Obedience No More He's the One I Deserved novel Chapter 390

Chapter 390 The Price of Pretending

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In the two years since Cindy had moved abroad, she occasionally received anonymous packages–always filled with luxury handbags or jewelry from her favorite brands.

One time, curiosity got the better of her. She bribed a delivery guy to snap a photo of the sender.

The picture was blurry, but even so, Cindy recognized the woman. It was Dawn.

That was impossible.

Dawn was supposed to be dead.

Cindy had turned the thought over in her mind again and again, convincing herself she must’ve been mistaken. But now, hearing Dawn’s voice on the phone, she realized it was true. All those gifts over the past two years had come from her.

Cindy drew in a sharp breath, struggling to process it.

“What happened back then? Who took you to Meriax? Where are you now? You-”

Her rapid–fire questions made Dawn chuckle helplessly. She sighed and cut her off. “Three years without talking to me, and you’ve turned into such a chatterbox?”

Cindy pressed her lips together, frowning. “Fine, don’t tell me then.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll take it as you actually care about me. Don’t hang up.” Dawn laughed softly. “When are you coming back to China?”

Cindy hadn’t really planned to hang up. She leaned against the wall lazily. “If I’m in a good mood, tomorrow it is. If not, maybe next year. Why? You plan on bossing me around?”

“Not bossing you. I need you.”

Cindy froze, caught off guard by the seriousness in her tone. She cleared her throat, pretending to sound annoyed. “What could you possibly need me for? Stop buttering me up.” “Oh, there’s definitely something you can help with,” Dawn said with a small smile.

She explained her plan in full. Cindy listened, her expression growing darker with every word.

“So, you’re asking me to steal something from my dad’s safe?” she said flatly. “Dawn, I might be rebellious, but I’m not stupid. Why would I help you go against my own father?”

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17:40 Tue, Dec 23

Chapter 390 The Price of Pretending

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“He’s my uncle. Why would I want to hurt him?”

“Because-”

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Cindy stopped mid–sentence. Whatever she’d been about to say, she swallowed it down. “You barely even knew him before. How do I know what you’re really up to?”

Dawn didn’t rush her.

She knew Cindy well enough. The girl liked to act wild and defiant, but she saw through more than most people realized.

Three years ago, Cindy had quietly warned her more than once that Lucas had ulterior motives.

Dawn just hadn’t wanted to believe it then.

“You don’t need to worry about my motives,” Dawn said calmly. “Just tell me if you’ll help or

not.”

“You’re threatening me now?”

“Not really. I’ve got nothing to threaten with.”

you

Dawn’s tone softened. “Cindy, the only thing I can appeal to is whatever’s left of our friendship.”

Damn that so–called friendship.

Cindy rolled her eyes but couldn’t deny that Dawn knew exactly which buttons to push.

If she’d tried to force her, Cindy would’ve refused out of spite. But this quiet, half–joking plea made it sound like saying no would make her the bad guy.

Knowing full well she was being played, Cindy still groaned and gave in. “Fine. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“But Dawn, I’m saying this now–if anything happens to my parents, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Dawn didn’t take the warning to heart.

If Lucas were innocent, there would be nothing to worry about.

If he wasn’t, Cindy wouldn’t be the one she’d have to face.

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Chapter 390 The Price of Pretending.

She hung up and drove home.

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Now that she had a plan, there was no reason to keep overthinking. Maybe tonight, she could finally sleep.

Cindy booked the earliest flight back. By the time she arrived in Northville, it was already past midnight.

She didn’t tell anyone she was coming. Instead, she went straight to the family villa.

The house was dark and silent, the only sounds the occasional chirp of insects outside.

She left her suitcase by the door and tiptoed upstairs, careful not to wake anyone.

Lucas‘ study was right next to the bedroom. One wrong move and he’d hear her, so Cindy moved with exaggerated caution, even matching her breaths to her footsteps.

Dawn really was unbelievable. Of all the things she could have asked for, she wanted something from her dad’s safe.

Did Dawn think she was some kind of thief?

Cindy grumbled silently but didn’t slow down. Her movements were smooth and practiced as she crouched in front of the safe and pulled a thin hairpin from her bun.

She’d used this exact pin plenty of times before–back when her father froze her credit cards and she had to borrow from the safe to survive.

Taking a steadying breath, she glanced toward the door.

No sound. Good. She began to work.

The dark, moonless night made the air in the study feel thick and heavy. The tension only made her hands more nervous.

A job that usually took a few minutes dragged on for nearly ten before the lock finally clicked

open.

She flipped through the files inside. Aside from a few important documents, nothing unusual stood out.

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