She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 272

Just then, the office door swung open, and a man’s deep, steady voice rolled in with it. “What happened that you needed me here in such a hurry?”

Cyrilla whipped around. Backlit in the doorway was a striking man in dress uniform, walking in like he owned the air itself. Her voice broke. “Lucian!”

Mr. Ludlow, who’d been sitting stiffly behind his desk, practically lit up at the sight of the rumored, legendary admiral. He honestly hadn’t believed it.

He jumped to his feet, bent forward, and offered his hand. “Admiral Shapiro, hello. I’m sorry to trouble you, but on Cyrilla’s enrollment file, the emergency contact and guardian section lists your name, so we had to ask you to come in.”

Lucian gave him a brief handshake. His eyes flicked to the side—Loyce standing protectively near Giselle—then he said evenly, “I don’t know what kind of conflict Cyrilla had with a classmate, or what exactly you expect me to resolve.”

Cyrilla hurried forward, her voice suddenly soft and sweet. “It’s nothing, Lucian. I already tried to stop Loyce from calling you. I really didn’t want to bother you.”

Lucian turned, looking down at her. “Then why is my name on your guardian information?”

Cyrilla’s heart lurched. “Because… you’re my…”

Lucian’s expression didn’t change. “Don’t you have a mother?”

It was the same question Loyce had asked earlier.

Loyce stayed off to the side, calm and silent.

Mr. Ludlow, sensing the tension, tried to smooth it over. “Cyrilla mentioned her mother’s job is… somewhat sensitive, so—”

But from the way Lucian was pressing, it didn’t sound “sensitive” at all. Mr. Ludlow hesitated, his eyes drifting to Cyrilla with a new, uncomfortable suspicion—as if he was starting to wonder whether she’d been lying.

The air in the office seemed to thicken. Cyrilla’s fingers twisted the hem of her uniform skirt without her noticing. Under Lucian’s steady gaze, the skin at her neck flushed red. “My… my mom…” Her voice shrank smaller and smaller until it was barely a breath.

Lucian didn’t give her the time to invent a story. He turned to Mr. Ludlow. “Pull up Cyrilla’s admission file.”

Mr. Ludlow froze. “That…”

“As the listed guardian, I have the right to view it.” Lucian’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried the kind of authority that shut doors without touching them.

Cyrilla snapped her head up, panic flashing in her eyes. “Lucian! There’s really no need to make this so complicated!”

No one listened. Mr. Ludlow opened the file on his computer, pulled up the enrollment forms and supporting documents, and turned the screen toward Lucian. “Here.”

Cyrilla nodded through sniffles. “Then… if there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to class. Lucian, you should go. Don’t let this slow you down.”

At that moment, all she wanted was to get Lucian out of there and salvage the last scraps of dignity she had left.

But Loyce hadn’t gotten what she came for, and she wasn’t about to let Cyrilla slide.

“You still haven’t apologized,” Loyce said, staring straight at her. “Your reputation matters, and so does Giselle’s. You might want to drop it, but I’m seeing this through.”

Cyrilla clenched her jaw and shot Loyce a furious look. When had this woman become so hard to deal with?

If she repeated her earlier “logic” in front of Lucian, his military instincts would catch it immediately. He’d realize she had framed Giselle and even fabricated that whole “true love necklace” story.

Lucian could not find out she’d been blurring the nature of their relationship at school. Not until he truly liked her, until she’d won him over. Otherwise, he’d hate her.

The plan formed in an instant. Cyrilla lifted her voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. “If an apology is what you want, I’ll do it. I’ll apologize to Giselle in front of the entire class and take responsibility for what I did.”

She stepped in front of Giselle and bowed deeply. “I’m sorry, Giselle. I accused you before I understood what really happened. Please forgive me.”