"That's not Lucille," Spencer said. He leaned against the seat, his eyes glinting coldly."What?" Kent and Bethany asked in unison.What did Spencer mean? How could that not be Lucille?It didn't take them long to understand. Kent looked incredulous as he asked, "Are you saying the Mrs. Layton we just saw isn't our Mrs. Layton?"Spencer didn't respond, but his grim expression was enough of an answer."But…" Bethany frowned. "She looked exactly like Mrs. Layton."That was what Kent thought, too. They hadn't noticed anything wrong with her figure, appearance, hairstyle, or outfit. Even her voice sounded identical!He asked, "How are you sure she isn't Mrs. Layton, boss?"Spencer's expression darkened. "By looking at her ring!"Kent and Bethany fell silent. They hadn't noticed that…In truth, Spencer hadn't noticed anything amiss based on any rings. That woman's distant attitude was what had thrown him off.They'd just spoken on the phone last night—she couldn't have grown apar
Ruben choked on his spit and coughed. Lucille watched him wordlessly. He said, "I suppose that is a problem."He rubbed his nose, his eyes glinting oddly. Then, he continued roguishly, "Well, if he can't tell whether that's the real or fake you, you might as well not keep him around."Lucille rolled her eyes.Meanwhile, Spencer and the others returned to the hotel."Boss, I've already asked Dark Chamber to track Mrs. Layton down secretly." Kent looked at Spencer, who was now seated on the couch. The latter seemed vaguely menacing.Spencer made a sound of acknowledgment before dismissing them. Outside the room, Kent asked, "Why do I feel like boss is exceptionally calm about this?"Bethany agreed. "You're not alone."Based on Spencer's track record, he would've gone nuts upon learning that Lucille was missing. Now, however…Kent thought about what Spencer had said before they'd left Winton Estate. "Do we still have to pick the fake Mrs. Layton up from Winton Estate tonight?"Be
As the night descended and the city became illuminated by flickering lights, Lucille and the others quietly left the hotel.…Several hours earlier, Spencer learned where Lucille was."Mrs. Layton is with Mr. Gale, the head of The Grid. They're in Arcania." Kent had immediately reported to Spencer after receiving word from Dark Chamber.He was only halfway done, though. He was hesitant to mention the second half of the report because it was so outrageous. "It seems like she to intend to infiltrate the presidential palace…"As he spoke, he saw Spencer's expression shift. All he could say was that Lucille really had the nerve to do anything.Sylvania's and Arcania's presidential palaces weren't that easy to infiltrate. According to their records, the presidential palaces used the world's best security systems, and their guards were the cream of the crop. They weren't places that just about anyone could get into.There were also many traps laid inside. If one were careless, they wo
Jaden looked at Ruben and asked tentatively, "Are you coming, Mr. Gale?"In other words, he was asking Ruben whether the latter wanted to steal a car with him. He didn't have the nerve to ask that outright. After all, Ruben wasn't the average individual.…At 8:30 pm, a silver car with the presidential palace's logo embossed on it drove into Starlight Mall's basement parking lot. It parked in a designated spot.A beautiful woman in a white, form-fitting maxi dress and heels got out, her wavy hair cascading down her back. She had sunglasses on.A maid and two burly bodyguards followed her. They headed to the elevator.Jaden watched them leave before pressing his Bluetooth earpiece. "Have you hacked the surveillance cameras, Mildred?""Yeah, you can go ahead. They're already in the elevator," Mildred answered.At 8:15 pm, Lucille arrived at the basement parking lot in another elevator. Beatrice, also in disguise, was with her. Jaden saw them and said, "Over here, Lucy."Lucille'
At 10:00 pm, a silver car drove past the presidential palace's gates. A security guard asked, "What's Ms. Vonridge doing back so soon?"Another said, "Who knows? Maybe she has something to attend to. Besides, she's the president's daughter and can return anytime. It's not up to us to say anything about it."They parked Vivian's car in the garage. Disguised as Vivian, Lucille headed to Vivian's bedroom with Beatrice in tow. No one stopped them.Lucille had analyzed the presidential palace's layout and knew there were two three-story wings. One was the main wing, where Alexander resided alone. The side wing was where his children and wife lived.Lucille looked around the room after entering it. There wasn't anything special about it. Then, she changed into loungewear that she'd brought with her.Beatrice approached her. "Elara just updated that President Vonridge isn't in the main wing now. He's with an important guest."Lucille had just changed, and she made a curious sound. It se
Generally speaking, no one—not even Alfred—would enter Alexander's study without his permission.Ruben worked on breaking into the safes while Lucille walked around the study. Suddenly, she realized something. She asked, "Don't you think this study is a little too clean?"She didn't mean that it had been wiped and dusted.Ruben was focused on breaking into the safes, so he didn't hear what she said. It didn't bother her. Her point was that she didn't notice a single family photo in the study. In hindsight, she realized the living room downstairs had no photos, either.It was odd not to have any photos of one's family in one's home, wasn't it? Lucille circled back to the desk and sat down. She opened a drawer to see an old pocket watch inside.She wasn't interested in Alexander's personal belongings—she only thought the patterns on it were familiar. It was as if she'd seen them somewhere before.Nothing came to mind. She glanced at it again but didn't notice anything special, so s
"What are you doing here, Vivi?" Alexander asked. The realization dawned on him when he saw the book in Lucille's hand. "Did you come to take a book from my study again?"Fortunately, Lucille was quick to accept reality. She composed herself and said, "Yes, Father."The way she addressed him wasn't any different from usual, but Alexander couldn't help thinking something was different. He couldn't pinpoint it, though."Well, since you're here, let me introduce you to an important guest," Alexander said. There was something commanding about him that made one obey. This was Lucille's first time coming into such close contact with him.He'd been handsome as a young man. Despite being past 50 now, he still looked good. The passage of time had only added a sense of maturity to him, increasing his charm."Mr. Layton, this is my eldest daughter, Vivian Vonridge." Alexander looked at the man. Then, he turned to Lucille and said, "Vivi, this is Spencer Layton, the head of the Layton family
Lucille ignored Alexander, who was standing nearby, as well as the photo she had seen in the study.She suppressed her frustration and maintained her smile. "It's rumored that you are an honorable man who is self-disciplined. Not only are you aloof, but you also don't have a woman by your side. It's my pleasure that you are so gentle with me. "However, I heard that you have found a good partner for yourself. If we are alone together tonight, would it cause some gossip?"This time Spencer smiled and didn't pick up where Lucille left off.Lucille was annoyed to see the smile on his noble and handsome face.She ignored him and looked at Alexander. "Father, I have something to do. I will leave first. I don't want to interrupt your conversation with Mr. Layton."With that, she strode past them without waiting for Alexander to nod.Alexander glanced at Vivian, who had just walked away, and a hint of confusion flashed across his shrewd eyes. If he wasn't mistaken, he saw her look angr