Ready to Rule: The Real Heiress Strikes Back novel Chapter 627

Lucinda all but ran up the stairs, barely holding it together. Grace was livid. This family was doing it on purpose, she could feel it. Talking about the Smith family and that useless Frank right in front of Lucinda, like they wanted to hurt her.

Grace pushed open the bedroom door and heard soft sobs coming from inside. Her heart broke for Lucinda. “Hey, don’t listen to them. You’ve never even met anyone from the White family. You have nothing to do with them,” she said gently.

Lucinda’s voice was shaky, her eyes red and swollen. “But he’s my real dad. My biological father, Grace. And he’s nothing but a gambler. He doesn’t care about anything.”

Grace wanted to say more, but she hesitated, afraid of ruining their plans. “You don’t have to acknowledge him. Even if you ran into each other on the street, you’d be strangers. Don’t let someone like that mess up your life.”

Lucinda’s hands twisted in her lap. She looked up at Grace, panic flickering in her eyes. “But what if he comes looking for me one day? What if he finds out where I am?”

She couldn’t even imagine her father showing up at her door. If people in the Capital found out who her father was, she’d never be able to show her face again.

Grace tried to sound reassuring. “That won’t happen, Lucinda. The White family has no idea you’re with the Norwoods. As long as you don’t go back there, Frank will never find you.”

For a moment, Grace even wondered if she should just get rid of Frank altogether, for Lucinda’s sake.

Lucinda shook her head hard. “No. I’m not going back. I’d rather die than go back to that family.”

Going back to the White family to face that gambler was out of the question.

Grace saw how upset she was and quickly tried to calm her down. “Okay, okay. You’re safe here. As long as you stay, he’ll never find you.”

“Are you sure?” Lucinda’s voice was small and desperate.

“I promise,” Grace said, squeezing her hand.

The next morning, Lydia came downstairs and caught snippets of conversation from the maids in the hallway.

[Resolute and decisive, the soul of the military.]

Some people were even calling for Connor to be reinstated. For a moment, his name was everywhere.

Lydia couldn’t help but feel uneasy, like this sudden burst of attention was a bad sign.

Meanwhile, in an office at a military base, a man in a uniform sat at the head of a long table, scrolling through the morning’s headlines. His mood was heavy.

Connor’s name was everywhere, and it meant something. One heroic act made everyone start talking, even the soldiers were buzzing with excitement.

He looked up, voice low. “Tell me the truth. Do you all think he’s better for this job than I am?”