Chapter 101: Aren’t You Afraid We’ll Expel You?
The car stopped at the side of the road. Alvin Lancaster looked at the sign—this was the place.
It was still morning, so the shop didn’t seem to be open yet.
Just then, three people came out of the shop.
The man in the lead was dressed in a suit and tie, followed by a middle-aged woman and an old lady.
The old lady said, "My son-in-law was kind enough to let her stay with us, but who knew we’d be inviting a jinx into our home!"
"Mom, stop it!" the middle-aged woman whispered, trying to stop her.
The old lady wasn’t having it. "Why can’t I say it? I’m going to! She had it easy, just up and left. But his fiancée’s anger hasn’t cooled, and since she has nowhere else to vent it, she’s taking it all out on us!"
"Sir, just three days after Luna Morgan left, those people came back to our shop to cause trouble, insisting they found rat meat in their food!"
"It didn’t matter that we tried to clear our name; no one dares to eat at our place anymore! We can’t keep the shop open. Forget making money, we’ve lost over a hundred thousand in this period!"
The old lady couldn’t help but wipe her tears. "They’re trying to drive our family to ruin! It’s all that jinx Luna Morgan’s fault!"
The middle-aged woman supported the old lady. "I’m sorry, my mother is a little emotional. It’s not really Luna’s fault; she had no idea what was happening. That day, they told us to kick Luna out, and we did as they said. We never thought they still wouldn’t let our family go."
Alvin Lancaster was completely stunned. ’How could this have happened?’
A fire of rage ignited in his heart. ’Have the Holt Family gone insane?’
’Luna was already driven away, so why won’t they leave my cousin’s family alone? Why force them to the point where they can’t even run their restaurant?’
"Since Miss Morgan is unaware of this, it’s best we don’t tell her," the man said. "As for your shop’s losses, we will provide full compensation."
The old lady’s eyes widened, and she was overcome with ecstatic joy. "Really?"
"Of course. We have also arranged for a new shop as compensation. We will take you to see it later. Please, you must accept it."
...
In the end, Alvin Lancaster quietly turned and left.
’Since someone is already solving the problem, I shouldn’t get mixed up in it.’
’Their goal is to compensate Luna Morgan’s cousin’s family without letting her know the truth. I wonder when Luna made such a kind connection.’
’But the Holt Family’s actions are just too despicable!’
’No wonder my sister caused such a scene at Old Mrs. Holt’s birthday banquet. She must have disdained the idea of associating with them!’
’I just don’t know if Luna ended up on the streets, suffering and struggling, after being kicked out of her cousin’s house.’
After Alvin Lancaster left, Jane Lancaster also changed her clothes and went out.
Recently, someone from the provincial art association had asked her to attend a workshop, and Julian Lancaster had specifically instructed her to be there on time.
These were all "bonus points" that would embellish her resume. She could win a few awards and then smoothly get into Stratton University as an art student.
Jane Lancaster found it a bit strange. ’Isn’t it a little too late to be rigging some awards now, doing that whole "guaranteed admission" thing?’
It wasn’t until she arrived that she realized this workshop actually had some real substance.
The task for the workshop was to restore a severely damaged ancient painting, said to be an authentic work from The Genesis Art Academy that had been newly unearthed from an archaeological dig a few months ago.
An authentic piece from The Genesis Art Academy had once sold for a sky-high price of 900 million at a foreign auction house. Now that another genuine work had appeared, countless people were eagerly anticipating it.
If one could participate in the restoration of this ancient painting, it would be enough to make a name for oneself across the entire art world.
No wonder Julian Lancaster insisted she attend, no matter what.
A staff member led them to an office, tossed out a "You all just wait here, and don’t wander off," and left.
The few of them looked at each other, then dispersed.
Everyone knew perfectly well they were just there to pad their resumes.
Jane Lancaster sat for a while and felt something was off. ’Aren’t we supposed to be restoring an ancient painting? They should at least let us get our hands on it. It doesn’t seem right to just sit here and rest, does it?’
Perhaps seeing that she had too much time on her hands, a staff member came over a few minutes later and called out, "Jane Lancaster, come here."
When she entered a room, the staff member pointed at a pile of things on the floor and said, "You can sort all this stuff out."
Jane Lancaster looked at the dusty pile of junk on the floor. "..."
’There’s so much. If I have to sort all this out, I probably won’t even be done by the end of the day.’
"Wait a minute, this is all just trash, isn’t it? And you want me to sort it?"
The staff member’s tone was full of impatience. "What trash? These are all important cultural relics from the archaeological dig. Hurry up and get it sorted. I want to see it done before we get off work at six."
After saying that, she hastily tried to leave.
She was certain that Jane Lancaster wouldn’t dare to refuse. After all, she was just here to pad her resume; how could she dare to disobey an order?
Jane Lancaster said, "Sorry, I’m here to attend a workshop, not to be your cleaning lady. I’m not doing it."
The staff member was stunned. ’Did she actually just walk out before I did?’
"You! Stop right there! You know you’re here for the workshop, aren’t you afraid we’ll have you removed from the list?" the woman fumed.
Jane Lancaster looked completely unconcerned. "Remove me then. If this is the kind of workshop it is, I’d rather not participate anyway."
The surroundings were dark and winding, but she remembered the route and quickly walked out.
The woman chased her for a bit but couldn’t catch her. In the end, she could only turn back in a huff, pass through several doors, and enter a room.
"How is she? Is she sorting things out obediently?" Quentin Woods stood at the glass door, his eyes filled with admiration as he watched the girl inside, who was focused on restoring the ancient painting.
When he didn’t get an answer after a long moment, he turned back, slightly displeased. "Why aren’t you answering?"
"Professor Woods, it’s like this..." The woman hurriedly recounted what had just happened, adding her own embellishments.
Quentin Woods’s face darkened the moment he heard. "What? She actually said that?"
He slammed his hand on the table. "Who the hell does she think she is, daring to disobey orders? Was I wrong to have her sort the cultural relics?"
If it weren’t for Luna Morgan’s sake, he couldn’t even be bothered to glance at those useless freeloaders who were just there to get credentials.
’If Jane Lancaster had just been obedient, even if she had to suffer a little and work hard, at least she would have left a good impression of being diligent and hardworking in my eyes.’
But she just had to refuse.
"Professor Woods, are you really sure you want to take her as your student? She doesn’t even have any respect for you."
Just as Quentin Woods was about to say something, the door in front of them suddenly opened, and Luna Morgan walked out.
Quentin Woods instantly put on a smiling face. "Kiddo, what’s wrong? Did you run into a problem, or are you tired and need a break?"
’This ancient painting is tied to my project funding and my professional title review. There can’t be any mistakes!’
Luna Morgan shook her head. "I haven’t run into any problems. The restoration is going smoothly and will be finished soon."
She hesitated for a moment. "Were you just talking about Miss Lancaster? Did she come?"
Quentin Woods’s expression stiffened. "She came, but it seems she had a problem with the task I assigned her—sorting the relics. She thought it was a job for the cleaning staff, so she left."
Luna Morgan was taken aback. "Miss Lancaster isn’t that kind of person!"
’I can’t let Jane Lancaster miss her chance to go to university,’ she thought, becoming extremely anxious.
"Professor, I’m begging you, you have to include Miss Lancaster’s name, please? I’ll even give up my salary!"