Chapter 256
Nerves had Lucia gripping her coffee like it was a glass of cyanide.
She brought the cup to her mouth but set it right back down, letting out a sigh. “I don’t have any authority in the Winifred family, Ms. Price, so I don’t think I can help you.”
Talia gave a graceful smile and slid a file across the table toward him.
Lucia hesitated for a few seconds before picking it up. As she scanned through it, her heart sank. There were pages of her personal info, from her bank account and phone number to her hometown, address, and every family member she had.
Talia wore a smile that looked practiced, her eyes sharp and unblinking. “The law says children of earned parents can’t marry each other. So if it comes down to just one Mrs. Winifred, do you think it’ll be you or Audrey?”
Lucia pressed her lips together, gripping the file so tightly her knuckles turned white. She kept her eyes down, staring at a phone number. It belonged to that tabloid editor she had contacted before
She had tipped them off about Audrey’s questionable background, hoping they would stir up speculation linking Audrey to her, which would ruin Audrey’s chances of marrying Yann.
But everything changed at Logan’s birthday party, when Yann showed up with Audrey in front of everyone. That was when Lucia realized that none of the rumors had ever gotten out.
Talia drummed her fingers lightly on the table, watching Lucia with a hall smile that carried a silent threat. “If it weren’t for your little tricks, Mrs. Lucia Winifred, I never would’ve guessed you two were mother and daughter.”
Lucia set the file down and pressed her palm over it as if she could somehow cover up what she had done. Gritting her teeth, she demanded. “What do you want from me?”
Talia gestured casually to the coffee, her tone calm and unhurried. “Audrey poached some of my company’s top tech talent. It has stalled our entire research process. But I’m determined to win this year’s tech expo.”
Lucia’s lips parted slightly, stunned by what she was hearing She wondered, ‘Since when does Audrey have a company? What does she even know? She barely scraped by in school, and the teachers used her as a cautionary tale!”
‘She couldn’t build something hersell, so she stole someone else’s best employees. Bet she thinks Yann’s backing gives her a free pass to do whatever she wants. It’s disgusting Ugh, all she ever does is make my life harder and drag me down.
Lucia’s expression hardened. “She and I aren’t close. I don’t have access to any of her core bech.”
Talia wagged a finger. “I don’t need that. All I need is for you to destroy her data before the expo.”
Lately, small smart electronics had been all the rage. The big data system Randy had developed earlier turned out to be a perfect fit. Not only could it Pecute commands flawlessly, but it could also even interact with users.
Talia had brought in an expert from abroad, and they had finally broken through a technical bottleneck. If she could win a spot at the upcoming expo there was a real chance she would quality for the government support program.
At this point, the person standing most in her way was Audrey, or more accurately, Randy
Talia handed a USB drive to Lucia and briefly explained how to use it before leaving the cale.
Meanwhile, across the street, a small crew was filming a short drama in the park.
Brooke noticed Audrey staring across the road and followed her gaze. “What are you looking at?
Audrey smirked. “Nothing” She couldn’t hear what the two were saying, but judging by how they interacted, she knew something was definitely off
09:01 Fri, 13 Jun
Chapter 256
Lucia stayed in the cafe for quite a while before finally stepping nut. Wanting to clear her head, she wandered toward the line park, only to hit right ve Audrey
Panicked, Lucia blurted out, “What are you doing here?” Almost instinctively, she glanced back at the cafe, trying to judge whether Audrey could have seen the table where she and Talia had been sitting.
The moment Lucia realized the view was wide open, her whole body went cold despite the lingering summer heat.
Right then, someone from the filming crew called out, “Hey, Brooke, can you take a look at this script? Think it needs some changes?” Brooke took the script from Audrey’s hands and walked away
Audrey spoke with a calm, distant tone. “I’m working here. What about you? What brings you over?”
Lucia hesitated. “…” She didn’t know if Audrey had seen her with Talia, and the uncertainty was eating at her.
What if she asks what we talked about? What am I supposed to say? If I lie and she calls me out… then what? Lucia wondered anxiously
Inside, Lucia was at war with herself, glancing around guiltly before deciding to steer the conversation elsewhere. “So, what are you guys shooting?! thought you were working as a secretary in Ironhaven. When did you switch careers?”
She avoided Audrey’s gaze as she spoke, letting her eyes drift to the two actors. “Why didn’t you pick someone famous or at least someone good–looking for your cast? It’s easier to remember faces like that.”
Audrey ignored her and walked over to Brooke to discuss the shoot.
The little round table where Audrey had been sitting earlier still held her laptop. Now, only Lucia stood nearby.
Lucia’s palms started to sweat. After making sure no one was watching her, she slowly slipped her hand into her bag and gripped the USB drive.
She pondered, ‘This is the perfect chance. Talia said once it’s connected, the virus will install itself. A minute is all it takes to wipe everything
‘Maybe running into Audrey today wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe the universe doesn’t want me to lose everything. It’s giving me a second shot. A once-in- a–lifetime shot.
*If I wait and try to approach her some other day, she might get suspicious. Better to do it now, while everyone is distracted. No one would suspect me Determined, Lucia pulled out the chair and sat down at the table. Just as she was about to take her hand out of the bag, a crew member came over and took the laptop away.
She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes, and cursed inwardly, ‘Damn it! I was so close. Why? Why give me a window just to slam it shut?
Lucia was fuming, blaming herself for being so weak and indecisive.
Brooke had taken the laptop and opened a pre–edited clip to show the director, hoping she would approve some adjustments. After a bit of discussion, -they resumed filming
Audrey returned to the shade of the umbrella and looked down at Lucia, “You don’t look great. Feeling okay?”
“Y–yeah, I’m fine.” Lucia forced a smile and fanned herself. “I’ve been trying to lose weight. So, I might just have low blood sugar.”
Once filming at the location wrapped and the crew began packing up, Lucia realized the laptop earlier had belonged to Brooke. The regret from her failed attempt quickly turned into relie
Lucia thought, ‘Oh, good thing I didn’t go through with it. If I had messed that up, it could’ve blown everything open.
She pointed toward the film crew with a smile and asked Audrey, “Is this the kind of stuff you do in Ironhaven too! Got other projects on the side?”
Audrey’s gaze stayed cool “You’ve never cared what i do.”
09:01 Fri, 13 Jun
Chapter 256
Lucia reached for Audrey’s hand and warmly said, “Come on, don’t say that. I’ve just got a lot on my pla it’s hard to keep up sometimes
“I’ve seen a lot more of life than you have, you know. No matter what, we’re family. That’ll never change”
Audrey didn’t pull her hand away, but her eyes locked sharply onto Lucia’s you still want be Mrs. Winifred, you’d better watch your mouth
Lucia’s expression shifted, and she was about to say something else when Audrey’s phone răng,
When Audrey saw Randy’s name on the screen, she picked up. “Well? Did the data finish processing?”
E
