Breanna could barely hold herself back from smacking Caspian right then and there.
“Give me those bags. I’ll return them myself.”
Caspian stopped trying to argue about apologies. He just grabbed the gift boxes and hurried over to Lucinda.
“Lucinda, look, these are all the new collections you like. I’ll just leave them in your car, okay?”
Lucinda pressed her lips together, still acting stubborn. “I told you I don’t want them. Take them back.”
“Lucinda, for you, I’d give up everything I own. Buying you a few gifts is nothing. I just want to be with you.”
He stared at her with that intense, love-struck gaze.
Honestly, if Lucinda didn’t need something from Caspian right now, she wouldn’t have even bothered with him.
“I never asked you to give up everything for me,” she muttered.
Sensing Lucinda’s anger fade a little, Caspian finally let himself breathe. “I know, I was just making a point.”
“I’m tired. I’m going home.”
“You can’t go just yet. I already made a dinner reservation. Let’s eat before you head back, okay?”
Lucinda hesitated, thinking it over.
Caspian tried again. “It’s late, Lucinda. I don’t want you going home hungry.”
She finally nodded. “Alright, fine.”
Caspian relaxed a little, finally feeling like things might be okay.
After dinner, Lydia and Connor were dropped off at the Norwood house.
Kylie and Cameron were surprised when they saw the staff carrying in a small mountain of shopping bags and boxes. “Wow, you bought all this?”
Lydia nodded. “Yeah, Connor insisted. Oh, and there are gifts for both of you, and Grandpa too.”
Connor was thoughtful like that, picking out gifts for everyone in her family... except Lucinda, of course.
“Really? That’s so sweet of him,” Kylie said.
Just as Kylie and Cameron started unpacking their presents, Lucinda came in with her own bags.
Connor knew to buy gifts for the whole Norwood family. Caspian, on the other hand, didn’t have a clue.
He really couldn’t compare to Connor. Not ever.
The next afternoon, Lydia headed back to school.
As soon as she reached the dorm entrance, she ran into Sandy.
It was blazing hot outside, but Sandy was wrapped up tight, covering everything but her eyes and hands.
When she spotted Lydia, her eyes flashed with a cold, unfriendly look.
Lydia frowned. Something about Sandy felt different—chillier, darker.
Sandy just stared at her, silent and unmoving.
Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you boiling in all those layers?”
Sandy’s eyes turned sharp and mean. “Look at you, barely wearing anything. Who are you trying to lure in this time?”

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...
Hi there <3, I'm the admin of the website. Lately, the readership for this novel has been decreasing, so we’re no longer able to keep posting it for free. We would be incredibly grateful if you could help the author and our team by sharing the novel’s link on Reddit, X, Facebook, or anywhere you like. Thank you so much for your support!...