Since Mom, Dad, and Grandpa couldn’t bring themselves to say no to Lucinda, they might as well just eat the dinner she made.
Lucinda hovered nearby while Kylie was on the phone. The moment she heard that Blake and Elliot weren’t coming home, her face dropped.
Right then, a voice sounded at the door. “Lydia, Connor.”
Kylie’s eyes lit up. Her precious daughter was finally home.
“Lydia, Connor, you’re just in time. Lucinda made dinner for everyone.”
Before coming back, Lydia and Connor had already talked about eating at home before heading back to campus. But the second they realized Lucinda had gone all out in the kitchen again, they changed their minds. No way.
“Mom, I have to get going. I haven’t even packed yet, so I’ll skip dinner at home tonight,” Lydia said.
“What?” Kylie looked surprised.
Connor chimed in, “Mrs. Norwood, I already made a reservation near Lydia’s university. We’ll eat there before I drop her off.”
“Oh...” Kylie trailed off.
Lucinda glanced at Connor and Lydia, her eyes full of hope. “Lydia, I need to go to the university too. Can you drop me off on the way?”
Before Lydia could answer, Connor cut in, his voice flat. “No. We’ve got other plans.”
Lucinda’s fingers curled around her sleeve as she looked down, clearly disappointed.
Kylie tried to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry, Lucinda. The driver will take you later.”
Lucinda forced a tiny smile and gave Kylie a wounded look. “Okay, Mom.”
Lydia went upstairs to grab her things, then left with Connor.
Lucinda stared at the dinner table, at all the dishes she’d spent the whole afternoon making. Her nails pressed into her palms.
Kylie sat down next to her and tried to comfort her. “It’s alright. Your dad will be back soon. We’ll eat with Grandpa.”
Was that Frank?
Connor noticed her staring. “Who’s that?”
Lydia’s eyes stayed glued to the window. “Frank.”
Connor narrowed his eyes. “Really?”
“Yeah. He’s probably here to find Sandy.”
Lydia was right. Frank had come looking for Sandy because he was out of money. He hadn’t found Lucinda, so Sandy was his backup plan. But Sandy knew exactly what kind of person he was, so she refused to help. Frank left empty-handed. Even slapping Sandy twice hadn’t calmed him down. As soon as he walked out of the gate, he pulled out his phone. “Greg, I’ve got a girl for you. She’s eighteen. When do you have time? I can bring her over.”
Whatever Greg said made Frank grin. “Great. Sounds good.”
Connor finally drove off, still a little reluctant to leave. Lydia lugged her suitcase back to her dorm. Just as she reached the door, she heard Monica and Fiona’s voices inside.
“The richest guy ever, seriously. Washing machines and dryers, all installed just for us. No wonder he’s loaded. This is next-level.”

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Ready to Rule: The Real Heiress Strikes Back
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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