Pampered By Power: The True Heiress Returns

Chapter 374

Chapter 374

At Lindsey's words, Jim, who had been staring at the floor, finally lifted his head and looked at her. “Lindsey” he

said softly

“Don’t callthat,” Lindsey said, her voice sharp. “When | was little, you never cared about me. What makes

you think you have any right to now?”

Jim's face tightened. “But | gave you life.”

“Life?” Lindsey let out a bitter laugh. “That's the only thing you've ever done for me. Don’t push me. If you want,

I'll just call you Mr. Evans from now on.”

“Lindsey!” Jim's voice rose, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. “Fine. | admit it. After Ashley cinto

the picture, | neglected you. But before that, | never mistreated you.”

Lindsey let out a short, cold laugh. “Never? So, in your eyes, ignoringand pretending | don’t exist isn’t

mistreatment? Wow, | really learned something new today.”

She laughed bitterly again. “Right, we barely saw each other, so how could you mistreat me? As long as you

didn’t hurtphysically, you thought you were in the clear, right? | used to think | was born without a father?”

She locked eyes with him, and the coldness in her gaze could freeze the room.

Jim froze. He stared at her, his mouth opening, but no words cout.

He knew everything she said was the truth.

He never liked Sierra, and by extension, he never liked her daughter. Even though he never physically hurt her,

he barely ever showed up for her. He didn’t offer her care or attention.

Whenever they did cross paths, he had a cold, distant look on his face, never bothering to show her any

kindness.

Then, after he met Ashley and they had Esther, he spent even more twith them. As Lindsey reached school

age, their meetings becfewer and fewer. Eventually, it seemed like Lindsey stopped showing up altogether.

Esther, who had been watching the exchange with a serious look on her face, now felt a tightening in her chest.

She was upset. Something inside her felt threatened.

She grabbed Jim’s arm, her voice soft but pleading. “Dad, after everything she’s said to you, you're still not going

to do anything? If you don’t punish her, she’s going to take your place in this house. Is that what you want?”

Jim didn’t respond, keeping his head down. He didn’t want to engage with Esther. She didn’t understand, and he

wasn't about to get dragged into her .

Lindsey was different now. If he made things worse with her, it could hurt him down the road

Jim had always been weak. But with Lindsey, he had a strong ally. They might not be able to compete with

Edward's family, but at least they were stronger than they had been before.

Jim's gaze stayed on Lindsey, his thoughts racing. If he lost her, he'd be losing a powerful ally.

When Jim still didn’t say anything, Esther started to panic. “Dad, why aren't you saying anything?”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she stared at him, desperate for a response. When he still stayed silent, she

quickly turned to Lindsey, her anger flaring up again.

Lindsey was smiling.

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Chapter 374

She was actually smiling at her.

That smile on Lindsey's face was so annoying that it made Esther's blood boil.

“Lindsey, don’t get so cocky. Just because Dad isn’t punishing you doesn’t mean he’s forgotten you're still his

daughter,” Esther snapped, her voice sharp.

92%

“Daughter?” Lindsey’s smile widened, and she almost laughed. She wasn’t stupid. She knew exactly what Jim

was trying to do -he was trying to use her. She wouldn't let that happen.

She stepped closer to Jim, her voice turning cold. “Mr. Evans, you better not think you can use me. My blood

might run through your veins, but I'm nothing like you. | know right from wrong, and | know how to appreciate

what I'm given.”

Jim suddenly looked up at her, his eyes locking with hers. He was stunned as he thought, ‘She knows? And Mr.

Evans? Just a minute ago, she was calling‘Father,’ and now this? Why the sudden change?

“Lindsey,” Jim said, his voice tight.

“I'm tired. I'm going to my room,” Lindsey said quickly, not waiting for his reply. She turned, ready to walk away.

But just then, Esther's voice cut through the air. “Going to your room? You still remember this is your home, huh?

Look at how you just spoke to Dad!”

Lindsey paused and turned back, her eyes narrowing. “Esther, you just love causing trouble, don’t you? Go

ahead. Keep it up. And as for this house, if a bastard like you can live here, why can't 1?”

Esther opened her mouth, ready to scream back, but before she could get another word out, Jim's voice rang

out, stern and full of fury. “Esther, how dare you speak to your sister like that?”

His face was dark with anger, his brows knitted together. He was clearly livid.

Esther, still seething, had no choice but to bite her tongue. If she kept going, she knew Jim’s anger would turn on

her, not Lindsey.

And that was when it hit Esther. Jim was clearly taking Lindsey's side.

The room went silent. The tension hung in the air, heavy and thick. The faces around the room were all dark,

except for Lindsey, who looked completely unfazed.

Lindsey's lips curled into a small smile as she turned and headed upstairs. But instead of going to her room, she

made her way to Olive’s room.

She knocked softly on the door. The maid, who was always by Olive’s side, opened it. The maid lowered her head

slightly and said in a polite tone, “Ms. Lindsey Evans, Mrs. Olive Evans’s been waiting for you.”

Lindsey nodded, and the maid quickly stepped aside to let her in. Once Lindsey entered the room, the maid

quietly closed the door behind her and left.

Olive was sitting on the couch. When she heard the door, she didn’t turn around. She just said in a calm voice,

“You're back?”

Lindsey stood there, gazing at Olive on the couch, her eyes starting to well up. She had thought about Olive

every single day

when she was overseas.

If it weren't for Olive, she wouldn't have had the chance to go abroad. She wouldn't have made it in that foreign

country far from home.

Her life would've been a hundred, no, a thousand times harder.

When Olive didn’t get a response, she finally turned her head and looked over. Seeing the tears in Lindsey's

eyes, Olive

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raised an eyebrow. “What's going on? Did they bully you?”

She was referring to Jim, Ashley, and Esther.

Lindsey stayed silent, her tears barely held back. Olive quickly stood up, her tone sharp. Lindsey, don’t cry. I'll go

son des out right now.”

She started to move, but Lindsey wiped her tears and rushed over to stop her. “Don’t worry, | can handle it now.

They ca bullyanymore.”

Olive relaxed, her hand gently brushing Lindsey’s hair with a loving smile. “You've grown up. Lindsey, You're not

that inde girl anymore, the one everyone could push around.”

“Grandma, from now on, I'll protect you,” Lindsey said seriously, her voice firm.

Olive tapped her lightly on the forehead. “Silly girl, who needs you to protect me? As long as you can take care

of your that’s enough. But | saw you earlier. You were fierce. Not bad. It remindsof myself when | was young

“Grandma, you saw all of that?” Lindsey asked, her eyes wide with surprise,

“Of course | saw it,” Olive replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

She explained, “I didn’t catch everything, just bits and pieces. | heard you were back, and | was going to come

down and see you. But before | even made it halfway down the stairs, | heard Esther crying and complaining to

your father?

Olive chuckled, shaking her head. “I thought about going down and telling them off. | couldn't let them just bully

you without a fight. But you've got quite the sharp tongue yourself.”

She smiled mischievously. “I figured it was better to let you handle it. If | had gone down there, they'd probably

just askto get involved again. So, | stayed in my room and let you work your magic.”