Chapter 7: Chapter 7

1,315 words

<html><head></head><body>Howard froze in shock. What did Mr. Joseph mean by suggesting that Lucille was wrongly accused? 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 accused. She did push Zoey down the stairs last night.” Joseph gave him a cold glance 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 accused?” The color drained from Charles’ face, leaving him at a loss for words. Howard was struck with a sudden jolt. 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 glance 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 her composure, 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 nonchalantly 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 various complex 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 by coming closer to her. She quickly stepped back two paces, but then heard him let out a low laugh. 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 surveillance 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 glanced 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 villa. 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 last days?” Howard furrowed his brows and cautioned, “The Collins family is an elite and influential 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 her later!” 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 to compare 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 the commotion 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 quietly complied 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 noveldrama 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 and commanded, “Quickly pick up Zoey’s things and put them back in their proper place, 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 become a completely different person! The three of them were left flabbergasted, 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 place! Leave at once!” </body></html>

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

1,315 words