Chapter 46: Misunderstandings and T…
Chapter 46: Misunderstandings and Truths
Bella took a sip of coffee, denying the claim.“Brother and sister fighting? Never heard of it.” Lily leaned back, her gaze dropping to the floor. She noticed Bella’s foot tapping nervously – a telltale sign of her habitual lying.
–
“Since you’re not being truthful, Sister Bella, there’s no point in continuing this conversation.” Lily picked up her bag, ready to leave.
Bella quickly stopped her, forcing her back down. She sighed dramatically.“It’s not that I won’t tell you, it’s just…difficult.”
“I don’t know the full story. I asked Amy, but she Janson. That’s all I know.”
Wasn’t forthcoming. Something about Mr.
Bella was telling the truth. She’d tried to mediate between the siblings, but Amy had said their argument involved their father, it was family business, implying Bella should stay out of it. Given the implication of Mr. Janson’s involvement, Bella dared not intervene further, fearing she’d offend both parties.
“Ms. Lynch, please don’t ask Mr. Janson about this. I’m not even sure if it’s true; I might have misunderstood,” Bella pleaded, fearing that ingratiating herself with Lily would backfire if it angered John.
They continued chatting, Bella sharing stories about John and his “ex–wife,” subtly to win John’s heart, Lily should emulate his former wife.
gesting that
Lily listened attentively, though her mind had wandered. After parting ways with Bella, she pondered the children’s argument stemming from their father. What could it be? She had asked John before, and he was clueless.
*I’m completely lost.*
Back home, Lily opened an email from Nodi. He’d contacted several sellers interested in selling their porcelain collection, forwarding the photos.
There were five pieces, sparking immediate inspiration in Lily. She replied to Nodi, expressing her interest in negotiating a price.
Lily wasn’t short of money; she wasn’t dependent on John. She lacked business acumen but had an exceptional eye for investments. Bella, despite her questionable character, had successfully managed North Star. Nodi’s auction house, too, flourished internationally. Lily had invested in more than just those two ventures back in the day.
Many of the private messages on her Facebook account came from people she’d supported. Her initial investments had yielded returns exceeding a hundredfold. Even Lily herself marveled at the remarkable success of her investments.
In her study, she sketched on her tablet. Drawing calmed her. The porcelain pieces ignited her creativity, and she was soon lost in her work.
John arrived home from work, only then did she realize it was late.
J
“Why didn’t you eat?” He scooped her into his arms, his voice like that of a parent chiding a disobedient child. Lily had instructed the housekeeper not to disturb her before she came out, so the housekeeper, despite having prepared dinner, hadn’t dared to knock. John had found the dinner reheated multiple times. He’d been told she hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner and hadn’t even changed clothes.
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Chapter 46: Misunderstandings and T…
Pretty,
right?” Lily showed
him her
latest drawing. John squinted.“Beautiful.
He pressed further, “Is it a stomach problem, or something upsetting you?” He gently caressed her belly.“You’ve lost weight.”
Lily laughed. She couldn’t have lost weight that fast; she’d simply skipped two meals. Seeing her smile, John’s brow relaxed. He kissed her lips.
“Did Bella upset you? Don’t see her anymore. Let me handle it. Don’t hur else.”
self over someone
Lily was about to mention her meeting with Bella when she asked, “How did you know I saw Bella?”
John rested his chin on her head, his dark eyes twinkling.“I guessed. You were planning to meet, weren’t you?”
Lily responded with an “Oh,” pulling away to look at him.“Bella said the kids‘ argument was about you.” She wasn’t going to be sentimental about her fake friendship with Bella; it was all pretense; she was bound to spill the tea. She’d mentally crossed out her promise not to tell John, erasing the agreement.
“Because of me?
Why?”
“I don’t know. Bella wasn’t
John expressed his confusion,
It was just a vague hint.”
mirroring
hers..
John pulled her back into his embrace.“She might be wrong. The children are in contact with her, but not that close. They don’t tell her everything.”
Seeing Lily’s silence, he to
“I’ll ask them tomorrow.”
“Andy won’t say anything.” She’d asked at the Wilson family’s party,
asked at the Wilson family’s party, and gotten nothing. As for Amy…
“Don’t contact your daughter for a while. Let’s deal with the Brown family situation first.”
John agreed, shifting the topic to Amy.
“Those thugs are going to the Brown house tomorrow. They don’t know Amy’s identity; they just know she’s rich. They’ll likely attack her.”
Amy had called to ask for the money repayment. The thugs had waited until nightfall, but Amy was too distraught over the lost million dollars to show up… Later events distracted her until she remembered. She didn’t
money and had blocked their number.
have
ave the
The thugs, annoyed at the delay and feeling cheated, planned to retaliate. John had been monitoring them and learned of their plan to vandalize the Brown house. He shared the information with Lily, partly to change the subject.
Lily already knew; the thugs, wanting extra money, had contacted the housekeeper. Lily messaged Amy – yes, they’d exchanged contact information due to their bet. She suggested Amy leave to avoid the conflict and protect herself. The Brown family had little to lose; the thugs‘, might vandalize the house and threaten David Brown. But Amy’s presence would change things; as a woman, she would be vulnerable. The thugs could
The thugs could easily hurt her. Lily let Amy decide, without mentioning the bodyguards discreetly protecting her. Listening to Lily’s message, Amy was stunned, listening twice. Lily’s calm analysis felt surprisingly caring. It lacked Lindsey’s tenderness, yet felt far more intense.
Hearing about the thugs, Amy immediately decided to leave to avoid them. She’d sensed Hanson’s
in getting her back home. He hadn’t said it directly, but she felt he wanted to use their
urgency
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Chapter 46 Misunderstandings and T…
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past feelings to get money from the Jansons. He’d meticulously outlined her post–Janson survival strategy, including tuition and future employment.
Was it out of kindness? Amy wasn’t sure. But Hanson’s materialistic approach felt disillusioning. This wasn’t the Hanson she admired. This money–obsessed Hanson was no different from anyone else.
before Hanson could do
amply resent him. Torn
For a moment, Amy felt her bet had failed, that her feelings had cha anything. But he’d acted out of concern for her, and she couldn ‘between conflicting emotions, Amy felt apathetic, unable to move forward or backward. The next day, Amy left, using a family matter as an excuse. The thugs arrived in the afternoon, leaving the Brown house in ruins.
Hanson returned from work to find the house trashed. He quietly cleaned up. When Amy returned, he asked her what happened; she said she’d waited outside the villa. Perhaps because she’d followed his advice, Hanson offered suggestions on how she could force the Jansons to take her back, playing the victim to gain sympathy.
Amy found Hanson utterly alien, stripped of his ethereal charm, revealed as materialistic and
crass.
Seeing Amy’s silence, Hanson thought she had listened and said, “Amy, think about it. I’m doing this for you. I’ll go now.”
After he left, Amy stared at the door, confused. Had Hanson used those tactics on her before? Late that night, Amy booked a flight to the coast. She needed time to clear her head. She didn’t think about how Hanson would react to her leaving.
Lily received the news soon after. Her daughter was certainly experiencing a complex emotional urmoil, beyond mere heartbreak; it was likely akin to the disappointment of a fan whose idol had fallen from grace.
A trip would be good for her, to clear her head and get over her infatuation. Lily yawned, glancing at the clock:2:30 AM. John wasn’t in bed. He wasn’t in the bathroom either. Lily, now more awake, gently opened the bedroom door, spotting light spilling from under the study door. John was at it again! When he’d first taken over the company, he’d often sneak into the study after putting her to sleep, only to be caught by Lily several times.
“John! We agreed. If you have work, do it first. You don’t need to stay with me. It wastes time, and you’ll wear yourself out!” Lily stood at the door, hands on her hips, looking displeased.
John’s scrolling hand froze. He smiled sheepishly,“Busted.” He embraced her, heading towards the bedroom.“I’ll make sure not to do it again. I just finished work; let’s go to bed.”
“If you’re working late, sleep in the office break room…” Lily couldn’t help but scold him. He didn’t take care of his health at all. She’d been watching over him, but during her fifteen–year absence, who knows how he’d managed.
“Yes, yes, everything Lily says…‘
11
The bedroom door closed. The study computer, after a minute of inactivity, went into sleep mode and locked the screen. Before the screen went black, the last image was surveillance footage of Lily and Bella in the cafe…
California University was abuzz. First, the upcoming anniversary celebration was generating considerable excitement. The school was pulling out all the stops, inviting various media outlets
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Chapter 46: Misunderstandings and T…
and celebrities.
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a dean.
Second, there was Michael. Michael was infamous for his misdeeds, from brawling and harassing female students to vandalism. Many students at California University were wealthy, but why was Michael so arrogant and lawless? He had an uncle who was The dean of California University was unlike those at ordinary universities. He held significant power. Michael had gotten away with numerous offenses. Students! existence, never expecting him to suddenly drop out.
ecome numb to his
Wealthy students whispered that Michael’s family was facing a crisis; his father’s company collapsed, and he might be going to jail.
had
The two classmates who’d gone to the auction with Andy were shocked. So, their classmate’s family was really that influential!
They had discussed the incident afterward. Michael had just caused trouble on campus. Andy had ignored him. But at the auction, many influential people were present! Andy’s family, upon
certainly deal with
hearing
about their
son’s
bullying,
would
Michael.
Despite their detaion,
their
classmates remained skeptical. The two classmates
them:“Watch.
Michael
be
a
month!”
This was partly out of frustration; Andy was clearly a wealthy young master. Why couldn’t people believe them? Michael had dropped out.
dismissing their predi
The two classmates
elated, but even more frustrated when no one believed them, as mere luck.
“Blind to talent!” one classmate remarked.
azy fans!”
Another student scoffed, “You’re just “By the
way, didn’t the school have
for spaces parents to attend the ceremony? Andy asked the Student Association president for two tickets. His parents are coming; we’ll see then!” “Alright! Let’s wait and see!”
The two classmates exchanged glances; they firmly supported Andy. This wasn’t about money;
Michael had led many to believe that Andy was pretentious,
wearing fake brands. They felt that
they were standing up for Andy, aming Andy’s wealth would discredit those accusations
dred dollars?”
“Dare you bet? Five
“Deal!”
This wasn’t about money; it
was
Deut pride!
The two classmates didn’t expect their zealous defense of Andy to annoy others, including Michael’s entourage. They joined the bet, aiming to teach the two classmates a lesson and indirectly insult Andy.
With the addition of these new participants, the two original classmates became the bookmakers. If they lost, they’d owe nearly fifty thousand doallars!
“This was clearly illegal, so it changed to a wager of services, such as running errands, buying food,
picking up packages, etc. The two classmates still agreed.
Andy wasn’t a fake rich kid!
