Ready to Rule The Real Heiress Strikes Back (Lydia and Connor) novel Chapter 1056

Frank’s fingers twisted nervously in the fabric of his shirt. He looked up, trying to pull off a sheepish, harmless smile. “Maybe you saw me last week when you got back home, Miss.”

He was worried Lydia might recognize him, but in his heart, he’d already made up his mind. If he was bold enough to show up at the Norwood house, he couldn’t be afraid of them figuring out he was Lucinda’s real father. The Norwoods always said they treated his daughter like family. So why shouldn’t they treat him like family, too?

Lydia caught on to what Frank was up to right away. Her lips curled into a small, mysterious smile.

“Really? Because I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before, even earlier than that.”

Frank kept his head down, refusing to meet her eyes.

Kylie and Cameron glanced between Lydia and Frank, looking a little confused.

“Lydia, he only started working here last week. Maybe you’re mixing him up with someone else?”

Lydia let out a thoughtful “Oh,” like she’d just remembered something. “I seem to recall someone making a huge scene outside the LYLX company building a while back, yelling about…”

Frank could feel her stare burning into him, making him squirm. Did she have to bring that up now? Why not just say straight out that he was Lucinda’s father? What was the point of dragging up the past? He’d caused a fuss outside her office for ages and still hadn’t gotten a single cent out of her. So stingy.

“Wait, Lydia, do you mean him?” Kylie asked, picking up on what Lydia was hinting at.

Lydia looked Frank up and down again, then nodded. “That’s him, no question. He kept saying he was Lucinda’s biological father, asked me for money, and said we were family. So why is he here now, working as a gardener?”

Kylie and Cameron stared at him, torn. They could tell he meant well, but the way he’d gone about it left them uncomfortable.

Frank spoke again, his voice softer. “I’m just a regular guy from the countryside. I don’t have much to offer. I didn’t want Lucinda to feel embarrassed because of me. She doesn’t know I’m here, she doesn’t even know who I really am. I just wanted to see her more often. I swear, I didn’t mean anything else.”

Lydia watched him, surprised by how convincing he was. Maybe Frank had missed his calling as an actor.

Kylie, as expected, started to feel sympathy. Lucinda wasn’t their biological daughter, but everyone in the family had always treated her like she was their own. They’d even told Lucinda more than once that she should take gifts and visit her real father.

They never imagined Frank would show up here himself. Thinking about everything Frank had done just to see his daughter, Kylie’s heart softened. After all, they were parents too. They understood where he was coming from.