She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 160

When Loyce returned to Serenity Manor, she walked into the middle of a raging argument. A vase shattered at her feet the moment she stepped through the door, nearly cutting her.

“What is all this?” Loyce frowned, watching several maids struggling to restrain Leroy Seabrook. “What’s gotten into you?”

Triggered by her presence, Leroy spun around and roared, “Get out of my house!”

Loyce’s eyes swept over the floor, littered with the expensive, broken remains of various decorations. She strode directly up to him and slapped him hard across the face, her voice ice-cold. “Let’s get one thing straight. This is Serenity Manor, and it is mine. You are a guest here, a member of a branch family. You will show respect to the owner of this house and her property.”

“This is my house! You’re just an outsider who came back to steal it, a cuckoo in the nest!” Leroy shouted, glaring at her with pure hatred before turning on his heel and storming out.

A maid approached Loyce and explained quietly, “He was rejected.”

“Rejected from what?” Loyce asked.

“The Navy,” the maid replied. “The recruitment results came out. He was disqualified for having flat feet. He can’t enlist, and he’s been in a terrible rage ever since he got home.”

It was a result no one had expected. Who would have thought that Leroy had flat feet?

That evening, Edgar Lonsdale, who was usually busy at the company, made a rare appearance at home. The entire family gathered in Gordon’s study to discuss Leroy’s failed enlistment.

“Gordon,” Edgar began, “I haven’t asked you for many favors over the years, but this time, I’m begging you. Please, help Leroy fulfill his dream.”

His sudden arrival cast a momentary hush over the room.

Lucian was, after all, the kind of man Leroy admired and aspired to be. He pressed his lips together. “You’re all just biased. Loyce didn’t even pass the Steinway auditions, but she somehow cheated her way into the second round. If it wasn’t Morris who pulled the strings, I can’t imagine who else would have helped her.”

Morris, lounging on a sofa, let out a bitter laugh. “I certainly didn’t help her cheat. The moment you fail, you start looking for others to blame. You just lash out without knowing any of the facts. Edgar and Alicia have truly spoiled you rotten.”

His expression turned cold. “I knew you wouldn’t give up, which is why I asked Lucian to come see if there was another way for you. But now all I see is a coward. Biased? The Lonsdale family is fair. What you call favoritism is just your own incompetence trying to find a scapegoat.”

Sybil and Loyce were seated on separate sofas, with empty space beside each of them. Sybil shifted over, making room. “Lucian,” she said sweetly, “come, sit here.”