Chapter 131: I Too Once Prayed to All the Gods and Buddhas
Luna Morgan’s face flushed red. She braced herself and said, "I’m sorry."
Chloe Dave and Jasper Sterling exchanged a look, then quickly lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
Uncle Lynn secretly grumbled to himself.
’Oh, yes, you love stealing Caleb Lowell’s fiancées. You *really* love it! All noble and virtuous on the outside, but a dark, creeping schemer on the inside!’
Uncle Lynn sighed. ’What a mess!’ he thought.
Those two had been leaning against the car earlier, spouting nonsense. The Young Master was already furious, but his good upbringing kept him from losing his temper.
But then they turned around and started bad-mouthing the Young Master himself!
The two of them were probably so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even notice the car hadn’t left and was just parked there the whole time.
Well, look at that. Busted, weren’t they?
His Young Master was the type to look innocent but be utterly ruthless—a real black-hearted devil. They had provoked him, so they deserved whatever bad luck came their way.
Seeing that they couldn’t answer, Jasper Sterling rephrased his question. "If I may ask, what is Miss Morgan’s current relationship with Caleb Lowell?"
Luna Morgan looked at him in confusion.
’I know this one!’ Uncle Lynn quickly answered, "As far as I know, there is no relationship. There were once rumors of a marriage alliance between Young Master Lowell and the eldest daughter of the Lynch family, but both sides clarified that it was just gossip. Young Master Lowell’s current fiancée is the eldest daughter of the Lancaster family."
Jasper Sterling asked again, "So why would I ignore the real fiancée and try to ’steal’ Miss Morgan instead?"
Luna Morgan’s face paled. ’That’s right,’ she thought. ’I have no connection to Caleb Lowell whatsoever.’
Chloe Dave wasn’t stupid. Although he believed Caleb Lowell had feelings for Luna Morgan without realizing it himself and hoped to help them resolve their misunderstandings, Caleb’s official fiancée was, in fact, Jane Lancaster.
If rumors were to spread at a time like this, it would only push Luna Morgan into an abyss from which there was no recovery.
"I’m sorry, I was just talking nonsense. President Sterling, please don’t take it seriously," he clarified hastily.
Uncle Lynn chimed in, "Just talking nonsense? You two sounded so certain, I almost thought I’d misremembered and that Young Master Lowell’s current fiancée was actually Miss Morgan here."
Chloe Dave kept his head down. "I’m truly sorry for today. I was drunk and spouting nonsense. I’ll be sure to visit with a gift to formally apologize another day."
Jasper Sterling said, "Since everything’s been clarified, an apology isn’t necessary. However, there is something *we* need to clarify."
He held out his hand toward Luna Morgan without a word.
Luna Morgan froze for a moment before placing the handkerchief in his hand. "I’m sorry, I’m willing to pay for the cleaning..."
Jasper Sterling tossed the handkerchief to Uncle Lynn. "Here’s your thing. Put it away."
Uncle Lynn caught the handkerchief and said briskly, "No need for a cleaning fee. I’ll just be deleting you as a friend now. Sorry about that, my Young Master is angry and blames me for bringing him trouble."
He took out his phone right in front of them and deleted Luna Morgan from his contacts.
As Luna Morgan watched his screen, it finally dawned on her. The contact she had just added belonged to the butler...
Jasper Sterling paused and turned back. "By the way, I heard you wrote a Peace Scripture in your own blood to pray for someone?"
Luna Morgan gave a slight nod.
"I once prayed to every god and Buddha in the heavens. I’ve also slit my wrist to write one Peace Scripture after another in my own blood."
Luna Morgan thought she understood. ’Does he feel like we have something in common? Was the person he prayed for... his mother?’
"You..."
"But I only did that to relieve my own pain, to find some inner comfort. I don’t feel the need to use it to guilt-trip someone else, to say, ’I prayed to all the gods and Buddhas for you.’ Let me ask you, did the Buddha himself appear and promise to work a miracle on your behalf?"
Uncle Lynn had so much to snark about he didn’t know where to begin. "In that case, the hospitals might as well go out of business. Everyone can just come beg you, the living Bodhisattva, to perform miracles for them."
Chloe Dave grew frantic. "Luna didn’t just write a Blood Scripture, she also..."
Jasper Sterling raised a hand, cutting him off. "She also helped someone get into university and study under a renowned teacher, is that it? Did you tell the person involved before you did all that?"
Luna Morgan fell silent.
"It seems not, then. So you self-righteously bestow favors upon people, and then you believe you’ve earned the right to lecture them. Is that what you’re saying?"
Luna Morgan’s voice trembled. "Please, don’t say any more!"
She stumbled back a few steps. In the reflection on the glass, her eyes met those of a cleaning lady, who immediately turned and hurried in the other direction.
Luna Morgan lowered her head, her eyes instantly welling with tears.
Never in her life had she faced such humiliation.
’She clearly meant well. Why did he have to assume such malicious intent?’
"I’m sorry. I was too presumptuous," she mumbled, then turned and fled.
"Luna!" Chloe Dave cried, rushing after her.
Luna Morgan stopped at the edge of the road.
"I’m so sorry, I got you into this mess," Chloe Dave said, wracked with guilt. It was all his fault for running his mouth and causing this misunderstanding.
Luna Morgan shook her head. "How could I blame you? You were only trying to help me."
Her expression was complicated. Chloe Dave was undoubtedly a good friend, not like others who only returned a favor after she had helped them first.
He was just too eager, always wanting the best for her, but perhaps a bit too prone to making assumptions.
"Please, don’t say those things ever again. Even though I know it’s not true, it makes it easy for others to think I’m expecting something in return for my help, or that I’m trying to social climb."
Seeing her turn to leave, Chloe Dave quickly asked, "Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride."
"No, it’s fine. I have to get to work." All Luna Morgan wanted right now was to be alone.
—
The black car drove past the intersection.
Uncle Lynn peered out the window. "Young Master, are they having a fight?"
Jasper Sterling glanced over, completely unconcerned. "Oh."
Uncle Lynn held it in for a moment before he couldn’t resist asking, "So, what exactly did we come here to do?"
"What do you think I came here to do?" Jasper Sterling asked, closing his laptop.
Uncle Lynn wrung his hands. "Well, since you’re asking, Young Master... I’ll just say it! I think you’re here to steal the bride!"
The driver in the front seat’s eyes went wide. "..."
"Watch the road," Jasper Sterling reminded him. The driver immediately sat up straight and focused on driving.
Now that he’d started, Uncle Lynn boldly pressed on. "Is it really okay for us to just leave? Shouldn’t we at least make an appearance? Or would it be more exciting to crash the engagement party tomorrow and steal her then?"
’Young Master, as if I don’t know you. Ever since you were a child, you’ve always schemed and plotted to get whatever you wanted.’
’Lana Sterling might have a princess’s temper, but it’s not like she can’t tolerate a child, especially one so bright and clever.’
’In fact, it was Jasper who found the other person too stupid and deliberately made them grow to loathe each other.’
A car came speeding down the opposite lane.
Uncle Lynn recognized it at once. It was Caleb Lowell’s car.
Jasper Sterling said, "There won’t be an engagement party."
"What?" Uncle Lynn instinctively turned to look back at his Young Master.
When the meaning of those words sank in, his eyes bulged like saucers.
—
After finishing his work for the day, Caleb Lowell rushed to the hotel.
The two bodyguards hadn’t dared to hide the fact that Jane Lancaster had just kicked out Vincent Holt and sent Clayton Lowell away in a huff. They reported it to him immediately.
In principle, Jane Lancaster didn’t seem to be in the wrong... but Caleb Lowell refused to believe she wasn’t just using it as an excuse to cause a scene.
Even so, Caleb Lowell had someone inform Vincent Holt that if he couldn’t conduct himself with propriety at the engagement party tomorrow, he needn’t bother coming at all.