Chapter 109: When Did You Grow a Brain?
Jane Lancaster glanced at the stack of cash in front of her, her expression indifferent. "This isn’t the right amount, is it?"
"How is it not right? Why don’t you count it," Mrs. Everett said, her face full of malice.
Jane Lancaster sighed and set down her soup spoon.
She just wanted to eat her meal in peace. Why did they have to provoke her?
"My older brother said you embezzled three hundred thousand over two years from kickbacks. That’s just part of it. In reality, you also falsified accounts and substituted inferior goods. The amount you’ve truly embezzled over the past two years should be 494,861.30."
"What you need to pay back is the money you embezzled from the Lancaster family. If you want to quit, you’re free to go. You don’t have to pay any damages for leaving."
’Sigh, I was bored not too long ago, so I took a look at the books. What can I say? My memory’s just too good. I remembered all the specific numbers.’
’And that doesn’t even include the money she scammed off that sucker, Alvin Lancaster.’
Gasps rippled through the room. The way many of them looked at Mrs. Everett had changed.
She actually managed to skim that much money from the Lancaster family? They were all working-class people here, but she was secretly lining her own pockets and didn’t even cut them in.
Mrs. Everett’s face turned shades of green, red, and white. She was utterly unable to utter a word of rebuttal.
Panic welled in her heart. The amount Jane Lancaster stated was correct down to the last cent. Did Julian Lanscaster know too? They wouldn’t actually force her to cough it all up, would they?
When she arrived, she had planned to deliberately antagonize Jane Lancaster, to prove she couldn’t be pushed around by the rich!
But in less than a minute, she was utterly defeated, wishing she had never come.
"It’s alright if you can’t pay it back. After all, we’ve known each other for a long time. Let’s just call it even. We won’t pursue the matter," Jane Lancaster said, being exceptionally agreeable today. "You can go now."
’You embezzled Julian Lanscaster’s money, not mine. I’m more than happy to be generous with Julian’s money on his behalf.’
’If I let you off the hook, the others will definitely follow your example and start skimming money in all sorts of ways. Tsk, tsk, Julian Lanscaster is in for some trouble.’
---
Alvin Lancaster heard that his older brother was returning from a business trip today, so he made a special trip to the airport to pick him up.
The moment he walked through the front door, he saw Mrs. Everett dragging a suitcase in and was instantly struck by a bad feeling.
"Big Bro, if Mrs. Everett wants to leave, just let her go. Can we please not press the issue of the kickbacks?"
Julian Lanscaster gave a noncommittal response and walked ahead. "Everyone, stay quiet. Let’s see what she’s really up to."
The servants at the door saw them and were about to speak, but they were stopped by Julian Lanscaster’s bodyguards.
The group entered silently, listening to the conversation in the dining room.
When he heard Jane Lancaster say she wouldn’t pursue the matter, Alvin Lancaster let out a huge sigh of relief and looked hopefully at Julian Lanscaster.
But what was with his brother’s expression? He didn’t look very happy.
Then he heard Jane Lancaster’s next two lines of inner thought, and he froze completely.
’So that’s why Julian disapproved? If they let Mrs. Everett go, the other servants would follow her example and cause more trouble for him?’
He felt conflicted. On one side was his beloved and respected older brother, and on the other was Mrs. Everett, whom he had always regarded as family.
’But then again,’ he wondered, ’what’s wrong with Mrs. Everett? My sister already said she’s dropping it, so why hasn’t she left yet?’
---
The few servants present were nearly mad with jealousy.
That was half a million! Mrs. Everett got away with it so easily. Why couldn’t something that good happen to me?
No wonder Mrs. Everett kept it all for herself. She must have been banking on the Young Miss being a pushover who wouldn’t press the issue, right?
The servants’ expressions toward Jane Lancaster immediately warmed up. On second thought, Jane hadn’t really given them a hard time while she was recuperating.
It was Mrs. Everett who had the conflict with the Young Miss. She was the one who had implied that the Young Miss’s illness had made her bitter and resentful of others’ happiness. That put everyone on edge, making them prone to overreacting.
"Young Miss, you’re just too nice."
"I can’t believe Mrs. Everett was so audacious."
"It’s so low-class. And offering to compensate the Young Miss for lost wages? As if the Young Miss would care about that little bit of money."
Mrs. Everett was about to die of anger. These people had all been on her side before. What was the meaning of this now?
But it didn’t matter. She still had a bigger ace up her sleeve.
She stared at Jane Lancaster and asked deliberately, "Aren’t you curious about where I’m going next?"
Mama Knight found this baffling. "Go wherever you want! What’s it got to do with our Young Miss!"
’Where else could she be going? The Lowell family, of course! Is she so smug because she thinks she’s getting into the Lowell household one step ahead of me?’
’No, that’s not right. Caleb Lowell wouldn’t let her go to the main Lowell residence. He’s too meticulous to just bring someone into the house so brazenly. Wouldn’t that be a slap in the face to the Lancaster family?’
’Does that mean she’s being sent to the old mansion to serve Clayton Lowell?’
Jane Lancaster’s eyes suddenly lit up. She quickly grabbed a cup, poured some tea, and personally handed it to Mrs. Everett.
"Mrs. Everett, no matter where you go, I wish you the best in achieving your heart’s desire! May you realize your life’s goals soon!"
’May you soon achieve your goal of becoming the lady of a wealthy household!’
Mrs. Everett felt that something wasn’t quite right, but the other woman’s face was all smiles, her eyes full of sincerity. It didn’t seem fake at all.
But why? Didn’t Jane Lancaster hate her guts? Could it be that she knew Young Master Lowell was backing her up, so she was trying to curry favor first?
That made sense. Jane Lancaster was already losing favor with Young Master Lowell, so of course she had to hurry up and suck up to the people he cared about.
Young Master Lowell had even said that he considered her an elder and told his subordinates to treat her with respect.
Mrs. Everett accepted Jane Lancaster’s tea with a composed air. She was in a good mood and couldn’t resist giving Jane a bit of advice.
"You should work on that temper of yours. Don’t be so aggressive, always wanting to walk all over men. A girl should be gentle, obedient, and sensible. In your condition, who knows if it will affect your fertility. You should be grateful that Young Master Lowell is still willing to have you..."
Mama Knight was dumbfounded. Did this woman really think she was all that? Now she was even lecturing the Young Miss?
"Shut up!" Mama Knight was furious!
Mrs. Everett frowned. "Melody Knight, don’t interrupt. The Young Miss has been led astray by you. She doesn’t understand how a proper wife and woman should act..."
The dining room door was thrown open with a BANG. Mrs. Everett turned in astonishment to see Julian Lanscaster striding in, his face dark.
Behind him were Alvin Lancaster and his secretarial staff.
Alvin Lancaster stared at her, shocked and disappointed. "Mrs. Everett, is this really how you treat Jay all the time?"
Mrs. Everett grew flustered. She had deliberately chosen a weekday afternoon to confront Jane Lancaster, never expecting to be caught by the two Lancaster brothers.
"Second Young Master, you’ve misunderstood me! I didn’t!"
Alvin Lancaster retorted, "Did I misunderstand? You said you did everything for your daughter. Well, did you know that your daughter recently fell ill and was hospitalized?"
It was because of his sister’s inner thoughts that he had specifically arranged for someone to look after Mrs. Everett’s daughter.
The truth was not what Mrs. Everett had claimed. She did regularly send money home, but not for her daughter’s medical treatment. It was for her younger brother’s family.
The young girl had received a heart stent as a child. As she grew older, problems like material degradation and an improper fit became more and more apparent.
In the past year, the girl had fainted several times, and the doctor said she needed surgery as soon as possible.
Mrs. Everett kept delaying, saying she couldn’t scrape together the surgery fees, yet she had bought her brother’s family a house and a car in the city.
Tears immediately welled up in Mrs. Everett’s eyes. "Second Young Master, you know everything? I’m quitting so I can go back and be with my daughter while she gets treatment!"
This was perfect. That damned girl’s illness had come at just the right time, giving her the perfect excuse.
But Jane Lancaster felt something was off.
’Something’s wrong. If Mrs. Everett’s daughter was really in trouble, that simpleton wouldn’t be this calm.’
’Is he bluffing her? When did he grow a brain?’