucille walked straight into the garden and was ready to go back to her room to pack. She had sold the vi, so someone would be moving in very soon. She had to move out before that, cut off her rtionship with the Jules family, and set up her own ce. Within the main hall¡­ After Zoey finished her interrogation, she sat on the sofa with Charles and bit her lip nervously. ¡°Charles, do you think Lucille will agree to give me 10% of the shares?¡± As Samuel was sending Zoey back home, he had already told Howard toe up with a n to get Lucille to transfer 10% of the shares under her to Zoey. He wanted Zoey to marry into the Gilbert family with this money. Of course, Howard could not reject the idea. After all, being rtives with the Gilbert family came with its own. perks. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Samuelforted her in a low voice. ¡°Even if Lucille refuses to do so, Charles will make sure you get 10% of the shares. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure you marry into the Gilbert family with pride.¡± Zoey smiled sweetly. ¡°Thank you, Samuel. You¡¯ve always been so kind with me.¡± Charles was overjoyed by her praise that he nearly floated into the heavens above! Seeing the documents of the shares on the table, he was determined to get them signed. No matter what it took, he would make sure Lucille signed them once she was back! He had to make sure Zoey got what she deserved! Before long, there was a creak of the door opening. The girl¡¯s figure wasnguid, and she was surrounded by a faint aura. It wasn¡¯t strong, but it drew everyone¡¯s attention. Madam Dahlia stood in a corner anxiously and gave Lucille a look, signaling her to leave right now. After all, this group of people had been waiting for her all day. Now that she was here, it would be difficult for her to escape. Lucille sensed Madam Dahlia¡¯s gaze and turned to look around the living room. Her lips curled into a cold smile. ¡°Wow!¡± she thought to herself sarcastically, ¡°I guess they finally found me important enough to wait for my arrival.¡± C She lowered her gaze and nced at the documents on the coffee table. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Howard sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, and held a cigar in his hand. Like an old man, he barked, ¡°D*mn girl, I¡¯m surprised you know where your home is? Since you¡¯re back now, you better get your d*mn a** over here and sign these papers!¡± Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Lucille did not say anything. She walked straight over, picked up the papers from the table, and studied the contents carefully. The documents detailed clearly that she was to transfer 10% of her shares from Jules Group to Zoey Johnson without any conditions. Whereas the remaining 30% would be given unconditionally to Howard Jules. Lucille¡¯s head was lowered as she read the documents, but she suddenly burst out intoughter. Did Howard think she was a fool? He was going to leave her with nothing, even the vampire isn¡¯t as cruel as he is. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Howard frowned unhappily. ¡°I told you to sign it! What are you waiting for?¡± Lucille raised her eyebrows and sat down opposite him. Her chest was puffed out and her hands were crossed like a queen addressing her disciple. ¡°If you want me to sign this, you need to give me a reason to do so.¡± Howard frowned impatiently. ¡°What reason do you need? I am your father! You do whatever I say!¡± Lucille¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°In your dreams.¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± Howard was furious. He could only hold back his anger and say, ¡°Samuel doesn¡¯t like you, but we can¡¯t call off the marriage between us and the Gilberts. Henceforth, Zoey needs to marry into their family. Give her 10% of your shares as her dowry, that way Zoey can at least marry into their family with her head held high.¡± Lucille was fuming to the brim, but she could only snicker. Not only did the mistress steal her fianc¨¦, now she had to give her money for the dowry. How could such a disgusting father exist? Lucille was so angry that she threw her head back andughed. She threw the papers onto the coffee table and said, ¡°Do continue.¡± She wanted to see what else Howard could say. Howard flicked the cigarette ash and continued, ¡°Zoey¡¯s father sacrificed her life back then to save me. Our family owes them a life. Over the years, I have thought of her as my biological daughter. Of course, you should give part of your mother¡¯s inheritance to her. That way, the Gilbert family won¡¯t look down on her.¡± Biting her lip, Zoey said with tears in her eyes, ¡°Dad¡­¡± Howard looked at her lovingly. ¡°Silly child, why are you crying? You deserve it.¡± Lucille couldn¡¯t help butugh at this loving scene between father and daughter before her. She sneered and went straight to the point. ¡°If you want to give her some inheritance, why don¡¯t you give her some of yours? Why do I have to give her what my mother left me?¡± Could they be any more shameless? His face was even thicker than the Lord of The Rings trilogy. Howard got up angrily from his seat. ¡°What do you mean by thinking about your shares? We are a family, and your sister is in a good position. What¡¯s wrong with sharing some with her?¡± ¡°If I say no, then what?¡± Lucille sneered. Her ¡®generous¡¯ attitude riled up the two men in her house. Charles stood up angrily. ¡°Lucille! You better not cross the line!¡± After that, he turned to look at Zoey. ¡°Zoey, don¡¯t be sad. If she doesn¡¯t give you the shares, I will.¡± Howard immediately frowned. ¡°Bastard! How can you simply give your shares out? It must be Lucille who gives hers!¡± Lucille sneered. At the end of the day, all they wanted was to squeeze the rights away from the rightful owner. A cold-blooded and biased man like him doesn¡¯t deserve to be a father! Lucille picked up the documents again and lowered her head to read it quietly. Howard thought this was a sign of agreement and immediately raised his head proudly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you sign it, I¡¯ll make sure you live a good life. When you get married, I¡¯ll make sure to give you many expensive cars and houses!¡± Lucille sneered and threw the papers at Howard¡¯s face. ¡°In your dreams!¡± Howard didn¡¯t expect that. The sharp edge of the paper sliced into his eyelid. ¡°Dad!¡± Zoey stepped forward in a panic and held his hand with concern. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Howard covered his eyes and grimaced in pain. He red at Lucille angrily. ¡°Guards! Catch this ungrateful daughter of mine!¡± If she refused to sign it, he would beat it out of her! Soon, a few bodyguards rushed in and surrounded Lucille. Seeing how the situation escted, Madam Dahlia was so anxious that she picked up the phone to call the police. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. At this moment, a scream resonated from within the room. Madam Dahlia looked up in surprise and saw Lucillend a kick on the 1.85 meters tall guard. She turned around and grabbed another guards hand and with an elegant twist of her body, the bodyguard immediately fell to the ground with a wail. When the other bodyguards saw this, they immediately swarmed forward and surrounded Lucille. However, Lucille wasn¡¯t intimidated. Her punches were agile, her power was overwhelming, and her posture was poised. In a short while, she knocked down all the bodyguards. Everyone in the room was stunned. They stared nkly at the valiant girl in front of them and forgot to breathe. At this moment, the girl that stood before them was the same one as before, but her aura had changed that suppressed all those around her. It was so cold and powerful that the rest of them couldn¡¯t breathe. Howard opened his eyes wide in horror and stared at Lucille in disbelief. Was she really the timid and quiet little girl that he knew? Charles gasped as well. He felt a chill run down his spine. He had only people do all that in the movies. This was a top-level close-rangebat skill that was on the verge of being extinct. It was said that there were no more than five people in the world who knew this martial art form. He had always wanted to learn it, but he couldn¡¯t find a master. But when did Lucille learn it? She¡¯s so good at it that she could teach others! Zoey finally came back to her senses from the shock and narrowed her eyes in a sinister way. She pinched her thigh hard and forced out two drops of tears. She rushed to Howard and said, ¡°Dad! There¡¯s a lot of blood in your eyes! Madam Dahlia! Go and call the doctor!¡± After that, she cried and knelt down in front of Lucille. ¡°Lucille, it¡¯s all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t be greedy and ask for your part of the shares. You can hit me and scold me all you want, but don¡¯t hurt dad, okay?¡± Lucille watched her acting with a look of disdain. She didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid. A doctor? Just for that small paper cut? Wouldn¡¯t it have healed by the time the doctor arrived? Such drama queens. With a sneer, Lucife turned around and sat back down on the sofa. ¡°Sorry for making things so hard for you. My signature is all you want right? Alright, here you go!¡± After that, she picked up the pen and signed her name at the bottom of the papers. It was smooth without any hesitation. They were stunned again. What was going on with Lucille? Charles was the first to react. He rushed over and snatched the papers from her. After looking at them carefully, he was immediately delighted. ¡°She signed it! She really signed it!¡± Zoey was ecstatic as she gripped the edges of her shirt tightly. Great! She didn¡¯t think that this fool would actually sign it! Then wasn¡¯t Zoey now someone with millions of assets? Lucille¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile as she looked at the happy trio in front of her. After a while, she suddenly said, ¡°Ah! I almost forgot. Just a few hours ago, I sold my 40% of the shares. I don¡¯t know if the papers I sign are void now.¡± Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18 As soon as Lucille finished her words, there was a strange silence in the room. After a long time, Howard said in disbelief, ¡°What did you say?¡± Lucille yawnedzily and tossed the papers she had in her bag onto the floor. ¡°You can read it yourself.¡± Howard was stunned for a second, and then rushed over like a mad man, kneeling on the ground and picking up the document. When he saw the contents of the document and the signature at the end, he was furious and his body trembled with anger. ¡°Bastard! How could I be a heartless b*stard like you be my daughter?¡± So what did it mean, now that 40% of the shares were no longer in the family? It meant that whoever bought these shares would be thergest shareholder of thepany. It meant that the power in his hands would be divided. In the future, no matter what decision he made, he had to ask the other party for their authorisation! If the person who bes the shareholder turns out to be one of theirpetitors, then Jules Group would be finished. Howard was so angry that he felt dizzy. He really wanted to rush over and strangle this unfilial daughter! Lucille sneered. ¡°So now you¡¯re all worked up. What¡¯s the matter? It seems like you¡¯re only concerned when your interestes into y. You said I should give up all the assets I have? Howard Jules, you¡¯re an evil man. Just wait until karma gets you!¡± ¡°You!¡± Howard was so angry that he almost fainted. ¡°You unfilial girl! How dare you call me by my name!¡± Lucille ignored him and continued to say coldly, ¡°It¡¯s up to me to decide who my assets go to, not you.¡± ¡°You!!!¡± Howard¡¯s blood pressure soared, and he couldn¡¯t breathe. He raised his hand and was about to p her in the face. Lucille stopped him and tightened her grip around his wrist. ¡°You¡¯ve already beaten me once at the police station, yet you still want to hit me a second time? In your dreams!¡± ¡°You, you!!!¡± Howard was so angry that he couldn¡¯t even speak. His vision darkened and he fell back. He was so angry that he fainted. ¡°Dad!¡± ¡®Dad!¡± Zoey and Charles stepped forward in panic and helped him up. ¡°Dad! Don¡¯t scare me!¡± Zoey cried out like a little doe. While this was all happening, she managed to sneak an SOS message to Samuel, She wanted Samuel to see Lucille¡¯s ugly personality with his own eyes. She wanted him topletely despise her! Charles looked at the unconscious Howard and turned his head to re at Lucille angrily. ¡°Lucille! You¡¯ve gone too far! No matter what, he is still your father. How can you disobey him again and again until he fainted?! Will you only be satisfied when you ruin this family?¡± So threats didn¡¯t work, and now they¡¯re resorting to gaslighting. Lucille gave a cold snort. ¡°I¡¯m going too far? Who forced me to sign those papers first? Who called a bunch of bodyguards to beat me up? Who was the one, who mistreated his own blood for someone he adopted? Charles, I¡¯m your biological sister. Aren¡¯t you afraid our mother¡¯s soul might haunt you if she knew what you were doing?¡± Charles was shocked by her words and was speechless for a while. That¡¯s right. Lucille was his actual sister. When she was young, she was also the little princess that he doted on. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. How did she end up like this today? Lucille stared at him coldly and said word for word, ¡°You didn¡¯t treat me as your sister, neither did he treat me as his daughter. Just for that adopted sister, you treated me like scum. If I were to die, the both of you wouldn¡¯t even care! But if Zoey were to get the slightest cut, you would rush to her aid.¡± At this point, Lucille felt a lump in her throat. All the sadness and disappointment she felt was overwhelming. She took a deep breath and continued, ¡°Let the past be the past. Today, I just want all of you to know¡­¡± Before she could finish her sentence, Zoey shouted exaggeratedly and interrupted her on purpose. ¡°Dad! You¡¯re awake? Charles, look! Dad¡¯s awake.¡± Charles was sessfully distracted. He turned around and asked, ¡°Dad! How do you feel?¡± Howard got up with a livid face and red at Lucille. ¡°You unfilial daughter. From now on, I¡¯m cutting you out from the family! Get out of here! Right now!¡± Lucille raised her eyebrows and said no more. She quickly went upstairs to gather her belongings to leave. Seeing that she was really going to leave, Zoey became anxious. How could she let her go so easily? They hadn¡¯t gotten a hold of the money she got from selling the shares! ¡°Dad!¡± Lucille grabbed Howard¡¯s hand anxiously. ¡°Let¡¯s not be anxious! Lucille is still your daughter. We can just ask for the money she got from selling the shares!¡± Hearing this, Howard was stunned. ¡°Yes! Why didn¡¯t I think of it?¡± All that anger must have gone to her head. ¡°You evil spawn! Don¡¯t leave just yet!¡± Howard roared at Lucille¡¯s back with all his might. ¡°Where¡¯s the money from selling the shares? Hand it over now!¡± 40% of the shares was worth at least a billion dors. With this money, he could buy the shares again and emerge as thergest shareholder. Lucille stopped at the door and tilted her head slightly. Her back was straight and proud. ¡°Sorry, I sold it for one billion dors and donated everyst penny of it.¡± Boom! Howard only felt that he had been struck by lightning and was stunned on the spot. Lucille scoffed coldly and ignored the few people behind her. She carried her bag and strode away. Behind her, Madam Dahlia ran up to her. ¡°Miss Lucille! I¡¯ming with you!¡± Madam Dahlia had witnessed Lucille grow up. She was the only person in the Jules family who truly loved her. She was afraid that her life with the Jules family wouldn¡¯t be pleasant after Lucille left, so she wanted to Lucille turned back and looked at her with a smile. ¡°Okay,¡± she said. They left the vi and hailed a cab by the roadside. All of a sudden, a luxurious sedan appeared out of thin air and came roaring right at Lucille. Madam Dahlia was so scared that she screamed, ¡°Miss! Get out of the way!¡± Lucille, on the other hand, stopped in her tracks. She sneered as she watched the car continue to speed towards them. Sure enough, the car finally came to an abrupt stop 10 meters away from her. Samuel got out of the car in cold sweat as he shouted, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you move aside? Did you want to die?¡± He couldn¡¯t help feeling that Lucille had gone mad. Otherwise, why would she not hide when she saw himing straight at her? What if he lost control and knocked her? It didn¡¯t matter if she died, but her blood would be on his hands. Lucille sneered and stared at him as if he were a rat. Samuel was stunned again. He had thought that she would be scared of him. Who would have thought that she would look at him with such disdain! He gritted his teeth and said grumpily, ¡°What are you looking at? No matter how long you stare, I won¡¯t fall for you. I just want Zoey!¡± Lucille couldn¡¯t hold back it in and burst out in a fit ofughter, Samuel¡¯s face darkened. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± ¡°I¡¯mughing at you. You¡¯re stupid and narcissistic. Not to mention, despicable and shameless. You¡¯re a perfect match for that dumba** Zoey.¡± ¡°You!¡± Samuel was so angry that his eyes were twitching. You dare call us names?¡± Lucille raised her brows and smiled arrogantly. ¡°I never curse at humans, only monsters.¡± After that, she turned around proudly and left indifferently. Samuel stared nkly at her back as she left. It took him quite a while to understand what Lucille meant. He clenched his fists angrily and yelled in her direction. ¡°Lucille! Just you wait! This weekend is my grandparents¡¯ diamond anniversary. On the day of the banquet, I will announce the cancetion of our engagement in public!¡± Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Lucille stopped for a moment and tilted her head slightly. Her profile was exquisite and beautiful. She raised the corner of her mouth and said in a low and angry voice, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want.¡± These five simple wordspletely shattered Samuel¡¯s confidence. What was going on? Shouldn¡¯t Lucille be crying and begging him not to cancel the engagement? But now, she was saying that it was exactly what she wished for. What did that mean? Did that mean this was her motive all along? How could this be? Samuel was dumbfounded. Staring nkly at the girl¡¯s beautiful back, a funny feeling ran across his chest. The girl that stood before him was confident and poised. She was no longer as weak and gloomy as she used to be. On the contrary, she had a fatal attraction that no one could resist. Hearing themotion outside, Zoey ran out and saw Samuel staring at Lucille with eyes full of amazement and confusion. Her heart skipped a beat. She trotted forward and called for him, ¡°Samuel!¡± Samuel came to his senses and turned his head. He saw Zoey running toward him with tears in her eyes. He ran towards her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zoey?¡± Zoey burst into tears and threw herself into his arms. ¡°Lucille hurt the bodyguards and Dad. He was so angry that he fainted. Go in and have a look!¡± Samuel¡¯s face darkened instantly. He held her in his arms and walked in. As soon as he entered the door, he saw that Howard was throwing a fit at his bodyguards. ¡°A group of good-for- nothings! There¡¯s so many of you against one girl, but you lost!¡± After that, he grabbed a vase and threw it at Samuel¡¯s feet. Samuel looked at the mess in the living room. The bodyguards were covered in bruises, and he could see that Howard was livid. Samuel said in disbelief, ¡°Is this really Lucille¡¯s doing?¡± Zoey sat down and wiped her tears. ¡°Why would I lie to you? She even sold 40% of the shares! Dad¡¯s so mad at her for it.¡± Samuel was so shocked that he didn¡¯t know what to say. Charles¡¯s heart ached when he saw her crying like a fountain of tears. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Zoey. He said that he would transfer the shares under his name to you.¡± Tears welled up in Zoey¡¯s eyes as she looked at him with reddened eyes. ¡°Charles, you¡¯re the best.¡± Charles loved to see her like this the most. His heart immediately became full. ¡°What are you talking about! You¡¯re my sister, it¡¯s my duty to be responsible towards you.¡± Howard rubbed his temples and pointed angrily at the bodyguards. ¡°Why are you still standing here? Get out of my face and go to the hospital yourselves!¡± The bodyguards left with dust on their faces. Howard sighed and held his chest, then sat down on the sofa. Just as he was about to ask Zoey to make him a cup of tea, the people from Mount Ocean House barged in. Howard stared at this group of strange men. ¡°Who are you? Why did you break into my house?¡± The man held up the ownership certificate and grinned. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this house has been sold, Now, it belongs to Mount Ocean House.¡± Howard widened his eyes in shock. ¡°What?!¡± That unfilial daughter not only sold her shares, but also the vi?! ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± he exined with a polite smile, ¡°Now, we¡¯re here to pack up the ce. We¡¯ll give you half an hour to gather everything and leave here for good.¡± ¡°Of course, if you don¡¯t want to move, you can just buy the vi back from us.¡± Howard was so angry that he could feel the blood surge in his body and his brain was buzzing. Luckily, Charles was behind supporting him. Otherwise, he would¡¯ve copsed for the second time. He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. ¡°How much is it?¡± The man in charge smiled deviously. ¡°Such a nice house with a great location is worth at least a hundred and fifty million dors.¡± Hearing this, Howard¡¯s heart nearly leaped out of his chest. Did this mean he had to spend so much to keep the house? In the end, Howard had no choice but to unwillingly pay the hundred and fifty million to buy back the vi. Just like that, Mount Ocean House earned fifty million dors easily and left feeling satisfied. They graciously transferred half of the profit they had earned to Lucille, as she was the one who came up with this idea. After they left, Howard was so furious that he actually started spitting fresh blood. The ambnce had to be called in to send him to the emergency department. Once he regained consciousness, the first thing he did was to make a public announcement about cutting ties with Lucille. In the corridor of the hospital. Zoey watched with satisfaction as she saw the news of Jules family disowning Lucille sh across her phone. The corners of her mouth curled into a sinister smile. It took her eight years to finally drive that little b*tch, Lucille out of the Jules family! N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner. From now on, she was the only daughter of the Jules family! She would be spoiled by them and be the precious jewel of the family! More than that, she would continue to target Lucille and make her theughing stock of Shein City. She would be cast aside by the citizens, leaving her no choice but to abandon the city in shame! Thinking of this, a vicious light shed across Zoey¡¯s eyes. Keeping her phone, she turned to Samuel. ¡°Samuel, Lucille is no longer the daughter of the Jules Family. Your marriage with me¡­¡± Samuel caressed her head dotingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make the announcement about breaking off the engagement at my grandparents¡¯ diamond anniversary celebration. After that, I¡¯ll make sure to announce our marriage with grander gestures.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Zoey¡¯s eyes were shining. She got on her toes and kissed him on the lips. ¡°Samuel, you treat me so well!¡± Samuel put his arms around her waist and kissed her as if there was no one else in the crowded aisle¡­ In the hotel suite. After a brief rest, Lucille dug out the marriage certificate from her luggage. Since they were going to break off the engagement, they had a lot of work to do. Since Samuel wanted to break off the engagement with her at his grandparents¡¯ diamond anniversary celebration, she might as well announce it on a bigger stage! Thinking of this, the girl¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and there was a trace of coldness in them. She put away the marriage contract, turned on theputer, and began to check out properties in Shein City. Step one was just to cut off any rtions with the Jules family. The second step was to buy a house and settle down. Afterparing several ces, she finally picked a vi with a good location. The price wasn¡¯t low, but she could squeeze by. ¡°Madam Dahlia.¡± Lucille turned herputer screen towards Madam Dahlia to show her pictures of the vi. ¡°From now on, this is our home. I¡¯ll leave it in your capable hands.¡± Madam Dahlia was slightly taken aback. ¡°Miss, that¡¯s not good. I don¡¯t have the experience of being a housekeeper.¡± As Lucille contacted the real estatepany, she said, ¡°Madam Dahlia, since you chose to stay with me, I will also choose to trust you. From now on, we¡¯re a family.¡± Madam Dahlia was stunned, her eyes turned red in an instant. She didn¡¯t expect Lucille to trust her so much. ¡°Okay!¡± Madam Dahlia nodded solemnly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss. I will take good care of the house!¡± Lucille smiled faintly, decisively contacted the real estate managementpany, and made the call. Coincidentally, this vi was also managed by Mount Ocean House. When the other party heard that the buyer was Lucille, he immediately removed a digit from the price. In the end, Lucille bought the luxurious vi for a price of fifty million dors. After the whole negotiation, Lucille handed her card and the passcode over to Madam Dahlia. ¡°As for the official stuff, I¡¯ll need your help to get it done. Take a look at the ce tomorrow and if everything¡¯s okay, give them the money.¡± Seeing that she trusted her so much, Madam Dahlia was extremely emotional. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss. I¡¯ll get it done!¡± Lucille smiled and turned into her room. As soon as she stepped through the door, her phone started ringing. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Of course, it was one of those kids¡¯ parents again. Since Howard announced that he cut ties with her, those people had been spamming her phone non stop. Some lowered their heads, begging her for forgiveness. Some people were still arrogant and imed that they would kill her if she did not withdraw her report. Lucille picked up her phone to take a look at the screen and hung up. Just as she hung up on one, a new call came in. Lucille was about to hang up once more, but when she nced at the phone number and found it oddly familiar. After thinking about it carefully, she suddenly realized that it was a call from Joseph! Lucille hesitated for a moment before answering the call. As soon as the call was connected, the man¡¯s deep and maic voice resonated through the speaker. ¡°Good evening.¡± Lucille walked to the sofa andy downzily. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She was toozy to ask how he got her phone number. ¡°I heard that you cut ties with the Jules family.¡± The man chuckled in a low voice. ¡°I just called to congratte you.¡± Lucille raised an eyebrow and flicked her hair. ¡°Thank you for your concern. If there¡¯s nothing else, goodbye.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Joseph quickly stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t hang up yet.¡± ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Lucille¡¯s voice was as drowsy as a sleeping cat. The corners of Joseph¡¯s lips could not help but curl up as he said in a low voice, ¡°A little bird told me that you¡¯re breaking up with Samuel?¡± Lucille.raised an eyebrow. ¡°I see rumors spread fast.¡± This was her way of indirectly confirming it. The smile on Joseph¡¯s face grew even wider. He walked to the window and looked out at the moon. ¡°Got it, good night.¡± The man¡¯s voice was clear and crisp, yet deep and maic. When itnded in Lucille¡¯s ears, it made her heart tremble inexplicably. After hanging up, Lucille turned off the lights and went to bed. Shey on the bed and looked out of the window at the moon. After a long while, it finally dawned on her that Joseph¡¯s reply to her breaking off the engagement was ¡®got it¡¯. So he knows now, what next? For some reason, Lucille felt irritated. She turned over, buried her head in the nket, and fell asleep. At the same time, over at the Collins family house. Culver hurried into the study and ced a thick stack of documents in front of the man. ¡°Mr. Joseph, all the information you requested is here. These documents have details of everything that happened to Miss Lucille Jules since she was a child.¡± Joseph picked up the papers and raised his hand slightly. ¡°You may leave.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± After Culver left, Joseph began to flip through the documents. When he saw the words ¡®Lucille¡¯ on the first page, the man¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and a dark light shed in his eyes. In the blink of an eye, the weekends have finally arrived. Today was the diamond anniversary of Master Gilbert and his wife. The Gilbert family had thrown a grand banquet and invited all the rich and powerful families in Shein City to attend. At the break of daylight, Lucille was already prepared with the marriage certificate to pay the Gilbert family at visit. Before leaving, Madam Dahlia didn¡¯t want her to go alone, but Lucille stopped her. ¡°Madam Dahlia, you can help me by decorating the vi. Buy all the furniture and appliances we need and we¡¯ll move in soon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± With Lucille¡¯s repeated promises, Madam Dahlia reluctantly left. Deep down, she knew that it was Jules family¡¯s loss to have cut ties with a daughter like Lucille. Sooner orter, they would regret it! In the Gilbert family¡¯s vi. At this moment, the guests were gathered in a happy atmosphere. Master Gilbert and Mrs. Gilbert, surrounded by their grandkids, were happily chit-chatting under the enchanting music. Everyone¡¯s attention was naturally focused on the two leading roles. Soon enough, the crowd raised their sses to congratte them. ¡°Congrattions, Master and Mrs. Gilbert. You¡¯ve been together for fifty years, yet your love is still as fresh as it was the day you got married!¡± ¡°Gongrattions!¡± Master Gilbert was over 70 years old, still in high spirits, and his face was red from theughing and alcohol. He touched his white beard with a smile and said, ¡°Thank you foring to my party. I¡¯ve prepared wine and food for everybody. I apologize if there are any shorings in advance.¡± ¡°No, no, no!¡± The crowd began to chant in disagreement. For a moment, the atmosphere wasn¡¯t quiet and peaceful. Mrs. Gilbert smiled very kindly. She looked around then turned to Samuel in confusion. ¡°Sam, why didn¡¯t you bring Lucille with you? She¡¯s your fiancee, how can she not attend our celebration?¡± Mrs. Gilbert adored Lucille. She didn¡¯t care about the rumors, she only believed her own eyes. ¡°Grandma.¡± Samuel looked at her hesitantly. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to tell you.¡± He still hadn¡¯t shared the news of his engagement with his family. He didn¡¯t dare to. Because he knew that his grandparents would definitely object. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. After all, they were the ones who arranged the marriage. But for Zoey, he was willing to go against the entire world! Mrs. Gilbert looked at him expectantly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Samuel took a deep breath and turned to look at Zoey, who was blending among the guests. He reached out his hand to her and said, ¡°Zoey,e here.¡± Zoey took a deep breath, stered a smile on her face, then lifted the hem of her dress, and walked to Samuel with her most beautiful posture. Samuel held her hand gently and faced the audience as if he was about to make an announcement.. All of a sudden, the guests present began to whisper. ¡°Why is Mr. Gilbert with the adopted daughter of the Jules family?¡± ¡°en¡¯t his fiancee Miss Lucille?¡± ¡°Oh my god, this is big news!¡± Listening to the whispers from below the stage, Master. Gilbert and Mrs. Gilbert¡¯s faces darkened at the same. time. ¡°Samuel! What the hell is going on?¡± Samuel raised his head and met the angry eyes of the two elders. ¡°Grandpa, Grandma, the person I really like is Zoey. I want to break off the engagement with Lucille and marry her instead!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd burst into an uproar. Samuel held Zoey¡¯s hand tightly, with a fearless look on his face. For the first time, he felt that he was a true man. Many of the daughters and sons from various prestigious families huddled closely to whisper amongst one another. ¡°Everyone knows about Samuel and Zoey. Lucille couldn¡¯t get Samuel¡¯s love and attention, so she made Zoey¡¯s life a living hell.¡± ¡°Zoey¡¯s story is so sad. Her father died in order to save Mr. Jules. Even though they adopted her, she was still treated as an outsider. Lucille kept bullying her and she never fought back. On the contrary, she always fought to defend her. What a sad story.¡± After the discussion, the crowd began to speak up for Zoey. ¡°Madam, this is the era where we¡¯re free to love. Since Mr. Gilbert likes Miss Johnson, why don¡¯t you give them your blessing?¡± ¡°Yes! Although Miss Johnson is only the adopted daughter of the Jules family, the Jules family treats her better than their own daughter. In addition, she is also beautiful and kind. She¡¯s definitely the better choice than Lucille!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You have to marry the right person! Lucille isn¡¯t someone you wish to marry!¡± The crowd chimed in one after another, all of them standing on Zoey¡¯s side, not a single one of them was being impartial. Mrs. Gilbert and Master Gilbert looked at Samuel with aching hearts, their eyes full of disappointment. They couldn¡¯t believe that their beloved grandson would do such a thing to seduce the sister of his fiancee instead. ¡°Grandpa, grandma, there¡¯s no use.¡± Samuel raised his voice and said, ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. In this life, I¡¯ll never marry anyone unless it¡¯s Zoey!¡± ¡°Pfft-¡± Just then, a mocking voice suddenly came from outside the door. The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw Lucille holding her bag with one hand as she marched in with dissatisfaction. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 My Weak Wife Chapter 21 The girl that stood at the door was dressed in a light green dress. She had a slim figure and an ethereal temperament. Her eyes were cold and there was not a single hint of warmth in them. More than half of her delicate face was covered by her thick hair When she moved, her hair flew with the breeze. She was equally beautiful and charming! The crowd was stunned and could note to their senses for a long time. ¡°Isn¡¯t, isn¡¯t she Miss Lucille of the Jules family?¡± ¡°When did she be so beautiful?¡± ¡°How could it be? Hasn¡¯t she always been so tacky? I remember her as the cowering idiot who never looked anyone in the eye When did her aura be so strong?¡± Lucille¡¯s appearance had caused another uproar on the scene. Even Samuel looked at Lucille in a daze. He too didn¡¯t know what was going on. In the past, Lucille was like dust in his eyes. He would find it annoying if he took another look at her. But now, his eyes felt drawn towards her. If Lucille from the past was a tornado of smoke that covered his eyes¡­. Then the Lucille he saw now, was a rose in full bloom. She was enchanting and dazzling! Zoey red at Lucille with jealousy, her eyes full of envy. Damn it! She was originally the most beautiful woman at the party, and the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. But after Lucille appeared, the center of the party had changed. Everyone seemed to be very interested in Lucille. Even Samuel¡¯s eyes were fixed on her. And she had be the one they forgot. Why?! At this moment, someone in the crowd said, ¡°Mr. Gilbert, you don¡¯t seem to have good taste! No matter how I look at it, Miss Lucille is a thousand times better than Zoey.¡± ¡°Yes, it seems that those rumors are false. You can only believe your own eyes. In my opinion, this Miss Lucille is obviously the flower of the family.¡± Zoey was so angry that she almost spat out blood when she heard those words. She swallowed down the despite that was rising in her chest and stepped forward while lifting the hem of her dress. She said softly, ¡°Lucille, you¡¯re here. You¡¯re here to apologize to dad, aren¡¯t you? That day he got so mad at you he had to go to the hospital. That¡¯s why he¡¯s not here today.¡± Her pretentious attitude was so thick even the next city could sense it. Lucille snorted. ¡°He called so many bodyguards to beat me up, and tried to force me to sign over my shares to Jules Group. I refused to sign it and he got mad? Tsk! Those who didn¡¯t know the full story would think I¡¯m a Scoundrell With just a few words, she had squashed Zoey¡¯s usations and showed the audience the truth. She, Lucille, was the one who had been bullied. Someone couldn¡¯t help but whisper, ¡°Howard Jules can¡¯t be human. How could he force his own daughter to give her shares to someone he adopted? Would anyone with a heart do that?¡± ¡°Yes, he even called bodyguards to threaten her. When she refused, he got so mad he vomited blood. And the Payein 100GB Data, 2000 tamaam Network Minutes & SMS Tax Monthly Freedom ke Property ? N?velDrama.Org. first thing he did when he felt better, was to cut ties with Miss Lucille How could there be such a heartless person in the world?¡± Seeing the guests¡¯ discussion getting louder and louder, Zoey was in a mode of panic. Why did things always go in a direction that she did not anticipate? ¡°Lucille! Dad, this it for you. We¡¯re a family.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your family?¡± Lucille cut her off coldly. ¡°Would my sister force me to transfer my shares? Would family steal my fiancee? Zoey, how can you sit there and have the audacity to use the word ¡®family¡± The only way Lucille could shut down that pretentious b*tch was with this bullet. The more pretentious she was, the harsher her words had to be. Zoey gnashed her teeth in hatred, but she pretended to be very sad. ¡°Lucille, how could you misunderstand me like this? I¡­¡± After that, she began to use her usual trick, covering her face and pretending to cry. Samuel¡¯s heart ached for her. He shielded Zoey behind him and red at her. ¡°Lucille, don¡¯t you cross the line! Anyway, I¡¯m calling this engagement off today! Don¡¯t think you can change my mind by bullying Zoey¡± Lucille was amused by his narcissism. She lowered her head and chuckled. ¡°Samuel, your narcissism is a disease. You should get it treated.¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°Cut the crap.¡± Lucille retracted her smile and looked at him coldly. ¡°I¡¯m here today to break off the engagement with you. Stop spreading rumors that I fancy you and ruin my reputation.¡± ¡°You!!!¡± Samuel was so angry that he almost spat blood. A rumor? Was liking him a smear on her reputation? Wait! Samuel suddenly came to his senses and looked at Lucille, who was holding the marriage contract. He eximed, ¡°Did you say, you were going to break off the engagement?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Lucille unfolded the marriage contract little by little in front of the crowd. Then, with everyone¡¯s witness, she tore it into two pieces. There was a dead silence. Everyone stared at the torn marriage contract and did not speak. Samuel looked at the pieces of paper flying in the air. He had prepared a lot of words to mock Lucille, but at this moment, he couldn¡¯t say a word. Lucille tore the marriage certificate apart and threw it into the air. ¡°Samuel, listen carefully. I am the one who broke the engagement. You, Samuel, don¡¯t deserve me!¡± The girl¡¯s sonorous and powerful voice fell straight into the audiences¡¯ hearts, making their backs go numb. Not many people knew that it was Samuel who asked for the marriage. Before Zoey came to the Jules family, the original Lucille and Samuel were childhood sweethearts. Everything was pure and innocent. Later, as time went on, Samuel was the one who proposed the marriage to his family. The Gilbert family happily agreed and there was a meeting between the elders and children of both families. They solemnly signed the marriage contract. Back then, the original Lucille never imagined things to take a turn for the worse between her and Samuel. And the chief culprit of all of this was Zoey! However, the present Lucille didn¡¯t give two sh*ts about Samuel. In her opinion, Samuel and Zoey were the perfect match for each other. Both of them were cut from the same cloth. After smoothly breaking off the engagement, Lucille turned around and left. In the midst of the chaos, a celebrity who was good friends with Zoey, secretly stretched out her foot, attempting to trip Lucille. Lucille looked down, sneered, and stepped on her foot. ¡°Ah!!!¡± A blood-curdling scream immediately rang out in the air above the hall.. Thedy grabbed her foot in agony, and her face turned pale with pain. ¡°B*tch! You did it on purpose!¡± Lucille looked at her with a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I thought there was a beast blocking the way.¡± ¡°You!!!¡± Thedy was so angry that her face turned red. ¡°What are you sp proud of? You¡¯re just a stray dog driven out of the Jules family. Mr. Gilbert doesn¡¯t want you, and you even sent your own father to the hospital. If I were you, I would have been too ashamed to face anyone!¡± Lucille sneered. ¡°Well? I¡¯m in a good mood now too, would you like me to send you to the hospital along with him?¡± ¡°You!!!¡± Thedy was so angry that her face twisted in spite, and her voice trembled. ¡°You b*tch! Everyone in Shein City knows how evil you are! Your reputation has long been notorious. No one will want you in the future!¡± Lucille¡¯s lips curled into a cold smile, and the corners of her eyes reddened with an evil aura. It was so cold that it made one¡¯s heart turn to ice. Just as she was about to speak, a low, maic voice came from outside the door. ¡°Lucille is such a good girl. I¡¯m afraid no one will reach her standards.¡± Connected raho Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Lucille was stunned for a moment before she looked up. Right at the main entrance, stood Joseph. He was dressed in a ck high-cut suit and was walking over in a leisurely manner. The man was tall and slim, with a pair of amorous eyes. The corners of his eyes were slightly raised, showing his charm. However, there was a hint of coldness in his them. The look on his face was cold and arrogant, and his temperament was prestigious. He was like a divine being, too high to reach. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Walking in the direction of the light, his deep eyes were staring right at Lucille. With every step he took, Lucille¡¯s heart felt as if it had been shaken for a second. Cries of surprise could be heard from all around. ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Joseph!¡± ¡°What¡¯s he doing here? He has never attended social events before this!¡± ¡°Oh my god! It¡¯s my first time seeing him. He¡¯s so handsome!¡± The Collins family¡¯s crown prince, Joseph, was the man idolized by countless socialites in Shein City. So many people yearned to meet him, but they were never given the chance. All the rich single daughters dreamt of being his wife, and the rich sons wanted to gain his favor. In short, his presence here today was a pleasant surprise to everyone. Just as everyone was about to step forward and introduce themselves, Joseph stared straight ahead and cut Through the crowd towards Lucille. He lowered his eyes and stared right into the girl¡¯s cold eyes. L ¡°Lucille, I want to marry you.¡± He didn¡¯t ask if she wanted to marry him. Instead, he was straight forward with it. ¡®I want to marry you¡¯. That meant he was the one asking, and she had the power to make the decision. What his words meant was, ¡®I like you¡¯. These words were like a tornado suddenly rolling up on the calm surface of the sea, stirring up great waves. Everyone widened their eyes in shock, as if they couldn¡¯t believe their ears. What did he just say? Mr. Joseph was proposing to the notorious Lucille Jules in front of everyone? Standing on the stage, Samuel¡¯s face turned ck. He had just broken off his engagement with Lucille, but Joseph overtook his stage by proposing to her? What did this mean? Did that make him a man who didn¡¯t know how to treasure the pearl before him? He was so mad that he unconsciously tightened his grip on Zoey¡¯s hand. Zoey felt the sharp pain and cried out in a low voice, ¡°Samuel, you hurting me.¡± Samuel came to his senses and released her hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Zoey shook her head with tears in her eyes, but her heart was full of spite. Damn it! Lucille, were you ced on earth just to annoy me?! She had invested so much time and effort to make Lucille lose everything she had. But in the blink of an eye, Mr. Joseph just proposes to her in public? It was Mr. Joseph they were talking about! He was the man that dozens of girls idolized. But for some reason, he just confessed his feelings to Lucille in such a sincere manner. If Lucille said yes, then wasn¡¯t she the daughter-inw of the Collins family? If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t all of her years of hard work be in vain? No! She would never allow Lucille to marry into the Collins family! Zoey narrowed her eyes viciously, a fierce glint shed across them. On the other side, Lucille, who had be the center of attention, pulled Joseph aside in front of everyone. She lowered her voice and said, ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡± The man looked down at her with a serious and gentle expression. ¡°Well, you always asked me why I tried to get closer to you.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m dering my intentions loud and clear. My goal, is you.¡± My goal is you. These simple words put together made Lucille¡¯s heart skip a beat. She lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°Mr. Joseph, you can only lie to na?ve girls. You can¡¯t fool me.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes darkened, and then he smiled helplessly. ¡°You are indeed smarter than I thought. I¡¯ll get straight to the point then. The reason I¡¯m here, is to strike a deal with you.¡± Lucille looked up. ¡°What deal?¡± ¡°You say yes to marrying me, and in exchange, you have full control of whatever the Collins family has power over.¡± C¨²cille raised her brows and a hint of interest shed across her eyes. She had to admit that his offer was indeed tempting. She was alone now and had no one to rely on in Shein City. As for the Collins family, they were extremely powerful in Shein City. If she could borrow the power of the Collins family¡­ Lucille¡¯s eyes darkened and she made a decision in an instant. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were fixed on her, and there was an obscure light in them. ¡°You just need to handle my grandma. If you have any doubts, we can sign a contract, I will keep to my word.¡± A few years ago, something had happened to his body and he wasn¡¯t well. He had to take multiple medications in a day. Not long ago, his doctors said his prognosis was not good. Madam Collins became anxious when she heard that. She kept nagging him about getting married day by day. She said it was a celebratory event that everyone deserved to experience. Of course, it was hard to refute his elder. He couldn¡¯t change her mindset, so he could only try his best to avoid her. Somehow, the rumor spread all over Shein City. Now, the entire city knew that Mr. Joseph, of the Collins family was looking for his future wife. Lucille also seemed to recall this from the memories stored in her mind. Hence, there wasn¡¯t an inch of doubt in her right now. Just putting up an act for Madam Collins? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! ¡°For how long?¡± Lucille asked. ¡°Give me a period of time.¡± ¡°One year.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were tightly fixed on hers as he said in a low voice, ¡°In a year, the contract will be void.¡± Lucille nodded. After a short while, she asked, ¡°I¡¯m very curious. Why me? There are so many other socialites in Shein City. You could easily get anyone you desire.¡± Joseph narrowed his eyes, which were filled with a profound meaning that even Lucille could not see through. He lowered his eyes and said meaningfully, ¡°Because you¡¯re the only one who wouldn¡¯t actually fall for me.¡± Joseph was looking for a girl like Lucille, who always had her head above all else. Hearing this, Lucille could not help but raise her brows. Was he acknowledging that she was a rational girl who always put her head before her heart. What a coincidence. She too felt that way about herself. ¡°Okay!¡± Lucille stretched out her hand and said, ¡°Deal.¡± Joseph lowered his eyes and looked at her long, cold, and pale fingers. His thin lips curved slightly. The next second, he reached out his hand to cup her pale, tender palm. ¡°Nice working with you.¡± The others were far away, so they couldn¡¯t hear what the two were talking about. They only knew that the two of them were very close, and their postures seemed very intimate, and there was a smile stered on their faces. Someone couldn¡¯t help eximing. ¡°Did she actually say yes to his proposal?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What does Mr. Joseph like about her? Which youngdy from an aristocratic family here isn¡¯t better than Lucille?¡± The socialite who Lucille had just stomped on, was also one of Joseph¡¯s fanatics. Seeing that Lucille and Joseph¡¯s bodies were so close, she was boiling with envy. ¡°Mr. Joseph!¡± The girlpletely forgot about her reputation and shouted like a madman, ¡°A woman like Lucille, who just broke up and has no morals, isn¡¯t worthy of you.¡± Her words revealed the thoughts of the other socialites present. All of a sudden, everyone echoed. ¡°That¡¯s right! Mr, Joseph, with your status, you deserve a prestigious, well educated woman. Lucille, isn¡¯t worthy of you!¡± ¡°Mr. Joseph, you better think twice. Don¡¯t be deceived by her appearance!¡± Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Facing the crowd¡¯s objection, Joseph chose to ignore all of it. He held Lucille¡¯s hand and walked onto the stage step by step. As soon as he raised his hand, Culver came over with an exquisite wooden chest in his hand. Joseph lifted the top of the chest, and pulled out a marriage certificate that looked as fancy as a royal deration. The wedding contract was made from the most expensive material. The top of it was a golden swan made from silk. It was so ingenious and lifelike! When the guests saw it, they were all shocked. It was obvious that Joseph hade prepared! It seemed that he was serious. He really wanted to marry Lucille! Joseph personally took out the marriage contract and ced it on the table. Then, he took out a brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote down his name in an imposing manner. After he was done, he handed the brush to Lucille and signaled her with his eyes, ¡°Your turn.¡± Lucille picked up the brush. Without hesitating, she flicked the brush across the paper and signed her name. Since Joseph had used the traditional method of signing their marriage certificate in front of everyone, it truly meant he wanted to stop his grandma from pestering him. Since that was the case, she, as an actor, naturally had to cooperate with him. Both parties signed their names, and the marriage contract immediately took effect. Joseph picked up the marriage contract and read it carefully. His thin lips curved into a smile. L ¡°Culver, keep the certificate. Bring it home, and make sure it¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Culver put the marriage contract back in the brocade box and stepped aside. Joseph held Lucille¡¯s hand again and faced the crowd. ¡°From now on, Lucille is my fiancee! If you dare to bully her, you¡¯re going against me too!¡± When everyone heard this, they immediately lowered their heads in fear. No one dared to oppose Mr. Joseph. Seeing that no one dared to make a sound, the corners of Joseph¡¯s lips curled up. ¡°Next week, I will hold an engagement party with my fiancee. Everyone is wee toe.¡± After that, he turned to look at Lucille gently. ¡°Mrs. Collins, shall we go home?¡± Lucille¡¯s eyes twitched as she resisted the urge to pull out her hand. Why did he hold her so tightly? And why were his eyes so gentle? Wasn¡¯t his acting a little too good? Lucille took a deep breath, straightened her back, and stood side by side with Joseph. Their figures looked very noble. They were essentially made for each other. After they left, the guests couldn¡¯t help whispering. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Lucille broke up with Samuel and got proposed to by Joseph? Isn¡¯t that too magical?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the Collins family! They¡¯re so powerful that they¡¯re as rich as a country! If Lucille marries into the Collins family, we¡¯ll be inferior to her in the future!¡± ¡°More than that! Her status and value will rise into the clouds! In the future, she will not be on the same level as us!¡± Zoey¡¯s eyes were bloodshot with jealousy as she listened to the whispers. Why? What right does Lucille have to live so well?! Why was it that no matter how hard she tried, he would never be able topare to her?! She turned around and saw that Samuel was also staring in the direction of Lucille¡¯s departure with a T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. gloomy face. Zoey immediately clenched her fists with hatred. D*mn you, Lucille! Zoey wasn¡¯t going to back down. In this life, she would never lose to Lucille! Samuel stared at Lucille¡¯s back as she left, his eyes full of anger. For some reason, when he saw Lucille walking away hand-in-hand with Joseph, he suddenly felt a sense of unwillingness in his heart. He didn¡¯t want Lucille to wash her hands off him that easily. She was clearly infatuated with him. But now, she just left him without any remorse? What was Samuel in her eyes? Could it be that her love was so cheap that she could just throw him away just like that? Samuel gritted his teeth in anger and cursed in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re such a slutty woman. Shame on you!¡± Zoey tried to keep her cool and threw herself into his arms. ¡°Samuel, don¡¯t be angry. Isn¡¯t it a good thing that she¡¯s gone? In this way, no one can stop us anymore.¡± Samuel pulled her into his arms but somehow, he was no longer as excited and joyful as before. He once again looked in the direction of where Lucille had left, a dark light shed across his eyes. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 The first thing Lucille did after leaving the whole banquet, was to shove away Joseph¡¯s hand and retract the smile on her face. ¡°Thank you for your help, Joseph. Please drop me off at the hotel along the way. Thank you.¡± Since he managed to get her number, and knew where she was every minute, he¡¯d naturally know which hotel she was staying at. Therefore, Lucille did not even tell him the address. She got into the car,y down in the back seat of the car, closed her eyes, and took a nap. Culver nced over at Joseph. Seeing that he didn¡¯t say anything, Culver hurriedly nodded and replied ¡°Yes, Ms Lucille.¡± The way he addressed her made Joseph giggly on the inside. He got in the car and sat down beside Lucille. He emphasized, ¡°Please drive carefully, let her have a good rest.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Culver, who initially refused to acknowledge Lucille at the beginning as his mistress, had Since Mr. Joseph liked her, he had to ept it no matter how bad Lucille¡¯s reputation was. Lucille closed her eyes. She didn¡¯t know how to feel about the entire situation. She had always been very flexible and adaptable. Moreover, the title wasn¡¯t real. ¡°By the way.¡± She opened her eyes and turned to look at Joseph. ¡°You said that there would be an engagement party next week?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The man looked at her and asked, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Lucille frowned and thought for two seconds. ¡°No problem, but I want you to help me find someone.¡± Joseph narrowed his eyes sharply, and a dangerous light shed in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that you made a deal with me just for this person.¡± Lucille nodded without hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Joseph¡¯s expression darkened, and the air in the room became tense. The reason why she was willing to work with him was for this person, so whoever he or she was, must be important to her. Joseph was silent for two seconds before he said in a low voice, ¡°Give me the other party¡¯s information.¡± That meant he was going to do it for her. Lucille liked his straightforward attitude. She raised her brows and forwarded the information she had on that person to Joseph. Joseph heard his phone buzz and pulled it out. When he saw that the person was a female, the haze on his face disappeared in an instant, and the dark aura surrounding his body dissipated. ¡°Her name is Molly.¡± Lucille said cidly. ¡°Because of an ident, her IQ deteriorated to that of a five- year-old child. I also included a photo of her. If possible, I¡¯d like to locate her as soon as possible.¡± A young girl with a five-year-old IQ meant that she didn¡¯t have the capabilities to take care of herself. God knows how much she has been bullied. Lucille couldn¡¯t reveal her true identity, so she needed Joseph¡¯s help to look for her. Joseph silently wrote down Molly¡¯s information. ¡°I¡¯ll give you an answer within a week.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± This ¡°thank you¡± was from the bottom of Lucille¡¯s heart. She appreciated how Joseph didn¡¯t ask any questions about her intentions. Lucille felt like the both of them would get along just fine. ¡°By the way.¡± Lucille took out a lollipop from her bag and handed it to Joseph. ¡°When you find Molly, Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. give this to her, tell her to look for Lucy¡± Joseph took the lollipop and raised his eyebrows slightly, It was watermelon vored, and it did in fact look tasty Holding the lollipop in his hand, he muttered exftly. Lo y He deliberately drawled the end of the sentence His voice was low and magnatio, making people blisch and their hearts skip a beat But Lucille didn¡¯t react at all She simply replied. ¡°Yes¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes flickered and he didn¡¯t say anything else When they arrived at the hotel, Lucille got out of the car quickly. She stood by the roadside and waved to the man. Thanks, bye-bye¡± Joseph rolled down the window and he tilted his head to look at her His thin lips curved slightly ¡°See yo tomorrow Lucille nodded and turned to leave. At this moment, Madam Dahlia¡¯s excited voice suddenly came from the side. ¡°Miss Luci¡¯ How did you and up in Mr Joseph¡¯s car?¡± Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Madam Dahlia was thrilled to see Lucille get out of Joseph¡¯s car and to see them greeting each other goodbye. Lucille¡¯s brows raised in horror. Before Madam Dahlia could say anything further, Lucille quickly dragged her back into the hotel. On the way back to their room, Madam Dahlia kept bombarding her with questions. ¡°Miss, when did you get so close to Mr. Joseph? Are the both of you close?¡± ¡°Did you manage to break off the engagement? Was Mr. Joseph there too? Is that why he dropped you off?¡± ¡°Mr. Joseph is young and promising. He¡¯s a rare talent. You must seize this opportunity and get closer to him!¡± Lucille sighed. When she entered the elevator, she cut Madam Dahlia off. ¡°How¡¯s it going with the vi? Did you manage to get everything?¡± The sudden interruption caught her off guard for a moment. Madam Dahlia paused and then nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve bought everything. We can move in at any time.¡± Lucille nodded. ¡°Then let¡¯s go back and pack up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Madam Dahlia nodded, followed behind her obediently, and walked out of the elevator. Outside the hotel, in the luxury car. Joseph had sent Molly¡¯s identity information to Culver. ¡°Find this person in a week. I don¡¯t care how, or what you do, I want you to find her right away.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Culver was silent for two seconds and then said cautiously. ¡°Mr. Joseph, you went behind Madam Collins¡¯ back and signed a marriage certificate with Miss Jules. If she finds out, won¡¯t she be angry?¡± Joseph turned his head and looked out of the window. His side profile was exquisite and handsome. ¡°No, she¡¯d be jumping over the moon to know that I got married.¡± Culver paused and couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°Then why must it be Miss Jules? Do you really like her? But you¡¯ve seen her profile, she¡¯s never left Shein City, It¡¯s impossible she¡¯s the girl you¡¯re looking for¡­¡± Speaking of this, Culver hurriedly shut his mouth and wished he could p himself. ¡°What are you talking about? Why do you want to talk about this?¡± he thought to himself. He deserved Property ? N?velDrama.Org. to die! He looked at the man nervously, but the man looked into the distance with his ethereal eyes. After a long while, he asked in a low voice, ¡°What if it¡¯s her?¡± Culver was stunned for a moment and cried out in his heart, ¡°Impossible.¡± 10 years ago, Lucille was merely an eight-year-old little girl. At that time, she was the apple of the Jules family¡¯s eye and was regarded as their favorite little princess. Why would she have been the one in that pitch ck alley that was darker than hell? Moreover, they had confirmed that the girl Mr. Joseph met at the alley was missing at the moment. No one knew if she was dead or alive. Maybe, she was merely a decayed body now. It was a pity that the Mr. Joseph attached great importance to love. Because of the promise he made to the little girl back then, he had been obsessed with her all these years. He had been looking for her everywhere, but he could not find her. Culver sighed and suddenly thought of something. He said excitedly. ¡°Mr. Joseph! Didn¡¯t you say that there was a scar on that little girl¡¯s back? As long as we can find a way to find out if there is a scar on Lucille¡¯s back, we can be sure that she is the girl from back then.¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly as he gestured for him to continue. Culver cleared his throat and perked up his courage. ¡°I think the reason why you¡¯re so kind to Lucille is because you think she¡¯s that little girl from back then. But if she isn¡¯t, then would you¡­¡± Before he could finish her words, the man¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Remember, she is your mistress now.¡± The meaning behind his words was evident. Culver trembled and quickly shut his mouth. ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Well, it was true, he had overstepped his ce. It seemed that Mr. Joseph treating Lucille well has nothing to do with the girl from back then. That night, the news of Joseph¡¯s grand proposal to Lucille spread throughout the city and became a hot topic. of discussion among the public. In addition, the news that Lucille had broken off the engagement with Samuel in public had also made the headlines. Lucille became the focus of everyone¡¯s attention overnight. She was the focus of almost everyone¡¯s attention. After Howard learned about these two gossips, he nearly fainted in his sick bed. ¡°Did I hear something wrong?¡± He looked at Charles anxiously. ¡°Did Mr. Joseph really propose to that b*tch in front of everyone? And they even signed the marriage certificate?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. I saw it with my own eyes. I was there at that time.¡± Howard clenched his fists angrily. ¡°Good! Good! I didn¡¯t expect that the bastard to be so capable. She even managed to slither her way into the Collins family!¡± He always wanted to gain connections with the Collins family, but he couldn¡¯t find a way. Now that Lucille had be the Joseph¡¯s fiancee, that would make him Joseph¡¯s father-inw, Then that would mean he¡¯d have all the glory and fortune in world! Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 While Howard was immersed in the joy of climbing up the high branch of the Collins family, Zoey immediately hit him with a ssh of reality. ¡°Dad, have you forgotten? You¡¯ve already announced to the public that you¡¯ve cut ties with Lucille. You said that even if she were nearing death, you want nothing to do with her. Lucille has always been someone who never forgives nor forgets. Plus, now that she¡¯s part of the high ranking Collins family. Not only won¡¯t she not help us, she¡¯ll now use the power from Mr. Joseph¡¯s family and seek revenge on us.¡± Howard was stunned and his smile froze on the corner of his mouth. Yes, how could he forget about it? ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Lucille, that ungrateful b*tch might even get her revenge on us.¡± Zoey narrowed her eyes in a sinister way. ¡°So, Dad, we must not let this marriage seed. Otherwise, the Jules family will be destroyed in her hands.¡± Seeing that Howard was still hesitating, Zoey sighed again. ¡°Once, my ssmates identally bumped into her and sent her into the pond. Bear in mind that it was an ident. She held a grudge in her heart. Not only did she call the police, but she also refused to withdraw her report. She¡¯s adamant that someone was to be med for it. Her stubborn character is really¡­¡± Howard, who was still hesitating, was immediately shaken by her words. ¡°That¡¯s true, I¡¯ve already cut her out. If she really marries into the Collins family, she will definitely take revenge on us with their power.¡± He shouldn¡¯t have been so kind to her back then. If he hadn¡¯t, then she wouldn¡¯t have gotten the chance to sell. 40% of her shares. Although he had already found a way to buy back 20% of the shares, that huge sum of money was equivalent fo a significant loss! L With his current financial situation, if something were to slip up at thepany at this moment, then he would really be penniless! Therefore, the best solution he coulde up with was to prevent Lucille from marrying into the Collins family. Howard calmed down and asked, ¡°Zoey, I remember that she stole something from your ssmates before, didn¡¯t she? What was it?¡± Zoey lowered her head and tried to behave coquettishly. She stole the precious diamond ne from the Zanes family¡¯s daughter. The ne is worth at least a thousand yuan. It happened about two months ago, and everyone in ss knows about it. But she somehow managed to get Jenny locked up in a detention center until now. Obviously, the Zanes family will me this on us.¡± Howard was so angry that you could see smokeing out from his nose. ¡°This unfilial daughter! She is heartless! Don¡¯t me me for being a heartless father!¡± Zoey lowered her head, a wicked smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She had achieved her goal. Now, she had to just wait for the show to unfold before her! That night, Jenny¡¯s father, Sebastian Zanes, received a call from Howard. On the phone, Howard personally admitted that Lucille was the one who stole Jenny¡¯s ne. His do, I will not interfere! This is the punishment she deserves!¡± In the early morning of the next day, the fog hung over the twilight sky. Lucille was already awake at 5 in the morning, and she had spent two hours at the gym. When she was done training, she wiped the sweat from her face and ignored the men around her who seemed Chapter 26 While Howard was immersed in the joy of climbing up the high branch of the Collins family, Zoey immediately hit him with a ssh of reality. ¡°Dad, have you forgotten? You¡¯ve already announced to the public that you¡¯ve cut ties with Lucille. You said that even if she were nearing death, you want nothing to do with her. Lucille has always been someone who never forgives nor forgets. Plus, now that she¡¯s part of the high ranking Collins family. Not only won¡¯t she not help us, she¡¯ll now use the power from Mr. Joseph¡¯s family and seek revenge on us.¡± Howard was stunned and his smile froze on the corner of his mouth. Yes, how could he forget about it? ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Lucille, that ungrateful b*tch might even get her revenge on us.¡± Zoey narrowed her eyes in a sinister way. ¡°So, Dad, we must not let this marriage seed. Otherwise, the Jules family will be destroyed in her hands.¡± Seeing that Howard was still hesitating, Zoey sighed again. ¡°Once, my ssmates identally bumped into her and sent her into the pond. Bear in mind that it was an ident. She held a grudge in her heart. Not only did she call the police, but she also refused to withdraw her report. She¡¯s adamant that someone was to be med for it. Her stubborn character is really¡­¡± Howard, who was still hesitating, was immediately shaken by her words. ¡°That¡¯s true, I¡¯ve already cut her out. If she really marries into the Collins family, she will definitely take revenge on us with their power.¡± He shouldn¡¯t have been so kind to her back then. If he hadn¡¯t, then she wouldn¡¯t have gotten the chance to sell. 40% of her shares. Although he had already found a way to buy back 20% of the shares, that huge sum of money was equivalent fo a significant loss! L With his current financial situation, if something were to slip up at thepany at this moment, then he would really be penniless! Therefore, the best solution he coulde up with was to prevent Lucille from marrying into the Collins family. Howard calmed down and asked, ¡°Zoey, I remember that she stole something from your ssmates before, didn¡¯t she? What was it?¡± Zoey lowered her head and tried to behave coquettishly. She stole the precious diamond ne from the Zanes family¡¯s daughter. The ne is worth at least a thousand yuan. It happened about two months ago, and everyone in ss knows about it. But she somehow managed to get Jenny locked up in a detention center until now. Obviously, the Zanes family will me this on us.¡± Howard was so angry that you could see smokeing out from his nose. ¡°This unfilial daughter! She is heartless! Don¡¯t me me for being a heartless father!¡± Zoey lowered her head, a wicked smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She had achieved her goal. Now, she had to just wait for the show to unfold before her! That night, Jenny¡¯s father, Sebastian Zanes, received a call from Howard. On the phone, Howard personally admitted that Lucille was the one who stole Jenny¡¯s ne. His do, I will not interfere! This is the punishment she deserves!¡± In the early morning of the next day, the fog hung over the twilight sky. Lucille was already awake at 5 in the morning, and she had spent two hours at the gym. When she was done training, she wiped the sweat from her face and ignored the men around her who seemed to be interested in making conversation. Instead, she went back up to her room and changed into a fresh outfit. Madam Dahlia was one step ahead and arranged for room service. Just as the dishes arrived at the This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. room, Lucille stepped out of the bathroom. ¡°Miss,e and have a bite.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming.¡± Lucille sat down and picked up a sandwich. After breakfast, Lucille went through to check-out. The new vi had been cleaned up yesterday, and it was filled with all the stuff they needed. There was no need for her to stay in the hotel since she had her own ce to stay. Lucille asked Madam Dahlia move her things into the new vi. Since it was Monday, she had taken a taxi to attend her sses. Sitting in the taxi, she turned on the phone that had been shut off all night long. The stream of messages full of harassment overflowed her phone. One of them even had death threats. ¡®Little girl, I¡¯ll give you onest warning. If you don¡¯t drop thewsuit and make my daughter really go to jail, be careful, or I¡¯ll kill you!¡¯ The arrogant tone of the message was signed off with an arrogant name, Sebastian Zane. She remembered. Oh, this was Jenny¡¯s biological father, a business tycoon who ranked in the top 50 of Shein City. Lucille¡¯s fingertips tapped lightly and she replied to the other party¡¯s message¡­ ¡®I have the evidence on hand now. If I were to make a move, Mr. Zanes, you¡¯d be the biggest suspect. Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 The text message was sent sessfully. The corners of Lucille¡¯s lips tugged upwards. ¡°You dare threaten me? Heh.¡± Sebastian, who received the reply, choked on his words. At this moment, his old, wrinkled face was tight and covered by a dark cloud. ¡°This little girl dare threaten me? She wasn¡¯t even afraid of my messages?¡± he thought. ¡°Damn it!¡± he cursed internally. Sebastian¡¯s face was gloomy. He mmed the table and said angrily, ¡°I want you to press the university into expelling this girl! And, report her for theft! Since she dares to fight back, I¡¯ll let her have a taste of death!¡± The butler reminded him carefully. ¡°Sir, this girl is engaged to Mr. Joseph now. Shouldn¡¯t we keep things low key..¡± ¡°Why should I be afraid? This girl put my daughter into jail. In fact, she deserves to be skinned alive for what she¡¯s done! Besides, since when did Mr. Joseph care about women? He¡¯s clearly just toying with her!¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The butler nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do it immediately.¡± The taxi stopped by the side of the road. Right ahead of themid the main gate of the university. Lucille paid the fare and got out of the car. When she entered the school, many people pointed and whispered at her along the way. ¡°Look, it¡¯s her. She¡¯s the one who ruined the reputation of our medical department single handedly! I really feel ashamed to be in the same department with someone like her!¡± ¡°Lpity those who are in the same ss as her. If I slip up and identally offend her, she will use me of ndering her and send me to jail! I heard that all of the eight people she used are still in the detention center.¡± ¡°Tsk, a girl with no morals. Fortunately, Samuel broke off the engagement with her! But I guess she couldn¡¯t resist being at the bottom of the hierarchy. Right after breaking up with Samuel, she moves on to Mr. Josephi How shameless!¡± ¡°How can a scum like her still have the audacity to show up for sses?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I heard that the upper ranks in school have sent a letter to expel her. Let¡¯s wait and see!* In the midst of all the gossip, Lucille straightened her back and remained calm andposed. She passed through the shady path and moved forward steadily from countless hostile gazes. Those voices reached her ears from time to time. Those who gloated and were full of disgust seemed to be unable to obtain any emotion from her. After the heated discussion, the crowd gradually quieted down. Everyone stared in astonishment as Lucille walked away. Under the warm sun, the girl was dressed in a long blue dress. She looked graceful. The color she wore could¡¯ve easily eaten her up, but there was a kind of nobility and elegance which shone from her core when she wore that dress. Although she was evil and cunning, there was no doubt about Lucille¡¯s beauty. She didn¡¯t even have to do anything, just the turn of her eyes made her beauty shine. The gazes that were cast at her were full of disgust and amazement. Lucille looked steadily forward and walked straight into the teaching building. This time, the door of the ssroom was open. From a distance, there seemed to be a crowd of people. Even people from other sses poked their heads out to watch the fun. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. As for the reason behind the crowd¡­ the principal had shown up in person. As soon as Lucille stepped into the ssroom, she found that the tables and chairs were gone, and even the acupuncture model that she had spent a month toplete was thrown into the trash. It seemed that someone had instructed them to do so. Lucille¡¯s eyes turned cold and her gaze fell on the principal, who was standing tall and straight. The principal, who was originally full of confidence, suddenly shivered. For some reason, when he came into contact with the girl¡¯s cold gaze, he felt like her eyes poked holes through. his body. It was as if the person in front of him was not an ordinary student who was used to causing trouble, but a big shot that he couldn¡¯t afford to offend¡­ The principal came back to his senses, straightened his back again, and threw a notice of expulsion to Lucille! He announced, ¡°From now on, you don¡¯t have toe to school, because you have been expelled!¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 As soon as he finished talking, faint cheers came from the ssroom and outside. What a piece of good news! Everyone was busy cheering and celebrating! Lucille did not even look at the letter. The corners of her lips curled into a mocking smile as she asked, ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± ¡°First, your grades did not meet the criteria, you¡¯re not fit for medical school! Second, you ndered your ssmates, and now you have caused eight of them to be detained in the police station!¡± The principal said in a loud voice, ¡°You have created a mess at this university, and this is the consequence of it!¡± Lucille smiled. ¡°I have proof, and what¡¯s wrong with reporting them if it means protecting myself? What¡¯s more, the eight of themmitted a crime, which the police themselves have verified! Sir, you keep using me of ndering the university, but I believe you¡¯re the one ndering me right now!¡± If there was no solid evidence, could the eight people, including Jenny, be brought in just by her words? The principal was speechless. After thinking about it for a while, it was obvious that it was not feasible to use this as an excuse to make trouble. The principal cleared his throat and said, ¡°But your grades are at the bottom of the ss, and that will affect the rest of your ssmates studying. With this, the school has enough reasons to expel you!¡± This medical school was based on the rules of survival of the fittest. If one¡¯s grades were not qualified all year round, he or she could be expelled. The principal said in a deep voice, ¡°This is our university¡¯s rule. Everyone knows it and even you can¡¯t deny it!¡± 4¡¯do know about it. Lucille said slowly, ¡°But I also know that there is a test that must be done before being expelled. If I pass the test, the decision of being expelled will be withdrawn. Am I right, sir?¡± The principal¡¯s face darkened, and he obviously acquiesced. This rule was set by him in person in order to give the loser onest chance. But there was no way she was going to pass! ¡°Even if I give you this chance, you won¡¯t be able to pass. My advice is to just forgo the test and save your own face!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. As the principal, you have to follow the school rules. As a student, I have to follow the school rules as well.¡± Lucille smiled. She didn¡¯t care if she were expelled or not, but she refused to be expelled for such petty usations! ¡°We can have the test right now.¡± The principal and the students in the ss were dumbfounded. They looked at Lucille with incredulous expressions. Who in the whole school didn¡¯t know that she rankedst for every single exam? Not only was she not dejected, but she also wanted to humiliate herself? ¡°Okay, as you wish!¡± The principal sneered, then pointed to the cleaner who was cleaning the corridor outside the door and said, ¡°He¡¯s your test. You wanted to prove yourself? Well, go and treat his feet!¡± As soon as he finished his words, there was a burst ofughter. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Because this cleaner, couldn¡¯t speak. He was known as Mr. Dumb to the entire university. Due to his old age. and creaky knees, it was obviously difficult for him to do his work. But in order to keep this job, he stood strong. against all their teasing with a smile to not offend anyone. But¡­ now they wanted to fix his feet? Mr. Dumb waved his hand repeatedly and tried to escape in panic. However, the other students who wanted to watch the show would not let it go. A few boys rushed forward and dragged him into the ssroom. While forcing him to take off his shoes, theyughed and said, ¡°Mr. Dumb, don¡¯t hide. Aren¡¯t your legs weak? Don¡¯t they keep shaking? It just so happens that our ss¡¯ Miss Jules wants to treat you!¡± ¡°Hee hee, don¡¯t worry, Mr. Dumb. We¡¯re learning acupuncture now, plus the principal is right here. Even if it doesn¡¯t work, we won¡¯t make it worse.¡± Before Mr. Dumb could react, he had already been pressed on the table, and even his shoes that were filled with holes, had been stripped off his feet. When other girls caught a whiff of the smell, they covered their noses with disgust and kept dodging back. ¡°Oh my god, it smells like hell! Are you trying to polson us to death?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s so disgusting!¡± Everyone looked at Lucille in disdain as they waited for her to retreat. Lucille picked up the acupuncture bag next to her and stepped forward. She bent over and gently held up the pair of feet that were full of scars. Mr. Dumb was so embarrassed he wanted to bury his head into the ground. He was so scared he froze. The girl in front of him lowered her head. She didn¡¯t react with disgust like he had expected, nor did she avoid touching his feet because they were dirty. Instead, she held his feet soundly in her palm. Mr. Dumb¡¯s lips moved, and tears appeared in his turbid eyes. ¡°Mr, is the ce you live in moist all year round?¡± Lucille asked. She took out a silver needle and inserted it into the acupuncture point at the center of Mr. Dumb¡¯s feet. At the same time, she tried to calm him down. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. This is an injury caused by severe fluid umtion around your knee. You¡¯ll be fine after this¡± As she said this, she stuck another dozen or so silver needles into his feet. Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Before the others could even figure out what was going on, they saw that Lucille had finished her acupuncture! The principal was also stunned and couldn¡¯t help but scold, ¡°Do you know which are the correct points? How dare you randomly stick the needles into him? Can you bear the responsibility if something happens to him?¡± Lucille ignored him. Mr. Dumb was trying to say something in a panic, but because he did not know how to speak, he could only make a low-pitched sound from his throat. When the other students heard this, they immediately shouted, ¡°Look, Mr. Dumb is saying it hurts! Why don¡¯t you take the silver needles off quickly?¡± Mr. Dumb was so anxious that he was sweating. He could only express it with his gestures¡­. ¡®It doesn¡¯t hurt, don¡¯t me her for nothing¡±. Lucille said cidly, ¡°Hold on, it¡¯ll just be another two minutes.¡± The principal was furious, but he still waited patiently for two minutes. Two minutester, when he was about to forcefully remove the silver needles, the end of the silver needle suddenly began to drip. Yes, a drop of water! Everyone gasped and were stunned! ¡°How, how could this be?¡± At the center of his feet, those silver needles kept dripping water. In just a few seconds, there was already a small pool of water on the ground! If the corridor outside the ssroom, an old professor, who was just passing by, took in the whole process of Lucille¡¯s acupuncture. At first, it was just a spur of the moment thing and he stopped to watch out of curiosity. When he saw the silver needle dripping with water, the old professor¡¯s pupils suddenly dted, and he was so excited that his whole body was trembling slightly! This acupuncture technique¡­ He had only seen it done once in his entire life! And the master who did it was an expert! However, his whereabouts had be a mystery. Countless people wanted to ask him to treat them, but they returned empty handed! The old professor was extremely shocked. He had never thought that there was someone in this school who had the same technique as that master! Could it be¡­ At this moment, Lucille had already removed all the silver needles. She helped Mr. Dumb up and said, ¡°Mr, try walking. See if you¡¯re still feeling ufortable.¡± Mr. Dumb walked a few steps as told, and then widened his eyes in surprise. His pupils were filled with excitement, disbelief, and iparable gratitude. ¡®It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore! She really cured me!¡¯ Mr. Dumb gestured with his hands, and his excitement was beyond words. Even if the others didn¡¯t understand his signnguage, but they could see how he was now able to turn easily and jump in the sky. It was clear that the usually feeble Mr. Dumb, was now strong and full of energy. The students looked at each other in dismay. No one was willing to believe what had just happened. ¡°How, how is this possible? He¡¯s cured just because of the few needles Lucille jabbed into his leg?¡± ¡°Mr. Dumb, tell me the truth. She asked you to be here, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. It must be Lucille¡¯s good luck that she managed to pull this off!¡± Before the others could even figure out what was going on, they saw that Lucille had finished her acupuncture! The principal was also stunned and couldn¡¯t help but scold. ¡®Do you know which are the correct points? How dare you randomly stick the needles into him? Can you bear the responsibility if something happens to him?¡± Lucille ignored him. Mr. Dumb was trying to say something in a panic, but because he did not know how to speak, he could only make a low pitched sound from his throat When the other students heard this, they immediately shouted, ¡°Look, Mr. Dumb is saying it hurts! Why don¡¯t you take the silver needles off quickly? Mr Dumb was so anxious that he was sweating. He could only express it with his gestures¡­ It doesn¡¯t hurt, don¡¯t me her for nothing¡±. Lucille said cidly, ¡°Hold on, it¡¯ll just be another two minutes.¡± The principal was furious, but he still waited patiently for two minutes. Two minutester, when he was about to forcefully remove the silver needles, the end of the silver needle suddenly began to drip. Yes, a drop of water! Everyone gasped and were stunned! ¡°How, how could this be?¡± At the center of his feet, those silver needles kept dripping water. In just a few seconds, there was already a small pool of water on the ground! the corridor outside the ssroom, an old professor, who was just passing by, took in the whole process of Lucille¡¯s acupuncture. At first, it was just a spur of the moment thing and he stopped to watch out of curiosity. When he saw the silver needle dripping with water, the old professor¡¯s pupils suddenly dted, and he was so excited that his whole body was trembling slightly! This acupuncture technique¡­. He had only seen it done once in his entire life! Property ? N?velDrama.Org. And the master who did it was an expert! However, his whereabouts had be a mystery Countless people wanted to ask him to treat them, but they returned empty handed! The old professor was extremely shocked. He had never thought that there was someone in this school who had the same technique as that master! Could it be¡­ At this moment, Lucille had already removed all the silver needles. She helped Mr. Dumb up and said, ¡°Mr, try walking. See if you¡¯re still feeling ufortable.¡± Mr. Dumb walked a few steps as told, and then widened his eyes in surprise. His pupils were filled with excitement, disbelief, and iparable gratitude. ¡®It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore! She really cured me! Mr Dumb gestured with his hands, and his excitement was beyond words. Even if the others didn¡¯t understand his signnguage, but they could see how he was now able to turn easily and jump in the sky. It was clear that the usually feeble Mr. Dumb, was now strong and full of energy The students looked at each other in dismay. No one was willing to believe what had just happened. ¡°How, how is this possible? He¡¯s cured just because of the few needles Lucille jabbed into his leg?¡± ¡°Mr. Dumb, tell me the truth. She asked you to be here, didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. It must be Lucille¡¯s good luck that she managed to pull this off!¡± Not to mention that the other students didn¡¯t believe it, even the principal¡¯s face turned green. He had purposely assigned her a difficult test, intent on making her fail. On the contrary, Lucille did not panic and easily passed it with flying colors! Wasn¡¯t this a public p to his face? The principal said in a deep voice, ¡°No, it¡¯s not counted this time!¡± Lucille said nothing but slowly put the silver needles back into the needle bag. Her attitude was very clear¡­ They could juste at her and she would prove it to them. It didn¡¯t matter if they were trying to make things difficult for her or if it was aplicated disease¡­ She would impress them! Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 ¡°Well, since you are so confident in yourself, then¡­¡± The principal straightened his back and was about to make things difficult for her again when a strong force suddenly came from behind him! The imposing principal was pushed a few steps forward by this force. He gritted his teeth and looked back in anger and embarrassment. ¡°Who pushed me?¡± Who dared to be so bold? The students on the side shook their heads innocently and then pointed at the old professor who suddenly rushed in. At the sight of this figure, the principal had to swallow back his anger. Well, he couldn¡¯t afford to offend him. This old professor was a legend in their medical college. He was a walking star. Master Walton was a highly aplished and respected acupuncture master in Shein City. The line of patients that wanted to see Master Walton spanned longer than the Mississippi River; the number of people who wanted to learn from him was infinite! The principal straightened his clothes and asked politely, ¡°Master Walton, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Why am I here? If I hadn¡¯te, I wouldn¡¯t have seen such a scene. As the principal, I didn¡¯t expect you to be a bully and make things difficult for this student on purpose! It¡¯s no wonder that the school¡¯s reputation has been rocky these days.¡± After Master Walton lectured him, his gaze swept across the group of students. ¡°And the lot of you! Look at your grinning faces. How can you call yourself a medical student?¡± A girl whispered, ¡°We didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Why would you say something like that? Master Walton sneered, and every word he said was enough to strike fear into people¡¯s hearts. ¡°Not only did you not address the patient¡¯s issues, but you chose to look at his feet in disgust. You even covered your nose and said to his face how you fell disgust. Tell me, is this how you should behave? Do you deserve to be called a medical student with that attitude?¡± There was a dead silence in the ssroom. This time, no one dared to refute. The principal coughed softly and couldn¡¯t help saying, ¡°Master Walton, let¡¯s not be rash. The decision I made to expel the student was not only because of her poor grades, but also because of her bad conduct and previous history of theft. Even if such a person passed the test, she couldn¡¯t remain in this school. I didn¡¯t deliberately make things difficult for her¡­¡± ¡°She can¡¯t stay even after passing the test? Then is the test just for show?¡± ¡°No, we have to also look at her as a person¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I got it. I got it.¡± Master Walton seemed to nod in agreement all of a sudden. Just as the principal was about to let out a sigh of relief, Master Walton decided to flip. ¡°Look at the pool of water on the ground. How many students in this university can do that with just a bunch of needles? I¡¯m afraid I can count them out with just one hand! I¡¯ll have you know, if you choose to dismiss her today, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be snatched up by another university tomorrow!¡± With his hands on his waist, Master Walton¡¯s breath prated the still air. As far as everyone can remember, this was the first time he had lost such a temper. ¡°Master Walton, please calm down¡­¡± The principal wanted to say something else, but Master Walton ignored him. He only looked at Lucille Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. and his eyes instantly softened. He asked, ¡°Little girl, who did you learn that from?¡± Lucille was slightly surprised. The technique of using silver needles to rid fluid had long been extinct. In order not to expose her identity, she held back when she was using the needles earlier. She didn¡¯t expect someone who was familiar with that skill to be watching her. However¡­ she didn¡¯t intend to admit it, so she casually said, ¡°I don¡¯t remember which book I read it on, but I decided to give it a try.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Master Walton was not too disappointed. He continued, ¡°Then, are you willing to be my student? If you say yes, I¡¯ll teach you everything I know.¡± As soon as he said that, all the students, including the principal, burst into an uproar! What! Master Walton wants to take Lucille as his disciple? This was something priceless, why was she the one to receive it? For a moment, dozens of envious, despiteful gazes were fixed on Lucille. But without even thinking twice, she just rejected his offer. Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 ¡°Thank you for your kindness, but I have no intention of bing your disciple.¡± This time, even Master Walton choked and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Do you already have a mentor?¡± Lucille lowered her gaze and murmured, ¡°You could say that.¡± Her grandfather¡¯s skills were iparable. When he was young, he destroyed the enemies in his path and traversed the world with his knowledge. He was respected by tens of thousands of people and had lived for thousands of years. She had been with her grandfather since she was a child and had been taught by him. Relying on her excellent memory and innate talent, she had learned all of his medical skills. If it weren¡¯t for that incident¡­ Lucille clenched her fists. She didn¡¯t want to talk too much and only asked, ¡°Is the principal going to expel me now?¡± The principal¡¯s head was full of bruises. He decided to put away his prejudice against Lucille. Despite the fact that he had never heard of or seen the technique she had just demonstrated, even Master Walton wanted to take her in as a disciple. That was enough to prove Lucille¡¯s strength! If they were to really expel a student like her, Master Walton¡¯s prediction woulde true. Other schools were still eager to get her, and they would definitely rush over and snatch her up. After thinking for a while, the principal straightened up and stated in a righteous tone, ¡°Since you have passed the test, you shall not be expelled. You can stay-¡± However, before he could finish, he was interrupted by Lucille. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you won¡¯t expel me, right?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Just as the principal was about to say a few more words of encouragement, Lucille smiled gently and casually said, ¡°Good. I would like to drop out.¡± Being expelled and taking the initiative to drop out of school were two different concepts. Instead of getting kicked out, she was leaving of her own volition. Lucille¡¯s words stunned everyone. ¡°W-What did you say?¡± Hadn¡¯t she just begged not to get expelled? Wasn¡¯t that the reason why she took the test despite the difficulties? Why was she suddenly saying that she wanted to drop out? The principal came to his senses and angrily grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m willing to give you a chance. Don¡¯t you know what¡¯s good for you?¡± It turned out that the principal thought she didn¡¯t know what was good for her. Lucille¡¯s gazended on the empty seat. ¡°My tables and chairs were moved away, and the model I put so much effort intopleting was broken and thrown into the trash. It¡¯s a pity that these things werebeled as trash because of the injustice suffered by their owner,¡± she uttered. ¡°Why would I want to stay in such an arrogant ce, where nobody knows what respect is?¡± Her words were clear and her tone was unhurried, but every word she said was deeply thought- invoking. Master Walton snorted as well. ¡°Now that you say it, the principal is really useless! Come, let¡¯s go to another school. I¡¯ll write you a rmendation letter and ensure that you can get into a better school!¡± The corners of Lucille¡¯s lips curled into a smile. Master Walton was rather cute. The two of them turned around and walked out at the same time The principal was anxious Losing a student was reasonable, but if Master Walton also resigned from his position as a registered professor, then someone else would have to fill the space he left behind He hurnedly chased the students away and shouted, ¡°What are you waiting for? Pick up the model and wipe it clean. Where did her table and chair go? Move them back now!¡± There was chaos. A few minutester, the table and chair were returned to their positions and the model was wiped clean. The principal¡¯s face was tense as he stood in front of Master Walton and Lucille. I¡¯ll reflect on what happened today. Master Walton, please calm down and don¡¯t lower yourself to my level. Also, Lucille, I¡¯ve already withdrawn the punishment. If you have any other requests, feel free to bring them up!¡± Lucille raised an eyebrow. She did indeed have a request. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 ¡°Sir, you just said that I have a bad character and a history of stealing, right? Well, my request is for you to thoroughly investigate this matter and clear my name!¡± she stated. It was because of such an usation that Lucille, the original owner of the item, had been used of being a thief. People were still pointing fingers at her to that day. Two months ago, Jenny wore a diamond ne and showed off in ss. Lucille could tell that she was trying to get along with the ss, so she went along with it and praised her as well. Unexpectedly, Jenny¡¯s ne disappeared during PE ss that day. Everyone was looking for it. In the end, it was Zoey who found it in Lucille¡¯s locker. In front of everyone, she had a tone of disbelief as she said, ¡°Lucille, no matter how much you like other people¡¯s things, you can¡¯t steal them!¡± From that moment on, Lucille hadmitted theft. After going back home, she was severely beaten by Howard, so much so that she had to lie in bed for a whole month without being able to move! That wrongful usation had been around for long enough. It was time to prove her innocence. The principal frowned. ¡°Even if you say you¡¯re innocent, it¡¯s been so long. It¡¯s hard to find out¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not hard.¡± Lucille casually said, ¡°The ne is still on the school grounds. Since that¡¯s the case, can¡¯t you check if there are my fingerprints on it?¡± At the time, after Zoey found the missing ne in Lucille¡¯s locker, almost everyone was sure that she had stolen it. Jenny, on the other hand, had thrown the ne into the trash on the spot, for fear of bad luck. In the end, a teacher kept the ne and said that Jenny could take it back whenever she wanted. However, the high-and-mighty Miss Zanes arrogantly dered that she would never touch anything so dirty. Because of that, the ne was still being kept in the office. As long as they were able to extract the fingerprints on it, it was enough to prove her innocence. Lucille asked, ¡°Is that possible, sir?¡± Before the principal could answer, Master Walton also questioned him with a straight face. ¡°Is that possible?¡± If the principal were to say that it wasn¡¯t, then Master Walton would leave immediately. The principal was forced to nod. ¡°I will investigate this matter personally. We cannot let a student be wronged. I will definitely look into this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Master Walton was satisfied. He then turned to Lucille and said, ¡°Your problem has been resolved. I T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. also have something to discuss with you. Could we step aside for a moment?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucille readily agreed. She had already guessed what he was going to ask. Sure enough, Master Walton took her to the end of the corridor with no one around. The first thing he asked was, ¡°Who is your mentor? Was your mentor the one who taught you that water-extracting skill?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lucille maintained her stance from earlier. ¡°I saw it in a book. I suddenly thought of it earlier, so ! just tried using it.¡± Master Walton obviously didn¡¯t believe her. He asked again, ¡°Do you know Bambo?¡± Bambo was a legendary master of acupuncture with a mysterious identity. That was the alias she had casually picked out for herself. Lucille¡¯s expression did not change. I¡¯ve heard of them. I admire them very much.¡± It was not that she wanted to praise herself, but that many people in the field had heard of that person. She couldn¡¯t say that she didn¡¯t know Bambo at all. It wouldn¡¯t make sense. Master Walton nodded. For a moment, she couldn¡¯t tell whether it was disappointment or regret that he was feeling ¡°It seems that I misunderstood. It¡¯s okay. You can go back to ss,¡± Lucille turned around and left. However, before doing so, she sincerely told him, ¡°Thank you for helping me out today, Master Walton.¡± Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 ¡°It¡¯s no problem.¡± Master Walton waved his hand and left in the opposite direction. At his age, his only desire was to meet Bambo. If possible, he wanted to learn something from them in his lifetime. Master Walton let out a long sigh. However, it seemed that this wish of his would never be achieved. Meanwhile, Lucille did not return to the ssroom at all. Instead, she left the school. With her ability, she was not interested in spending all her time and energy in school. Even though the principal hadn¡¯t expelled her from school for the time being, she had to wait until the principal investigated the theft case and cleared her name. Then, she would asionally go to ss, which was also a way of fulfilling the original host¡¯s wishes. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Lucille took a taxi and left. As soon as she was about to go, a car stopped in front of the school gate. Samuel and Zoey got out of it. ¡°Thank you for sending me to school, Samuel.¡± Zoey stepped forward and kissed Samuel on the face. Her smile was like a blooming flower as she whispered in his ear, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you to fulfill your promise.¡± He had promised her that he would marry her openly after the engagement was canceled. Although he had already broken off the engagement with Lucille, he had messed up the Gilbert family¡¯s grand wedding ceremony because of it. As a result, he had to put aside marrying Zoey as well. Samuel patted Zoey¡¯s hair and muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. When my grandparents have calmed down, I¡¯ll tell my elders about it.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going in, then.¡± Zoey looked at him affectionately before reluctantly entering the school. On her way in, Zoey was in a good mood. The night before, she had heard Howard talking to Sebastian over the phone. Howard had given him full control over Lucille. That being the case, she didn¡¯t have to worry about Sebastian. He would definitely get Lucille expelled from school right away. It was possible that Lucille had already been driven out of the school right then. Zoey picked up her pace and walked into the ssroom. As far as she could see, Lucille was indeed not there. At the sight of Zoey, a girl who was close to her waved her hand and asked, ¡°Why are you sote today, Zoey?¡± Lucille tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear and exined, ¡°My father was discharged from the hospital today, so I missed a ss.¡± ¡°I see. No wonder Mr. Jules dotes on you so much. You¡¯re much more loyal than Lucille, his own daughter! But¡­ you missed the show this morning!¡± the girl replied. ¡°What show? Was Lucille expelled from school?¡± Zoey looked nervous and worried. ¡°That won¡¯t do. I have to beg the principal to spare her!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not it.¡± Helplessly, the girl said, ¡°The principal was supposed to expel her, but Master Walton came to support Lucille. In the end, not only did she not get expelled, but she also got the principal to agree to a condition.¡± ¡°W-What?¡± Lucille¡¯s worried expression froze. She almost thought she had misheard. How was that possible? The girl continued, ¡°The condition is that Lucille refuses to admit that she stole Jenny¡¯s ne two months ago, so the principal has to check the fingerprints on the ne now.¡± With every sentence she heard, Zoey¡¯s face darkened a little. She had onlye to school a littlete, yet Lucille was already able to seize the opportunity and start aeback. If Lucille¡¯s name was cleared, wouldn¡¯t that mean Zoey¡¯s efforts to suppress her, incite the whole ss to iste her, and watch as Lucille was forced into a bottomless abyss step by step were all for nothing? Zoey gritted her teeth, a hint of hatred shing across her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m going out.¡± She hurried and left. After avoiding everyone she knew, Lucille came to the office. She knocked on the door and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to help Jenny retrieve her diamond ne.¡± Of course, Lucille¡¯s fingerprints were not on the ne. However, as long as she damaged the evidence in time and made sure they couldn¡¯t extract the fingerprints, Lucille¡¯s reputation as a thief would follow her for the rest of her life. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 ¡°Oh, you¡¯re toote,¡± the teacher in the office said without looking up. ¡°The principal asked someone to send the ne to an identification center half an hour ago.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. So fast? Zoey bit her lip and pitifully whined, ¡°But the owner of the ne really wants it back. Can¡¯t we get it back?¡± ¡°The procedure will be done in no time. Can¡¯t you give it to her after it¡¯s done?¡± The teacher frowned. ¡°What¡¯s more, when she threw it away, she said that she didn¡¯t want it because it was dirty. She even used me of being a busybody for helping her pick it up. Why does she suddenly want it back so desperately now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it, I was just asking¡­¡± Zoey bowed apologetically and then turned to leave. When she got to thewn where there was no one around, the expression on Lucille¡¯s facepletely fell. Lucille¡¯s fingerprints were not on that ne. Once the test results were out, Lucille would be thoroughly cleared of her crime. That wouldn¡¯t do. She had to think of another way¡­ Zoey¡¯s eyes shed as she thought of her ssmates who were still being detained. Lucille was the one who had caused that to happen, and they might even have to go to jail. Their parents probably hated Lucille to the core. Zoey smiled and came up with an excellent idea. She could incite those parents to make a scene in front of Lucille, making them cry, beg, and act pathetic. She would then get a few influential reporters to report on it. Then, Lucille would be in a difficult position, and her only choice would be to listen to Zoey¡¯s persuasion andpromise. That way, everyone would be grateful to her, whether they were the innocent students or the parents of those students! Zoey¡¯s lips curled into a grin, and she immediately took out her mobile phone to contact the parents of the students involved. ¡°Hello, sir. I¡¯m Lucille¡¯s sister. My name is Zoey Johnson. I¡¯m very sorry that my sister has sent your son to the police station. I¡¯m trying to find a way to save the students, so I have something to discuss with you¡­¡± As she made the calls, Zoey¡¯s smile grew wider and wider. This time, she was certain that she would seed. Aside from Zoey, there was another person who was very dissatisfied with the decision that Lucille would not be expelled. It was none other than Sebastian. At the thought that Jenny was still suffering in the detention center, Sebastian gritted his teeth in hatred. He couldn¡¯t help shouting at the butler beside him, ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you to put pressure on the school? It¡¯s just expelling a student. Is it that hard?¡± ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve received news from the school saying that Master Walton is defending that girl. On top of that, there is a rule in their college stating that students who pass the examination won¡¯t be expelled, so the school can¡¯t expel her with the excuse of poor grades¡­¡± ¡°In that case, sue her!¡± Sebastian ordered. Angrily, he continued, ¡°Go to the police station and file a case right now. Send this ignorant girl to prison in the name of theft!¡± That diamond ne was worth hundreds of thousands of dors, which was enough to get her locked up for many years. The butler lowered his head. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯ll get the car ready right away.¡± Lucille left the school and went straight to the new vi. Although the location she chose was not the best, it was better because of the quiet environment. Looking around, the rows of vis were grand and magnificent. In front of the door were a garden and a pavilion. There was an osmanthus tree in the corner of the courtyard that she liked. When Lucille entered, Madam Dahlia was tidying up the curtains. When she saw her, she hurriedly greeted her. ¡°You¡¯re here, Miss Jules!¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Madam Dahlia.¡± ¡°Not at all. Yesterday, I invited a lot of others to help clean up the ce. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to clean such a huge ce on my own.¡± Madam Dahlia smiled and then said, ¡°Miss Jules, I¡¯ve already tidied up your room. Do you want to go and have a look?¡± ¡°Okay. You can get back to work, Madam Dahlia. I¡¯ll go up by myself,¡± Lucille responded. There were three floors in the vi. Lucille did not take the elevator and instead went straight up the stairs to the second floor. The bedroom on the second floor was very warm. There were white gauze curtains with a pink vnce. There was a velvet rug under her feet and many plushies of various sizes next to the bed. There were all kinds of different ones, and they all looked cute and silly. Lucille stepped forward and picked up one of the little squirrel dolls. Those were Molly¡¯s favorite. She wondered where Molly had gone after Lucille¡¯s death, whether she had been scammed, or if she was getting bullied¡­ If not for the fact that she had yet to find the traitor who had caused her death, and that her former subordinates couldn¡¯t be contacted, she wouldn¡¯t have taken the risk of asking Joseph for help. Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35 Right then, she hoped that Joseph would bring her good news when he replied within the week. Just as she was thinking about it, her phone rang. Lucille looked down and saw that it was a call from the police station. She raised an eyebrow and tapped the answer button. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Miss Jules, based on the information and evidence that Sebastian Zanes has provided, you are suspected of theft. Pleasee to the police station immediately,¡± the officer stated. Lucille was not surprised at all when she received the news. It was just as she had expected. She replied, ¡°Okay. Please give me 20 minutes.¡± After hanging up the phone, Lucille went downstairs. Madam Dahlia was busy in the kitchen. Seeing that Lucille was about to go out, she couldn¡¯t help asking, ¡°Miss Jules, where are you going? Are you still going to have lunch at home?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going out for a while. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Lucille walked out of the door as she spoke. She then took a cab and headed straight for the police station. Meanwhile, in the police station, Sebastian¡¯s face was full of impatience. ¡°How long has it been? You aren¡¯t even taking the initiative to catch her. Are you just going to let her run away?¡± With a good temper, the officer responded, ¡°Mr. Zanes, please wait patiently.¡± Time ticked by Twenty minutester, Lucille walked in from outside. She was calm, neither servile nor arrogant. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Sebastian¡¯s gloomy eyes immediately swept over Lucille, and the fierce look on his face twitched. ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who framed my daughter and stole her diamond ne?¡± ¡°Mr. Zanes, you can¡¯t say that. If you say that without any evidence, it¡¯s a false usation. Your daughter has been arrested, and the evidence is conclusive that she did something wrong. As for you saying that I stole your daughter¡¯s ne¡­ May I ask, do you have any proof? Lucille countered. She faced Sebastian¡¯s gloomy eyes head-on as she straightened her back and gracefully retorted with just a few words. ¡°Hmph. You sure know how to talk, you brat!¡± he grumbled. Sebastian sneered, then shot the butler behind him a look. ¡°You want proof, don¡¯t you? Here it is!¡± His butler immediately showed Lucille the notice and punishment from the school. Although the notice was from two months ago, it was clearly written in ck and white, saying that Lucille had stolen Jenny¡¯s private property and that it had been recorded. They also asked her to apologize to Jenny in front of the whole school. ¡°How dare you say that you¡¯ve forgotten about something so horrible?¡± he taunted. Forgotten? Of course not. Lucille chuckled. From what she remembered, it was only because of a single sentence from Zoey arrange that the original host was wrongly used. No one was on her side, and no one was willing to spend time to Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. find out the truth. Everyone had eagerly turned against her with no regard for how she felt. Even when she was forced to apologize, the original host insisted that she had not stolen anything. At the time, Jenny rolled her eyes and threw the ne into the trash in front of everyone. She had also said, ¡°It¡¯s bad luck now that you¡¯ve touched it. I don¡¯t want it!¡± Although things had blown over, her reputation as a thief was a huge burden on the original host. Lucille asked, ¡°Of course, I didn¡¯t forget about it. Do you have any other evidence besides this, though?¡± They couldn¡¯t make a report over a single notice. Sebastian hade prepared. Hearing that, he sneered and remarked, ¡°There are several witnesses. Your ssmates and teachers at that time could all prove that you stole it! Who do you want to hear from first? I¡¯ll ask them toe immediately!¡± ¡°What a coincidence. I also have evidence to prove that I didn¡¯t touch the ne from beginning to end,¡± she uttered. Lucille raised her hand and pointed to the identification center in the police station. She said slowly, ¡°Two hours ago, the principal of our school personally sent the ne to the identification center. I think that the fingerprint identification results must be out by now, right?¡± Fingerprint identification? Hearing that, everyone was stunned. That was right. They would find out whether she was the thief or not after checking the fingerprints. Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 The officer who was in charge of making records smacked his own head, finally remembering. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. So, it turns out that the ne was sent by your school! What a coincidence. That makes things a lot easier. I¡¯ll ask someone to get it now.¡± Since it was nearby, the freshly refined results were soon brought over. In front of everyone, Lucille recorded her fingerprints andpared them to the fingerprints that were identified on the ne. The result proved that there was no match at all! That meant that she had never touched the diamond ne. Looking at the results, Sebastian was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Howard hadn¡¯t told him that over the phone the day before. Lucille had a faint smile on her face. She already had a guess as to who the mastermind was, so she had silently sparked hatred in Howard¡¯s heart. ¡°s¡­ What a pity for parents all over the world.¡± There was a double meaning to her words. Hearing this, Sebastian gritted his teeth and said, ¡®I see. It turns out that you and your father were working together to put me on the spot! Impressive.¡± Lucille spread out her hands and innocently said, ¡°You misunderstood.¡± The more she tried to deny it, the more Sebastian believed in his judgment. He sneered and left with a flick of his sleeve. Needless to say, Howard, who kept trying to curry favor with Sebastian, was at a disadvantage right then. Even their partnership, which was nearly settled, had gone cold. She had just been faking it until she made it. Lucille turned her head to look at the officers and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to make trouble for you, but¡­ Can This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. you give me this fingerprint identification report and the report from today? I want to prove my innocence to the school.¡± ¡°No problem. Here you go.¡± ¡°Thank you. Lucille took the two papers with both hands and put them into her bag. When she emerged from the police station again, she found more than a dozen middle-aged men standing at the door. When they saw her, they immediately rushed up and started begging her. ¡°Please be merciful and let my child go, okay?¡± ¡°My child is immature. He has just reached adulthood. You guys are ssmates who spend so much time together. How can you bear to ruin his future and leave a stain on his life?¡± Lucille was surrounded by a group of parents. It was as if there were hundreds of bees flying around her ears, buzzing and giving her a headache. Just as she was frowning, she heard a soft and sweet voice beside her. ¡°Everyone, please be quiet. Let me talk to my sister.¡± Zoey stepped forward gracefully from behind the cloud. After she appeared, the chattering parents immediately quieted down. All they said was, ¡°Fine. Either way, you have to give us an exnation for what happened today!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My sister has always been reasonable. She won¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡± After Zoey finished speaking, she looked at Lucille with a faint smile. ¡°Right, Lucille?¡± A yful smile tugged at the corners of Lucille¡¯s lips. Hmph. How interesting. She really didn¡¯t expect that Zoey would have the ability to incite so many parents to act pathetic and beg Lucille to be understanding. If she didn¡¯t agree, it would mean that she was not kind and reasonable enough. If she agreed to let those eight students go, she would gain a good reputation, and all the students and parents would be grateful to her. That was killing two birds with one stone. Chapter 37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37 What a clever n. The corner of her mouth Lucille¡¯s mouth twitched and she sneered. ¡°My surname is Jules, while yours is Johnson. We have nothing to do with each other. How dare you call yourself my sister?¡± Zoey¡¯s eyes darkened. In disappointment, she said, ¡°Lucille, I know you hate me, but we grew up together. From the day Dad adopted me, we are sisters, whether you admit it or not.¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re thick-skinned, but you have a terrible memory,¡± Lucille stated tly. ¡°I¡¯ve severed my ties with your family, so stop trying to act like we¡¯re close. You sound ridiculous.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯re still angry, so let¡¯s not talk about that first. Zoey sat down and sighed, acting like a kind and tolerant sister as much as possible. Even the parents beside her shook their heads, muttering that Lucille didn¡¯t know what was good for her. bear Zoey added, ¡°Lucille, the people who were sent to the detention center are all our ssmates. Even if they have done something wrong, they recognize their mistakes. Do you really want them to go to jail? How can you it?¡± ¡°Hear me out. Let them go, okay? When they¡¯re released, they will definitely thank you. We can still learn and improve together, just like we used to,¡± she added. Learn and improve together, she said. Lucille couldn¡¯t help butugh. Property ? N?velDrama.Org. Putting everything else aside, Zoey was certainly talented when it came to manipting people. The original host would have already been nodding her head in agreement by then. Even the parents around them sighed. ¡°If Lucille were half as sensible as her sister, she wouldn¡¯t have caused my child to suffer in prison.¡± That¡¯s not true. At the end of the day, it¡¯s just that one of them is kind-hearted, while the other is selfish and narrow-headed!¡± One of the parents even rolled their eyes at Lucille. Zoey immediately piped up, ¡°Don¡¯t say that, everyone. My sister is very kind. She is definitely not the kind of person who is unreasonable, selfish, and cold-blooded!¡± It sounded like she was defending Lucille, but in reality, she was digging a deeper grave for her. Zoey was putting her up on a pedestal, which meant that Lucille would be selfish and cold-blooded if she didn¡¯t agree to let the students go! Lucille¡¯s expression didn¡¯t even change when she heard those words. She opened her mouth, and her voice was rxed and casual. In an unyielding tone, she replied, ¡°No. I refuse topromise.¡± Her words were loud and clear. All the parents were furious. They had already begged her for mercy, but unexpectedly, she was still unwilling to let go. ¡°What? Do you want us to kneel down and bow to you before you are willing topromise?¡± ¡°We give youpensation and apologize to you, yet you still refuse. We humble ourselves and beg you, and you still don¡¯t agree. Let me give you some advice. Things will be easier for you in the future if you stop being so stubborn. You¡¯re so hell-bent on making an enemy out of everyone. If you ever get into trouble someday, everyone will hit you while you¡¯re down!¡± Almost all the parents present criticized Lucille and attacked her together. Turning away so that nobody could see her face, Zoey¡¯s lips curled into a smug smile. That was the result she wanted. Even if Lucille refused to let them go, Zoey would still gain the reputation of being kind and gracious. As for Lucille¡­ she would be the target of everyone. Zoey quietly nced at her mobile phone The reporters she had invited would arrive in a few minutes it was a good opportunity for everyone in Shein City to see how much people hated the abandoned daughter of the Jules family! Lucille had be themon enemy Amidst all the scolding. Lucille just listened quietly It was not until the parents had finished scolding her that she opened her mouth and stated, ¡°As parents, I can understand why you are worried about your children. But don¡¯t you want to know why they would do something so terrible to me when I have nothing against them?¡± The students involved were all grown adults. It was impossible for them not to know the consequences The parents anxiously asked, ¡°What¡¯s the reason, then?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask her.¡± Lucille¡¯s cold gaze fell on Zoey¡¯s body. Word by word, she dered, ¡°They did it all for Zoey¡¯s sake!¡± Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Lucille spoke clearly and her words were neither too fast nor too slow. ¡°The drowning happenedst week, on the night of my 19th birthday party. I remember it very clearly. I didn¡¯t get along well with my ssmates, so I didn¡¯t invite any of them, but they all came. Who brought them? It was Zoey who brought them all there without my permission, Lucille began. ¡°That night, Zoey was with my ex-husband. I went forward to question her, but she deliberately tripped on the stairs and was sent to the hospital so that she could flee the scene.¡± She continued, ¡°After that, your children, who all of you thought were so pure and kind that they This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. wouldn¡¯t even dare to step on an ant, forced me into the water. They did it all for the sake of getting revenge for Zoey, and I nearly drowned to death.¡± At that point, Lucille smiled, but her eyes were filled with an evil spirit, cold and demonic. ¡°I¡¯m sure that all of you are more knowledgeable and experienced than I am. Can¡¯t you see that all of this is someone making another person do their dirty work?¡± All the parents went silent. They nced around and looked at each other. Zoey¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She quickly protested, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me. I didn¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°Did I say it was you? Why are you jumping to conclusions?¡± Lucille questioned with a faint smile. She looked calm andposed. ¡°Deep down, you know the truth.¡± Of course, if the parents were still stubborn enough to be fooled by Zoey when Lucille had already said so much, then it would have been a waste of her breath. Fortunately, these parents were not as ignorant as she imagined. They soon understood the meaning of her words. There was one thing that Lucille was not wrong about. Their children hadmitted a crime for the sake of Zoey. Why was it that their children had to bear the consequences while the person who instigated them in the first ce got off scot-free? Clearly, Zoey was just making them do her dirty work. On top of that, Zoey imed to be Lucille¡¯s sister, but everyone in the city knew that she was just an adopted daughter of the Jules family and that she had stolen Lucille¡¯s fiance. What kind of disgusting excuse of a sister was that? ¡°So, after all that fuss, it turns out that you¡¯re the real b*tch here!¡± One of the violent mothers couldn¡¯t suppress her anger after being deceived. She raised her bag and hit Zoey on the head while yelling at her. ¡°I¡¯ll beat you to death, you shameless culprit!¡± Zoey was stunned for a moment and quickly exined, ¡°No. Don¡¯t believe Lucille¡¯s words. She has bad intentions. I¡¯m on the same side as you!¡± ¡°Really? Tell me, then. Did you use our children to do your dirty work?¡± the woman roared. ¡°No, no. I really want to help you!¡± Zoey¡¯s voice was choked up. Ever since getting adopted by Howard, she had been protected wherever she went. She had never been in such a miserable situation. She really couldn¡¯t figure out why Lucille was able to turn the tables with just a few words. All the parents had switched sides and turned their backs on her. At this moment, the reporters who she had informed arrived as well. The reporters heard the news and came to get in on it. Although their initial target was Lucille, as long as there was drama going on, it didn¡¯t matter who their target was. They could still make a story out of it. Two or three cameras were aimed right at Zoey¡¯s gorgeous face. Things were not over yet. The woman who had just started the fight scolded her harshly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you have so many tricks up your sleeve at such a young age. Even when my child is being tortured because of you, you still have the audacity to say that you¡¯re a good person and that you¡¯re valuable. Tsk!¡± to Although the other parents tried their best to stop the woman from taking action, they also had resentment in their hearts. When they received Zoey¡¯s call, they all abandoned their work and ran to the entrance of the police station to stop Lucille. Initially, they all agreed to Zoey¡¯s suggestion to force Lucille to agree to Thinking about it in retrospect, though, they found the idea to be horribly stupid. Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39 They were all so much older, but they had been fooled by a young girl. The parents were so angry that they bombarded Zoey. It was a little funny. The same scene had yed out just a few minutes ago, but at that time, their target was Lucille. Zoey had pretty much just shot herself in the foot. It was not until the police showed up that things calmed down. The parents gradually quietened down and then sincerely apologized to Lucille. ¡°I sincerely apologize to you on behalf of my child. I also apologize for the insulting text messages I sent. I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. We are also willing to apologize andpensate you for it. You know that they were This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. instigated by someone else, too. Miss Jules, please be generous and let my son go. I will be sure to teach him a lesson.¡± Lucille shook her head slowly and firmly in the face of the begging parents. I¡¯m not going to forgive them, nor am I going topromise,¡± she insisted. Even if they went through a trial, there was still a chance for them to turn over a new leaf. Some people were already hopeless, however. Hearing that, some of the parents¡¯ hearts crumbled to ashes. They sat on the ground and cried, ¡°Horrible. How horrible¡­¡± Others were silent for a while, and then there were some who left. The rest of them wanted to see their children and submit an appeal form. The chaos finally died down. However, the reporters, who were busy getting some juicy news, pushed the camera and microphone in front of Lucille and then raised their voices to ask questions from her perspective. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gone a little too far, Miss Jules? Those parents have painstakingly raised their children and devoted their efforts to nurturing them. Even if they¡¯ve made a mistake, why can¡¯t you be kind and choose to forgive them when they¡¯ve made it clear that they¡¯ll do better in the future?¡± one of the reporters questioned. Under the lens of the high-definition camera, Lucille slowly raised her eyes, and there was a me burning in her clear pupils. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you tell me to be kind, but for you to tell me whether or not I should forgive someone¡­¡± Lucille chuckled. ¡°Sorry, but I would like you to stay away from me.¡± The reporter hadn¡¯t expected her to dare to say that. They were left stunned on the spot, like a statue. Lucille strode away. While she was trying to hail a taxi, Zoey shamelessly caught up with her. ¡°What? Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Lucille, I underestimated you. You were so quiet in the past as if you were mute. You¡¯ve be so eloquent after you nearly drowned that day.¡± Zoey sneered. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing a little too well at acting!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lucille¡¯s lips curled into a smile, still looking asidback as ever. She didn¡¯t take her seriously at all. Zoey clenched her fists, unwilling to show weakness. ¡°But so what? Samuel still broke off his engagement with you for me. Dad didn¡¯t kick you out of the house for my sake. Charles even gave me all the shares under his name just to make me feel better! What about you? What do you have?¡± Lucille scratched her ears and casually replied, ¡°I don¡¯t care about the people you¡¯re talking about. If you want all of those things, go ahead and take them. Do you really think everyone is like you? Not everyone treats trash as treasure.¡± Zoey choked, and then said with a proud face, ¡°What about Samuel, then? Didn¡¯t you love him from the moment you knew what love was?¡± Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40 At the mention of that, Zoey¡¯s face was full of pride. Samuel was the one who could hurt Lucille the most. No matter how much Lucille pretended to be indifferent, she was probably deeply hurt in her heart. Even so, Zoey was intent on bringing it up and showing off ¡°Lucille, you might not know this, but no matter where Samuel is and what he is doing, he wille to pick me up immediately as soon as I call him,¡± she boasted. Zoey smiled before raising her hand to show her phone screen. She was already calling Samuel. Sure enough¡­ The call was connected three secondster. Samuel¡¯s gentle and doting voice came from the other end of the line. ¡°Did you miss me, Zoey?¡± For once, there was change in Lucille¡¯s expression. Ugh. How disgusting. However, in Zoey¡¯s eyes, the change in her expression was mistaken for jealousy and envy. Zoey felt her heart swell with arrogance. She told Samuel, ¡°Samuel, I was beaten up at the gate of the police. station. Can youe and pick me up quickly¡­¡± Upon hearing that, Samuel immediately answered, ¡°I¡¯ll be there right away!¡± Zoey hung up the phone with satisfaction. ¡°How about it? You¡¯ve probably never experienced this kind of treatment, have you?¡± she taunted. Zoey seemed to be suffering from a serious illness. She covered her mouth with her hand with an exaggerated Expression and then burst outughing. ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. Didn¡¯t you seed in getting on Mr. Joseph¡¯s good side? Where is he? Why didn¡¯t he ask any questions when you were summoned to the police station?¡± Just as Lucille was about to speak, she saw a familiar car parked on the road behind Zoey. Could it be¡­ Lucille looked over in a daze and saw Culver opening the back door respectfully. The next second, a tall figure came out of the car. The man¡¯s aura was strong, noble, and dazzling, like a god. It was none other than Joseph. Lucille was so shocked that she couldn¡¯te to her senses for a moment. Seeing that Lucille was staring right behind her, Zoey thought that Samuel wasing. She turned around happily and said, ¡°Sam-¡± When she saw who it was, the expression on Zoey¡¯s face froze subtly. Joseph was approaching from beneath the trees. A few rays of sunlight passed through the gaps between the leaves and fell on his shoulders. His handsome face was carved like a sculpture. His features were three-dimensional, with deep eyes, and there was a chilling aura between his eyebrows, which was dangerous yet charming. There was a sh of surprise in Zoey¡¯s eyes. All the rumors said that Joseph was ruthless and unpredictable, but it could not be denied that he was the most amazing person in the entirety of Shein City. It wasn¡¯t only because of his devastatingly handsome looks, but also his quick-witted and cold-blooded nature, which enabled him to dominate the world of business. The Collins family¡¯s solid and indestructible business empire was pretty much singlehandedly crafted by Joseph. Which woman would not be tempted by such a powerful man? Zoey bit her lips and quickly tidied up her messy hair. Then, she shed an impably sweet smile. She looked at Joseph and murmured, ¡°Mr. Joseph¡­¡± Her voice was soft to the bone. Joseph¡¯s footsteps paused. He stopped and turned his head to look at Zoey. Her heart began beating faster. While she was looking back at him shyly, she saw that Joseph had a faint smile on his face. Without any mercy, he gently stated, ¡°Sorry, but I have mysophobia.¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Essentially, he was calling her dirty. In an instant, Zoey stiffened on the spot, and the blush on her face faded away. She was extremely embarrassed. Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Lucille¡¯s lips curled into a smile. She didn¡¯t expect that his sharp tongue could be even more dangerous than her own. When she looked up again, she saw that Joseph was already in front of her. He reached out to her and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Lucille hesitated for two seconds. She knew that he was trying to help her out, so she ced her hand in his palm. ¡°Okay.¡± The two left hand in hand. However, after taking just a few steps, she heard Zoey¡¯s voice from behind. ¡°Lucille, Samuel is going to be here soon. You still can¡¯t let go of him, right? Tell that to his face, then! After all¡­ he is someone you have loved for so many years.¡± Clearly, she was trying to indirectly tell Joseph that there was someone in Lucille¡¯s heart and that he would be making a fool of himself if he married her. Joseph raised his eyebrows. Just as he was about to speak, Lucille suddenlyughed. Without looking back, she replied, ¡°Zoey, I really hope you and Samuel stay together for a hundred years.¡± She truly meant it. They were such a good match for each other, after all. Even their narcissism and self-confidence were exactly the same! They had better stick together forever instead of separating and hurting others. After that, Lucille and Joseph got into the car. Culver closed the door and drove away. Zoey stood where she was. Her face, which had always maintained a well-behaved and pure expression, twisted due to anger. Even her eyes were full of great hatred. Then, she turned around without hesitation and happened to see the reporter who had just interviewed Lucille emerging with a camera. Zoey stepped forward. She grabbed the reporter¡¯s arm, and ordered, ¡°Delete all of the footage that you¡¯ve just taken of me!¡± Those reporters happened toe just as she was being beaten by that woman. If a video like that got out, it would be horrible for her image and reputation. The reporter spread out his hands. ¡°No can do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you money. Two hundred thousand dors,¡± she offered. ¡°That¡¯s too little, Miss Johnson. There are so many of us.¡± ¡°Five hundred thousand!¡± Lucille gritted her teeth. ¡°That¡¯s my limit. If you won¡¯t take it, then don¡¯t even think about earning a single cent!¡± The reporter and the photographer behind him looked at each other and finally agreed. ¡°Deal.¡± Then, they deleted all of the footage of Zoey right in front of her. Only then did she feel a little more satisfied. With a glint in her eyes, she pointed at the section of the footage where the reporters had interviewed Lucille and said, ¡°I¡¯ll add another hundred thousand for you to publish this section and stir up some drama! I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to tell you what to do or say, do I?¡± What she needed to do was turn the public against Lucille. Bing a public enemy was the only thing worse than being criticized. The reporter instantly understood and was a little surprised at the same time. He didn¡¯t expect the seemingly innocent and lovely adopted daughter of the Jules family to have such a cruel nature¡­ Naturally, money was power. He immediately agreed. ¡°Deal!¡± Lucille gave him the money in a straightforward manner. After the reporters left, Samuel finally arrived. ¡°Are you okay, Zoey?¡± he asked. He looked Zoey up and down before finally rxing. Lucille shook her head, but her eyes gradually turned red. ¡°Samuel¡­¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. She threw herself into Samuel¡¯s arms and told him what had just happened at the gate of the police station. She did not mention that she was the one who had called those parents and instead kept pushing the me onto Lucille ¡°I-I just want to help my ssmates. I didn¡¯t want Lucille to be criticized by others, so I tried to give her some advice. I didn¡¯t expect that she would pin the me directly onto me and even let the angry parents hurt me¡­. Sob! It hurts, Samuel.¡± She rolled up her sleeves. There was a scratch on her arm and a bruise. Samuel was furious, and his face went dark. ¡°No. I can¡¯t let you suffer like this. Let¡¯s go and get even with her now!¡± he dered. Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 ¡°No.¡± Zoey cried and shook her head. ¡°Brother Samuel, it¡¯s all my fault. It has nothing to do with Lucille. Not to mention, the situation got a bit out of hand today. There were even reporters here.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that even better?¡± Samuel asked. With hatred in his tone, he continued, ¡°It¡¯s time for more people to know how horrible Lucille really is! When the reporters release the news, I¡¯ll hire people to add fuel to the fire. I¡¯ll avenge you!¡± He sessfullyforted Zoey and made her amused. She blinked her innocent eyes and said, ¡°Okay. You¡¯re the best, Samuel. However, you have to promise me that you can¡¯t make any more trouble for Lucille.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Samuel shook his head and sighed. With a doting look on his face, he said, ¡°You¡¯re too kind. That¡¯s why you keep getting bullied by her.¡± ¡°No matter what, we¡¯re still sisters in the end. Even though we¡¯re not rted by blood, I see Lucille as my younger sister. So, as her elder sister, I have to be more tolerant of her,¡± Zoey replied. She lowered her eyes, and her expression was full of innocence. However, triumph shed across her face where Samuel couldn¡¯t see. Once the interview video was released, Lucille would definitely get bashed by everyone. She wanted to see how Lucille would be able to turn things around this time. Lucille was still in Joseph¡¯s car when the reporters, who had received the money, edited the video and came up with a title. She asked, ¡°Do you have any updates on the search?¡± Culver, who was driving in the front row, immediately answered, ¡°We have already gone through all the people who don¡¯t have identification cards in the cities that you listed. We are currently checking them one by one to see if there is a girl named Molly among them. It is estimated that it will take a few days.¡± Lucille nodded. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Quickly, he said, ¡°You¡¯re too kind. This is just our responsibility.¡± She looked down and didn¡¯t say anything else. Suddenly, she heard Joseph say, ¡°Are you free tomorrow? Grandma wants to see you.¡± Grandma? Madam Collins? Lucille was stunned for a moment. Before she could respond, she saw a faint grin on Joseph¡¯s face. Slowly, he added, ¡°Grandma said that she wanted to ask you what kind of wedding you would like in person.¡± However, that wasn¡¯t all. Madam Collins was so happy over getting a granddaughter-inw overnight that she hadn¡¯t gotten any sleep. She also gathered the whole family to discuss what name they would choose for their future children. She was already thinking so far ahead in the future. Lucille was speechless. She thought for a moment and responded, ¡°Okay. What time tomorrow?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up at ten o¡¯clock in the morning,¡± he stated. ¡°No problem.¡± Lucille readily agreed. Not long after, the car stopped in front of the new vi that she had bought. The two of them got out of the car one after the other. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Lucille uttered, ¡°Thank you for sending me back. Goodbye.¡± She did not intend to invite him in. After all, the rtionship between her and Joseph was only part of a deal. Putting on an act in front of others was to be expected, but there was no need for them to interfere in each other¡¯s lives. Joseph raised his eyebrows. Before he could evenin about how she was drawing such a clear line between them, he saw that the door of the vi was suddenly opened. Madam Dahlia was stunned when she saw him. Then, she offered him a warm invitation. ¡°Mr. Joseph? Oh, you¡¯re here, Mr. Joseph. Pleasee in. I¡¯ve made some food!¡± A smile blossomed on Madam Dahlia¡¯s face like a flower. Joseph smiled. He walked past Lucille, into the vi. He also politely added, ¡°How can I decline such a kind offer? In that case, I¡¯ll have to trouble you all.¡± Lucille didn¡¯t know what to say. Culver, who was standing behind him, wanted to p himself, but he quickly followed after them for fear that he would be locked outside the door by Lucille. Lucille shook her head helplessly and walked into the vi. Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Madam Dahlia was overjoyed. She was practically skipping out of the kitchen as she served the dishes, which showed how excited she was. When all the food was served, Madam Dahlia prepared cutlery for Joseph and Lucille. Once everything was ready, she stepped aside and looked at the two of them with a motherly smile on her face. Lucille picked up her fork. She was the host. Since there was a guest, she politely said, ¡°Please enjoy your meal, Mr. Joseph.¡± Joseph raised an eyebrow. There was a hint of amusement in his deep and pleasant voice. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so formal with me.¡± Meanwhile, a smile bloomed on Madam Dahlia¡¯s face once again. The more she observed them, the more she felt that they were a perfect match. The day before, she had seen the news from Shein City saying that Joseph had signed a marriage contract with Lucille in public. She was worried that Joseph would be as moody and cruel as the rumors said. She hadn¡¯t expected that he would be so polite and respectful. He had a formidable family background, not to mention that he was well-qualified. He was much better than Samuel. Madam Dahlia covered her mouth and chuckled before quietly leaving the dining room. She did not forget to drag Culver away while leaving. Culver was utterly stunned. Lucille and Joseph were the only ones left in the dining room. The two ate at almost the same speed. They were both slow, elegant, and calm. During the meal, the only thing. that could be heard was the sound of their cutlery colliding with the tes. After eating. Lucille wiped her mouth and casually questioned, ¡°Since I¡¯m going to see Madam Collins. tomorrow, what should I prepare? I can¡¯t just go empty-handed.¡± A hint of amusement shed across Joseph¡¯s eyes as he nced at her. ¡°There¡¯s no need. I¡¯ll prepare everything.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Lucille did not say anything else. She put down her napkin and was about to get up when she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the ground from across her. The two of them stood up at the same time. They were infuriatingly in sync. Madam Dahlia, who was secretly watching them from the door, was so excited that she went silent. However, she was afraid of being noticed, so she could only withdraw her head sneakily. Lucille checked the time on her phone and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy, Mr. Joseph?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot of free time,¡± he replied. ¡°I see.¡± Lucille nodded seriously and was about to leave the dining room. Despite that, as soon as she turned around, Joseph gently grabbed her wrist. Before she could react, she felt a touch of warmth on her cheek that was left by his fingertips. She frowned and was about to speak when she saw that a strand of cloth from the napkin she had used earlier was pinched between Joseph¡¯s fingers. Lucille was at a loss for words. He was such a shameless man. Joseph gave a light chuckle. It seemed that he was in a good mood. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up tomorrow.¡± After that, he left the dining room. When he saw Madam Dahlia outside, heplimented her for her good cooking skills. d not leave the dining room until Joseph¡¯s car had gone far away. on the sofa in the living room and randomly pressed the remote control. ision immediately lit up. Dahlia came back inside. With a condemning tone, she nagged, ¡°Mr. Joseph is your fiance, Miss Jules. i¡¯t you go out and see him off?¡± act, Lucille replied nonchntly. adam Dahlia didn¡¯t hear her clearly. She took two more steps forward and asked, ¡°Miss Jules, what jst say?¡± retched, then gave some instructions. ¡°Madam Dahlia, please prepare another bedroom right next to ike it all pink. Buy some squirrel plushies, pillows, bags, and cups. Oh, right. Get some watermelon- lollipops, too.¡± ere the things Molly liked the most. If Joseph¡¯s subordinates were efficient enough, Molly¡¯s outs would likely be found within the next two days. Dod.¡± Madam Dahlia did not ask anything this time and simply answered, ¡°I¡¯ll prepare all of that in the n.¡± ucille nodded and got up from the sofa. Just as she was about to go upstairs to rest for a while, she heard her own voiceing from the TV. r saying, ¡°I¡¯m not going to forgive them, nor am I going topromise.¡± irned to look and saw that it was Shein City¡¯s news program. It was footage of her being interviewed ers at the gate of the police station that morning. vith a high-definition camera, the reporter asked her some questions. think you¡¯ve gone a little too far, Miss Jules? Those parents have painstakingly raised their children evoted their efforts to nurturing them. Even if they¡¯ve made a mistake, why can¡¯t you be kind and choose give them when they¡¯ve made it clear that they¡¯ll do better in the future?¡± iply was, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you tell me to be kind, but for you to tell me whether or not I should forgive one¡­ Sorry, but I would like you to stay away from me.¡± she finished speaking, the footage froze. At the same time, a striking banner withrge words app screen. anner read: ¡°The disowned daughter of the Jules family carelessly shows her selfish, cold person than a minute after the real-time news was aired, a barrage ofments began to appear on the fter another. Looking around, almost all of them agreed with what the news had said¡­. ead: ¡°Wow, I thought Miss Jules just had a bit of a temper. I didn¡¯t expect her to have such a bad attit are her ssmates, who she¡¯s spent so much time with. Their parents practically knelt on the ground egged her, but she was still so indifferent. Is she even human?¡± ter said: ¡°She should really learn when to let things go.¡± one else wrote: ¡°If it were me, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to be so ruthless. People aren¡¯t perfect. one makes mistakes, and they can learn from their mistakes. You have to at least give them a chance to tter. thermented: ¡°How scary. I¡¯m grateful that my ssmates are nice to me¡­¡± there were dozens to hundreds of them, densely covering the entire screen. Without exception, all of were insulting Lucille. m Dahlia was so angry when she saw it that she trembled all over. ¡°Miss Jules, you¡¯re clearly the victim How can people who don¡¯t know the whole story say all of that?!¡± ras about to rush to thement section and fight with thoseizens. Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Chapter 44 Lucille did not leave the dining room until Joseph¡¯s car had gone far away. She sat on the sofa in the living room and randomly pressed the remote control. The television immediately lit up. Madam Dahlia came back inside. With a condemning tone, she nagged, ¡°Mr. Joseph is your fiance, Miss Jules. Why didn¡¯t you go out and see him off?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all an act, Lucille replied nonchntly. ¡°Huh?¡± Madam Dahlia didn¡¯t hear her clearly. She took two more steps forward and asked, ¡°Miss Jules, what did you just say?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Lucille stretched, then gave some instructions. ¡°Madam Dahlia, please prepare another bedroom right Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. next to mine. Make it all pink. Buy some squirrel plushies, pillows, bags, and cups. Oh, right. Get some watermelon- vored lollipops, too.¡± Those were the things Molly liked the most. If Joseph¡¯s subordinates were efficient enough, Molly¡¯s whereabouts would likely be found within the next two days. ¡°Understood.¡± Madam Dahlia did not ask anything this time and simply answered, ¡°I¡¯ll prepare all of that in the afternoon.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucille nodded and got up from the sofa. Just as she was about to go upstairs to rest for a while, she suddenly heard her own voiceing from the TV. It was her saying, ¡°I¡¯m not going to forgive them, nor am I going topromise.¡± Lucille turned to look and saw that it was Shein City¡¯s news program. It was footage of her being interviewed by reporters at the gate of the police station that morning. Filming with a high-definition camera, the reporter asked her some questions. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gone a little too far, Miss Jules? Those parents have painstakingly raised their children and devoted their efforts to nurturing them. Even if they¡¯ve made a mistake, why can¡¯t you be kind and choose to forgive them when they¡¯ve made it clear that they¡¯ll do better in the future?¡± Her reply was, ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you tell me to be kind, but for you to tell me whether or not I should forgive someone¡­ Sorry, but I would like you to stay away from me.¡± After she finished speaking, the footage froze. At the same time, a striking banner withrge words appeared on the screen. The banner read: ¡°The disowned daughter of the Jules family carelessly shows her selfish, cold personality!¡± Less than a minute after the real-time news was aired, a barrage ofments began to appear on the screen one after another. Looking around, almost all of them agreed with what the news had said¡­. One read: ¡°Wow, I thought Miss Jules just had a bit of a temper. I didn¡¯t expect her to have such a bad attitude. Those are her ssmates, who she¡¯s spent so much time with. Their parents practically knelt on the ground and begged her, but she was still so indifferent. Is she even human?¡± Another said: ¡°She should really learn when to let things go.¡± Someone else wrote: ¡°If it were me, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to be so ruthless. People aren¡¯t perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, and they can learn from their mistakes. You have to at least give them a chance to -do better.¡± One othermented: ¡°How scary. I¡¯m grateful that my ssmates are nice to me¡­¡± Soon, there were dozens to hundreds of them, densely covering the entire screen. Without exception, all of them were insulting Lucille. Madam Dahlia was so angry when she saw it that she trembled all over. ¡°Miss Jules, you¡¯re clearly the victim here. How can people who don¡¯t know the whole story say all of that?!¡± She was about to rush to thement section and fight with thoseizens. It was so frustrating! Even after being attacked like that, not only was Lucille not annoyed, but she even turned her head to okay. Just let them do what they want.¡± They could scold her if they wanted. They could be harsh to their heart¡¯s content. However, they had to keep in mind that what goes aroundes around. Lucille patted Madam Dahlia on the shoulder. She grinned and then turned to go upstairs. Madam Dahlia was left stunned on the spot, and she even stopped breathing for a moment. The smile Lucille had just made was a little too powerful. Most of the time, her smiles were very faint, like a misty fog that could not be grasped. Earlier, however, she smiled so hard that even her eyes were curved into crescents. At that moment, she was like a me in winter, and like all the stars in the night¡­ She was absolutely glowing. Madam Dahlia rubbed her eyes and finally came to her senses after a long while. Meanwhile, in the bedroom on the second floor¡­ Lucille took out herptop and browsed through the trending news online. Sure enough, the most popr news was about what she had done. The fact that there were so many Lucille tapped the keyboard lightly and hacked the other party¡¯s system to investigate. Looking at what she had found, she was shocked. Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Chapter 45 It was mind blowing. Out of the 30,000ments, around 25,000 of them were newly registered ounts as well as hate bots. Who had orchestrated all of this? She didn¡¯t even have to think about it. It was either Zoey or Samuel. Lucille closed the web page. Truthfully speaking, with her hacking skills, it was a piece of cake for her to delete those insulting hate bots couldn¡¯t influence it, that was when karma would strike. Lucille raised an eyebrow. She was about to close theptop when her hand paused. She thought of a good friend whom she had not contacted for many years. Lucille opened up another page and quickly essed a bunch of websites. After she pressed the enter button, a ck prompt popped up on the page. That was thergest mercenary base in the world. It was a ck market where all kinds of big shots gathered. Lucille entered her username and password. The general public only knew that after several years of fighting, the eldest daughter of the Jules family in Dilsburg had inherited her father¡¯s business and be the top dog, as well as the undefeated God of War. However, no one knew that she had another identity on top of that. She was the top mercenary on the legendary rankings of the ck market that no one could surpass. With a ding, she sessfully logged in, and she began to receive incessant notifications. At a nce, there were at least a thousand messages. Lucille ignored them all. Just as she was about to take a look at her friend list, she received a voice call. Lucille grinned. Speak of the devil. ¡°Benjamin, long time no see,¡± she greeted. ¡°Ah! You¡¯re finally back, Lucille. I¡¯ve been waiting for you for two years, you know? You have no conscience. You just disappeared from the world without a word. I was so worried about you. You¡¯re so heartless!¡± Benjamin, who was on the other end of the line, was so angry that she jumped up and down andined. The corners of Lucille¡¯s lips curled into a smile. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. ¡°You must have lost a lot of money without a cash cow like me around, huh?¡± she teased. Over the past few years, she had taken on nearly a hundred dangerous missions that the other mercenaries did not want to take. Each time, she worked with Benjamin. She was responsible for her back. After she left the ck market and stopped epting tasks, they lost contact. Benjamin scratched his nose and asked, ¡®Lucille, where have you been in the past two years?¡± Apart from knowing her name, he didn¡¯t know anything else. They had never met before. -Lucille did not answer the question. She merely replied, ¡°I¡¯m going offline. See youter.¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Benjamin hurriedly blurted. ¡°Since you havee back, I need to tell you that there¡¯s a new task with a highmission. The previous mercenaries failed four times in a row, and now the ¡°No.¡± Lucille refused with no room for argument. The high pay meant high risk. That kind of life was not a problem for her in the past, but right then¡­ Looking at her slender and tender hands, Lucille sighed helplessly. Her body was too weak. If she return to her peak form, she had to train more. Benjamin also sighed. He knew that she was stubborn, so he didn¡¯t try to persuade her. He simply said, ¡°Give me your contact information, or I won¡¯t be able to find you again.¡± This time, Lucille did not hesitate and simply told him her phone number. As soon as he said that, Benjamin made a sound of surprise. Obviously, he had found out her information through her phone number, so he was surprised and looked at it while acting nosey. ¡°So, your full name is Lucille Jules? You were kicked out of your house two days ago, and your engagement was canceled. Now, you¡¯re being med on the Inte. Lucille was silent. She had no expression on her face. ¡°Mute yourself.¡± Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Actually, before she gave him her number, she already knew that he would be nosey about her background. However, it didn¡¯t matter. Anyway, all he could find was information about the daughter of the Jules family with a bad reputation in. Shein City, not the God of War in her body who bore the crime of being a rebel. After Lucille finished speaking, she ended the call and quickly logged off. Even so, the news that the top mercenary on the ck market¡¯s legendary rankings had reappeared two years after their disappearance still caused a worldwide sensation. Meanwhile, in the Collins family¡¯s house¡­. Culver was the first to receive the news. Unable to contain his excitement, he rushed into Joseph¡¯s study. ¡°Mr. Joseph, we¡¯ve just received news that the person you¡¯re looking for appeared two minutes ago!¡± he reported. ¡°Have you found their location yet?¡± Joseph looked up at him. ¡°All we found is that they¡¯re in Shein City. As for the exact location¡­ we couldn¡¯t determine it. After they went offline, they immediately blocked their signal. Our hacker couldn¡¯t break through their defenses at all, Culver answered. As he spoke, his voice became lower and lower. ¡°And¡­ our people ended up getting tracked.¡± Upon saying that, he felt a little depressed. Who would have thought that they were such a powerful hacker? Joseph seemed to have expected Culver to say that. He smirked and casually stated, ¡°If you were able to find them so easily, they wouldn¡¯t be worthy of their title as the top mercenary.¡± The person he was looking for was the top mercenary on the ck market¡¯s legendary rankings. Their name was Lone Shadow, and their status was unshakeable. Lone Shadow hadpleted no less than hundreds of missions and didn¡¯t fail a single one of them. As at result, even though they had disappeared for two years, there were still myths about them in the ck market. Like a shadow at night, they came and went without a trace. No one had ever seen them, nor did anyone know their gender. People could only make a guess based on their username. ¡°But they haven¡¯t shown up for more than two years, Mr. Joseph. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take until theye. online again. Do you want me to get someone to check it out?¡± Culver offered. I¡¯m sure we can find some clues through aprehensive search, right?¡± Joseph had a faint smile on his face as he asked, ¡°Would you be able to recognize them even if they were. standing right in front of you?¡± That was true. Culver lowered his head and didn¡¯t dare to speak again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since they¡¯re in Shein City this time, it means that they won¡¯t leave so quickly. Get someone to keep an eye on him. Also¡­¡± Joseph knocked on the table. ¡°Have you bought the vi?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Culver truthfully informed, ¡°There¡¯s one more thing, Mr. Joseph. It¡¯s about Lu- It¡¯s about Miss Jules¡¯ Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. reputation. It seems that someone hired people to insult her online. Do you want me to contact the media and get that report deleted immediately?¡± Hearing that, Joseph picked up his phone and looked through it. He found that Culver was already sugarcoating it by saying that they were just ¡°insults¡±. The realments contained words so filthy that he couldn¡¯t bear to look at them. There was a murderous look in his eyes. ¡°What is she doing about it?¡± he asked. ¡°She hasn¡¯t done anything for the time being. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s going to rify herself,¡± Culver replied. That was totally Lucille¡¯s style Joseph responded, ¡°Then let¡¯s wait a little longer¡± ¡°Understood Then, Culver respectfully left At the same time, Lucille was on the second floor of the Jules Residence Lucille looked at the system that had been used to track her down and hacked it to investigate. She was surprised to find out that the person who had tried to obtain her address was someone working for Joseph. Why was he looking for Lone Shadow? Lucille lowered her gaze. Aside from Joseph¡¯s subordinates, there seemed to be two other forces in the city trying to determine her location. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not break through her technological defenses. One of the two forces was well hidden, and she could not discover their identity. The other one turned out to be Samuel. She had no idea why he was looking for Lone Shadow as well. Lucille looked through it again and found that Samuel had issued an offer on the ck market two months ago, stating that anyone who could provide him with the whereabouts of Lone Shadow would receive a reward of two million dors. Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Chapter 47 Whatever. He would never find out who Lonely Shadow was for the rest of his life. Lucille turned off herputer. She grabbed a pillow by the bed andid downfortably. While she was enjoying her afternoon nap, two storms ripped through Shein City. One of the storms was rted to the appearance of Lone Shadow. Many different factions wanted to find out their whereabouts, but after getting a glimpse of hope, they still returned empty-handed. The other was the negative news about Lucille. Because of the fact that she had refused to forgive the students orpromise, she was seen in a bad light. The incident continued to brew. Although the people who ndered her were all bots, many of those who didn¡¯t know the true story jumped on the bandwagon as well. They simply sided against Lucille just because they saw other people doing it. They wouldment things like: ¡°How can there be such a horrible woman? Apparently, she stole something before, and her reputation was already ruined. No wonder even her own father wanted to cut her off. She deserves it!¡± Someone said: ¡°Get this b*tch out of Shein City!¡± Another added: ¡°Forgiveness is a virtue. Being vengeful is what you should be ashamed of. Miss Jules, please step up and apologize publicly for your inappropriate behavior!¡± Looking at the overwhelmingments about Lucille on the Inte, Zoey was full of satisfaction. This was exactly what she wanted. It seemed that the money she had spent on the reporters was not in vain, and the 200,000 bots that Samuel had hired for her were all worth it as well. I was all Lucille¡¯s own fault. w She was the one who refused to change her mind in the face of reporters. It was amazing. Because of that one sentence, she had be the public¡¯s punching bag, and everyone was after her. Tsk, tsk. What a poor girl! The public opinion continued to brew throughout the evening. Surprisingly, Lucille herself was the least affected. After taking a nap, she began to exercise. It was not until dinnertime that she took a shower and changed her clothes before going to the dining room. Madam Dahlia kept looking down at her mobile phone absent-mindedly because of the hate being directed toward Lucille. Lucille sat down and took a bite of food before quietly putting down her cutlery. It was way too salty¡­. She poured herself a ss of water and almost choked on it. Hearing her cough, Madam Dahlia looked up from the phone screen and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Miss Jules?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. What are you doing, Madam Dahlia?¡± Lucille asked. She leaned over to take a look and saw that Madam Dahlia was fighting back against the bots. However, since she was too old to use the keyboard to type, she had to use the handwriting feature to write out her replies. The speed was very slow, and as soon as the response was sent out, it was drowned again by more curses. Even so, Madam Dahlia never gave up and continued to keep a serious attitude as she exined Lucille¡¯s circumstances, Lucille was slightly taken aback. A warm feeling welled up in her heart. Even when there were people ndering her, there were others protecting her in their own way. The more Madam Dahlia thought about it, the more depressed she felt.. ¡°Miss Jules, why are some people so willfully ignorant? It was those eight students who tried to drown you and sent you to the emergency room in the first ce. However, even though these people happened and are aware that those students almost killed you, they still keep trying to see things from the students¡¯ perspective and speak up for them!¡± she ranted. She added, ¡°Why are they like this? They¡¯re lucky that you ended up fine. If something actually happened, then their apology would be useless.¡± As Madam Dahlia spoke, the more excited she became. Obviously, she was furious. Lucilleforted her. ¡°Not everyone is born equal in this world. Just wait and see, Madam Dahlia. Someone will definitely stand up and speak up for me.¡± She still held the same opinion. Whates around goes around. When things hit a tipping point, the tables would turn. Not to mention, when she found out who was behind it earlier that day, she had seen people speaking up for her. However, those voices were all suppressed by the overwhelming number of bots and soon drowned out. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. By then¡­ it was almost time. Chapter 48 Chapter 48 Chapter 48 It was eight o¡¯clock at night. A few rationalizens went through the details of the incident in detail and even posted a video of Lucille drowning in the water. They wrote: ¡°Look at all of you spewing curses without even knowing what happened. Why can¡¯t you spare two minutes of your time to see the full story?¡± There was nothing more convincing than direct evidence. In the video, a group of young men and women were giggling andughing. They seemed to have some kind of tacit understanding as they whispered together. In the end, as if they had reached an agreement, one of the girls suddenly reached out and pushed Lucille, who was in the video, into the river. Plop! Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. It created a huge ssh. That was not the end of it. After Lucille fell in, the eight young men and women were still grinning. Every time. Lucille emerged from the water, one of them stretched out a hand and pressed her head back into the water. She gurgled, causing the water¡¯s surface to bubble. Each time she struggled, she would be pushed back in. This went on dozens of times. Until thest time, Lucille was shoved into the water and there was no movement on the surface of the water for a long time. Because she no longer had the strength to struggle. The video stopped abruptly, and then a line of red words appeared. The words said: ¡°If it were you, would you choose to be generous and forgive them for hurting you and nearly killing you?¡± Other than the bots who were deliberately smearing Lucille¡¯s name for the sake of money, the rest of the upstandingizens all had their fists clenched after watching the video. Someone else posted: I want to curse, but I don¡¯t know if I should or not. Either way, you can¡¯t tell people whether they should forgive someone or not. That¡¯s a sin.¡± Another said: ¡°I feel so angry on her behalf. I seriously think I¡¯m going to suffocate. Ugh!¡± One more added: ¡°Does that reporter think they¡¯re the Virgin Mary or something? How can he ask such a question? I hope that when he encounters the same situation in the future, other people will tell him to forg and forgive, too!¡± One person chimed in: ¡°As a person who has been hurt before, I would never forgive the person who once hur me! If I really told him that I had forgiven him, then he wouldn¡¯t feel guilty at all. What about me? Why should I pay for other people¡¯s mistakes?¡± Another stated: ¡°It¡¯s those people who preach about forgiving others that truly disgust me. How are there still people who say that forgiveness is a virtue? F*cking idiots!¡± It was only about two hours, and thement section hadpletely switched sides. Theizens who strongly supported Lucille¡¯s refusal to reconcile or forgive seemed to have gone mad. With theirbined strength, they managed to defeat the huge wave of bots one after the other. When the negative news initially broke out all of a sudden, most of the otherizens and people uninvolved did not say much about it. It wasn¡¯t until more and more people insulted Lucille that they couldn¡¯t hold back their curiosity and went in to have a look. Then, they lost it. Particrly, after watching the video of Lucille drowning in the water, the uprightizens went to see the question the reporter asked when interviewing Lucille. ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve gone a little too far, Miss Jules? Those parents have painstakingly raised their children and devoted their efforts to nurturing them. Even if they¡¯ve made a mistake, why can¡¯t you be kind and choose to forgive them when they¡¯ve made it clear that they¡¯ll do better in the future?¡± Tsk! Aizenmented: ¡°Hrious. Who does this reporter think he is?¡± One other wrote: ¡°I don¡¯t understand what the people who told her to forgive them are thinking. Why does she have to be considerate of the people who tried to kill her? If it was over something small, then so be it, but this is attempted murder!¡± One person replied to thatment, saying: ¡°If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t havepromised even if it was a small issue. I would endure for a while and keep calm. The more I think about it, I would only suffer if I were to submit. As long as I can properly protect my rights, then it¡¯s not wrong. It¡¯s not wrong at all.¡± After the public¡¯s opinionplete turnaround, the bots kept trying to fight back, but they couldn¡¯t even leave a dent. In other words, theizens weren¡¯t taking sides. Instead, they could empathize with the victim who had been wronged and hurt. After all, they knew how to put themselves in Lucille¡¯s shoes, so they knew how she must have felt. The bots retreated one by one. Coincidentally, the time that Samuel had paid for them to work was up. When the time came, all 200,000 of them disappeared. Chapter 49 Chapter 49 Chapter 49 After they left, thements were all siding with Lucille. Onement read. ¡°I support Lucille! If I¡¯m wrong, then so be it. We¡¯re all adults, and we have to take responsibility for our actions.¡± Another stated: ¡°Although I understand those parents¡¯ love for their children, please think about it from another perspective. The person your precious children hurt is someone else¡¯s beloved child as well.¡± One more added: ¡®Just saying, even with such a high-definition camera filming her, I can¡¯t see any ws on her face no matter how close I look. She¡¯s so pretty that I might get a nosebleed.¡± There was a reply to it that said: ¡°I¡¯ll pay you 50 cents to delete thatment so I can post it instead.¡± Someone else typed: ¡°You guys are wrong. Not only is she pretty, but even the way she talks is so cool, too. Argh! I love her!¡± The topic of conversation in thement section seemed to have diverged. There were even people who saved screenshots of Lucille¡¯s interview and began making ridiculous ims. One person dered: ¡®I hereby announce that she¡¯s my future wife!¡± Aizen replied: ¡°You¡¯re shameless for that! If not for the fact that she was right next to me, I would have believed your nonsense.¡± Another said: ¡°Now that things havee to this, I¡¯ll have to reveal the truth. She said that she only likes me!¡± They were getting increasingly off-topic, but they seemed to be having a lot of fun. It was silly, but cute. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. When Madam Dahlia saw thesements, her face was full of disbelief. ¡°They were scolding you so fiercely in the afternoon, but now¡­¡± But now, they seemed to have warmed up to herpletely. It made Madam Dahlia¡¯s eyes well up with tears. She had felt depressed for the whole day. She wiped her tears away and said with a smile in her bloodshot eyes, ¡°Ah. It seems that dust keeps getting into my eyes now that I¡¯m older.¡± Lucille grinned. Based on how public opinion had changed, things seemed to be going smoothly for her. However¡­ Jenny, the daughter of the Zanes family, was still locked up. That morning, Sebastian suffered a loss at Lucille¡¯s hands. Nobody knew what would happen in the future. Despite that, there was one thing that was certain. The Zanes family certainly wouldn¡¯t give up so easily. Lucille yawned. After saying good night to Madam Dahlia, she went upstairs to sleep. The next morning, she would need to make a trip to the Collins family as Joseph¡¯s fiancee. The Collins family was a big family with a booming business. They were a well-known family in the heart of Shein City. They were incredibly wealthy and had great power. Not only were all the family members influential figures, but even Madam Collins used to be someone legendary when she was young. She didn¡¯t know what would happen once they met each other tomorrow. -Lucille rubbed the space between her eyebrows and fell asleep. The next morning¡­. Lucille opened her eyes right on time at half-past five. Then, she went to the backyard of the vi to train. She ran, lifted weights, and practiced closebat, as well as the ancient martial arts passed down from generation to generation in the Jules family from Dilsburg. If she wanted to clowly regain her former life, the cool hotck off for even a moment She didn¡¯t ette ontil pset highe Lucille parted lightly and went back to her room to take a shower and get changed Since the was going to see the elders of the Colline family the picked a rather cute draina Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Joseph had said that he would pick her up at ten o¡¯clock in the morning. At nine-fifty-five, the sound of a car¡¯s engine could be heard from outside the Jules Residence. Madam Dahlia happily weed Joseph and said, ¡°Please sit down, Mr. Joseph. Miss Jules will be right there!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no rush,¡± he reassured. Joseph satzily on the sofa, looking very patient. A few minutester, there were light footsteps on the stairs. Joseph raised his eyeszily. Then, he paused for a moment, and shock shed through his gaze¡­. Lucille, who was slowly walking down the stairs, was wearing a long azure dress. It was a simple and elegant waist-length dress that entuated her slim figure. There were a few fluttering flowers embroidered on the hem of her dress. As she walked, the flowers and butterflies were partly hidden. They gave her an elegant and somewhat adorable look. Looking further up, her long ck hair, which cascaded down her shoulders, was tied up with a wooden hairpin. As she walked down to thest step, she slowly turned around, clearly revealing her face. Her dark eyebrows were like two distant mountains, and her eyes were as clear as spring water. She was graceful and elegant, like an ethereal fairy. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lucille took onest step and looked at Joseph. The corners of Joseph¡¯s lips curled up as he replied, ¡°Okay!¡± The two of them left the vi together and got in the car. Madam Dahlia stood at the gate of the vi and watched their car drive away with a smile. Twenty minutester¡­ The car stopped and arrived at the Collins family¡¯s residence. Lucille looked up and saw a huge courtyard. From the outside, she could see white walls and gray roof tiles, with thick ink and vibrant colors decorating the surfaces, When looking from a distance, she felt as if she was gazing at a paintinge to life. The foundation and the momentum that came from a big family, along with the house itself, had a unique pressure to it. As expected of the hundred-year-old Collins family. Lucille nced at Joseph and murmured, ¡°Is there anything I should know? How do you want me to y along with you?¡± Since the two of them were working together, there were some things that had to be discussed in advance. Since they were at the entrance of the Collins family¡¯s residence, Lucille had to move closer to Joseph so that nobody would overhear them. She continued, ¡°If you have any requests, feel free to ask. If not, I¡¯ll just do whatever I want.¡± Joseph had not listened to a single word. Because when Lucille approached him, she smelled a faint fragrance. He lowered his eyes. From that angle, the sun shone from behind her. He could see her soft skin and every detail of her profile under the light. She was¡­ unbelievably cute. Joseph¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed slightly, and there was a hint of joy in his deep gaze. Right then, the door was opened from the inside. The maid greeted them respectfully. ¡°Greetings, Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Collins.¡± It was Madam Collins who had personally instructed the servants to call her that. That was enough to show how much Old Madame valued Lucille. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Grandma is waiting for us.¡± Joseph stretched out his hand. Lucille looked at it and tacitly ced her own hand in his palm. After all, they had already held each other¡¯s hands twice before, so they did possess that sort of understanding between each other. The maid¡¯s eyes widened when she saw this. Everyone in the Collins family, as well as in the whole of Shein City, knew that Joseph hardly interacted Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. with women. Not to mention holding hands, there was no one who could even get within three meters of him! But right then¡­ Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Chapter 51 The maid lowered her head. She did not dare to offend them in any way, but her heart was boiling with excitement. Finally, she was witnessing the climax of Joseph¡¯s life story. Meanwhile, in the Collins Manor¡­ Madam Collins was elegant and had a kind face. She was sitting in a wheelchair and kept looking outside from time to time. Obviously, she was both happy and anxious. How could she not be happy? Back then, she had put in so much effort to arrange a marriage for Joseph. She did not expect him to suddenly show up with a granddaughter-inw. It was a miracle. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. On the other hand, Austin, who had been forced to apany them, looked up at the sky. Despair was written all over his face. ¡°Grandma, I don¡¯t want to meet Miss Jules. Can I go back to school and go to ss?¡± he tried. ¡°No!¡± Madam Collins insisted. ¡°Also, she¡¯s not Miss Jules. She¡¯s your sister-inw! Remember to be polite to her when you see herter. Call her by her proper title.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ept her as my sister-inw!¡± he retorted. Austin looked unconvinced. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Joseph is thinking. The whole city knows that the Jules family¡¯s daughter has a terrible reputation. Apparently, she¡¯s very calctive. Otherwise, why would Samuel have. broken off their engagement? How could Joseph marry a woman like that?¡± However, as soon as he finished speaking, he was pped on the back of his head. In a protective tone, Madam Collins started lecturing him. YOU You brat. How dare you say that about my granddaughter-inw?¡± Austin was speechless. His eyes were nk and he felt so wronged that he was about to cry. ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m your grandson! How can you speak up for someone else?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s my granddaughter-inw!¡± ¡°Grandma¡­¡± Madam Collins snorted in amusement. When she saw how aggrieved Austin was, her heart softened and she reached out to pet his head. She said, ¡°Silly child. Don¡¯t judge a book by its cover. You can¡¯t take what others. say too seriously. It¡¯s better to see for yourself.¡± Rumors were just rumors. That was all. Simrly, when she was young, she had also been targeted by others. Madam Collins looked toward the door. Her eyes, which were surrounded by wrinkles, were filled with wisdom and depth. ¡°Grandma.¡± Austin pursed his lips and sorrowfully murmured, ¡°My hair is all messed up.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. There are no girls who want you, anyway,¡± Madam Collins replied. Austin could hear his own heart breaking. At that moment, the subtle sound of footsteps came from the long courtyard outside the door. Madam Collins immediately looked up, and two figures finally appeared in her sight. In the courtyard, the grass was green and the sun was shining. The man approached slowly, looking devilishly handsome, and his figure was tall and straight. The girl, whose hand he was holding tightly, looked at him, and her face was absolutely gorgeous. ¡°They¡¯re a match made in heaven!¡± Madam Collins was grinning from ear to ear. Standing beside her, Austin nced up at the sky and wanted to roll his eyes. However, he was afraid of getting hit again, so he simply looked everywhere but Lucille. Hmph. He would never call her his sister-inw. Holding Lucille¡¯s hand, Joseph walked up to Madam Collins and called out to her. ¡°Grandma.¡± Lucille did the same. ¡°Hello, Grandma.¡± Her voice was sweet and pleasant, which made Madam Collins happy. ¡°Wonderful!¡± Madam Collins took Lucille¡¯s hand with a smile and kept nodding. ¡°What a good girl you are. Come on, sit down beside me.¡± Lucille nced down. She had thought that Madam Collins would be difficult to get along with. However, she didn¡¯t put on any airs at all and seemed to be very friendly. Particrly, when Madam Collins smiled, there was a kind and gentle light in her eyes. It was exactly the same as that of her own grandmother, who had been devoted to the technology industry all her life. Lucille cut off her train of thought. After she sat down, she realized that Madam Collins was sitting in a wheelchair. She was stunned for a moment. Before she could react, she heard a humming sound beside her. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Lucille looked back quietly and saw a teenager around 17 or 18 years old, who was groaning at her. The young man looked like a porcin doll, with a little baby fat. He was still childish, and his eyes were particrly beautiful. If she remembered correctly, that was probably Austin, Joseph¡¯s cousin. She remembered how Joseph had bumped into her and Austin when they were eating at a restaurant. Lucille was about to look away when she heard another snort. Austin lowered his voice and muttered, ¡°I will never recognize you as my sister-inw.¡± The displeasure on his face was unconcealed. He was so full of anger, and he looked like a textbook example of a rich family¡¯s idiotic son. Lucille was certain that if he had not been born into the Collins family, someone would have beaten him up. What was she going to do¡­ Should she bully him as well? Lucille sat upright and slowly replied, ¡°What did you say? I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± Hearing this, Austin immediately repeated, ¡°I said, I will never recognize you as my sister-inw!¡± Oh no. It was over. He didn¡¯t lower his voice, and everyone heard it. Joseph had a faint smile on his face as he looked at him. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re restless again.¡± The word ¡°again¡± had a knowing tone to it. Austin shuddered instantly. If someone were to ask who he feared the most at home, then it would have to be Joseph. Madam Collins was even more ruthless. She took a sip of tea and uttered, ¡°Sigh¡­ I was going to buy you that sports car that you like, but now it seems that you don¡¯t need it¡­¡± Plop! Austin dropped to his knees, which seemed to be a familiar posture for him. ¡°Grandma, Joseph.¡± He called out to them one by one. Finally, he said loudly to Lucille, ¡°My sister-in- Lucille¡¯s eyelids twitched. She was at a loss for words. How could he kneel down so easily? Madam Collins was satisfied. She tugged at Lucille¡¯s hand in a caring manner. ¡°Lucille, I heard about your father severing ties with you. What do you think? Are you willing to go back to that house? Don¡¯t worry. With me supporting you, your father will never dare to bully you again!¡± Lucille shook her head and refused. ¡°He¡¯s not my father.¡± She understood that Madam Collins was speakingpletely out of kindness. She was worried that Lucille would feel ufortable after getting kicked out of her house and facing gossip from the public, so Madam Collins wanted to back her up. However, that ce had never been home to her in the first ce. Madam Collins nodded. She totally respected Lucille¡¯s wishes, especially when she thought of Howard¡¯s harsh words when he publicly severed his rtionship with Lucille. How could he be considered a father? So what if -he disowned her? ¡°Good girl.¡± Madam Collins patted the back of Lucille¡¯s hand lovingly and muttered, ¡°From now on, this ce will be your home.¡± Lucille smiled and politely responded, ¡°Thank you, Grandma.¡± ¡°By the way, Lucille, how about we hold the engagement party this Saturday? I consulted someone, and the weather that day will be good. It¡¯s a lucky date, too,¡± Madam Collins suggested. ¡°Sure.¡± Either way, it was just a contract between her and Joseph. It didn¡¯t matter what day the party was held. That made Madam Collins so happy that she could not even close her mouth. She immediately said to the servant beside her. ¡°Hurry up and call the tailor over!¡± Soon, the tailor arrived She was the best tailor in all of Shein City. Her exquisite and extraordinary embroidery was famous all over the world It was said that she could embroider anything, so she was also said to have golden T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. hands. Madam Collins said, ¡°Come, Lucille. Let the tailor take your measurements. Also, you can tell her what kind of style you would want for the wedding dress, as well as any thoughts you have about it.¡± Wedding dress? Lucille was stunned. She had only agreed to the engagement, not to a marriage. Fortunately, Joseph cleared his throat and helped her out. ¡°Grandma, she¡¯s still young. Let¡¯s talk about marriage in the future.¡± Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Madam Collins could only nod. ¡°Okay.¡± Soon, the tailor finished taking Lucille¡¯s measurements and said with a smile, ¡°Your waist is so slim, Mrs. Collins. No matter what kind of dress you wear, you¡¯ll look absolutely beautiful!¡± Madam Collins nodded. There was affection in her tone as she agreed, ¡°That¡¯s only natural!¡± After the tailor left, everyone moved to the dining room for lunch. Lucille nced around and noticed that they were the only ones at the table. The other elders of the Collins family were all absent. Madam Collins even took the time to exin. ¡°The others can¡¯t leave thepany right now, but they will definitely attend the engagement party.¡± Lucille was about to nod when a set of cutlery appeared in front of her and a piece of pork rib was ced in her bowl. Joseph looked at her. With a chuckle, he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a try?¡± Madam Collins, who was sitting at the head of the table, pretended to be drinking soup, but she was actually observing their movements discreetly. Lucille¡¯s expression did not change. She picked up a piece of mushroom and ced it into Joseph¡¯s bowl. She smiled and stated, ¡°You, too.¡± The sound of a maid gasping could be heard. Joseph was extremely picky. He never ate mushrooms, and he didn¡¯t like it when other people touched his food¡­ She had done just that. There was a high chance that Lucille would get kicked out. The maids were frightened. However, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Not only was Joseph not disgusted, he even slowly chewed the food. It was mind-boggling. The maids weren¡¯t the only ones stunned. Even Madam Collins¡¯ hands, which were holding a bowl of soup, began trembling slightly. How interesting! She was going to see a great-grandchild in no time at all. After lunch, Madam Collins asked Joseph to bring Lucille around to familiarize herself with the manor. Joseph agreed. This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. When he and Lucille stepped out of the main hall, Madam Collins gave instructions to the maids. ¡°Go and tidy up the rooms upstairs, especially Josh¡¯s bedroom!¡± The housekeeper, Madam Louisa, instantly understood what Madam Collins meant. She snickered and asked, ¡°Madam Collins, do you mean that¡­¡± There was no need to say the rest. They both understood each other. ¡°I¡¯ll get to it right away,¡± Madam Louisa stated. She rushed upstairs with the other maids. Meanwhile, in the courtyard outside¡­ Lucille looked at the nts and trees around the Collins Manor, as well as the subtle yet luxurious courtyard. She recalled how the Jules family looked during its glory days in Dilsburg. At the time, the Jules family was almost on par with the Collins family right then. Her grandfather was well-versed in both the arts and fighting. Not only could he cure diseases and save people, but also ughter enemies on the battlefield. Her grandmother was a master of science and technology and had made countless contributions. Her father was the God of War in Dilsburg and had made outstanding contributions, Her mother was a famous actress and had made great achievements. After that, however¡­ Her grandparents died in a car ident; her father was used of treason and beheaded, her mother died while trying to protect Lucille. The Jules family copsed just like that. Their past glory was gone, and all that was left was bloody hatred. Lucille held onto the wooden railings beside the pavilion. Her fingertips were all white because of how hard she was clenching her fist. Suddenly, she heard someone say, ¡°Be careful!¡± Lucille quickly withdrew her hand, but she did not notice that there was a loose wooden board under her feet, causing her to slip and fall down unexpectedly. Fortunately, a pair of hands reached out to hold her firmly. However, in that position, she was being held in Joseph¡¯s arms. Holding hands was no big deal earlier since they were just acting. Right then, on the other hand, they were directly holding each other, and there was no gap between them at all¡­ Lucille was about to push him away when she heard his voice from above her head. ¡°Don¡¯t move. There¡¯s someone watching us not far away.¡± Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Chapter 54 Needless to say, they were someone sent by Madam Collins. Lucille stayed quiet. Her whole body was stiff, and they stayed in that position for a few seconds. She could hear his strong heartbeat, and the faint scent of herbs on his body lingered around the tip of her nose. Although he was a sick man, his figure was really too good. He was tall with a straight back, and his body was well-proportioned. Even through his clothes, she could tell how strong he was. Lucille could not help but wonder if the rumors about him being sick were true. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. It didn¡¯t seem like it. While she was lost in thought, she heard his clear and pleasant voiceing from above her. He asked, ¡°That person has left. Do you still want to stay in this position?¡± When Lucille came back to her senses, she realized that he had already moved his hand away. He was gentlemanly and polite, with a hint of indifference. She immediately stepped back and realized that there was a jolt of pain in her ankle when she stood up straight. Looking down, she saw a few red marks. She must have gotten scratched by the broken wooden board when she stepped on it. Fortunately, there was only a little blood, so it was not serious. Lucille didn¡¯t think it was a big deal and wasn¡¯t nning on saying anything about it. Despite that, even though she didn¡¯t say anything, Joseph immediately noticed because her skirt didn¡¯t cover her ankles. The blood stains particrly stood out on her fair ankle. ¡°Come with me.¡± Joseph tugged Lucille¡¯s wrist and led her back inside. On the way there, the trembling maids bowed and said in a shaky voice, ¡°M-Mr. Joseph, it really has nothing to do with us. We check and perform maintenance every day. For some reason, today, it just¡­¡± That wooden bridge had always been sturdy. There was no one who could trip just by standing on it. Madam Collins particrly loved taking walks there. If she was the one who had tripped that day, she would probably have fallen into theke together with her wheelchair. Therefore, there was no way it could be an ident. Joseph didn¡¯t even turn his head. His eyes were filled with coldness as he ordered, ¡°Go and investigate.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The servants and maids immediately retreated. Lucille observed the situation carefully. She knew that the Collins family was a well-known family with a hundred years ofplicated history. There was definitely more going on behind the scenes than she had imagined. Soon, they returned to the big living room. Lucille was made to sit down on the couch. Joseph instructed the servants to bring her a first-aid kit. Then, he told her, ¡°Lift your leg up.¡± He patted the couch and motioned for her to put her feet onto it. Lucille shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need. It¡¯s just a minor injury. I¡¯ll be fine in no time.¡± In the past, no matter how serious her injuries were, she could only grit her teeth and endure them. She was not that delicate. However, as soon as Lucille said that, she saw Joseph staring at her. The man¡¯s eyes, which were as deep as the abyss, were surging with a flickering light. It was dangerous and eye-catching, but also fatally attractive, Lucille felt a little ufortable under his gaze. She was about to look away when he asked with a faint smile, ¡°Have you always been like this?¡± ¡°What?¡± she questioned. ¡°You never say anything, you never cry, and you never make a fuss.¡± Joseph moved a step closer to her. He stared into her eyes and slowly uttered, ¡°How can people care for you if you won¡¯t tell them when you¡¯re hurt?¡± Lucille was stunned. Right after that, a soft pillow was thrown into her arms. It covered the hem of her skirt. Then, her injured foot was gently grabbed by Joseph. The cold ointment was applied to her burning scratch, instantly relieving all the pain. Those words kept circting around Lucille¡¯s mind. How can people care for you if you won¡¯t tell them when you¡¯re hurt? But what if¡­ There was no one to care for her in the first ce? When she was seven years old, the Jules family was destroyed. She saw her closest rtives die miserably in front of her. Since then, no one would wipe her tears, and no one would stand in front of her to protect her. Whether she was alive or dead, she didn¡¯t need anyone to feel sorry for her. Lucille lowered her gaze, her longshes hiding all the emotions in her eyes. At that moment, Madam Collins, who had heard the news, had her wheelchair pushed in by Madam Louisa. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Where did you get hurt, Lucille? Let me have a look!¡± Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Chapter 55 Madam Louisa pushed Madam Collins forward. She took a closer look and became furious. ¡°Look into it for me immediately! I want to know who can be so bold to do something like this right under my nose.¡± The maid next to her replied, ¡°Mr. Joseph has already gotten someone to investigate, Madam Collins.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Madam Collins patted Lucille¡¯s hand and said with pity in her tone, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I didn¡¯t make the proper arrangements, which caused you to suffer.¡± Lucille shook her head. Madam Collins then turned to Joseph and said, ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already gotten someone to clean up the room upstairs. Take Lucille there to rest.¡± Lucille was just about to say no when Joseph agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She had no choice but to follow him to the second floor. When they got there, Joseph said, ¡°You should rest for now. All the rooms here are guest rooms. You can pick any of them.¡± Lucille was not interested in taking her time to pick a room. She pointed to the room closest to her and walked in alone. She looked around casually. It was gray inside, unlike the other guest rooms. It looked simple yet open. Just as Lucille was about to close the door, she noticed that Joseph had been watching her. There was a yful look on his handsome face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there a problem with the room I¡¯ve chosen?¡± she asked. ¡°No.¡± The smile on Joseph¡¯s lips grew a bit wider. What he didn¡¯t tell her was that it was his room. Lucille closed the door. Then, she locked it with a click. The bedroom was huge, and the big bed was so tidy that there were no wrinkles on it. She could tell that the sheets and nkets had just been changed. It had to be said that Madam Collins was very thorough in preparing things. Lying on the bed, Lucille rubbed her temples. Based on Shein City¡¯s customs, the banquet would only be held at night. Lucille turned over. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. In her dream, there was a sea of fire. Waves of heat were everywhere. If she moved just a bit closer, she could feel an intense, searing pain. Amidst the mes stood a woman who seemed weak on the surface but was tough deep down. The woman looked at her from a distance and shouted to her. ¡°Keep going, Lucille. Don¡¯t look back.¡± ¡°Mother!¡± The young Lucille¡¯s voice was hoarse. She wanted nothing more than to rush into the sea of fire. However, the person behind her stopped her and dragged her away forcefully. A horde of killers rushed over, but the woman dragged them all into the sea of fire with her feeble body. They were going to die together. ¡°Lucille, keep going. You¡¯ll find the light.¡± Keep going. You¡¯ll find the light. ¡°Mother¡­ Mother¡­¡± Lucille frowned while lying on the bed, and she mumbled in her sleep, her voice filled with hesitation. Joseph¡¯s hand stopped in mid-air. He knocked on the door several times, but there was no reply from inside. Then, he opened the door with the key. Unexpectedly, Lucille was having a nightmare, and she wouldn¡¯t wake up. Joseph squatted down and patted her on the back as if he was coaxing a child. After some time, Lucille gradually calmed down. Even in her sleep, she could not help but frown. Looking at her delicate and wless face, Joseph¡¯s gaze seemed to harden. There was an inquisitive look in his eyes. He had investigated Lucille¡¯s background. Her mother had died of illness a long time ago. At the time, Lucille was only two years old. She shouldn¡¯t have been able to remember anything about her mother at her current age. Not to mention, before drowning, Lucille was humble and timid. After the incident, however, she seemed to have suddenly changed into another person. Her temperament had changed greatly, bing decisive and ruthless. She waspletely different from before! Joseph gently caressed Lucille¡¯s face as he asked in a low voice¡­ ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡± Chapter 56 Chapter 56 Chapter 56 When Lucille woke up, it was already dark outside. Had she slept for that long? Lucille sat up from the bed and rubbed her swollen temples. She had dreamt about the things she wanted to forget the most. This time, she had been struggling in her nightmare as usual. However, what was different was that she felt as if someone was beside her, patting her back andforting her. Lucille got up from the nket and found that the door was still locked. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that no one hade in. She was overthinking it. After washing her face in the bathroom, Lucille opened the door and walked out. She didn¡¯t expect that she would bump into Austin as soon as she opened the door. Austin pointed at her with an extremely shocked expression. ¡°Y-You¡­ why are you in Joseph¡¯s room?¡± Lucille was confused. So that was Joseph¡¯s room? No wonder Joseph had such a yful look on his face when she walked in earlier. She didn¡¯t know what to say. She decided to forget it. In any case, she had just been sleeping there. It wasn¡¯t like she had gotten into bed. with him. All she had to worry about was making sure Madam Collins was satisfied. Lucille¡¯s expression was calm. She walked past Austin and went straight downstairs. She got up toote and had probably missed dinner. As soon as Lucille walked downstairs, she heard Madam Louisa¡¯s voice from around the corner. ¡°Do you want me to go upstairs and knock on the door, Madam Collins?¡± ¡°No need, Madam Collins replied. ¡°None of you are allowed to wake Lucille up. Let her get a proper rest. I decide when the banquet starts!¡± Lucille¡¯s gaze flickered slightly when she heard that. It was no wonder that no one in the Collins family had woken her up. It turned out that Madam Collins had specially told everyone to let her rest, even if that meant the banquet was dyed. Lucille raised her head and walked over with the clear sound of her footsteps. She emerged from the corner and shouted, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m awake. I¡¯m so sorry for oversleeping.¡± ¡°Silly child. You don¡¯t have to apologize.¡± Madam Collins smiled kindly and teased, ¡°If you feel bad, then you can help me push my wheelchair around.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucille stepped forward, took the wheelchair from Madam Louisa, and pushed Madam Collins toward the banquet hall. In the hall, delicious dishes had been served one after another on the long table. Each dish was a feast in itself, and even the pieces of boiled cabbage had been sliced into the shape of a flower. The other dishes were even more extravagant, which showed that the chef¡¯s cooking skills were excellent. Lucille pushed Madam Collins to the head of the table, making sure she was settled down before taking a seat herself. Not long after, Austin arrived as well. He sat on the opposite side of Lucille, looking angry, but he didn¡¯t dare to show it. He could only secretly re at her when no one was paying attention. She made a shushing motion. Lucille was taunting him. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Instantly, she managed to suppress Austin, who fell silent. Madam Collins didn¡¯t notice what was going on at all. She was still looking around because she hadn¡¯t seen Joseph yet. She asked, ¡®Where¡¯s Josh? Why isn¡¯t he here yet?¡± Madam Louisa replied, ¡°Mr. Joseph is in the study. He said he would be here soon.¡± ¡°Oh. In that case, let¡¯s eat first.¡± Madam Collins grabbed some food for Lucille and said, ¡°Come, Lucille. Eat more. Try these dishes and see if you like them.¡± ¡°Thank you, Grandma,¡± Lucille said. She ate slowly, then raised her head to give some praise. ¡°Oh! It tastes wonderful.¡± ¡°Try this one, then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Just as Lucille was about to reach over with her cutlery, a shadow approached from beside her. The next second, Joseph naturally sat down on the chair next to her. He raised her handzily and slowly stated, ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡± Madam Collins red at him and pretended to be angry. ¡°Some fianc¨¦ you are. Aren¡¯t you going to help Lucille get some soup?¡± Joseph chuckled and rolled up his sleeves. Then, he stood up and personally filled a bowl of soup before cing it in front of Lucille. He looked at her with a smile as he teased her. ¡°Try it, Lucille.¡± She did not reply. The way he spoke made Lucille ufortable, but she still replied, ¡°Thank you.¡± Joseph leaned over intimately. From an outsider¡¯s point of view, he seemed to be whispering something to her, but in fact, he only leaned over slightly and quietly murmured, ¡°There¡¯s news about the person you¡¯re looking for. Come with meter.¡± After that, he returned to his seat, looking nonchnt. The spoon in Lucille¡¯s hand almost fell into her bowl. She didn¡¯t expect that Molly¡¯s whereabouts would be found in just three days. The efficiency was far beyond her imagination. As expected of Joseph. She had made the right choice working with him. Lucille suppressed her emotions and lowered her head to drink the soup. When dinner was almost over, Madam Collins wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. With a smile, she said, ¡°Lucille, it¡¯s already sote. You can stay here for the night. I¡¯ve prepared a room for you!¡± Before Lucille could say anything, Joseph cleared his throat and chimed in, ¡°Grandma, I¡¯m afraid she can¡¯t stay today. We¡¯re going out on a date.¡± He deliberately emphasized the word ¡°date¡±. Madam Collins¡¯ eyes lit up when she heard that. ¡°All right, all right. Go ahead, then. You can stay out as She was being way too obvious. Lucille blinked. Before she could react, she saw Joseph reaching out to her and calmly asking, ¡°Shall we go?¡± Without another word, Lucille ced her hand in his palm. The two said goodbye to Madam Collins and got in the car. The driver was Culver. There were no outsiders around, so there was no need for them to act any longer. Lucille anxiously questioned, ¡°Where is Molly? How is she doing right now?¡± Ever since she was used of being a traitor and died because of it, she was worried that those who had framed her wouldn¡¯t let go of those she loved. Molly would be the first in line. Not to mention, Molly was just a child with the IQ of a five-year-old. How could she be able to protect herself? Seeing that Lucille¡¯s expression had changed, Joseph turned on the disy of the screen in the car and pulled up a video. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Although she¡¯s injured, her life isn¡¯t in danger. This is what my men recorded when they found her. Take a look.¡± Lucille looked over and saw that the video was filmed in the countryside. Molly, who was covered in blood, was lying on top of a small mound of dirt. She kept yelling at the people who had found her. ¡°Go away! All of you, go away!¡± After yelling, she flopped onto the dirt and cried hysterically. ¡°Bobo¡­ Even you don¡¯t want me anymore?¡± In the end, it was Joseph¡¯s subordinate who followed Lucille¡¯s orders and shouted, ¡°I¡¯ll take you to Lucille. Come with us!¡± As he spoke, his subordinate threw Molly a lollipop. She tentatively picked up the lollipop and found that it was watermelon-vored. She immediately got up from the mound, sniffed with her red nose, and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Okay!¡± Seeing that she finally cooperated, the subordinate breathed a sigh of relief. That was where the video stopped. Joseph continued, ¡°Right now, they¡¯re already on the ne back to Shein City. You¡¯ll see them soon.¡± Lucille nodded. ¡°Thank you, Joseph.¡± She had finally let go of the biggest worry in her heart, and she thanked him sincerely. Unexpectedly, Joseph looked at her and suddenly asked, ¡°Who is Bobo?¡± Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Lucille paused. In the video, Molly was lying on the mound, crying and screaming as she asked if Bobo didn¡¯t want her anymore. Because of how hysterically she was sobbing, her voice was not clear. Surprisingly, not only did Joseph¡¯s banquet hear it, but he even caught onto that point specifically. Lucille remained calm and exined, ¡°It¡¯s a cat that I used to raise.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± Joseph had a faint grin on his face. There was a hint of interest in his dark and beautiful eyes. He looked at her, with a wicked aura all over his body. His casual, rxed posture made it hard to guess how much he believed her. Lucille looked at him calmly, without any trace of a guilty conscience. Josephughed quietly and did not press the issue. Soon, the car stopped. Lucille looked outside and found that the car was parked in front of the Jules Residence. Joseph stated, ¡°It¡¯s still early. The helicopter will arrive in the early morning. There are still a few hours left, so you can rest for a while.¡± After that, the car door was opened. Joseph stepped out of the car with his slender legs and walked in the direction of the vi. Lucille was stunned for a moment, then she quickly ran after him and asked, ¡°A-Are you staying here?¡± Joseph raised his eyebrows and calmly question, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I not allowed to?¡± T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. ?Of course not. Lucille frowned and replied in a business-like tone, ¡°A deal is a deal. You help me find someone, and I will help you deal with Madam Collins. We aren¡¯t supposed to interfere with each other¡¯s personal lives. That was part of the deal.¡± It didn¡¯t matter. Even though she was grateful to Joseph for helping her find and save Molly, it didn¡¯t mean that he could step into her private life as he wished. Not to mention, as stated in the contract, she would fulfill her promise and pretend to be his fianc¨¦e to help him deal with the Collins family for a year. She continued, ¡°We¡¯re just helping each other out and using each other. Since there¡¯s no one else around now, there¡¯s no need for us to continue acting, right?¡± Joseph had his eyes fixed on Lucille. Her gaze was icy, and the coldness in her eyes made her seem untouchable. She looked like the snow in winter that never melted. She had drawn a clear line between them. The corners of Joseph¡¯s lips curled up. It was hard to tell what he was feeling. Seeing the wariness in Lucille¡¯s eyes, he chuckled and slowly muttered, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t take advantage of a little girl like you.¡± After that, he strode forward with his long legs. Then¡­ Lucille watched him walk past the Jules Residence and enter the vi next door. The door of the vi was open, and a few servants came out one after the other. They bowed respectfully to Joseph and said, ¡°Wee back, Mr. Joseph.¡± Seeing that, Lucille froze on the spot. It turned out¡­ that Joseph owned the vi right next to hers. What a huge misunderstanding. She had thought that Joseph had wanted to spend the night in the Jules Residence. That was why she had said all of that, so that things wouldn¡¯t get messy in the future. She didn¡¯t expect that he was just passing by. Lucille rubbed her forehead. She wanted to apologize, but when she looked up, she found that Joseph had already walked in and that the door of the vi next door was closed. Was he¡­ angry? Lucille wanted to knock on the door and say sorry, but after thinking for a while, she gave up She decided to forget about it. They could talk about it the next time they met. Lucille went into the Jules Residence. The lights in the living room were on. Madam Dahlia sat on the sofa, snoring. She didn¡¯t wake up until she heard the sound of the keypad being unlocked. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Chapter 59 ¡°Why are you back so early, Miss Jules?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Lucille responded indifferently. Just as she was about to go upstairs, she saw Madam Dahlia handing her a card. Madam Dahlia¡¯s eyes lit up as she said, ¡°Madam Collins sent this here in the afternoon. Miss Jules. She said it¡¯s a gift to ¡°A gift tomemorate our first meeting?¡± Lucille asked. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Madam Dahlia was extremely excited and nodded repeatedly. ¡°Madam Collins is so thoughtful. She said that if she knew to give it to you in person, you would definitely refuse it, so she sent it directly to the Jules Residence and told me to take it for the time being. Madam Collins also said that you¡¯re not allowed to reject it.¡± ¡°Got it. You should go to bed, Madam Dahlia.¡± Lucille took the card and went back to her room. It was a limited-edition ck card. Since it was a gift from Madam Collins, there was definitely a lot of money inside. The passcode to the card was written on the back, and it was a thoughtful one. The passcode turned out to be her birthday¡­ No matter what, she would never take the money. She would return it to Joseph the next time she saw him in person. Lucille went to the balcony outside the master bedroom and turned her head to look at the balcony next door. Since the vis were connected, they were only separated by a big wall. The sound instion in both vis was amazing, too, and it was almost impossible for any sound to leak over. The only connection point between the The balcony of the master bedroom was built with four floor-length windows, which had an unobstructed view of the outside. Because of that, all they had to do was look over, and they would be T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. able to see each other. However¡­ Joseph wasn¡¯t on the balcony. There was no point in looking. Lucille rxed on the lounge chair, her eyes closed as she pretended to be asleep. About three hourster, at half past 12 in the morning, she heard the buzz of a helicopter from the sky. The sound was particrly clear in the quiet of night. Lucille opened her eyes. Before long, a ck helicopter slowlynded on the wide road outside the vi. Lucille got up from her reclining chair. She propped herself up with one hand, and gracefully leaped down from the window. She immediatelynded steadily on the ground. Lucille walked out of the vi. Meanwhile, several men came out of the helicopter, one after another. One of them was holding a short-haired girl. She was unconscious. Her face was pale and her clothes were stained with blood. When the subordinates saw Lucille, they all nodded respectfully and greeted her. ¡°Greetings, Mrs. Collins.¡± ¡°Give her to me.¡± Lucille reached out to grab the girl. The subordinate asked, ¡°Should I help you bring her in, Mrs. Collins?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. She¡¯s my family. I¡¯ll do it myself,¡± Lucille replied. As she spoke, she took Molly from their hands and turned to walk towards the Jules Residence. Under the streetiamp, the girl straightened her back and walked calmly. Carrying Molly in her arms was no big deal. After returning to the vi, Lucille gently put Molly down and then personally dealt with the various injuries on Chapter 59 her body Fortunately, they were only superficial wounds and were not life threatening. Lucille heaved a sigh of relief Soon, Molly, who was lying on the bed, moved. Finally, she opened her eyes. When she saw Lucille for the first time, Molly was stunned. When she confirmed that the person in front of her was Lucille, she couldn¡¯t help but begin to sob. ¡°Bobo, they all said that you were dead. They lied to me, they lied to me¡­¡± Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Chapter 60 ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± Lucille stroked Molly¡¯s head andforted her. ¡°I told you that I would bring you wherever I went, right? Also, I gave you amunication device. Why couldn¡¯t I connect to it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± As Molly sobbed, she took a thin rope hanging around her neck. The small object hanging on the rope seemed like an essory, but in fact, it was a smallmunication device. She said, ¡°I was a good girl, Bobo. I was waiting to hear from you.¡± With a wronged look on her face, she held themunication device and handed it to Lucille, looking like an abandoned child. Lucille took themunication device and shook it gently. Immediately, the yellow mud and water inside began to drip out incessantly¡­ She had made thatmunication device years before. The signal was very strong, so even if they were separated, they couldmunicate through it. After the incident, she tried everything to locate Molly, but she found nothing. Sure enough, as she had expected, themunication device had long be a piece of industrial trash. Lucille wiped her hands and asked, ¡°Molly, where have you been these days?¡± Molly lowered her head guiltily. She twiddled two of her fingers and feebly mumbled, ¡°I-I wanted to find you after I heard what happened. In the end, I have no idea where I ended up.¡± ¡°Be honest with me,¡± Lucille coaxed. ¡°I was in a mass grave.¡± Molly was dejected. She lowered her head and added, ¡°They said that you were left there. I-I wanted to stay with you.¡± Lucille was slightly taken aback. No wonder she had clutched onto the little mound of dirt on the ground and refused to get up when Joseph¡¯s subordinates found her. It turned out that she thought Lucille was buried there. In Dilsburg, the corpses of those whomitted great crimes without anyone to im the bodies would be thrown into a mass grave and left to their own fate. That ce was not only remote and deste but also chaotic. Who could have imagined that after she had fought all kinds of battles and made countless contributions, her body would simply be exposed to the wilderness in the end¡­. Lucille quietly questioned, ¡°Are the wounds on your body caused by someone beating you up at the time?* It was not difficult to imagine that if Molly, who only had an IQ of a five-year-old, were to show up in the mass grave alone, she would inevitably be humiliated, scammed, and beaten by the people nearby. Molly did not dare to lie anymore. She nodded pitifully and answered, ¡°Yes¡­¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Lucille was frustrated. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you fight back?¡± Although Molly wasn¡¯t very intelligent, she was born with great strength. Even if she were to fight several grown-up men, she could easily knock them down. It was impossible for her to be bullied like that. Unexpectedly, the moment she asked, Molly cried and said in a trembling voice, ¡°I¡¯m a good girl, Bobo. I¡¯ll listen to you. Don¡¯t leave me¡­¡± When Lucille heard this, she felt both amused and distressed. It turned out that after her ident, Molly thought that Lucille had abandoned her because she wasn¡¯t obedient enough. Lucille sighed. ¡°Silly girl. You¡¯ve been by my side for so long. How could I abandon you?¡± It was because Molly was so important to her that she did not hesitate to make a deal with Joseph. Even if she had to risk exposing her identity, she had to use his power to find Molly. Fortunately, she managed to safely find Molly. Lucille nagged her. ¡°Remember. If anyone tries to bully you next time, beat them all up. These are direct instructions from me!¡± ¡°Okay, okay!¡± Molly nodded, and her lovely, baby-like face looked rather silly. ¡°You won¡¯t abandon me again, will you, Bobo?¡± ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡± Lucille smiled gently and reminded her, ¡°Also, you can¡¯t call me Bobo in public. You can only call me Lucille. Everything that happened between us must be kept a secret. Don¡¯t tell anyone about my identity, understand?¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Molly nodded seriously. ¡°Okay. You should go to bed now. This is our temporary home for now. I¡¯ll be in the room next door,¡± Lucille told her. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Chapter 61 After that, Lucille got up and left. Molly kept her eyes on Lucille until the door was closed and Lucille was out of sight. Then Molly looked around her bedroom curiously. It was an unfamiliar environment, but the side of her bed was lined with squirrel plushies. Molly giggled with satisfaction. She held the plushies tightly in her arms and closed her eyes to sleep. The way Molly saw it, she didn¡¯t care about where this ce was or what she had to do. She only had one principle in life, and that was to stay with Lucille forever, just like the ten years when they had depended on each other for survival¡­ The next day, the morning light was dim. Lucille finished her morning training and returned to her room to change into clean clothes. When she opened the door again, she found Molly standing in front of her with a squirrel plushie in her arms. She smiled brightly and greeted, ¡°Lucille, good morning!¡± ¡°Morning.¡± Lucille brought Molly downstairs. When Madam Dahlia, who was preparing breakfast in the restaurant, saw theming down, she immediately smiled. ¡°Miss Jules, Miss Molly, you¡¯ve woken up. Come and have breakfast.¡± Lucille sat down at the dining table and introduced her to Molly. ¡°Molly, this is Madam Dahlia.¡± Molly was very obedient and immediately shouted, ¡°Hello, Madam Dahlia.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Madam Dahlia replied with a smile. Lucille had told her about Molly two days ago. When Molly was young, she was abandoned by her parents. Because of that traumatic experience, her brain was damaged, and life-long irreversible damage was caused. Her intelligence stayed at that of a five-year-old, and she would always be a naive child¡­. Madam Dahlia¡¯s face was full of pity. She couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Miss Molly must be one lucky girl. She¡¯s a pure- hearted girl, and I hope she lives for a long time.¡± Molly was busy eating, and her cheeks were bulging. Despite that, when she heard someone say her name, she immediately looked over and nodded. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Lucille couldn¡¯t helpughing. After breakfast, Lucille was getting ready to take Molly to school. When they left the vi to get a taxi, Lucille nced at the vi next door. She saw servants going in T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. and out of the courtyard in a hurry as if something big was going on. However, there was no sign of Joseph outside¡­ What was happening? Lucille looked away. Aside from the deal, they weren¡¯t supposed to get involved with one another. She got into the car with Molly and left. Soon, they arrived at the school gate. Lucille walked into the school and immediately saw the notice posted in the school newspaper. The notice wrote about the misunderstanding wherein the original host was used of stealing Jenny¡¯s diamond ne. The school publicly apologized and retracted its decision to punish her. Essentially, she had cleared up the original host¡¯s reputation. Lucille shook her head and continued walking forward. Molly blinked and followed closely behind Lucille. They approached the door of the ssroom. While they were still in the corridor, they bumped into Jenny, who should have been locked up in the detention center. How could the culprit be released so quickly? Lucille¡¯s gaze turned slightly cold. Jenny was dressed morously. She reached out her hand to block Lucille¡¯s way into the ssroom and said. smugly. ¡°You b*tch. You didn¡¯t expect this, did you? Even though you tried to set me up, I¡¯ve been released now!¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Aside from Jenny, there were two well-known yboys from rich families who had been released. That day, when the original host drowned on her body, Jenny was the one who had pushed the original host. into the river, while the two yboys forcefully kept her head underwater to prevent her from emerging. Among the eight of them, the three who hadmitted the most serious crimes were safe and sound. How could they be released after getting detained for only three days? Lucille gave him a half-smile. ¡°How did you guys get released?¡± Jenny felt triumphant. In a bragging tone, she dered, ¡°I¡¯ve had heart problems since I was a child. They had no choice but to let me out.¡± Another guy, whose name was Wayne Carter, also giggled and chimed in, ¡°I¡¯ve got stomach problems.¡± ¡°In that case¡­¡± Thomas Sanders, who was best friends with Wayne, thought for a moment, then patted his thigh and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got brain problems!¡± Instantly, the whole ssroom burst intoughter. Wayne even gave Thomas a thumbs-up and said without hesitation, ¡°You¡¯re still good at talking nonsense, Thomas!¡± Indeed, it was nonsense. Otherwise, how could they convince the authorities just to let them out just by saying that they had heart, stomach, or brain problems? In the end, it was just an excuse made up by their families in order to bail them out That way, by paying a sufficient amount of bail, these people could be released safely and even returned to school to show off. The other four students didn¡¯t have such good luck, however, When theughter faded, Jenny crossed her arms and threatened, ¡°Just wait and see, Lucille. Even if you¡¯ve managed to clear your reputation about the ne, I¡¯ll never let you off after you¡¯ve caused me to get locked up for three whole days! This is just the beginning!¡± Behind her, Wayne and Thomas also crossed their arms over their chests. They donned arrogant looks and warned, ¡°Lucille, you¡¯ve really offended us this time. I don¡¯t think you can handle the consequences. Just you wait. This school will be your personal hell from now on.¡± The other students in the ssroom began moring. All of their faces were full of anticipation for the drama. Everyone in the university knew that Jenny, the rich daughter of the Zanes family, had wealthy roots. She was used to being arrogant and domineering. She would definitely get revenge after what Lucille Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. had done to her. On top of that, Wayne and Thomas were not people to be trifled with. They were rich kids. Instead of living a proper life, they were dedicated to doing twisted things. If someone were to offend them, nobody could say for sure what would happen to that person. Other than gloating over Lucille¡¯s misfortune, there was also a look of sympathy in everyone¡¯s eyes. Upon hearing those words, Molly squeezed her way forward and clenched her fists so hard that cracking sounds could be heard. ¡°If anyone dares to bully Lucille, I¡¯ll rip their heads off!¡± she yelled. ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve got backup?¡± Wayne and Thomasughed out loud. Their obscene gaze swept over Molly, which was incredibly ufortable to watch. Jenny also nced at Molly and sneered, ¡°Where did this idiote from? You don¡¯t even know which side you should be picking. Be careful not to follow the wrong person. You will suffer in the end!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the idiot here. Your whole family is a bunch of idiots!¡± Molly hated being called an idiot the most. Even if it was true, only Lucille could say it. No one else was allowed to! Hearing that, Jenny cackled even harder. ¡°Oh. It seems that she¡¯s the one who really has brain problems here.¡± Laughter rang out again. Molly was so angry that her eyes were wide open. She clenched her fists and was ready to pounce on them. and beat them up at any moment. Right then, Lucille patted her head and called out to her. ¡°Molly,e back,¡± Molly immediately returned to her side. Lucille raised her hand to tidy up the hairpin on Molly¡¯s head. Then, she turned around to look at Jenny, Wayne, and Thomas. Slowly, she uttered, ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong about one thing. This is just the beginning.¡± Everyone had to pay the price for what they had done. As the main culprits, they could escape for a while, but not forever. Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Their family could protect them for a while, but not for a lifetime. With that, Lucille retracted her gaze and brought Molly into the ssroom. Jenny refused to give up. She had wanted to step in front of Lucille and say something harsh again, but before she could get a word out, she was stunned by Lucille¡¯s imposing manner. The girl in front of her was calm andposed, and she had an aura of superiority that demanded respect. She was like amander with a well-thought-out strategy. A single nce from her was enough to make people feel as if she had thousands of troops backing her up. Her battle cry was majestic, and there was a strong killing intent on her face. Jenny was shocked and took a step back. By the time she came back to her senses, Lucille had already found a ce to sit down with Molly. Everything that had happened earlier felt like a hallucination¡­ Before ss started, Lucille nced at Molly and noticed her pouting. She was not as excited as she was when they first arrived. Lucille couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°Are you upset?¡± Molly shook her head at first but then nodded. She was happy to go to ss with Lucille, but she was unhappy to find that the atmosphere there was very depressing. The people around them seemed to be targeting Lucille, whether it was intentional or not¡­ Molly answered, ¡°Lucille, there are many people here who want to bully you. I¡¯m not happy.¡± Lucille curled her lips and slowly stated, ¡°Then let¡¯s bully them back. However, we shouldn¡¯t just go around hitting people. Instead, we can hurt them when they¡¯re not looking.¡± Molly¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard that. Hurting people while they weren¡¯t looking sounded exciting! She had to get ready. Thus, from the beginning to the end of the ss, Molly sat up straight. Although the little girl was not a student in the medical college, she could still stay in the ss. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. Lucille sat quietly in her seat. She lowered her eyes and looked through the book, but kept thinking about what to do next. If she wanted to return to Dilsburg, she had to gain a firm foothold in Shein City so that nobody could contest her strength. She had to make use of everything she had at her disposal. Particrly, the major families in Shein City. If she could make them owe them a big favor, it would be easy for her to do anything she wanted in the future¡­. She was a skilled person. Her identity as an expert was useful, but it was not enough. No one would believe. that she was the legendary Bambo. Therefore¡­ she had to find someone to cover for her. Master Walton was very suitable. That was also one of the reasons why she was willing to return to school. Although she didn¡¯t want to be Mr. Walton¡¯s student, she didn¡¯t mind epting him as her disciple. Lucille was lost in her thoughts until she heard the bell ringing. ¡°Molly, let¡¯s go.¡± Lucille got up and was about to walk out of the ssroom when she suddenly heard Wayne cursing. He then got up on a chair and yelled, ¡°There¡¯s news! Mount Ocean House has finally revealed the item they¡¯re going to auction. It¡¯s thest DVD of Annabelle Johnson, an actress who is famous all over the country!¡± Lucille abruptly stopped in her tracks. She spun her head around and her gaze turned to ice. ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Chapter 64 Chapter 64 Chapter 64 The pressure those words carried was immense. The storm in Lucille¡¯s eyes was about to burst forth. Her usually calm face was covered with ayer of frost. Wayne was stunned. It was the first time that Lucille had taken the initiative to talk to him, so he said with a cheeky smile, ¡°Annabelle Johnson, the actress who was once famous all over the country. She was crowned as the most beautiful theater actress in Dilsburg. Later on, everyone knew her as a b*tch. Hahaha!¡± Smash! Before Wayne could say anything more, his nose suffered a heavy punch. Countless exmations could be heard all around. Wayne had been beaten so badly that his nose was bleeding. When he came back to his senses and was about to start cursing people out, someone grabbed his cor, and Lucille¡¯s stunning, eye-catching face was right in front of him. ¡°You¡¯d better clean that mouth of yours,¡± she warned. Lucille was exuding a dangerous aura as if someone had tested her limits. However, it seemed that he still hadn¡¯t learned his lesson. After Wayne¡¯s initial shock, he immediately sneered and said even more harshly, ¡°You don¡¯t want me to say it? I¡¯ll say it again, then. Everyone knows Annabelle is a wh*re. On the outside, she looks pure, but the truth is that she¡¯s filthy from head to toe. She makes me want to throw up. She¡¯s nothing but a dirty rag that-¡± Before he could finish, his feet suddenly rose into the air. ¡°Argh!¡± There was dead silence in the ssroom. Everyone was dumbfounded. They watched helplessly as Lucille grabbed Wayne¡¯s neck with one hand and forcefully lifted him up from the ground and pressed him against the wall. ¡°Shut Up!¡± Lucille¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and filled with killing intent, Wayne kept struggling, and his face gradually turned red due to theck of oxygen. The blue veins on his forehead began bulging. He looked like a dying fish, struggling pathetically. He tried to beg for mercy. With difficulty, he yelled, ¡°L-Lucille¡­¡± However, Lucille did not react in the slightest. Her expression was cold and frightening. All the memories that she didn¡¯t want to recall appeared in front of her one after another. They were like ferocious demons, like an endless trap of darkness, pulling her into the abyss bit by bit. It felt as if she had been transported back in time. The mother and daughter, who were running for their lives, had no choice but to hide at a dead end. However, there were people chasing them all around. When two of them tried to surround Lucille, Annabelle, with her motherly strength, held up an axe in front of her. She began ughtering those people, causing them to flee. Lucille would never forget that night in the shabby little courtyard when there were no stars in the sky. Annabelle, with her disheveled hair, shook her head and looked at the sky. Every word she spoke was filled with despair. ¡°God, I¡¯m willing to bear all the suffering. Come at me! I¡¯m not afraid of anything. In fact, maybe I haven¡¯t suffered enough yet,¡± she prayed. ¡°However, all I beg of you is to open your eyes. I have never done anything evil in my life, so please turn all the suffering I have suffered into a little bit of luck and let my daughter live. I only pray that she will be safe for the rest of her life¡­ God, please.¡± Lucille¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot. She seemed to have seen Wayne as one of the horrible people who had hurt Annabelle. Her mind was filled with only one thought, and it was revenge. Wayne¡¯s breath gradually weakened, and his legs stopped kicking. He was about to be strangled to death. The other people in the ssroom were so scared that their faces turned pale. No one dared to pick it up. She simply rushed to Lucille¡¯s side and hugged her tightly, crying and shouting. ¡°Lucille, Lucille¡­ You still have me. I¡¯m here for you!¡± she sobbed. ¡°Lucille, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t cry, don¡¯t cry¡­¡± Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. With Mollyforting her, Lucille finally came back to her senses, and her scarlet eyes gradually cleared up. She let go of him. Wayne, who was barely hanging on, copsed to the ground. Nobody could tell whether he was dead or alive. The sound of ambnce and police sirens could be heard from outside. Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Chapter 65 Wayne was carried away in an ambnce while Lucille was taken away in a police car. Jenny was the one who had called the police. When Lucille was taken away, Jenny sneered and said with a joyful smile, ¡°Lucille, oh, Lucille. This is what they call karma. Staying in the detention center is not an easy experience. Have fun in there!¡± Lucille didn¡¯t even look at her. She simply told Molly. ¡°Call Madam Dahlia and ask her to pick you up from school.¡± ¡°No, I want to be with you¡­¡± Molly raised her hand to wipe her tears. She wanted to follow her into the police car but was stopped before she could get close. Such a sensational thing had happened in the early morning, leaving the whole school in an uproar. The one who was most pleased with herself was none other than Jenny. While gloating, she rushed over to one of her little followers and eximed, ¡°This is great. I wonder if Wayne is dead or not. If he is¡­ Tsk, tsk, tsk. Lucille can forget about getting released for the rest of her life!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, especially since Lucille has been driven out of the house. There¡¯s no way Howard would care about her. No one is going to take her side. Her status as a murderer is obvious. After all, we¡¯re all witnesses to it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Who said that no one is going to take Lucille¡¯s side? Look at that crying idiot over there,¡± someone piped up before pointing at Molly. All of a sudden, there was a burst ofughter. Even when she heard them adding fuel to the fire, Molly restrained herself and didn¡¯t hit them. She sniffed and left the building alone. Then, she called Madam Dahlia with the new phone that Lucille had bought for her. When Madam Dahlia heard the news, she hurried to the school and took Molly back to the Jules Residence. After getting to know the gist of it, Madam Dahlia looked at the vi next door anxiously. That morning, she saw that the owner of the vi was Joseph, If Joseph could help them, then Lucille wouldn¡¯t have to get locked up¡­ Meanwhile, Molly lowered her head. She kicked a small stone beside her feet and crushed it. ¡°If we were in Dilsburg, everyone would bow respectfully to Lucille the moment they saw her, unlike the people here. How dare they be so bold? It¡¯s disgusting¡­¡± After kicking away all the stones around her feet, Molly raised her head and found that Madam Dahlia had been staring at the vi next door. She was ncing around as if she wanted to go in and look for T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. someone, but all she could do was stand outside the sturdy iron door. There was a sense of urgency in her gaze. Molly asked, ¡°Madam Dahlia, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡®Miss Molly, you might not know this, but the owner of that vi is Mr. Joseph, who is also Miss Jules¡¯ fianc¨¦. If he were to help us, then Miss Jules would be fine¡­ Miss Dahlia murmured. ¡°Is that so?¡± Molly blinked. After getting an affirmative answer from Madam Dahlia, she took two steps back and gave a hard kick to the iron gate. Bang! The huge gate fell down. Madam Dahlia was stunned and her hands were shaking. However, Molly innocently urged her, saying, ¡°Hurry up and go, Madam Dahlia.¡± Madam Dahlia shivered even harder. She didn¡¯t dare to go over all of a sudden. Click to ent thia She wanted to ask Joseph for help but ended up causing the vi¡¯s gate to be kicked down Was she asking for help or just causing trouble? However, the owner of the vi was Joseph, who was known for being the most difficult person to deal with in the entirety of Shein City Meanwhile, in the vi, Culver walked into the master bedroom with a bowl of medicinal soup and said, ¡°The medicine is ready, Mr Joseph¡± As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud bang downstairs, which scared Culver so much that he spilled half of the soup he had just brewed. Joseph, who was leaning against the headboard, looked pale. His handsome brows furrowed slightly. He coughed a few times and muttered in a hoarse voice, ¡°Go and see what happened.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Culver put the bowl on the table and hurried out. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Lucille, who had been taken away, confessed to everything. She admitted that she was the one who made the first move. At that moment, Wayne was still in the hospital. The Carter family was determined to press charges to the end, so Lucille had no choice but to stay locked up in the detention center. The room was tiny. She was surrounded by walls, with a door on one of them. There was only a single iron bed and a small sink inside. The wall was very dirty, with ck footprints everywhere, as well as random graffiti. In the corner, a small ck spider was diligently weaving a. Lucille squatted on the ground and watched as the spider slowly weaved its trap. Right then, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the iron door. It was maic and pleasing to the ear, with a hint of vague teasing¡­. ¡°People are busy trying to convict you, yet you¡¯re here watching a spider spin its web?¡± Lucille turned her head and saw that the man outside the door was none other than Joseph. Under the dazzling light, his facial features were even more pronounced, as if he was a statue. His handsome face was white as snow, looking rather pale and nearly translucent. However, when paired with his ardent gaze, he looked wicked. Lucille stood up and gazed at Joseph through the iron door. Suddenly, she grinned brightly and said, ¡°Can¡¯t you tell I was waiting for you?¡± From her tone, it seemed that she was certain that he woulde. Joseph raised his eyebrows and calmly asked, ¡°How could you be sure that I woulde?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t, but¡­¡± Lucille patted the nonexistent dust off her body and slowly muttered, ¡°We¡¯re already legally married. How can you not save me when I¡¯m in peril, Mr. Joseph?¡± Essentially, she was saying that since they were working together, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t help her with such a small problem. Lucille was well aware that after she got locked up, Howard would just take advantage of the situation to hit her while she was down. The only person who could protect her was Joseph. At the thought of that, Lucille couldn¡¯t help but admit that being on good terms with Joseph was definitely something to be grateful for. It meant that she could do whatever she wanted in Shein City. Joseph chuckled and then raised his hand. Culver, who was behind him, immediately stepped forward and opened the iron gate. The guard at the side seemed conflicted. He whispered, ¡°It won¡¯t be easy for us to exin to the Carter family if you take her away before the situation is resolved, Mr. Joseph¡­¡± Joseph had the ghost of a smile on his face. He still looked as casual as before, seemingly nonchnt, but there was an invisible murderous aura around him that exuded a huge pressure. ¡°Who does the Carter family think they are? How dare they lock up one of my people?¡± The guard¡¯s heart skipped a beat. The expression in his eyes changed when he looked at Lucille again. The infamous abandoned daughter of the Jules family turned out to be one of Joseph¡¯s people. Impressive. The Carter family, who had always acted arrogant, could no longer afford to do so. Joseph grabbed Lucille¡¯s hand and led her out. The two of them walked side by side in the dark corridor, and the whitemp behind them cast their shadows. Looking at his big hand holding hers, Lucille couldn¡¯t help but struggle. ¡°Joseph, let go of me. I can walk by. myself.¡± Even though they had to act like an engaged couple on the surface, they didn¡¯t have to hold hands every time¡­. Unexpectedly, not only did he refuse to let go of her, he even responded in a serious tone, ¡°I can¡¯t see the way ahead. You have to lead me.¡± Lucille was speechless. The corner of her mouth twitched. It was indeed a little dark there, but it was ridiculous to say that he couldn¡¯t see the path in front of him. However, considering that he was the one who had rescued her, Lucille didn¡¯t retort. When they left the detention center, the sun was shining brightly outside. ¡°You can see now, right?¡± Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. After that, Lucille was about to break free from Joseph¡¯s hand when he coughed twice. Then, his tall and heavy body copsed onto her. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Lucille instinctively caught hold of Joseph. Only then did she realize that his face was paler than it had been in the detention center earlier¡­ Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Culver hurriedly came over from behind them to hold Joseph up. Anxiously, he said, ¡°Mr. Joseph¡¯s illness is acting up again, Mrs. Collins. Hurry, help me get him in the car!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucille and Culver managed to help the unconscious Joseph into the car. The back seat of the luxury car was very spacious, but it still wasn¡¯t enough for Joseph¡¯s tall and slender figure. Since he had copsed, Lucille could only let him lean on her legs after getting into the car. The car sped all the way to the vi.. As Culver drove, he called the servants in the vi and hurriedly ordered, ¡°Call Master Walton over! Also, don¡¯t let the family find out, especially Madam Collins.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The servants and maids in the vi immediately did as instructed. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. In the spacious back seat, Lucille lowered her head to look at Joseph, who was resting on herp. His eyshes were very long. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His nose was straight, and his thin lips were sexy. No matter which angle one looked at him from, his handsome face was wless. At that moment, however, his face was so pale that it was worrying. What kind of sickness was it? Lucille stretched out her hand and ced it on Joseph¡¯s wrist. His pulse was extremely irregr. It was as if he had been seriously injured before, but it also seemed that he might have consumed some kind of bizarre potion. With thebined effects of the two, it seemed that his body wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for much longer¡­ From the looks of it, the rumors in Shein City that Joseph didn¡¯t have much time left were true. Lucille was lost in thought when she suddenly heard Culver, who was driving, say, ¡°Mr. Joseph got sick rushed over before even taking his medicine¡­¡± So that was what happened. It was no wonder that when she went out early that morning, she saw Joseph¡¯s maids and servants going in and out of the vi next door. All of them looked anxious. It turned out that Joseph had fallen sick. ¡°How long has it been since he¡¯s had this illness?¡± Lucille asked. ¡°About four or five years¡­¡± Four or five years? Lucille frowned. Based on her calctions, Joseph would only live for another half a year considering his condition. What a pity. Lucille withdrew her hand. Culver, who was in front of them, sighed. ¡°Even Master Walton, with his amazing medical skills, can do nothing about Mr. Joseph¡¯s illness. If we could find the mysterious Bambo there might be a glimmer of hope¡­¡± Unfortunately, it had been many years since Bambo hadst shown up. Lucille¡¯s brows did not even twitch when she heard those words. Speaking of which, it was indeed possible for her to cure his disease. On top of that, she was probably the only one in the whole world who could cure him. Soon, the car steadily came to a stop in front of the vi. When the door was opened, Joseph¡¯s subordinates, who had already made preparations, immediately took him inside. However, Master Walton wasn¡¯t there yet. Culver was so anxious that he couldn¡¯t help grabbing one of the subordinates¡¯ cor and asking. ¡°Where is Master Walton? Did you get someone to pick him up?¡± ¡°We have. They¡¯re on their way, but there¡¯s a traffic jam. It¡¯ll probably take at least a few minutes for them to arrive¡­¡± the subordinate answered. Culver was so anxious that he smacked his own head. He spun around twice and casually looked around. When he saw what Lucille was doing, he was nearly scared out of his wits. ¡°Stop!¡± Despite that, it was toote. Lucille picked up the tools on the table that had been prepared for Master Walton and stabbed them into the space between Joseph¡¯s eyebrows. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Chapter 68 A drop of ck blood appeared. Lucille retracted her hand and took out a clean handkerchief to wipe the ck blood away. She put the tools back and slowly murmured, ¡°Everything¡¯s fine now.¡± Her movements were light as if she was acting on a whim. She was not as serious and cautious as Master Walton usually was. How was anyone supposed to believe her afterparing the two of them? Culver¡¯s breath got caught in his throat, and he was so angry that he could not speak coherently. ¡°Miss Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Johnson! How could you do something like that so recklessly? If something bad happens to Mr. Joseph, will you be able to Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Lucille. ¡°I¡¯m going to head back first.¡± She had juste out of the detention center and hadn¡¯t had time to tell Molly and Madam Dahlia. She wondered how anxious they must have been. Lucille turned around and left. When she reached the door, she heard a servant outside shouting. ¡°Master Walton is here!¡± A few secondster, Master Walton hurriedly rushed over Lucille bumped into him at the entrance. ¡°You¡­¡± Master Walton seemed to be a little surprised that she was there, but the situation was urgent at the moment. He didn¡¯t ask anything and just hurried upstairs. Unexpectedly, Lucille suddenly piped up, ¡°I live right next door, Master Walton.¡± Master Walton, who was in a rush, heard what she said but didn¡¯t turn around. The maids stared at Lucille with odd looks in their eyes. Some of them were hostile and angry. After all, she was Joseph¡¯s fianc¨¦e. Nobody knew what was going to happen to Joseph, yet Lucille simply turned around and went out in a carefree manner. She didn¡¯t care about Joseph¡¯s health at all. She was even in the mood to try and get on Master Walton¡¯s good side. The maids lowered their heads, feeling furious. On the other hand, in the bedroom, Master Walton was checking Joseph¡¯s pulse. As he did so, Master Walton instantly frowned. In the end, his lips began to twitch. This pulse¡­ Seeing that Master Walton¡¯s hands were trembling, Culver¡¯s heart skipped a beat and his whole body went cold. He asked, ¡°What¡¯s going on, Master Walton? Is Mr. Joseph-¡± Master Walton cut him off. ¡°Who was the one who treated Mr. Joseph just now?¡± As expected, that was the problem! Culver clenched his fists and suppressed his anger. ¡°It was Mrs. Collins. She stuck one of the tools in between Mr. Joseph¡¯s eyebrows, and some ck blood dripped out! I knew she was bad news. She was trying to kill Mr. Joseph by acting so recklessly!¡± If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he didn¡¯t dare to leave Joseph there, he would have chased after her and tied her 1. Unexpectedly, once he finished speaking, Master Walton¡¯s eyes lit up and his neck flushed with excitement. He asked, ¡°Mrs. Collins? Are you talking about Lucille? Was she the one who treated Mr. Joseph?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Culver answered. ¡°Amazing. That¡¯s amazing! Hahaha!¡± Master Walton¡¯s face was red withughter. In the end; there were tears in his eyes. ¡°I searched far and wide, but found nothing! I never thought I woulde across an opportunity like this in my lifetime.¡± Right then, Master Walton finally understood what Lucille was trying to tell him when she vaguely said that she lived next door. It turned out that she was the legendary Bambo! Master Walton suddenly stood up and turned to run outside with an excited face. Culver quickly reacted and grabbed him. ¡°Where are you going, Master Walton? Mr. Joseph¡¯s illness¡­¡± ¡°Mr. Joseph is fine. He will probably wake up in a moment. Also, you have to thank Miss Jules for treating him. She was able to draw out the deepest toxins in Lord Fifth¡¯s body just like that. Even I am amazed by this technique!¡± Master Walton eximed. ¡°Master Walton¡­¡± Culver wondered what had gotten Master Walton so worked up. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was praising Lucille so abruptly, ¡°Master Walton, you¡¯re a professional in Shein City. If you can¡¯t treat him, how could Mrs. Collins do it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Master Walton shook his head. Only those in the know would understand what was really going on. Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Chapter 69 It was only natural that those who weren¡¯t in the know wouldn¡¯t understand the intricacy of it all. To Master Walton, however, Lucille¡¯s work was delicate, risky, yet ingenious. It wasn¡¯t luck, but genuinely shocking skill. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to talk right now. I need to go see my mentor.¡± Master Walton ran out in a hurry. Culver stood where he was. He was about to persuade him to stay when Joseph, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes. ¡°Are you awake, Mr. Joseph?¡± Culver approached him excitedly. It was really amazing. Whenever Joseph¡¯s illness acted up in the past, he would always be unconscious for at least a day before he woke up. That day, however, he was only unconscious for around 20 minutes. It was unbelievable! The moment he woke up, a cold light shed across his dark, deep eyes. The icy re was like that of a sharp sword being drawn from its sheath. There was a kind of unstoppable and burning light in his eyes. Immediately after that, however, his sharpness gradually faded away. He went back to being nonchnt and casual as usual. Culver was rather upset by that. In the past, Joseph was proud and noble. He was like a blinding sun, and nobody dared to look directly at him. T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. However, ever since he got injured that year, he could only stay in seclusion. His body had not fully recovered. and he could not even stay in the cold for too long¡­ Culver sighed a bit, and then carefully asked, ¡°Do you still feel unwell, Mr. Joseph?¡± Joseph¡¯s eyes were clear. He got up from the bed and asked, ¡°How long did I sleep?¡± ¡°25 minutes in total.¡± Only 25 minutes? Joseph raised his eyebrows. ¡°It seems that Master Walton¡¯s medical skills have improved a lot.¡± ¡°Mr. Joseph¡­¡± Culver hesitated for a few seconds. In the end, he didn¡¯t dare to hide it and he chose to answer honestly. ¡°It wasn¡¯t Master Walton this time. I-It was Mrs. Collins.¡± Joseph was stunned. After listening to Culver¡¯s story about what happened while he was unconscious, Joseph couldn¡¯t help but smirk. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes, which felt like a spring breeze. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve found a real treasure.¡± Meanwhile, in the Jules Residence¡­ Master Walton was invited in and sat in the living room. When Madam Dahlia served him tea and water, she was respectful and even a little nervous. ¡°Please, help yourself.¡± After all, he was famously skilled in Shein City. Many people wanted to be on good terms with him. In particr, Master Walton was a registered professor in Lucille¡¯s school. If Master Walton were to ept Lucille as his disciple, then no matter what happened in the future, others would not dare to push their luck, all for the sake of Master Walton. With that in mind, Madam Dahlia wanted to put in a good word for Lucille. She considered her words and cautiously stated, ¡°Please stay seated, Master Walton. Miss Jules will be here soon. She wants to leave a good impression on you, so she has to get herself together beforeing to see you.¡± A few minutes ago, Lucille came back and went upstairs. She had only told Madam Dahlia that if any guests showed up, she could invite them in. At the time, Madam Dahlia was still overwhelmed by the good news of Lucille returning from the detention center safe and sound. Thus, she didn¡¯t think about who woulde to visit the Jules Residence. She didn¡¯t expect that a guest would really show up in less than five minutes, not to mention that it was the one and only Master Walton. Master Walton tidied up his clothes and kindly replied, ¡°No hurry. Miss Jules can take her time. I¡¯ll wait as long as she wants.¡± Madam Dahlia thought she had misheard. Were their positions¡­ reversed? Why did Master Walton seem like he was the more nervous one there? Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Chapter 70 While Madam Dahlia was still in a state of shock, Lucille came downstairs. Holding the lollipop that Molly gave her, she lookedid back and rxed. She slowly walked down the stairs and went to the living room. Madam Dahlia immediately shot her a look and said, ¡°Hurry up and greet our guest, Miss Jules.¡± Lucille looked at Master Walton and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to keep you waiting.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Master Walton had already stood up, looking a little nervous and excited at the same time. He opened his mouth several times, seemingly wanting to say something, but never did. Lucille knew what he wanted to ask, so she told Madam Dahlia, ¡°Go ahead and get back to work, Madam Dahlia, I¡¯ll talk to Master Walton alone.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Madam Dahlia nodded and then left for the courtyard to take care of the greenery. ¡°Have a seat, Master Walton.¡± Lucille gestured for him to sit down. As soon as Master Walton sat back on the sofa, he blurted, ¡°Are you¡­ Bambo?¡± Lucille fiddled with the lollipop in her hand. With a faint smile, she replied, ¡°I thought that what I did earlier was enough of an answer to that question.¡± The technique she had used on Joseph was a long-lost one. First, she had to stabilize the tool when inserting it, then reverse the tool once it was inside, andstly, she had to umte her power as she removed the tool. It sounded easy enough, but there were only a few people who could actually do it. Hearing that, Master Walton was overwhelmed with joy and disbelief. ¡°Y-You¡­¡± Who would have thought that the legendary Bambo was only a 19-year-old girl? No wonder she had been able to cure Mr. Dumb¡¯s leg just by using the water-extracting skill. Master Walton couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Then¡­ Then why is it that thest time I asked you about it, you refused to admit your identity, but this time¡­¡± Lucille lowered her gaze. Her bright smile was tinged with self-mockery. ¡°I need money, Master Walton.¡± Her mother¡¯s belongings were being auctioned off at Mount Ocean House for mind-boggling prices, and she would not allow anyone to take them away. Therefore, no matter what it took, she had to buy her mother¡¯sst DVD. On the other hand, Master Walton was highly respected in Shein City. There were likely many influential people. whom he needed to cure. If she were to treat people in his name, not only would she not have to expose her identity as Bambo, but she could also make a lot of money, and even help improve Master Walton¡¯s reputation. She could kill three birds with one stone. Master Walton was a smart person and he could understand what Lucille¡¯s intentions were from those words alone. Without beating around the bush, he stated, ¡°In Shein City, there¡¯s a female entrepreneur¡¯s only daughter who¡¯s suffering from an illness that keeps rpsing. Speaking of which, I¡¯m ashamed that even I can¡¯t find the cause of her illness¡­¡± He continued, ¡°I promised her that I would go and have a look this afternoon. Since you don¡¯t want to expose your identity, then you cane as my student, Miss Bambo. If you can cure her, there will be a huge treatment fee to im.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lucille agreed immediately. ¡°Thank you, Master Walton.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I can im to be anyone¡¯s teacher, but you¡¯re the only one I don¡¯t dare to show off in front of.¡± Master Walton shook his head before revealing a tinge of anticipation in his eyes. He asked, ¡°Miss Bambo, the next time you treat patients, can I observe from the side and learn some of your techniques?¡± Master Walton rubbed his hands together, feeling a little embarrassed. Generally speaking, no one was willing to let others learn their own unique techniques. After all, that would only result in the disciple surpassing their mentor. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Awkwardly, Master Walton corrected himself. ¡°Actually, I think that request was a bit over the top. Just pretend that I didn¡¯t say anything, Miss Bambo. Don¡¯t take it to heart-¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Before he could finish speaking, Lucille readily agreed. ¡°If there¡¯s anything you want to learn, I¡¯ll teach you and tell you everything you know,¡± she added. ¡°Really?¡± Master Walton¡¯s eyes lit up, and he was extremely excited. ¡°You¡¯re my mentor from now on, Miss Bambo!¡± Master Walton didn¡¯t think it was inappropriate to say that he was going to be her apprentice. In this field, age didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was one¡¯s skill. As long as he could learn something from them, then that person would be his mentor. Lucille shook her head and replied with a subtle grin, ¡°It¡¯s too early to say that, Master Walton. Who knows? You mighte to realize that there¡¯s not much I can teach you after all. What¡¯s more, my medical skills may not be as good as yours.¡± Master Walton burst intoughter. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± Chapter 71 Chapter 71 Chapter 71 He had seen many legends about Bambo and even visited the patients she had cured. Each and every story was miraculous There were many acupuncture techniques that he had never heard of or seen before. Since she was Bambo, no matter how difficult orplicated the disease was, there was nothing she couldn¡¯t handle. Master Walton got up with satisfaction. After telling Lucille the address of the female entrepreneur who they had to perform a check-up on in the afternoon, he bid her farewell. ¡°I will keep your identity a secret, Miss Bambo. I¡¯ll get going first. See you in the afternoon.¡± With that, he left confidently with no regard as to whether Lucille responded or not. Lucille couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. She shook her head and got up from the sofa. That wasn¡¯t enough money. She had asked around and found out that the starting price in Mount Ocean House was ten million dors, which meant that if she wanted to buy her mother¡¯s CD, she had to make an insane amount of money. Lucille made up her mind and took her phone out of her pocket, ready to make a call. Right then, Molly ran downstairs with a few dolls in her arms. In confusion, she asked, ¡°Lucille, where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make a call, Lucille exined as she headed for the backyard of the vi. ¡°Oh Molly obediently sat on the carpet of the living room, and then lined up the dolls in her hands while murmuring. ¡°This one is me, this one is Bobo, and this one is¡­¡± This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Molly was having a good time. Suddenly, she heard a low and maic voice from behind her. ¡°Who is Bobo?¡± She was stunned for a moment before turning around. There was a slender figure standing next to a pot of butterfly palms. The man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His gaze was yful and there was a frivolous smirk on his face as if he was very interested in Bobo. He asked again, ¡°Who is Bobo?¡± Molly looked at him seriously for a while, and then suddenly said, ¡°I remember you. Madam Dahlia said that you¡¯re Lucille¡¯s fianc¨¦.¡± Joseph raised his eyebrows and did notment. Then, Molly snorted. When Madam Dahlia went next door that morning to ask for Joseph¡¯s help, she had also exined the meaning of the word ¡°fianc¨¦¡± to Molly. Molly felt sour as soon as she heard the exnation. How dare he steal Lucille away from her? Fortunately, no one else knew about that secret apart from her and Lucille. Molly raised her chin. She looked smug and proudly dered, ¡°I will never tell you that Bobo is Lucille¡¯s nickname. I¡¯m the only one who knows this secret!¡± The corners of Joseph¡¯s mouth curled up. ¡°Sorry, but now I know too.¡± After that, he stepped away and walked in the direction of the backyard. Molly was stunned on the spot, with a nk look on her face. Huh? She didn¡¯t seem to have said anything, but at the same time¡­ she seemed to have revealed everything Meanwhile, in the backyard¡­. Lucille dialed Benjamin¡¯s number. Before Benjamin could say a word, Lucille immediately spoke up. I¡¯ll ept the task you mentionedst time.¡± Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Chapter 72 ¡°Really? That¡¯s great. Let me tell you, Lucille. This is no ordinary mission. You have to be the one to do it!¡± Benjamin eximed. He eloquently continued, ¡°Over the past two days, three more mercenaries have returned. One of them was seriously injured and ended up getting taken off the list. The task is too difficult, so themission has doubled. Last time, it was 50 million. Now, it¡¯s a hundred million.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lucille listened and asked calmly. ¡°What¡¯s the target?¡± ¡°The target is a bone whistle. It is said to be an unparalleled treasure. It was found in an ancient tomb many years ago and is very valuable. Then, all kinds of things happened and the bone whistle fell into Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. the hands of a rich businessman overseas. The businessman guards the bone whistle heavily, and no one knew where he¡¯s hidden it,¡± Benjamin exined. He went on to say, ¡°For this mission, it¡¯s mandatory that you avoid getting into any kind of conflict with that businessman. You have to steal the bone whistle discreetly and send it back to the museum for the task to bepleted. Therefore, it¡¯s very difficult. Benjamin paused and asked, ¡°Lucille, are you sure you want to take it on?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lucille¡¯s reply was quick and decisive. Benjamin suddenlyughed, and his eyes narrowed, looking rather fox-like. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll do the task with you this time.¡± ¡°Okay. Send me the address and information about the rich businessman. That¡¯s it for now. I¡¯m hanging up.¡± she said. When Lucille was about to hang up the phone, Benjamin suddenly shifted from his usual casual tone. in a deep, emotional voice, he stated, ¡°Lucille, I¡¯ve been your partner so many times, but I¡¯ve always been Working behind the scenes. I¡¯m really¡­ looking forward to working side by side with you this time.¡± Lucille shed a fake smile and gave him a cold reality check. ¡°Don¡¯t bother looking forward to it. Just don¡¯t drag me down.¡± Benjamin choked beforeughing so hard that his chest trembled. Sure enough, Lone Shadow was still the same as ever. She was still a confident, arrogant, and sharp girl. In the backyard, Lucille turned around with her phone in her hand. When she saw the tall and slender figure not far away, her heart skipped a beat. ¡°When did you get here, Mr. Joseph?¡± Joseph raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Am I not wee?¡± Lucille lowered her eyes. There was not much emotion on her face, but there was a wave of shock in her heart. Considering her insight and judgment, she would usually be able to notice if someone was behind her right away. However, she hadn¡¯t noticed Joseph showing up at all. He was even more unfathomable than she had imagined. She was grateful that she wasn¡¯t the type to put her phone on speaker when calling people. He probably wasn¡¯t able to hear their conversation from that distance away. Lucilleposed herself and asked, ¡°Is something the matter?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to thank my wife for saving my life.¡± She was speechless, looking up at Joseph and calmly uttering. ¡°You haven¡¯t fully recovered yet, so you don¡¯t have to thank me. Besides, there are no outsiders here, so you don¡¯t have to call me something so cheesy.¡± Just because he was willing to call her his wife when nobody was around didn¡¯t mean that she wanted to hear him say it. Joseph took a step forward. His beautiful, jet ck eyes were filled with an intoxicating tenderness. They were dangerous and charming. Lucille had a bad feeling. She decisively retreated before he could say anything. I¡¯m leaving. Make yourself at home, Mr. Joseph.¡± However, before she could take even two steps forward, she heard Joseph quietly chuckling from behind her. ¡°Bobo.¡± Lucille froze. It felt like those words rang around her head incessantly. There was a touch of intimacy and affection in it. Regardless, the problem was, how did he know¡­. Lucille was rooted to the spot. She happened to see Molly, who was standing behind the door, poking her head out. When she caught sight of her, Molly acted like a child who had done something wrong. She retracted her head guiltily and disappeared in an instant. Lucille was speechless. Could Molly be any more obvious? Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Before she coulde back to her senses, a tall figure suddenly blocked her view. With his shadow engulfing her, his face was devilish in the backlight. *¡­Bobo?¡± Joseph let out a lowugh. It was as if he had recited the name many times in his heart. In the end, he said slowly. ¡°What a cute nickname.¡± Lucille restrained herself and decided not to argue with him. She could only say, ¡°You¡¯re here to thank me, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t bother. Just give me some money.¡± She had treated him. Although it was not enough to remove all the remaining toxins in his body, at the very least, he no longer had to suffer that much. It was reasonable for him to pay her for the treatment. ¡°Alright.¡± Joseph raised his brows slightly and agreed. ¡°Coincidentally, I already had something to give you, so I¡¯ll just give it to you along with the treatment fees.¡± After that, he looked back and Culver, who was standing not far away. Culver understood and immediately stepped forward with the items in his hands. There was a transfer agreement as well as a limited edition ck card. The agreement included more than a dozenpanies, all kinds of real estate, and even half of the shares of the Collins family. Whenbined, they added up to nearly half of thend in Shein City. Right then, her name was written on the agreement. Not to mention, the ck card probably contained an unimaginable amount of money. Lucille nced at him and asked, ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± That was way too much for a treatment fee. Joseph¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he met Lucille¡¯s doubtful gaze. His cheeky eyes sparkled as he said, ¡°This is a betrothal gift.¡± Those words gently floated into her ears. Lucille was stunned for a long while. A betrothal gift? What kind of betrothal gift was that? Just as she was about to retort, Joseph cut her off. ¡°Our engagement party is this Saturday, and you¡¯re my fianc¨¦e. Since we¡¯re getting married openly, it¡¯s only natural for me to give you a betrothal gift.¡± Lucille gave him a half-smile. ¡°Is this inclusive of our deal?¡± She emphasized thest word. It was simply a deal. Joseph had a casual grin on his face. ¡°Bobo, since you¡¯ve got medical knowledge, you should know that I won¡¯t be able to live for long. These are betrothal gifts for you as well as the reward you deserve for this deal.¡± The implication was that if he really died one day, her title as Mrs. Collins might be a curse instead of a blessing. When the time came, the wealth and assets he had left behind could at least give her a foothold in Shein City. Lucille¡¯s gaze was indifferent. To be honest, she was a little surprised. She did not expect Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org. Joseph to be so meticulous that he even nned a way out for her. Even so¡­ ¡°You won¡¯t die.¡± Lucille continued, ¡°I¡¯ll take the treatment fee, but there¡¯s no need for a betrothal gift. Also, here¡¯s a card that was sent by Madam Collins. She said it was a gift tomemorate our first meeting. I¡¯ll return it to you.¡± She handed over the card that Madam Collins had given her, and then ripped out one of the pages from the transfer agreement. It was probably some random shop lot or property. Either way, she didn¡¯t take a close look at it ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be taking this as the treatment fee¡± Lucille shook the paper in her hand and was about to leave when she remembered something. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m counting on you to help me clean up the mess, Mr. Joseph.¡± She was going to be busy for two days, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with Wayne for the time being. On top of that, Joseph held immense power in Shein City. He was the perfect one for the job. That was also one of the reasons why she was willing to cooperate with him. It would be a loss if she didn¡¯t ride on his coattails when he was so influential. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Watching Lucille¡¯s retreating figure, Joseph¡¯s lips curled into a smile. That girl was truly something. When she needed him, she didn¡¯t hesitate at all. She wouldn¡¯t be soft hearted if she could make use of him. However, after doing so, she would back off cleanly. She didn¡¯t want to owe him a favor in the slightest. ¡°We¡¯ve found out that Wayne is in the hospital now, Mr. Joseph. His condition stabilized a long time ago. He just wants to convict Mrs. Collins of a serious crime, so he kept crying and whining in the hospital, saying that he was going to die,¡± Culver stated. He bowed and continued, ¡°The Carter family probably won¡¯t let this go. So far, they¡¯ve been contacting awyer to convict Mrs. Collins. Mr. Joseph, do you need me to teach them a lesson?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Joseph flicked off the nonexistent dust on his body. He grinned as usual, but the murderous aura around him did not diminish at all. ¡°Prepare the car. We¡¯re going to the hospital.¡± Teaching them a lesson wasn¡¯t enough. Insects like them needed to be crushed to death. At one o¡¯clock in the afternoon¡­ This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?. Lucille arrived at the female entrepreneur¡¯s house on time, Master Walton was already waiting for her there. When he saw hering, he hurriedly took two steps forward and happily eximed, ¡°You¡¯re here, Miss Bambo!¡± Lucille hummed in response and asked, ¡°How¡¯s the child doing right now?¡± ¡°Not very good. Her condition became worsest night. Apparently, aside from us, Hilda Sanders also spent a lot of money to hire many famous doctors in Shein City. She even said that she would give away half of her fortune to anyone who could save her daughter,¡± he replied. Hilda was the female entrepreneur who wanted them to treat her daughter. Worried that Lucille didn¡¯t quite understand, Master Walton deliberately exined, ¡°She¡¯s famous for being a ruthless woman. Years ago, when Hilda divorced her husband, she went from having nothing to owning half of the entertainment industry in Shein City. It was all for the sake of getting custody of her daughter.¡± He added, ¡°Apparently, Hilda gave her ex-husband a lot of money to get custody of her daughter. Recently, however, her daughter¡¯s illness began to rpse. Every time it happened, she would have a high fever that wouldn¡¯t go down, and her body is getting weaker and weaker. If we can¡¯t find out the cause of the disease, she won¡¯t have any hope.¡± As he spoke, he led Lucille inside. Soon, they were inside Hilda¡¯s house. The Sanders family¡¯s maids quickly came up to them and politely greeted them. ¡°You¡¯re here, Master Walton? We may have to trouble you to wait for a while. There is a professional upstairs treating Miss Evelyn. Once he treats her, Miss Evelyn¡¯s illness will definitely be cured!¡± ¡°A professional?¡± Master Walton was stunned for a moment. There were only a few people in the whole of Shein City who were that well-known. He asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± The maid did not hide the truth. She suppressed her excitement and replied, ¡°He¡¯s the famous Mr. Bambo!¡± Master Walton was stunned into silence. He looked at Lucille subconsciously. Lucille was also dazed for a moment, and then she let out augh. What a bold im. 11. How dare he try to scam others using her title? Master Walton began, ¡°Miss¡± However, he suddenly remembered that Lucille had warned him not to expose her identity, so he corrected himself and said, ¡°Lucille, let¡¯s go up and have a look.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Lucille and Master Walton walked upstairs one after the other. The maids did not dare to stop them. Lucille had yet to enter the building when she heard the fake Bambo announce in a lofty tone, ¡°Miss Sanders, your daughter will be fine once I apply thisst technique!¡± Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Hilda shed tears of gratitude. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Bambo. Thank you!¡± Then, they heard a sweet and pleasant voice from the side. ¡°Madam Sanders, don¡¯t worry. With his help, Evelyn will be safe and sound. God is mercifull¡± The voice turned out to be Zoey. Lucille frowned. She did not waste any more time and strode into the bedroom. Master Walton followed closely behind. When Hilda saw Lucille for the first time, she was stunned for a moment. Then, she looked at Master Walton behind her and asked, ¡°Who is this?¡± Master Walton replied. ¡°This is my student. I¡¯ve taken her here to have a look with me.¡± ¡®So, you¡¯ve taken Lucille in as your disciple, Master Walton,¡± Zoey piped up from beside ¡°Bambo¡±. She looked at Lucille with her chin slightly raised, and her expression was full of pride. ¡°Lucille, thest time Master Walton offered to take you in as his disciple, you refused him so directly. I didn¡¯t expect you to be following him around so eagerly. Tsk, tsk.¡± Zoey shook her head and continued showing off. Im different, however. My mentor is the famous Bambo! I admire and respect him the most. He happened toe to Shein City and immediately took notice of me. He said that I was talented and took the initiative to ept me as his disciple.¡± Beside her, a middle-aged man in a white robe, who looked like a divine sage, nodded and said with a mysterious look on his face, ¡°Indeed, I am Bambo!¡± Lucille was speechless. This was probably the worst experience of her life. Seeing that Lucille didn¡¯t say anything. Zoey felt ted. Just two days ago, when Master Walton publicly dered that he would ept Lucille as his disciple, the entire school was in an uproar! Why was it that only Lucille had earned his favor when the entire school wanted to be his disciple? Could it be that she was the one who had treated the mute janitor? Lucille was not convinced. No matter what, she could not take it lying down. Fortunately, two nights ago, she happened to bump into the famous Bambo saving someone. With just T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org. a simple technique, Bambo saved a man who was covered in blood and about to die in a car ident Zoey had watched him in a daze. What was even more unexpected was that as soon as Bambo turned around and saw her, he said that she was talented and wanted to teach her all his medical skills. He even asked her if she was willing to be his only disciple! Zoey was overjoyed and nodded in agreement. How could she not agree? As long as she could overpower and step on Lucille, and as long as she was the center of everyone¡¯s attention, she was willing to do anything! Zoey was ecstatic. She felt extremely proud of herself. She knew that the heavens were definitely on her side. Master Walton only cared about the patient. He stepped forward and took a deep breath when he saw the unconscious teenage girl on the bed. ¡°Why is it so serious all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Hilda wiped her tears away. Her well-fitted suit and trousers were already wrinkled. The typically quick-witted, strong woman was simply a mother worried about her daughter at that moment. After worrying for so many days, her whole body was thrown into chaos, and her hair was a little messy. Lucille nced at Hilda and then looked at Evelyn lying on the bed. Evelyn was about 12 or 13 years old. Right then, she was unconscious. Her face was pale, but her lips were ck, and her thin little body trembled from time to time, That was a symptom of poison affecting the heart. Lucille quickly stepped forward and grabbed Evelyn¡¯s wrist to feel her pulse. Sure enough, as Master Walton said, there was no problem with her pulse. If she had to put a name to it, it was just a slight fever and difort. Typically speaking, one would just have to use ordinary techniques to cure her. However, this was no regr fever. Evelyn had been poisoned! Send Gift Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Chapter 76 The vermin Evelyn was poisoned by was not aggressive, but if an improper technique was used, causing the vermin to feel threatened, it would immediately release arge number of toxins! Lucille suddenly raised her head and stared at ¡°Bambo¡± with her cold eyes. She asked, ¡°Did you use 16 different techniques on her in one go?¡± After performing all those techniques, the vermin¡¯s toxin was likely spread all over Evelyn¡¯s body. If just one more technique was used, she would bleed from all her orifices and die. He wasn¡¯t saving her. Instead, he was making it worse. Faced with Lucille¡¯s question, the sagelike man snorted and said contemptuously. ¡°Who does this girl think she is? How dare she question me?¡± Zoey chimed in, ¡°Lucille, my mentor has saved countless people! He can even bring people back from the dead. Saving people isn¡¯t something you should be poking your nose into. How can youe here and talk nonsense? Do you really think your medical skills are better than that of my mentor?¡± The anxious Hilda had an icy look on her face as well. She angrily said, ¡°For Master Walton¡¯s sake, I won¡¯t argue with a little girl like you. Move out of the way!¡± At that moment, Hilda was venting her anger as well. She had a grudge against Master Walton too. Compared to Bambo, Master Walton was nothing. He couldn¡¯t even find out the cause of Evelyn¡¯s illness She knew who she was going to trust between the two of them. Lucille fixed her eyes on Hilda and honestly stated, ¡°If he continues to treat your daughter, she will bleed from all of her orifices and die a violent death.¡± How dare you say things like that? Are you trying to curse my daughter?¡± Hilda immediately exploded. Her rage was through the roof. Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org. Lucille calmly continued, ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can save your daughter right now.¡± Without waiting for Hilda to speak, Zoey sneered. ¡°Lucille, I¡¯m not trying to pick on you just because I¡¯m your older sister, but I think you should take a look at yourself. You¡¯re just a nobody, aren¡¯t you? Even Master Walton wouldn¡¯t dare to say something like that. Even so, you dare to boast in front of my mentor, Bambo. What kind ¨C of joke is this?¡± Hilda¡¯s patience had reached its limit. She stepped forward and pushed Lucille away. Then, she pointed at the door and yelled, ¡°Get lost! Go!¡± Master Walton¡¯s face sank as well. What a horrible temper. Since it was so difficult to persuade them, then he would let them do as they wished. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Miss Bambo.¡± Master Walton whispered and looked at Lucille. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t want her to be scolded. Lucille shook her head. Instead of leaving, she only retreated to the side. She could understand Hilda¡¯s feelings. She couldn¡¯t bear to just watch and let something bad happen to a young girl who was only 12 or 13 years What¡¯s more, this imposter was trying to scam people using her name and profit from it. No matter what, she couldn¡¯t just sit back and do nothing. old. Without Lucille stopping him, the imposter strode forward. He first washed his hands and then grabbed the tools ced at the bedside. Before using them, he asked Hilda, ¡°You said you would hand over half of your assets as a reward for curing your daughter. Are you going to keep your word?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. As long as you can cure my daughter, I¡¯m willing to give you everything, not to mention half of my assets!¡± Hilda was so on edge that her tears fell, for fear that he would go back on his word. The imposter seemed to be very satisfied and slowly uttered, ¡°Behold, then. With this, I ensure that your daughter will be cured for good!¡± After that, he began treating her. Evelyn, who was lying on the bed and short of breath, stopped shaking. Shey quietly with her thin body. It seemed that there was nothing unusual about her except for her face. Hilda heaved a sigh of relief. The imposter had a cryptic look on his face. ¡°See? There¡¯s no one I can¡¯t cure-¡± Before he could finish speaking, Evelyn suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, whichnded right on the imposter¡¯s face. Then, she began bleeding from her nose, eyes, and ears. Blood was oozing from all of her orifices. Hilda was paralyzed and her lips kept trembling. ¡°How could this be? Evelyn, Evelyn¡­¡± No matter how she shouted, Evelyn did not move at all, and the situation was much worse than before! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!