She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 156

Loyce faked a couple of coughs, cutting into her brothers’ conversation. “I have no plans to date anyone right now, and Yorick isn’t my type. You can stop guessing.”

Gordon, who had no desire to see his newly found granddaughter married off so soon, chimed in, “Loyce hasn’t even graduated from college yet. We should let her finish her studies and experience the world. Only then will she know what kind of person is right for her. It’s far too early to be talking about marriage.”

Forrest nodded in agreement. “I agree.”

Her brothers stayed for a while longer before Forrest had to leave for business. Morris took their grandfather, Gordon, home to rest, leaving only Hank behind, whom Loyce called over.

“Hank, I saw the blood on your sleeve. Was it from fighting those criminals?”

Hank nodded. “They’re an organized crew, a small branch of a larger gang.”

Loyce feigned curiosity. “Lucian told me the weapon they used against me was a new model, not available in this country, and incredibly powerful. He said if he hadn’t fired when he did, I would’ve been blown to pieces.”

Hank’s expression hardened as he sat down on the edge of her bed. “That’s right. The guns were sourced from the black market and are linked to a major heist at sea.”

“Why would a gang be so bold?” Loyce pressed.

“The Onyx Tiger, the power behind the Sovereign Casino,” Hank said, seeing no harm in giving his sister a glimpse into these darker affairs. “He’s backed by foreign investors, so our national laws can’t easily touch him. But Lucian discovered a connection to the Deputy Mayor. Customs records show a recent shipment of ‘industrial parts’ was significantly overweight, but the Deputy Mayor personally signed off on it. Unfortunately, the evidence is still too thin, and with the Mayor currently on trial, we can’t move on him just yet.”

Loyce grew thoughtful. “I see. Well, you be careful, too. Don’t let them retaliate.”

Hank gently patted her head. “Don’t worry about me, Loyce.”

...

For the next few days, Loyce rested quietly in her hospital room. Meanwhile, the investigators she had assigned to the Deputy Mayor and the casino sent back their first report.

Loyce paused, her expression neutral. “I don’t need to compete.”

The heiresses scoffed. “Oh, really? So you’re not even pretending anymore, Ms. Lonsdale? Just going to bribe the judges to get into the finals? I seem to recall you didn’t even make it past the auditions.”

“But what about poor Sybil, who has been working so hard? This is so unfair to her!”

“I feel so sorry for her. First, her original work gets plagiarized, and now she has to compete against someone who schemes their way to the top. It’s a tragedy.”

Loyce glanced at her watch, deciding not to waste her breath arguing. She walked past them into the back area, slipped on her mask, and entered the judges’ chambers.

Upon seeing the distinctive ‘X’ on her mask, the other judges’ faces lit up with surprise and admiration. “Mr. X,” they greeted her respectfully, “you’ve arrived.”

Outside, the young socialites watched her disappear, their expressions dripping with contempt.