Chapter 386
Lucia begged, “Jenna, please cover for me just this once. I’ll beg Logan to go easy on you. Worst case, you’ll lose a month’s pay, but i’ll pay you back
double, I swear”
Jenna scoffed inwardly, ‘Pay my back double? I don’t believe it. Ever since Audrey came, Lucia’s status had been slipping lower and lower. Otherwise, would she really dare sell off her husband’s gifts for next to nothing?
‘She’ll beg for me? Like that would do any good. If she really had that much influence, why wouldn’t she just admit she took it herself? I’m not some gullible fool who’d fall for your tricks.‘
“Madam,” Jenna coaxed, even more persuasively than Lucia. “Mr. Logan Winifred has always treated you kindly. You two share real affection–just admit you were wrong, and he’ll let it go!”
Jenna thought, “I’m different. I’m just a maid. Back in the old days, a servant caught stealing would’ve been beaten to death.
‘Now they won’t kill me, but I’ll definitely end up in prison. What about my parents? What about my child? If I’m behind bars, my husband will surely remarry.
“Who knows what a stepmother will do? By the time I get out, my child might have been abused to death. There’s absolutely no way I can admit to this.
Lucia was truly moved by her words. Tears streaked her face as she stood there dazed. In a trembling whisper, she asked, “Will he really forgive me?”
Jenna saw her words working and quickly said, “Of course he will. You know Mr. Logan Winifred is excellent. Why did he marry you? Because he truly values who you are.
“Everyone makes mistakes–what matters is that you make them right.”
Lucia stopped crying but kept wringing her hands as she paced anxiously around the room.
Lucia thought, ‘What Jenna said makes sense.
‘With Logan’s status, if he wanted to have another wife, he could have found any woman he wanted. To put it bluntly, even if he wanted a young girl, there’d be plenty lining up to serve him.
‘The only reason he chose me is because I keep myself well–maintained, know how to dress, and always act innocent, kind, and considerate.
‘All these years, I’ve taken care of every aspect of his life–his food/his clothes, his home–never once caused him any trouble. All I did was dispose of some unused household items; it’s hardly a terrible crime.’
‘Seeing Lucia still silent and fearing she might figure things out, Jenna quickly added, “Even if Mr. Logan Winifred gets angry, at worst he’ll just say a few
harsh words.
“Come on, you’re Mrs. Audrey Winifred’s birth mother. Out of respect for that, do you really think he’d actually divorce you?”
A sudden shock hit Lucia like an invisible thunderbolt–every hair on her body stood on end.
Lucia wondered, ‘I’m Audrey’s birth mother, and that’s the most terrifying part. Why else would I sell things off at bargain prices, if not to keep this secret from her?
‘If Audrey starts digging and uncovers the truth about what happened back then, would I even survive? Maybe physically, but since she cares so much about George, she’d probably make my life a living hell.
‘No, I can’t admit this. Absolutely not!
“Jenna.” Lucia spun around abruptly, her eyes blazing with determination. “Logan has already agreed to let me invest in the project. Take the fall for this, and I’ll give you 150 thousand dollars.”
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Lucia deliberately ignored Logan asking her to prepare a project proposal. She wondered, ‘Who knows whether he will agree or not? Even if he agrees, how much will he actually give me?
‘There’s nothing money can’t fix. If it can’t, just offer more. As for whether I can actually pay up… Anyway, just make the promise first. As long as I can convince Jenna to take the fall, I’ll figure out the rest later.
Jenna was stunned, thinking, ‘150 thousand dollars? Madam really has the nerve to promise that.
‘She’s been so stressed over that 150 thousand dollars for Kyle that she’s losing hair by the handful. Does she think I’m blind? Every day when I make the bed, there’s a pile of hair on her pillow.
‘She hasn’t even delivered on the empty promise she made to Kyle, and now she’s making another one to me, and this one is even more impossible.
Jenna felt a chill inwardly. ‘I’ve bent over backwards for Madam–covering up for her, taking the fall. But what have I gotten in return? Other than sneaking a few scraps of food home for my kid to try, nothing at all.
‘I got not a single penny, but endless blame dumped on me. Does she really expect me to take the fall for her over a hollow promise? She clearly doesn’t give a damn about me.‘
Just as Lucia was about to pull rank as the lady of the house, Jenna said coolly, “Madam, I truly can’t take the fall for this.
“If you insist on pinning this on me, then I’ll have no choice but to tell Mr. Logan Winifred about your arrangement with your nephew.”
“You dare threaten me?” Lucia snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
Lucia thought, ‘Well, I thought she was a harmless sheep, but she’s actually a wolf in disguise.
‘The very person who’s always helped me cover up my secrets has now joined the ranks of those holding knives to my throat.”
“As long as you don’t pin this on me, I’ll keep your secret,” Jenna said. She really didn’t want things to get ugly–after all, working for the Winifred family was easy, and the pay was generous.
Jenna thought to herself, “Even the lowest servants in a powerful family have their own influence. People looking to curry favor will always come to us for information. As long as it doesn’t harm the employer’s interests, dropping a few hints means those tips are guaranteed.”
Seeing Jenna refuse to take the fall, Lucia seethed with fury and resentment.
Lucia complained inwardly, ‘How dare someone who’s been living a high life on my dime talk back to me.‘
Footsteps echoed down the hallway, coming straight toward the room. They drew closer with every step.
Each thud pounded against Lucia’s heart–like the relentless ticking of a time bomb, every beat pushing her nerves closer to the edge.
Lucia thought, ‘Obviously, making Jenna the scapegoat is out of the question. That would only make her get back at me even faster. But then, who else can I pin this on?‘
The few feet from the stairs to the room felt both fleeting and endless.
“Hi, Eden.” A maid greeted him.
“Hi,” he replied.
Lucia’s whole body tensed up in an instant. She wondered, ‘Are they here for me? Are they going to make n..
Her heart hammered against her ribs–thunderous, rapid, relentless.
to the storage room to get the things?”
Jenna could literally hear Lucia’s heart pounding. She thought, “Oh my, she’s that terrified, yet she actually believes that begging Mr. Logan Winifred for mercy will get me off the hook? What gave her that idea?”
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Eden knocked firmly on the door and called out, “Madam.”
Lucia grabbed Jenna’s arm so tightly that Jenna winced and gasped in pain. play dumb?”
Through gritted teeth, Jenna whispered, “Madam, maybe as cheka
Lucia replied, “Play dumb? No one would believe that. The house’s security is top–notch no way a thief could get in. And with the key in bar Randst Unless Logan’s a complete idiot, that excuse would never fly.”
The butler knocked on the door again, his tone more insistent. “Madam?”
“Madam?” Jenna urged in a hushed tone.
Steeling herself with a deep breath, Lucia called out, “I’m practicing calligraphy. What is it?”
“Mr. Logan Winifred would like to see you in the living room,” Eden said.
Eden thought, ‘Practicing calligraphy? Didn’t she just say she wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest?”
Eden, of course, didn’t question her excuse. After receiving Lucia’s reply, he left. As his footsteps faded away, Lucia finally exhaled in relief
She gave herself a pep talk. ‘Don’t scare myself. Maybe Logan isn’t talking about the Fabergé egg–maybe it’s about the investment with Vivian.
“Steady now, stay calm…” Lucia repeated to herself like a mantra, then pushed open the door and headed toward the living room.
