Chapter 7: Her Step-grandma
The Lu family mansion, a building with a distinct retro European style, stands as a rather impressive landmark in the prime real estate of the city. This is the grand house of Lina's grandfather, but Lina has never set foot here due to the severed relationship between her father and grandfather.
Lina's grandfather, named Jace Lu, is the chairman of the Lu Group. He carved out a remarkable history for the Lu Group at the turn of the century, establishing it as a leading real estate enterprise. In Lina's memory, Grandfather Jace is a very stern man, serious and rarely smiling.
Ever since his daughter, Lina's aunt, went missing, his face has seldom seen a smile. Later, he severed ties with his son, Talon Lu, which led to his early departure from this world due to accumulated stress and illness.
At the entrance of the mansion, Talon parked his motorcycle, removed Lina's helmet, and asked, "Do you remember our dad?"
"I remember, Grandpa was very fierce, he used to ignore me."
Talon helplessly ruffled her hair, a hint of resignation in his eyes, "It's dad, not grandpa."
"Uh."
He led Lina towards the mansion. Lina was a bit nervous and naturally held onto Talon's hand. Talon, now fully treating her as his little sister, reassuringly patted her, signaling her not to be afraid.
The interior of the mansion was decorated in a full European style, in milky white, a reflection of Grandfather Jace's early years of study and residence in Europe. Even in Lina's time, such a magnificent home decor was a rare sight.
"Talon, why are you back?"
A soft, coquettish voice came from the staircase. The speaker was Shelley Shi, Grandfather Jace's second wife. Well-maintained, she looked like a young lady in her twenties despite being in her thirties, with skin delicate skin and a mature charm that was more enticing than a young girl's. For middle-aged men, a woman like her was extremely tempting.
Lina looked at Shelley, pondering what to call her, step-grandmother? Lina knew that the relationship between her father, Talon, and Grandfather Jace had always been very bad, and this "step-grandmother" Shelley had a "contribution" to it. So much so that after Jace left this world, the vast Lu Group fell entirely into Shelley's hands, not leaving a penny to Talon. One can imagine how cunning this woman is.
"This is my home, can't I come back?" Talon's face darkened slightly, and his voice dropped eight degrees.
Shelley smiled, "You are the eldest son, you can come and go as you please. I am just a mother, I can't control you after all."
Shelley's tone was filled with sarcasm. Talon, being a man, naturally didn't want to argue with her, but Lina couldn't stand this step-grandmother speaking to her father like this.
"The real mother is the legitimate heiress of the Meng Group. What kind of mother are you to Talon? Don't overestimate yourself."
At these words, Shelley's face changed drastically, but she still maintained her demeanor as the mistress of the house, sternly saying to Talon, "Bringing your girlfriend home, if your father finds out, you won't get off easy."
Talon was now even more certain that Lina must be his real sister, otherwise how would she know that his mother was the heiress of the Meng Group. But after not seeing her for so many years, this silly little sister has become sharp-tongued, no longer the timid girl she used to be.
He pulled Lina to his side and said, "Look carefully, she is my sister, my father's biological daughter, Little Lina."
Shelley looked at Lina with suspicion, carefully examining her. Indeed, she looked very similar, but... how could it be possible! She was supposed to have been...
Shelley shook her head and said to Talon, "Picking up a random girl from the street, who bears some resemblance, and claiming she is the young mistress of the Lu family, isn't that a bit ridiculous?"
"Whether she is the young mistress of the Lu family or not, when old man Lu comes back, there will be a conclusion."
"Your father is attending an important meeting tonight and won't be back."
Shelley crossed her arms, coldly saying, "His health hasn't been good lately, I advise you not to upset him anymore. Quickly send this girl away, don't really think that you can bring anyone here and claim they are the young mistress."
Talon pulled Lina behind him and took out his phone, "I'm going to call the old man now and tell him that my sister has been found."
Shelley suddenly snatched Talon's phone, her face turning very ugly, "Your father's meeting tonight is very important, I advise you not to disturb him."
Talon suddenly laughed coldly, "I see, a while ago the old man said he was preparing to discuss a project with your brother, but it can't be tonight, can it? Your brother's small, broken company, which has even been exposed for tax evasion, is it worthy to cooperate with our Lu Group?"
Shelley's face tightened, sparks almost flying from her eyes, but she still controlled her emotions and said, "This is your father's decision, you have no right to interfere."
Lina had heard about the formidable step-grandmother of the Lu family. Relatives at home said that it was the step-grandmother who whispered in Grandfather Jace's ear, subtly alienating the father and son, leading to their falling out and Grandfather Jace not leaving a penny of inheritance to her father.
Seeing is believing, and today Lina finally got to see the imposing step-grandmother. But Lina was a bit confused, why was Shelley so eager to drive her away? If it were other family members, seeing a girl so similar to the missing aunt, they would definitely want to investigate thoroughly.
Why was she so sure that Lina was definitely not the aunt?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone