She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 376

“What if Loyce actually has feelings for Lucian,” Morris began, his tone thoughtful, “but she’s suppressing them because she knows we’d disapprove? If she just blindly accepts our opinions and buries her own emotions, don’t you think that’ll cause problems down the line?”

Morris was the only one of her brothers who ever tried to see things from Loyce’s perspective, to understand what was truly going on in her head. He was the one who suspected she had deeper issues she wasn’t addressing.

Gordon’s expression finally shifted. “Are you saying Loyce likes him? Bullshit. She told me it was all an act.”

“She might not even realize it herself,” Morris countered. “Loyce has no idea what it truly means to like someone. But the things she’s done for Lucian… they go far beyond the boundaries she sets for anyone else. She’s invested so much time and effort in him, saving his life again and again. Do you really think it’s just for his money? She’s the granddaughter of one of the richest men in the world. She has more money than she could ever spend.”

Morris’s words were like stones dropped into a still lake, sending ripples through Gordon’s thoughts. The anger on his face was replaced by a deep-seated worry as he stared out the car door at his grandson.

“You mean…” Gordon’s voice was low and heavy, with a tremor he couldn’t hide. “Loyce likes Lucian? And she doesn’t even know it? And I… I tried to break them up? Was I wrong? But Lucian is a walking disaster! He can’t protect her!”

“I don’t think it’s a matter of Lucian protecting Loyce,” Morris said with a soft sigh. “Looking at everything that’s happened, it seems more like Loyce has been the one protecting him. Hank even told me he suspects Loyce was the one who saved him when he was nearly killed dealing with that mafia business. Hank might be hot-headed, but he’s sharp. If he says it, there's a reason. He thinks Loyce has another identity we don’t know about. She might be far less fragile than you imagine.”

Gordon fell silent.

“In any case,” Morris said gently, “matters of the heart aren’t something you can resolve with a few harsh words. What you said back there was cruel, and you aimed right for his heart. You, of all people, shouldn’t have called him a curse, knowing his family history.”

Gordon said nothing more.

Few people knew that the famous General Lucian had a dark and unhappy childhood, but Morris knew. It was the reason Zeke Shapiro doted on his grandson so much.

Having said his piece, Morris closed the car door and instructed the driver to take Gordon home.

When Morris and his bodyguards returned to the hospital corridor, Lucian was still standing in the same spot, as if pinned there by Gordon’s words. His tall figure cast a long, heavy shadow under the stark white lights.

Sensing Morris’s gaze, Lucian glanced up before turning and walking toward the closed door of the hospital room.

After a final check of the IV drip’s flow rate, he turned and walked out of the room without another glance at the woman in the bed. His tall figure, retreating down the dim hallway, looked profoundly lonely and desolate.

The door closed without a sound. The Lonsdale family’s security, who had been waiting outside, took their positions on either side of the door, taking over from Lucian.

On the surface, it was a night like any other. But it may have just shattered a young man’s confidence.

Morning sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting warm patches of light on the hospital floor.

Loyce slowly stirred, the effects of the tranquilizer finally wearing off. The dull ache in her left arm immediately made itself known. She frowned, and as she tried to move, a familiar, roguish voice cut through the quiet. “Well, look who’s awake, our little hero?”

She turned her head and was stunned to see all three of her brothers gathered in the room.