She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 375

Gordon snorted and stalked off toward the lounge at the end of the hallway. Morris glanced at Lucian with a complicated expression, then looked worriedly at the closed door of the hospital room before silently following his grandfather.

The air in the lounge was thick with tension.

“On the way here, I spoke with the manor’s director and got the full story,” Gordon said, remaining on his feet. He struck the floor with his cane, the heavy thud echoing unnervingly in the quiet corridor. “You let her go into the mountains alone to fight two bears? Two of them! And she’s just a young woman! Lucian, is this how you look after her?!”

Lucian faced the old man’s towering rage without flinching. “It was my negligence,” he said, his voice low but clear. “There were holes in my security deployment, and it put her in danger. I will take full responsibility. Every person who was negligent, everyone responsible, will be held accountable.”

“Responsibility? Responsibility?!” Gordon’s voice shot up, his eyes filled with undisguised pain and fury. “Can your responsibility undo her injuries? Lucian, I told you before, you two are not right for each other! Nothing but trouble has found Loyce since she got involved with you!”

Gordon’s chest heaved, the finger he pointed at Lucian trembling slightly. “What kind of world do you live in? It’s a world of shadows and daggers, of ambushes and conspiracies! It’s one thing for you to be at the center of that vortex, but why must you drag my granddaughter in with you? She is the apple of my eye, not a shield to protect you from harm!”

“Grandpa, please calm down. Lucian, he—” Morris tried to intervene.

“You be quiet!” Gordon snapped, cutting his grandson off. His gaze locked back onto Lucian, a near-paranoid rejection coloring his anger. “Lucian, search your conscience and tell me how many times my granddaughter has helped you since you met. She saved your life, she dealt with Gavin for you, she even used herself as a hostage! Do you think I don’t know? Do you think because I’m old, I’m ignorant of what goes on? Every time she’s helped you, it’s been a life-or-death situation! When she was with the Sampsons, she had no choice but to endure. But now she can finally leave all that conflict behind and live a peaceful, wealthy life! And it’s all because of you!”

Gordon took a ragged breath, his voice turning cold and decisive. His words were like poison-tipped icicles, stabbing straight at Lucian.

“The burdens you carry are too heavy, too ominous. Anyone who gets close to you, especially those you care about, gets dragged into your misfortune. At best, they get hurt; at worst… You’re a bad omen, Lucian. I will not allow Loyce to suffer any more harm because of you. Do you understand?”

The words ‘bad omen’ echoed in the small space—a curse on Lucian’s very existence, casting a shadow of ill fortune over all his achievements and status. Morris had rarely heard his grandfather speak so harshly and knew it was because Loyce’s injury had driven the old man to his wit's end.

Gordon looked up. “What is it? Don’t even think about pleading Lucian’s case. He’s a mess of trouble himself. I won’t allow it.”

“I’m not pleading for him. It’s just…” Morris leaned down, resting a hand on the car door and looking at Gordon earnestly. “Grandpa, I haven’t known Loyce for long, but from what I’ve seen, her personality is… different.”

Gordon narrowed his eyes. “What are you trying to say?”

“She draws a very clear line. For those she considers inside her circle, she gives everything she has. Her tolerance is incredible; no matter how much you hurt her, she won’t hold it against you. Just look at the Sampsons.” A flicker of coldness passed through Morris’s eyes at the mention of that family. “They exploited that trait, squandering her kindness. But the moment their family ties were revealed to be a lie, she withdrew her kindness without a second thought and transferred it to us. She makes you wellness coffees, she extends that kindness to your friends, and she never refuses a single request from any of us brothers. She just accepts everything, never saying no. She’s too obedient, almost as if she has no will of her own.”

Gordon pursed his lips. “And?”