Chapter 391
Chapter 391
“…” Lucia stammered, her voice trailing off.
Audrey continued, “You only emptied the storage room after losing the money Logan gave me. What kind of investment are you so addicted to? You keep losing, yet you just keep throwing good money after bad?”
Lucia’s cyes were swollen from crying, so only she knew how frantically her pupils darted around, trying to hide her panic.
Tonight, silence reigned supreme.
Logan’s gaze grew increasingly detached as he looked at her.
The already hollow pretense of marital affection between them had now completely withered away.
At fifty, he was no naive teenager. Even a fool knew to steer clear after falling into the same pit once.
Lucia was neither a naive young girl nor a brainless fool. What kind of project could possibly have her so hooked that she kept pouring money in after failure?
If it wasn’t the project itself that had her so obsessed, then it must have been something else entirely…
Logan had money, but it didn’t grow on trees, and he was not a philanthropist.
Bringing Lucia here meant getting to the bottom of things once and for all. Logan wouldn’t give Lucia any chance to cover things up.
Logan barked, “Speak.”
Lucia flinched violently at his roar. “Logan, how could you yell at me?”
Audrey thought to herself, “How old is she? Instead of using her real charm to attract men, she spends all day faking that sweet voice. It’s disgusting. I can’t even watch this anymore.”
Seeing she was unwell, Yann gently patted her back. Leaning closer, he asked softly, “Want something to drink?” Leaning closer, he asked softly, “Want something to drink?”
“I’d like some spinach juice,” Audrey replied.
Yann called Sylvie over to prepare it.
Logan stared in disbelief, thinking, ‘Spinach juice? Seriously? Who would drink that stuff?‘
Logan thought Audrey was subtly hinting at him. He couldn’t help but give Lucia a suspicious look.
“What’s with that look?” Lucia pouted unhappily.
‘You can question my looks, you can question my character, but you absolutely cannot question my loyalty to my sugar daddy,‘ she thought indignantly.
She’d have to be crazy to risk her cushy life as a rich housewife by keeping a lover on the side. As long as she kept Logan happy, she could enjoy all the luxury she wanted.
They were at Hillcrest Gardens now. If they were back at Winifred Manor, Lucia could lay on the sweet talk even thicker. But with the younger generation present, she still had to maintain some semblance of dignity.
Lucia said, “I really did lose money in some joint investments. I was just scared you’d find out and get mad, so I kept hoping maybe the next project would help me make it back.
“But my luck was awful. In a row, I invested in several projects, and not a single one turned a profit.”
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Chapter 391
B
“You didn’t just fail to make a profit–you lost every penny,” Audrey sneered.
Lucia tried to glare at her, but with her swollen eyes, the effect was
more
like a feeble glance.
“Nobody’s born a business genius. When you did poorly in school, did I ever criticize you? So why am I suddenly the villain just because my investments failed?” Lucia retorted.
Audrey thought, ‘Sure, you never said anything because you never cared enough to notice.
Bút Audrey wasn’t about to dredge up old grievances, and she certainly wouldn’t let Lucia derail the conversation.
Audrey replied, “Then why don’t you tell us exactly what you invested in, so we can all avoid these pitfalls?”
“There were so many projects. How could I possibly remember them all?” Lucia protested.
“Then just tell us about this month’s. If you can’t even remember that, you must be an idiot.”
“You-” Lucia, boiling with rage, gave Jenna a sharp slap on the arm.
Jenna flinched, thinking, ‘Madam, what was that for?‘
“What exactly can’t you say?” Logan demanded, his suspicion only deepening as he watched Lucia dodge the real issue.
“You didn’t go gambling, did you?” Audrey pressed, fanning the flames.
“Of course not,” Lucia snapped back.
“So, did you give the money to someone?”
Lucia stammered, “H–how could I?”
“Why the stutter?”
Flustered, Lucia snapped back, “I’m not. I just got something stuck in
my
throat.”
Then she turned to Logan, her tone softening. “Logan, can we talk about this at home? Please, believe me. I swear, I haven’t been unfaithful to you.”
That was about as subtle as writing “I’m guilty” on her forehead.
‘Damn it, I’m being cuckolded, Logan thought, his anger boiling over as veins bulged at his temples.
‘If this is true, I can’t let them find out, especially Audrey. If she knows, Amelia will inevitably hear about it. How could I ever face her then?” I’d never hear the end of her mockery,‘ he thought.
Logan pressed, “Are you certain you sold off everything from the storage room yourself, and that Jenna has nothing to do with it?”
Caught off guard, Lucia stammered, “I… I’ll have to check when I get back. I–It should have nothing to do with Jenna.”
“Then Jenna will be detained here for now,” Audrey instructed, signaling Hugo to escort her out. “We’ll make a decision after you’ve finished c the inventory. If there’s evidence, I’ll still hand her over to the police.”
“Madam! Madam…” Jenna panicked–she had to stay with Lucia no matter what.
ng
Jenna thought, ‘If I’m left here alone, who knows what lies she’ll tell when she gets back? I’ll definitely be made the scapegoat. I won’t even get a chance to defend myself before the police come and haul me away.‘
“Jenna, don’t worry. I’ll come back for you soon,” said Lucia.
Jenna had already anticipated Lucia’s scheme. That was exactly what Lucia was thinking.
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Chapter 391
With Jenna out of the way, Lucia could spin whatever story she wanted–pin the most valuable gifts on Jenna and have the police arrest her on the spot and then Jenna wouldn’t be able to go blabbing nonsense to Logan.
“Madam, if Mrs. Audrey Winifred questions me while you’re not here, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold my tongue,” Jenna leaned in and whispered.
Lucia jolted with sudden realization and thought, ‘Right, I forgot Audrey is a threat too. She’s the most dangerous one of all.‘
In a flash, Lucia clamped Jenna’s wrist, shooting a wary look at Audrey. “Audrey, you’re in your final trimester. Don’t stress over this. I’ll take Jenna back with me. We’ll handle it ourselves.”
“No way.” Audrey refused flatly.
“Eden reports to me, so it’s my duty to keep the house safe. We need a clear answer–were the things stolen, or did you take them to sell?
“Otherwise, if others start following suit and things start mysteriously disappearing here too, what am I supposed to do? Punish them or not? Take action or just let it go?
“You can’t even tell us what you’ve sold or what you’ve invested in. Sure, Logan has a fortune, but even all the family’s wealth will be squandered by you sooner or later.”
“Do you have to be so harsh?” Lucia shot back, unable to take it anymore. “I lost a bit on an investment, but it doesn’t mean I’ll always lose. Maybe I’ll actually make a profit next time.”
Yann scoffed softly.
Audrey smirked. “You can’t even remember what you invested in, and how could you possibly remember why you lost money? For all we know, maybe you’ve been pouring cash into the same losing project this whole time.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? It’s not that I can’t remember, I just-” Lucia suddenly noticed Jenna desperately signaling her with her eyes, and it hit her- she’d almost blurted out the truth.
Audrey’s smile slowly faded. She snapped, “You’re lying through your teeth.”
Her voice suddenly rose, her pregnant belly trembling with the force of her words.
She snapped, “You never invested in any project. You squandered both the allowance Logan gave you and my money on something else. If it’s not a gambling addiction, then it must be drugs.”
G
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