Chapter 98: Open the Car Window Right Now
[BEEP. Character affinity change detected. Aversion +3.]
Amidst the awkward atmosphere, Jane Lancaster gleefully hung up the phone.
’I haven’t even done anything. Is this what it feels like to make money without lifting a finger?’
’Caleb Lowell must hate Pauline Shaw’s guts by now. All she does is create trouble for him.’
Pauline Shaw never thought she could make such a huge, embarrassing mistake. Remembering how she’d said she didn’t want to steal anyone’s credit, she was so mortified she wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
"Um, Ian and I have some things to do, so we’ll be leaving now."
Gordon Dawson said, "Leaving already? It’s almost dinnertime. How about I treat you both to a meal?"
His opinion of Jane Lancaster had improved significantly lately, and he was quite willing to be on good terms with her.
Seeing how desperate Pauline Shaw was to escape, Jane Lancaster smiled and said, "Let’s skip it today. Maybe next time. Thank you both for coming to help me with your ideas."
Gordon Dawson’s gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before he finally led Pauline Shaw away.
Mama Knight thought for a moment. "Young Miss, isn’t he the man who pushed you at the hospital? So rude and ill-tempered. No wonder I had a bad feeling about him!"
She thought he looked familiar and had only just now placed him.
Just on the other side of the wall, Gordon Dawson came to a sudden halt. Pauline Shaw instinctively perked up her ears as well.
Jane Lancaster sighed. ’Mama Knight really makes enemies too easily.’
’She has to understand, Gordon Dawson is the classic "underdog who rises to power" type. He’ll get revenge on every single person who’s ever slighted him once he makes it big.’
"Mama Knight, you’re mistaken. He’s actually a great guy—loyal, responsible, handsome, and capable. He’s going to become one of the richest men in the country someday."
Mama Knight was stunned. "Really? You think that highly of him?"
"It’s not about what I think; he really is that incredible. Okay, let’s not speak about people like that from now on."
Seeing a server approaching, Gordon Dawson quickly pulled Pauline Shaw away.
Jane Lancaster glanced toward the door, her eyes perfectly clear.
Gordon Dawson was petty and vindictive, the type to hold a grudge over the smallest slight. She didn’t mind for herself, but she couldn’t let him hold a grudge against Mama Knight.
Of course, if he insisted on holding a grudge anyway, then he couldn’t blame her for making a preemptive strike.
——
Meanwhile, Gordon Dawson pulled Pauline Shaw into his car.
Pauline Shaw had gotten a new car recently. Yara Yates had taken back her previous one, claiming it was needed for a senior executive at the company.
This new car was a custom model, and while more expensive than the last, it was pink. It lacked the previous car’s understated, sophisticated luxury, and Gordon Dawson absolutely refused to be seen driving it.
The car he was driving today was still a modest, second-hand vehicle worth maybe ten or twenty thousand.
Pauline Shaw felt that such a car was beneath him. "When I get my quarterly bonus, I’ll take out a loan and buy you a new car."
Yara Yates must have grown suspicious, as she’d suddenly cut off Pauline’s allowance. Even her father, who had always been willing to bail her out, now claimed he was short on cash.
Her mother controlled the family finances, so what other reason could there be? Yara Yates was just trying to force her to break up with Gordon Dawson.
But Pauline Shaw was determined not to let her mother get her way. It was a silent battle of wills between them, and she refused to surrender.
Gordon Dawson said, "Don’t bother. I think this car is perfectly fine."
The mere mention of taking out a loan for a car bored him. With her salary, what kind of car could she possibly afford a loan for? It was a no-brainer.
He also guessed that the Shaw family had likely found out about his relationship with Pauline.
Changing her car and cutting off her allowance—it was all to stop their daughter from being saddled with a freeloader.
Gordon Dawson found it laughable. He’d always disdained the idea of living off a woman. While he might look like a regular employee on the surface, he had secretly started a business with his buddies a long time ago.
Under his leadership, the company was developing smoothly.
The Shaw family was just as arrogant, despicable, and condescending as ever, always looking down their noses at people.
But gradually, he discovered that whenever he and his partners went out to discuss business, they hit one dead end after another...
Until one day, a client spelled it out for him.
It turned out that many people had seen him driving a luxury car and wearing designer clothes and assumed he was the heir to a fortune. They were only willing to cooperate because they thought he had family money to back him up.
Once they found out he was just some poor kid, they all rescinded their offers, unwilling to even give him a chance.
He’d looked down on the Shaw family’s tactics, but he never expected them to cause him such genuine trouble.
It was just as Mr. Shaw had said all those years ago: crushing him would be as easy as crushing an ant.
Rage coiled in Gordon Dawson’s heart, but not a trace of it showed on his face.
He’d always believed that those destined for greatness shouldn’t sweat the small stuff. Since the Shaws would only ever try to hold him down, why not find someone who would support and appreciate him instead?
——
Jane Lancaster finished her dinner and deliberately lingered outside for a while, but a call from Jasper Sterling never came.
As the night grew darker, she couldn’t resist calling him herself.
Not far from the Lancaster estate, a black car sat parked quietly. It had been there for two hours.
The driver was starting to admire his young master’s willpower. ’How could he resist contacting her? With that kind of self-control, it’s no wonder he’s the boss and I’m just the driver.’
Jasper Sterling had been looking over some documents, not realizing how quickly time had passed. The moment he saw the incoming call, he answered instantly.
"Senior, calling me so late? Is everything alright?"
Jane Lancaster asked, "Don’t you have anything to say to me?"
Jasper Sterling covered his eyes with his long fingers, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.
"Of course. What would you like to hear, Senior?"
’If she was willing to listen, then he had a great many things to say.’
Jane Lancaster said, "I want to hear how you came up with the idea of persuading the Lynch family to release a clarifying statement."
Jasper Sterling sighed. "I knew I couldn’t hide it from you."
In fact, he wasn’t wrong when he gave Lana Sterling the credit.
Lana Sterling could never keep a secret. The day she came back, she started gossiping with Uncle Lynn, telling him that Beverly Lynch actually disliked Caleb Lowell, and even showed Uncle Lynn the video.
That was why when the story first broke online, Jasper Sterling decided against trying to suppress it.
Someone was deliberately fanning the flames and buying up trending spots on social media. While he could have squashed it, the issue would have remained a lingering problem.
He contacted Zachary Lynch right away and urged the Lynch Group to issue a proactive clarification.
"Beverly Lynch felt the same way. She insisted on a clarification; she wants nothing to do with Caleb Lowell. President Lynch dotes on his daughter, so he agreed to release the statement without much convincing from me."
Jasper Sterling didn’t feel he’d played a significant role. If Beverly Lynch hadn’t been on board, nothing he said would have mattered.
Jane Lancaster said, "I see. In that case, I really should thank Beverly Lynch."
’Then again, Beverly Lynch probably wouldn’t welcome her thanks, considering she just personally went on record about hating her.’
After a pause, Jane’s tone shifted. "But still, thank you..."
"No need to thank me." Jasper Sterling looked up and saw a car approaching in the distance. His Adam’s apple bobbed. "If you really want to thank me," he said suddenly, "open your car window."
"What?" Jane Lancaster was confused, but she did as he asked and rolled down her window.
"And now what?"
A low, pleasant chuckle came through the phone, vibrating against her eardrum and striking a chord in her heart.
Jasper Sterling’s voice was so rich and deep it could have belonged to a professional voice actor.