Ready to Rule: The Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 396

Cloyd just stood there, completely stunned. He looked at Minnie like she had lost her mind, and honestly, he wanted nothing more than to grab her and yell, Are you blind or just clueless?

Not far behind him, Blake caught what was going on and raised an eyebrow, amused. Miss L herself was sitting right there the whole time, and now she was being told to leave? It was unbelievable how little sense that made.

Then, one of the other judges suddenly recognized Lydia and lit up. “Miss L! There you are! We heard you’d arrived but couldn’t find you. Turns out you came straight to the judges’ table.”

Minnie, who had been waiting for Cloyd to scold Lydia, was absolutely floored. Wait… What? The girl playing games and taking up the seat, was actually Miss L? That couldn’t be real.

“No way… No, that’s impossible,” she whispered, staring at Lydia, completely in shock.

Cloyd finally realized what had happened and lost it. “Are you stupid? The only person allowed to sit in Miss L’s seat is Miss L herself! Apologize to her, now!” He was fuming. He had gone through so much trouble to invite her, and now this idiot was trying to chase her out?

Minnie didn’t dare argue. She dropped to her knees right in front of Lydia. “I’m so sorry, Miss L! I didn’t recognize you. Please forgive my rudeness. I had no idea,” she stammered. She knew exactly who Miss L was in the international world, and now she’d gone and offended her. She felt like she could die on the spot.

Over in the contestant area, Evalina was just as shocked. She’d only wanted to impress Minnie, hoping she could introduce her to the judges. She never imagined she’d end up offending Miss L by accident. Her heart was pounding as she watched Minnie kneel and apologize. Without anyone noticing, Evalina slipped quietly back to her seat, hoping to disappear.

Lydia didn’t even glance her way. She took off her baseball cap and mask, and suddenly everyone could see her striking face and that cool, slightly rebellious look in her eyes. She just radiated confidence.

“I didn’t mean it like that, I promise!” Minnie begged, her forehead hitting the floor with a loud thud. “Miss L, please, just this once, forgive me. I can apologize to you. It was all my fault, I wasn’t thinking.”

Lydia didn’t even flinch. Her voice was still ice-cold. “I already gave you a chance. Now it’s too late.”

Cloyd rushed over. “Miss L, I’ll get security right now. She won’t bother you again. I promise, we have nothing but respect for you.”

Lydia wasn’t trying to make things hard for Cloyd, so she nodded. “The competition’s about to start. Let’s not waste any more time. Get her out of here, and I don’t ever want to see her again.”