Ready to Rule: The Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 382

Cameron and Kylie hadn’t expected Lydia to suddenly bring up Grace. They paused for a second, thinking back. “Oh, Grace... She came to our house for a nanny job about two months after you were born, right after we brought you home.

“Lucinda was a handful as a baby, always crying, but Grace just had this magic touch with kids. The moment Lucinda was in her arms, the crying would calm down.

“We figured Lucinda really liked her, so we decided to keep Grace around. Over the years, she’s always been reliable and she and Lucinda got along really well. After a while, she didn’t feel like just a nanny to us. We treated her more like family than an employee.”

Lydia hesitated, then asked, “Did anything unusual happen at the hospital back then? I mean, how did all three families end up with the wrong babies?”

Cameron’s face turned guilty, the memory clearly weighing on him. “Lydia, when you were born, you weren’t getting enough oxygen, so they put you straight into an incubator. We actually looked into it. The hospital said it came down to a careless nurse who mixed up the babies.”

Lydia grew quiet, lost in thought.

Kylie watched her for a moment, sensing something was off. She asked gently, “Lydia, are you hiding something from us?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

Kylie couldn’t help worrying. She felt like Lydia was carrying too much on her own. She reached out and said, “Honey, if you ever have anything on your mind, you have to let your dad and me know, okay?”

Lydia just nodded. “Okay.”

Meanwhile, Connor was on his way to Lakeview Town. He took a helicopter to save time.

Aiden called with an update. Apparently, Lydia’s final exam scandal had blown up online, and Ms. Santoro had confirmed that Jenson and Milana were involved in it. Her adoptive parents were truly something else.

Mrs. Smith’s hands shook with anger. “If you can’t run the company, then sell it to someone who can. But if you think I’m giving you my shares, forget it.”

Jenson and Milana had no idea how to run a business. If Lydia hadn’t been there all those years to clean up their messes, they never would have made it this far.

Now, Lydia had only been gone a few days, and Smith Corporation was already falling apart. Mrs. Smith just shook her head, half in disbelief.

Milana looked furious. “Mom! How can you be so heartless? You built this company from nothing. Everything we’re doing is for you, for everything you worked so hard for.”

Mrs. Smith just laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Don’t make it sound like you’re doing this for me. At the end of the day, you just want my shares.”

Milana tried again. “Mom, Jenson’s your only son. You’re getting older and your health isn’t great. Isn’t it only right that you hand the company over to him?”