chapter603

Paige frowned, her brows knitting together. "No idea. I don't think I've ever seen her before. Judging by her figure and the way she carried herself, she probably looked pretty good.

Suddenly, Leila felt a wave of unease. What was some girl doing here at the Norwood house this late, and why was she with Elliot? That couldn't be good.

Paige caught the look on Leila's face and gently reassured her. Come on, Leila. Let's just ask Lucinda about it, okay?"

Leila nodded. "Yeah, alright."

Lucinda was just about to head back to her room when the butler appeared, letting her know her friends had come to see her. Her heart skipped a beat. Her friends were here? Before she could even react, Paige and Leila walked in from outside. They greeted Mr. Norwood, Kylie, and Cameron with polite smiles.

Kylie beamed at them and motioned for them to sit down, offering tea and fruit. Paige shook her head. "That's alright, Mrs. Norwood. We just came to find Lucinda. Hope we're not interrupting anything?"

Kylie's smile was warm and graceful. Not at all. I love having you girls over. You should visit more often."

Lucinda, worried that someone might say too much, quickly cut in before anyone else could speak. "Mom, I'm going out with Paige and Leila."

Kylie nodded. "Alright, just be careful tonight, and don't stay out too late."

"We will," Lucinda promised.

Once they stepped outside, Lucinda glanced toward the garden, making sure Lydia and Elliot were nowhere in sight. Relief flooded her. That was close. If they'd come a minute earlier and run into Lydia, how would she have explained it?

"Paige, Leila, why didn't you let me know you were coming?" Lucinda asked, trying to sound casual.

Paige snorted. "Seriously? What's the point of your phone if you never answer it? We texted, we called, nothing. So we decided to just show up."

Lucinda blinked, acting surprised. "Really? My phone must've been on silent. I didn't hear anything." She remembered how Grace had been sending her messages nonstop earlier that evening, and she'd muted her phone so no one at home would notice.

"Whatever," Leila said, brushing it off. Then she leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity. "By the way, Lucinda, when we got here we saw your brother with a girl in the garden. Who was she? We've never seen her before."

Paige nodded, looking just as interested. "Yeah, who was that girl?"

They hadn't gotten a good look at her face, but from the way she moved, you could tell she was beautiful. Leila just hoped she wasn't Elliot's girlfriend.

Lucinda's mind went blank. She stared at them in shock. "You saw her?"

Paige and Leila exchanged a look, surprised by Lucinda's reaction. Paige spoke up. "Yeah, we saw her with Elliot heading into the garden. We couldn't really see her face, though. So, who is she?"

Lucinda felt herself relax a little. At least they hadn't recognized Lydia. But the question still left her rattled. If she told them the truth, that Lydia was the Norwoods real daughter, Would Parge and Leila still want to friends with her? What would people say if the news got out? How would she ever face anyone in the capital's social circle?

be

No, she couldn't let them find out. That was the only thing running through her mind.

"She's actually..." Lucinda hesitated, searching for a believable answer.

Leila leaned forward, practically bouncing with impatience. "She's actually what?"

The words just slipped out. "She's actually my parents' goddaughter."