She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 439

Gordon's face had darkened considerably. Being a shrewd man, he could tell at a glance that this French girl had zero respect for the Lonsdale family—or rather, she looked down on absolutely everyone at the table with blatant, unchecked arrogance. It meant she was either profoundly stupid or backed by incredibly terrifying power.

Loyce tapped her grandfather's leg under the table, signaling him not to lose his temper. Meeting everyone's stares, she replied calmly, "I do know a bit about medicine. And since I know Channing's health is quite poor, Miss Luna really should spend more time focusing on taking care of her boyfriend."

Luna bristled. "What could possibly be wrong with him? He is perfectly healthy."

Loyce smiled faintly. "Is that right? From where I'm sitting, your boyfriend looks like a hardcore junkie with years of heavy drug abuse under his belt."

Loyce's words dropped like a massive bomb, exploding into the dead silence of the dining hall.

"How dare a young girl like you throw around such baseless accusations!" Joanna was the first to explode. Driven by a fierce, protective instinct, she grabbed Channing's arm and glared furiously at Loyce, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Channing has been an honors student with impeccable character his entire life! He would never touch garbage like that! You are entirely out of line, Ms. Lonsdale!"

Baldwin immediately backed her up. "Channing has received an elite education since childhood. He was strictly forbidden from mingling with criminals! Little girl, you need to understand that spreading malicious lies comes with heavy consequences."

"She isn't wrong."

Lucian's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable, steel-cold absolute authority that instantly crushed all the panicked whispers and doubts.

His profound gaze rested on Loyce, filled with unwavering trust and fierce protection. "She is the doctor who dragged me away from the Grim Reaper. If she says it's true, then it is an absolute fact."

This blatant, unapologetic favoritism instantly snapped the last threads of Joanna's sanity.

She whipped her head toward Lucian, lashing out hysterically. "Whatever she says goes?! You're taking an outsider's side over your own brother's?! Lucian! Does she have some kind of dirt on you?! Is that why you're helping her slander my perfectly clean son?! Who's the one actually associating with trash here?!"

As her words echoed, the entire dining hall fell into a suffocating, deathly silence.

Even Joanna froze, her face instantly draining of all color as she realized the horrifying weight of what she had just said in her panic. She simply couldn't accept anyone claiming that the son she had poured endless money, time, and devotion into raising was a drug addict!

Loyce let out a sudden, bone-chilling laugh. "So, Joanna, you're willing to publicly attack your own flesh-and-blood son just to protect the drug-addicted son you kept by your side? If your favoritism is this blatant, and you clearly have zero love for Lucian, why did you even bother coming back?"

Morris casually poured oil on the fire. "To shower Lucian with a mother's love, obviously. It's just that her love burns a little too hot."

Gordon looked at his granddaughter, then at his grandson, and finally muttered, "When did you two get so vicious with your words?"

Joanna looked like she was going to have an aneurysm dealing with the Lonsdales.

Channing also snapped out of it. Swallowing his intense hatred for Loyce and his own rising panic, he stood up, turned to Lucian, and bowed his head submissively.

"Lucian, I'm so sorry! Mom got emotional and said things she shouldn't have. I apologize on her behalf. Please don't take it to heart. We're family."

He quickly turned to Zeke. "Grandfather, my mom knows she messed up. Please don't ruin your health over being angry."

Lucian watched this sickening display of "loving father" and "devoted brother" without a shred of emotion, the ice in his eyes refusing to melt even slightly.

But with so many people watching, he finally let out an incredibly faint "Mm," accepting the utterly hollow apology without another word.

He didn't want to make things harder for his grandfather.

The storm seemed to temporarily pass, but the temperature in the room had plummeted below freezing. Everyone ate the rest of their meal tasting nothing, their minds spinning with gossip and speculation.

When dinner finally agonizingly wrapped up and the staff began serving tea and pastries, Channing realized he couldn't let the Lonsdale family keep controlling the narrative. Taking a deep breath, he forced his warm smile back into place and looked at Lucian.

"Lucian, since dinner is over, why don't we have the master Luna invited take a look at you now? We shouldn't let his long journey here go to waste."