chapter781

Her image as the sweet, thoughtful girl had crumbled. There was no way to put it back together.

"Lucinda, why did you try to ruin Lydia's reputation? Why did you start those rumors?" Blake's voice was sharp, cutting right to the truth.

He didn't miss a thing. What did Lucinda and Grace want out of all this? Why go after Lydia like that? It was a question that hung heavy in the air.

Grace never thought Tina's situation would end up blowing everything open, dragging both her and Lucinda down with it.

"Mr. and Mrs. Norwood, Blake, this is all my fault. I lost my head. I thought you all cared more about Lydia and were leaving Lucinda behind. I got jealous and did something stupid. If you want to punish someone, punish me. Lucinda had nothing to do with any of it."

Lydia tilted her head, a half-smile playing at her lips. "Grace really is loyal to Lucinda. She always has her back, no matter what."

Grace's heart skipped a beat. She stared at Lydia, panic creeping in. Was Lydia about to pull something else?

"I've watched Lucinda grow up. For more than ten years, I've loved her like my own child. Why else would Mr. and Mrs. Norwood keep me all this time?"

"Yes, you should care about Lucinda, but does that mean you have to hurt Lydia?" Elliot's voice was cold. "Is this because the engagement

between the Norwoods and the net?

Jeffersons was switched to bydia? Did you want to ruin Lydia's game so the Jeffersons would back out and pick someone else?"

Elliot had seen enough drama to spot the real story right away.

Lucinda and Grace wanted to disappear. Was everyone in this family part detective? They felt completely exposed, like there was nothing they could hide.

Kylie saw their faces and knew Elliot was right. "Lucinda, the engagement was arranged when I was pregnant with Lydia. All these years, you and Conno barely spoke. There was nothing between you. Now that Lydia's back, it only makes sense for her to take your place. More than that, Connor actually likes Lydia. Why can't you see that?" Kylie's words were soft, but there was a coldness she'd never felt before. All those years of love suddenly felt pointless.

"Lucinda, we switched the arrangement because you and

Connor had no connection, and the Jeffersons asked for it. Your mother and I promised to find you a good match. We would never let you down but what you did... it really broke our hearts Cameron's disappointment was clear in every word.

Lucinda's fear took over. She dropped to her knees in front of Cameron and Kylie, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Dad, Mom, no, it's not like that. I don't even know what I was thinking. Please, give me another chance. I swear, I'll never do anything like this again..."

Grace watched the situation spin completely out of control. It felt like everything was falling apart. If they couldn't find a good excuse, Lucinda might get thrown out of the Norwood family too.

If that happened, Night Eagle's plan would be finished. Grace knew Night Eagle would never forgive her if she let that happen.

She knelt down, her voice desperate. "Mr. and Mrs. Norwood, Lucinda has feelings for someone else. It's not what Elliot thinks. She just felt left out, like you didn't love her anymore, and got jealous. Please, you can't keep misunderstanding her."