It wasn’t real human skin, of course, but it was close enough to make your stomach twist. Both of them stared, eyes wide, barely breathing. Then, in the next second, their shock doubled.
“What is that?” Juna whispered, her voice trembling.
Lydia had peeled back a tiny patch of skin, and underneath, there was a black barcode. It was small, but you couldn’t miss it. Lydia frowned harder, leaning in to get a better look. She ran her fingers over it. The skin felt real, but there was definitely something hidden beneath it.
Just as she’d feared. Those people had already made their move.
Lydia’s face turned serious. She took out her phone and snapped a photo of the barcode, then carefully pressed the skin back into place and slipped the watch onto the wrist again. She didn’t bother explaining. She just gave the others a look and motioned for them to leave right away.
Before they walked out, she took a moment to make sure the room looked exactly the way they found it.
The three of them slipped back into the private lounge. Lincoln looked completely lost, like he’d just stepped off a cliff.
He couldn’t shake the thought. His grandfather… could he really…
Juna turned to Lydia, confused. “Lydia, does that mean the man we saw… Mr. Lowe… he’s not real?”
Lydia nodded, her voice heavy. “He’s a clone.”
Juna stared at her, stunned. “A clone? Are you serious?”
Lincoln’s hands were shaking. “A clone? Like the stuff from movies?”
They’d heard the word before, but it always sounded like science fiction. Now it was happening right in front of them. It felt unreal. Clones existed. They looked just like real people.
Lincoln’s voice came out small. “Then where’s my grandfather?”
The clone appeared out of nowhere, with no warning. They couldn’t afford to act rashly. They couldn’t tip their hand.
Lincoln clenched his fists. “So what, we just let him keep pretending in our house? That’s not even the worst part. My grandfather… we have to find him.”
He tried not to think about the worst possibility, but he couldn’t help himself. He had to believe his grandfather was still out there, somewhere.
Lydia looked at Lincoln, her voice gentle but steady. “It might not just be your family. There could be others.”
Lincoln froze.
Juna swallowed. “She’s right. If there’s one clone, there could be more. Who would do something like this? And why?”
Lydia met Lincoln’s eyes. “This is serious. It’s not just about the Lowe family. This could be a national issue. I’ll report everything and start an investigation. I’ll do everything I can to find your grandfather, but you have to promise me something. Don’t let anyone know what we found. Not a word. Not yet.”

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Ready to Rule The Real Heiress Strikes Back (Lydia and Connor)
done reading lydia's story. thank you for sharing it....
thank u!...
Olha a história bem boa só algumas coisas são chatas ( nesse tipo de história sempre troca as filhas pela a da empregada ou então pegam uma menina pra criar) pelo menos eles tratam a filha bem só enche o saco que até agora a Lucinda tá lá enchendo ! Fora isso tá bom Connor é um fofo a família dela a ama muito só Lucinda pra abaixar o nível do livro já era pra ter resolvido isso e fazer ela pagar mais tudo bem li um livro chinês que era parecido só algumas coisas diferentes ,ais mesma coisa tipo ela salvou o Connor no início lá ela salvava o avô dele , no chinês ela não tinha um irmão mais novo com os pais adotivos , a mãe dela tinha 2 irmãos e todos os avós estavam vivos mais história quase igual e tem coisas tipo o triângulo que lá TB tinha até a Lucinda que no chines TB ficou o livro todo aprontando só no final a família descobria e se livrava dela aí ela ia morar com o cara que ela usa pra disfarçar que não gosta do Connor aí depois ainda quase matava a irmã dele e a mãe dele que ele via como ela era...
thank u for the upload...
the next chapter is exciting...
the next upload is exciting. i cant wait....
Every chapter is missing a sentence from the end of every chapter. It’s frustrating to try guess what’s missing or said...
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