Lucia Feng get down from the car hurriedly as soon as it parked in front of the entrance. A woman with a french bun was already standing on the stairs, waiting for her.

"Mother, I'm back," she greeted the woman, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.

Her mother nodded with a smile on her face. "Lucia, you really won. I am beyond delighted with this," she linked her arm with her daughter's. "Your father is waiting for you at the library," she further informed her daughter.

Lucia Feng just smiled as they walked inside the house.

The woman kept staring at her daughter's face. "What do you want to eat? I'll cook it for you."

"Anything, Mother," she answered before glancing at the second level of their house. "I need to talk to Father, first."

"Of course," she gently pushed her daughter towards the direction of the stairs.

Upstairs, Lucia Feng pushed the door open. The first thing she noticed was his father behind the table, with a cigarette on his lips. He can barely squeeze himself into the chair. His father loved to eat, as evident with his large waistline. Despite that, the elegance was still imbedded in his disposition, even the way he blew the smoke upward.

Her father turned his sight to Lucia Feng's direction and narrowed his eyes. "You're already here. Sit down, first," his hand motioned to the chair near the table before he put the unfinished cigarette on the ashtray.

Lucia Feng closed the door and took a step towards the chair. Her straight back was in contrast with the curvy design of the chair.

She remained silent, watching her father pulled a drawer and taking out a notebook. He opened it in front of her, carefully taking a white envelope out and giving it to her.

"What's this?" Lucia Feng's voice was a little hoarse as she accepted the envelope, her hands trembled.

"Just open it," he told his daughter before leaning back on the executive chair.

She took a deep breath before taking out a folded piece of paper from the envelope. As she read the content, her one hand covered her mouth.

"W-Who wrote this?" Lucia Feng stared at his father, her hand grasped the paper a tightly.

"You," her father answered.

"No, no. This is not what I have submitted," Lucia Feng insisted. She stood up, glaring at the man in front of her.

"Do you think you can win if you rely on your so-called talent?" Her father sneered. "Don't make me laugh, Lucia. The person who wrote that one got a perfect score during the preliminaries. And where did you place that time? You're just a mediocre talent," her father did not mince words.

Lucia Feng felt a cold sweat running on her back. No wonder Master Feng asked her if she wrote the piece! She didn't see the monitor but she thought, she thought it was her own writing. That's why, she answered with conviction.

She slumped back on the chair, the paper has fallen on the floor. "How could you do this, Father?" She whispered, anguish laced her voice. "If this gets out, we're all finished. I am finished!" Lucia Feng screamed at her father. It was a good thing that the library was soundproof, lest her mother would be worried.

"Does Mother knows this?" she asked.

He snickered. "If she knew this, will she still wait for you? Your mother always thinks that you are the best. What is she if not stupid, huh?"

"Don't insult her!" Lucia Feng stood up. "You are selfish, Father!"

Her father slammed both of his hands against the table before pointing at her. "Who do you think you are? You're just my daughter. If you want this family to survive, you better shut your mouth and bring this to your grave," he bellowed, standing from his seat.

"Out," he commanded, pointing at the door. However, Lucia Feng remained immobile, just staring at the man in front of her. She was still wide-eyed as she tried to process the information. The corner of her eyes were burning. Was this still her father? How could he?

"I said get out! Didn't you hear me?" Lucia Feng's father shouted.

Lucia Feng bit her lips before turning her back and headed towards the door. The tears she was holding back fell as soon as she went out of the room. She wiped her tears using the back of her hand a little forcefully.

"Lucia, are you crying?" Her mother's worried voice reached her ears. She turned her head and saw her mother approached.

"I'm not. I'm just being emotional...after winning," she explained. The last word was barely heard.

Her mother patted her head. "Hmmm, you should be happy, but not overly emotional, okay?"

She pressed her lips tightly before nodding reluctantly.

"Your father?"

"He's busy. He cannot join us," Lucia Feng glanced at the closed door.

"Is that so? Then we should eat before the food gets cold."

"Mother, if I didn't win the competition, will you still be proud of me?"

Lucia Feng's mother looked at her and smiled. "Of course, you will always win, Lucia. Remember when you were still a kid? You declared that when the time comes, you will be the winner of Literary Olympiad because you want to live at the Phoenix Palace," she reminded her daughter as she put food on her daughter's plate.

Lucia Feng shook her head, an ironic smile hung on her lips. "That was a childhood wish, Mother. A foolish one at that."

She remember the reason behind that. That time, Dana Hu announced that she would be vacating the Phoenix Palace because she would marry Jake Yun. But prior to that, the first Mistress of the Phoenix Palace was the disciple of Elder Master Feng, the grandfather of Master Feng.

She also vacated the palace before she got married. And that was to the same family.

The Yuns!

She thought that whoever lived inside the palace will become a daughter-in-law of the Yun Family. With what her father had done, she had no choice.

Lucia Feng ate the food made by her mother but it tasted bland. She took a deep breath as she came to terms of what just happened.

She made her decision.