Chapter 367
“What’s with that tone? What do you mean by that?” Lucia huffed.
She snapped, “I’m your mother. You owe me kindness. It’s only right. You should buy me new bags, let alone give me your old ones!”
Audrey shot back, “Haven’t you bought tons of clothes and bags on our trips? Did I ever say a word? I thanked you for sorting the clothes, but you took my bags without telling me. My wedding ring was inside. Of course, I’m stressed.”
Lucia tilted her head back, inhaling sharply. “Which bag had the ring? I’ll help look.”
“You won’t find it. Just bring all the bags back so I can check.”
“How hard can it be? The bags are small. Just tell me which one.”
“Did you give away my bags?” Audrey asked abruptly.
Lucia lied, “Who’d I give used bags to? I just thought you weren’t using them, so I’d borrow them.”
“Fine. Bring them back now. If Yann finds out you took my bags and lost my ring, he’ll explode.”
Audrey nodded at Sylvie, who ended the call.
Lucia slammed her fist on the car door in a rage.
She thought, ‘The bags are already sold. How could I get them back?‘
Audrey won’t even tell me which one it is, so I’m forced to buy them all back from the secondhand dealer. And of course, they’re charging me way more than what I got for them.
Lucia snapped, “You’re jacking up the price right after I sold them? Want to keep doing business or not?”
The shop owner replied, “Sorry, ma’am. That’s the rule.”
In the end, Lucia spent every penny from the clothes sale to repurchase the bags and rushed them to Audrey.
“Where’s the ring?” Lucia asked.
She threw the bags on the sofa, and a small pouch rolled under it.
Audrey glared up at Lucia, her gaze icy.
Feeling a chill, Lucia swallowed her pride and bent to retrieve the pouch from under the table, placing it carefully beside Audrey.
She said, “Just look already. I need to take them away once you’re done,”
“I have plans for these bags.” Audrey picked one up and slowly unzipped it.
Finding nothing, she handed it to Sylvie and grabbed another.
Lucia squinted, her eyes glued to Audrey’s hands, trying to see which bag and which pocket she’d retrieve the wedding ring from.
She knew both she and the consignment shop owner had searched those bags from top to bottom. There
“Mrs. Lucia Winifred, would you like some coffee?” a servant asked.
solutely no wedding ring inside.
Lucia wanted to brush it off, but the aroma of coffee was tempting. She hesitated, then leaned over to take the cup.
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Chapter 367
“Any cookies?” She’d been running around and was starving.
“Right away, ma’am.” The servant turned to get cookies and fruit.
Audrey let out a small laugh. Picking up the last bag, she reached into the inner compartment and left around.
Lucia held her coffee, her eyes flickering with disdain.
She would like to see how Audrey pulled a ring out of nowhere.
Audrey noticed Lucia’s mocking look. She glanced at Sylvie, smiled confidently, and slowly pulled out her hand. “Told you this was the safest cont
Audrey held up the ring, waving it in front of Lucia’s face, then handed it to Sylvie. “Hold this and lock it in the safe later?
Lucia spurted out her coffee, staring in shock.
She set down the cup and grabbed the bag, examining it closely. She’d checked every single pocket. How did I miss the ring? Where did Audrey get it from?‘ she wondered.
“Why are you acting like that?” Audrey frowned slightly. “These bags smell like detergent. Did you sell them?”
“Of course not!” Lucia’s curiosity was cut short as she rushed to deny it. “Why would I sell your bags? I don’t need spare change. I was just…sending them for cleaning.”
“Oh, then I should thank you.”
“No need. If you really want to show appreciation, why not…”
“Since you said no need, I won’t.” Audrey held out her hand to Sylvie.
Now sitting on the couch, she needed help to stand both because of her pregnancy and the couch’s softness.
Sylvie carefully helped Audrey to her feet, slung all the bags over her shoulder, and followed her toward the bedroom.
Lucia could’ve slapped herself for speaking too soon.
She thought, ‘Why couldn’t the girl have at least pretended to be gracious?‘
If Audrey had shown some manners, Lucia could’ve smoothly asked for a favor. Now what?
She thought, ‘I’ve gone all the way to Hillcrest Gardens to help sort Audrey’s unwanted clothes and gotten zero payoff!*
She said, “Audrey, Vivian has a project in the works with projected high returns. If you’re interested, I could help you get a stake in it.”
“No, thanks. My only focus right now is preparing for the babies.” Audrey replied.
“This is a once–in–a–lifetime opportunity! I’ve told you before. Women shouldn’t rely solely on men. We need our own financial independence.”
“I already have a career.”
“I know, but it’s easier to climb the ladder than to slide down it. More money is never a bad thing.”
“Fine. I’ll touch base with Celeste about it later.“/
“Who exactly is Celeste?”
“Vivian’s daughter–in–law.”
Lucia stumbled on a step but caught the railing just in time. She’d made the entire project up. If Audrey mentioned it to Vivian, that would blow her
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Chapter 367
Cover.
“Don’t bring this up with Celeste.” Lucia hurried forward and pushed open the bedroom door. “Vivian’s on bad teins with her in laws. Thit in ali Band
handled under the radar,”
Audrey eyed Lucia sharply.
Lucia avoided her gaze, watching as Sylvie stored the bags in the closet. She couldn’t hide her frustration
After putting the bags away, Sylvie came out and shut the door pointedly in front of Lucia as if guarding against her
Lucia pressed her lips together. When she turned and found Audrey still watching her, a wave of unease washed over het:
A new thought struck her, and Lucia’s confidence came roaring back.
She said, “Logan knows you’re pregnant. So does Amelia. But me? Your own mother? You kept me in the dark! What on earth did I do to make you shut me out like this? If you don’t trust me, what’s Logan going to think?
“If you don’t respect me, how much worse will Logan treat me? I might as well be invisible in this family!”
Audrey let out a derisive snort. “You know da
well why I don’t trust you.”
What mother ruined her daughter’s credit just to keep her under control?
What mother would urge her daughter to divorce out of fear that her daughter might overshadow her?
What mother leeched off her own daughter’s wealth for selfish gain?
Lucia seethed with grievance. She’d given birth to Audrey and carried her for nine long months.
She thought, ‘Without me, Audrey would be nothing. She owes me gratitude and everything. So why, now that she has money, does she turn on me, nitpicking every little thing?‘
“How many times do I have to tell you…” Audrey said.
“Tell her what?” Yann stepped out of the study. His hard expression melted the moment he laid eyes on Audrey. “Did you find the ring?”
Audrey’s gaze landed on Lucia.
Panic surged through Lucia.
In the Winifred family, Yann called the shots. Pissing him off was ten times worse than crossing Logan.
She flashed Audrey a desperate look. She thought, ‘We are family. Audrey can’t throw me under the bus!‘
