She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 865

Every head snapped toward the foyer.

Gordon tossed the tiny sweater aside and beamed. "Loyce! You're back! Come in, don't just stand there!"

Loyce was immediately swarmed and ushered into the living room. Lucian trailed behind her, eyeing the mountain of baby gear with a slight twitch of his jaw.

"What... is all this?" Loyce asked.

"Gifts for the baby, obviously!" Morris said, proudly gesturing to his pile. "Look, six hand-woven blankets. Two for every season."

Loyce looked at the meticulously folded fabrics and smiled at her brother's eager expression. "Thanks, Morris."

Forrest shoved his way forward, pointing to the toys. "I got the fun stuff! Things that light up, make noise—and look, this little robot can even talk to the baby!"

He hit the button again. "Hi, I'm Beebo! Let's be friends!"

Loyce sighed and looked at Lucian. "We really didn't need to go shopping."

"It's different. That was my gift to the baby," Lucian said, resting a gentle hand on her stomach, his eyes incredibly tender. "I want to be a good dad."

The family gathered for a warm, chaotic dinner. But while the Lonsdale home was filled with love and laughter, Stellar Trust was descending into a living nightmare.

Armed with the classified documents Lucian had left him, Nathan ruthlessly seized control, becoming the undisputed APAC President of Stellar Trust. With total authority in his hands, he turned his attention to his personal captive: Sigrid.

Horace tried desperately to salvage the situation, but he was utterly powerless.

Sigrid was no longer the untouchable princess of the corporate world. She wasn't Lucian's fiancée. She was the prisoner of the man who used to kneel at her feet—the man she used to call a stray dog.

Trapped in her gilded cage, she knew she had to negotiate. She still believed Nathan was madly in love with her. That twisted love was her only remaining bargaining chip.

But a week passed.

Nathan never showed up.

She called him; his phone was off. She texted; he left her on read. She demanded the staff pass on a message, but the maid just looked at her blankly and said, "Mr. Huxley is very busy with his new role. If you need something, you can leave a voicemail with his secretary."

A voicemail?

Since when did she have to leave a voicemail for anyone?!

But that was her new reality.

Sigrid took a deep breath and stared at the mirror, practicing her most forgiving, gentle smile. She had to survive. She had to save her father and reclaim her empire.

Nathan had loved her for years, hadn't he?

He used to grovel at her feet, begging for her affection. If she just humbled herself a little, offered him the title of her husband, maybe he would give up the company just to be with her.

All she had to do was give him a little taste of what he wanted, and he would come crawling back.

Sigrid's face burned crimson. She snapped her gaze to Nathan. Was he really going to let some random woman insult her?! He used to violently defend her honor!

But Nathan just gave the woman a lazy smile. "Be nice," he said, though there was zero reprimand in his tone. "But I will admit, you're much prettier."

The woman preened, standing on her tiptoes to plant a loud kiss on Nathan's lips.

"Let's go upstairs, Nathan," she purred. "Didn't you promise to show me your new bedroom?"

Nathan looked down at her with the exact same tender devotion he used to reserve only for Sigrid.

"I did," he said.

He wrapped his arm around the woman's waist and turned away.

"Nathan!" Sigrid shrieked, losing her mind. "What the hell is this?! You bring trash into my home?! Are you disgusting?!"

Nathan paused and glanced back at her.

"That's exactly how you looked when you were screaming Lucian's name in bed with me," he said softly. "Her name is Ruby. My new favorite."

He paused, his lips curling into a vicious smirk.

"And she's a million times better in bed than you ever were. If you really want to talk, maybe you should come upstairs and take notes on how a real woman pleases me."