Chapter 112: How Can It Work If You Don’t Swing the Hoe Diligently?
Jane Lancaster thought the gossip was confined to her villa community, so she paid it no mind.
She went out for a bit after finishing her work, and at the mall, she happened to run into a few wealthy ladies.
The wealthy socialites even took the initiative to come up and chat with her for a bit, their tones filled with sympathy.
The socialites, whom she didn’t know well, consoled her, telling her not to be angry. They said whoever was backing Mrs. Everett was an idiot for taking her in, knowing full well she had character issues.
Everyone felt the Lancaster Family was completely innocent and eagerly offered her advice on managing household staff.
They also told her not to worry about the people spreading malicious rumors, saying they would help her chew them out.
Just as they were chatting, Willow Summers suddenly called, so Jane Lancaster politely excused herself to answer the phone.
"Jane, have you heard the rumors?" Willow Summers asked frantically.
Jane Lancaster paused. "What rumors?"
"What other rumors could there be? It’s that Felicia Everett, spreading lies about you. Saying you’re difficult to serve, that you bullied her, that you’re two-faced—prim and proper on the outside but malicious on the inside..."
Jane Lancaster chimed in, "And let me guess, that being in a vegetative state for so long has twisted my psyche?"
"You already knew?" Willow Summers was stunned.
Jane Lancaster chuckled. "Nope, just guessing."
’In the original storyline, I was supposed to have a complete falling out with Mrs. Everett much later, and she would be the one to expose my "true colors."’
’By that point, Mrs. Everett would have already turned her fortunes around and become the mistress of the Lancaster household. Because she was so good at sucking up, she had built a decent reputation among the socialites.’
’She would have pointed a finger at me, claiming I had been vicious since childhood, and all the servants of the Lancaster family would have corroborated her story. That’s how the original Jane’s reputation was ruined.’
’Now that the timeline has been fast-tracked, and with Clayton Lowell’s penchant for manipulating public opinion, it would be a surprise if he *didn’t* exploit this.’
Willow Summers ranted, "Some people are just mindless sheep, stupid as hell! Claiming Mrs. Everett was persecuted so badly she had the courage to fight back? What, did you force her to embezzle the money? Seriously, it’s like they have rocks for brains!"
Jane Lancaster, however, wasn’t bothered. Her reputation couldn’t be scrubbed clean anyway.
"Alright, don’t be angry. Just let them say whatever they want."
Jane Lancaster heard footsteps and looked up, phone in hand.
It was the same group of socialites who had just left; they had actually turned around and come back.
"How can you just let them run their mouths like that?" the leading socialite said indignantly. "It’s outrageous! If anyone dares to talk nonsense, see if we don’t shut them up permanently!"
"Exactly! You’re just too kind, dear!"
"That Felicia Everett is just taking advantage of you, knowing you’re a kind-hearted young woman! Bullying you because you don’t have a mother!"
"I’m telling you, for her to be so brazen, manipulating and bullying a young lady like you, she must be aiming to become the next mistress of the Lancaster family!"
Jane Lancaster was speechless.
’Well, an old pro is an old pro. She actually figured out the truth.’
’Something’s not right with how this is playing out. Aren’t Mrs. Everett’s accusations supposed to be the beginning of my downfall?’
’People naturally sympathize with the underdog. And Mrs. Everett—coming from a poor background, abandoned by her husband, with a gravely ill daughter—had every sympathy card stacked in her favor.’
’It was just like back then. Even though Mrs. Everett had been so cruel to the original Jane, the moment she learned about Mrs. Everett’s daughter’s heart condition, she immediately begged Timothy Lancaster to arrange for the surgery.’
’The general feeling was that even if Mrs. Everett did something wrong, it was excusable. After all, her life was just so pitiful.’
Jane Lancaster felt something must have gone wrong. The bombshell had dropped, but her reputation seemed to have... improved?
On the other end of the line, however, Willow Summers didn’t find it strange at all.
"This is how normal people should react. Felicia Everett dared to deceive everyone and embezzle so much money—how could she possibly be a good person? You’d have an easier time believing I’m Emperor Quinn than believing her."
Willow Summers let out a frustrated sigh. "I shouldn’t have wasted my breath arguing with those morons. Oh, right! I’m going to post on social media and warn everyone to steer clear of them. Avoid doing business with them if at all possible. How could anyone trust such idiots with their business?"
True to her word, Willow Summers hung up and immediately started writing her social media post.
Jane Lancaster pondered for a moment. She still felt something was off about the public’s reaction. With Clayton Lowell intentionally trying to guide the narrative, how could so many people be spontaneously speaking up for her?
Her fingers swiped across her phone screen, and before she knew it, she had already placed the call.
"Miss me already, Senior?" The young man’s voice, laced with a smile, came through the phone.
Jane Lancaster ignored his teasing. "Do you know about the Mrs. Everett situation?"
Before he could answer, she clarified, "A lot of people are on my side right now. Are you the one behind it?"
"What makes you so certain it was me, Senior?" Jasper Sterling’s tone shifted. "Though, I didn’t really do much. I just... let slip a few things that I happened to know."
He stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the people on the ground below.
Lana Sterling, holding some clothes, glanced toward the lounge area. Assuming he was on a business call, she made a "hush" gesture at Uncle Lynn and tactfully walked away.
She was thrilled. Her nephew was actually accompanying her on a shopping spree! It gave her so much clout with the other wealthy ladies.
Jasper Sterling noticed her gesture but said nothing.
’Clayton Lowell was a master of manipulating public opinion, but of course, he wasn’t without his own preparations.’
’Ever since that day he’d enjoyed the drama at the Lancaster residence, he had been casually feeding tidbits to Lana Sterling.’
’This aunt of his was a social butterfly who adored the scandalous secrets of the elite. Clayton Lowell had often used her in the past to spread doctored gossip, and he could do the same.’
’He had immediately used Lana Sterling as a mouthpiece to spread the story of Mrs. Everett’s bizarre stunt—paying back a debt in coins.’
’As a result, when Clayton Lowell later tried to play the victim card by using Mrs. Everett’s tragic backstory, it only elicited disgust and contempt.’
"Are you thanking me, Senior?" Jasper Sterling asked humbly. "It was nothing, really. But if you insist on thanking me, it would be rude of me to refuse."
Uncle Lynn’s eyes widened.
’Whoa, the young master is so shameless! Asking for a reward so brazenly!’
Jane Lancaster thought for a moment before asking, "How do you want me to thank you?"
Jasper Sterling’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his charming eyes grew deep and intense.
He stood in the same spot, not having moved an inch, yet his aura suddenly became dominant... radiating an overwhelming sense of someone who gets what they want.
Uncle Lynn sucked in a sharp breath and whispered his interpretation, "You want her to promise herself to you?"
Jasper Sterling shot him an icy glare. Uncle Lynn silently beat a retreat, snatching the Basque cheesecake from the coffee table on his way out.
’A man thwarted in his courtship is not to be trifled with. He might just take my old bones apart.’
Jasper Sterling looked down at the street below, his charming eyes shimmering with a gentle light. "Alright then... just look up, Senior."
Jane Lancaster stared at her phone, finding his requests increasingly bizarre. "Look up for what?"
’But then again, that time in the car when he told me to open the window...’
A realization dawned on her, and she snapped her head upward.
There, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, was a tall, slender figure. The young man smiled and waved down at her.
Jane Lancaster glanced around, and Jasper Sterling, sensing her intention, said, "Don’t move. I’m coming down to find you right now."
The desire to see her was overwhelming; he couldn’t bear to wait another second.
Lana Sterling was in the middle of trying on an outfit, with a sales associate fawning over her, when she heard hurried footsteps. She turned her head just in time to see Jasper Sterling’s retreating back as he strode away purposefully.
"Did something happen? Why is Jasper in such a hurry?" She had never seen her nephew, who was always so composed, act this flustered.
Uncle Lynn silently swallowed a bite of cake. "Probably an emergency at the office."
’He’s not coming back,’ he predicted internally.
’After all, he’s trying to steal someone’s girl. How’s that supposed to work if you don’t swing your hoe diligently?’