chapter408

Lucinda stared, eyes wide, looking like she'd just seen something out of a

nightmare. Shock and disbelief filled her face, the kind of shock that makes you feel like the world might be ending any second.

Wait. Was that... Lydia?

Lydia was the one sitting in Miss L's seat?

That couldn't be right. Lydia, the legendary Miss L? Lydia was only eighteen. Miss L had been famous for years. There was no way this could be true.

How could an eighteen-year-old girl run a company that huge? LYLX was a global brand, the kind that rich wives and their daughters obsessed over. The idea that Lydia, who'd just come back from the countryside, was its founder... It was ridiculous. Impossible!

As Lucinda struggled to process what she was seeing, Kylie's excitement burst out. "Lucinda, are you as shocked as we are? I mean, when we saw your sister, we couldn't believe it either. No wonder she says she's as good as Miss L. She IS Miss L! She's amazing, honestly."

Cameron couldn't hold back either. "Seriously, Lydia is so humble. She never breathed a word about this. What a surprise. I can't wrap my head around it. She's only eighteen. How did she get so incredible?"

Mr. Norwood looked just as stunned. He'd always been proud of his grandkids and Lucinda, but he never thought Lydia would outshine them all. "Lydia really is something special. She's brilliant. A real gem."

The house staff started chiming in, one after another.

I know, right? Lydia is just unbelievable. At first, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw her sitting on that judges' panel. She looked so cool."

"No wonder she didn't compete. She's Miss L. She's a judge. Who could possibly compete with her?"

"I've always heard that Miss L, the founder of LYLX, was a legend. I never would've guessed she's Lydia."

"My daughter loves Miss L's designs, but you can't get a discount at LYLX unless you're a VIP. When Lydia gets home, do you think she'd help us out with a discount?"

"My daughter's obsessed too. We're not members either, so we just wait for the anniversary sale every year and hope for the best."

All the praise and excitement felt like a tidal wave crashing over Lucinda, making it hard to breathe. She kept wishing she'd wake up that this was alka bad dream, and Lydia would go back to being the country girbshe remembered... not Miss L, the top designer in the fashion world.

Pet

She just couldn't make sense of it. How could Lydia, who grew up in some small town, be Miss L? She could accept Lydia as the honorary CEO at Greenward Power. She could accept that Lydia was a great doctor. She could even handle that Lydia scored top marks on every exam.

But not this. Not Lydia being Miss L.

That title meant everything. Even Lucinda, who grew up as a billionaire's daughter, admired Miss L more than anyone. The most sought after outfits in her cigle were Miss L's creations. LYLX was a status symbol.

And now, reality was hitting her hard. The person she'd admired for so long, the designer loved by people all over the world, was really just Lydia... the girl from the countryside.

The shock was just too much. Lucinda couldn't bring herself to accept it.