Chapter 141: Why Don’t You Go Die With Her?
The phone was back in Jane Lancaster’s hands.
"Sweetheart, Daddy has another meeting, so I can’t chat anymore. If you’re unhappy, have your big brothers keep you company for the next few days..."
He said a few more things, only getting up to leave after his secretary had urged him for the third time.
Butler Forbes had been gradually stepping back in recent years. At the company, he now only handled light duties and didn’t need to go to the meetings.
After Timothy Lancaster left, Butler Forbes took over the video call. He looked at Jane Lancaster on the screen, his eyes filled with deep emotion.
"Miss Lancaster, please don’t be sad that your father isn’t there to accompany you. In his heart, he still adores you just as much as before."
"Though he isn’t by your side, he pays attention to every single detail concerning you."
Jane Lancaster replied, "I know, Butler Forbes."
’Happiness really is relative. Compared to me, the one who can’t even get a proper glance from his father is the one who should be heartbroken.’
She glanced at Adrian Lancaster, who had been shrouded in a gloomy aura ever since he handed her the phone.
’Who would’ve thought? A grown man like him is still a total daddy’s boy, wanting to be all clingy with Papa all day long.’
’He’s so starved for a father’s love. No wonder he’s projecting the father figure from that TV show onto his real life.’
Adrian Lancaster clenched his fists, his knuckles letting out a soft CRACK.
Alvin Lancaster lowered his head in disbelief. His cool, brilliant third brother was a daddy’s boy? Seriously?
He really couldn’t understand it. With a father as despotic and overbearing as theirs, what was there to be clingy about? Was it his old age? Or his foul temper?
On the other end of the call, Butler Forbes made sure to chat for a moment with each of the Lancaster children.
Timothy Lancaster’s personality had always been this way: self-centered, autocratic, and cold, displaying his patriarchal style for all to see.
Butler Forbes had always acted as the mediator, and consequently, he was even closer to the Lancaster children.
In fact, when the children were still young, Butler Forbes had once suggested that the family might be better off with a mistress of the house.
However, Timothy Lancaster had no intention of remarrying, dedicating himself entirely to his work. Knowing he couldn’t persuade him, Butler Forbes had no choice but to drop the matter.
Later, after Jane Lancaster’s incident, the family gradually drifted apart. Contact became increasingly rare, to the point where they might not even speak on the phone for six months or a year.
Butler Forbes sometimes worried—how could they still call themselves a family when they lived like that?
Thankfully, Miss Lancaster had woken up. Now, Mr. Lancaster finally had something on his mind besides work.
"Miss Lancaster, once this busy period is over, I’ll return to the country to visit you," Butler Forbes said with a smile.
Jane Lancaster replied, "...Alright."
’If Butler Forbes is coming back, doesn’t that mean Timothy Lancaster will be back soon, too?’
Perhaps it was because of what Butler Forbes said, but Jane Lancaster did not sleep well that night.
「The next day」
When she went downstairs early in the morning, the three Lancaster brothers were already seated at the dining table.
Julian Lancaster spoke up. "Jay, go out for a while with Alvin and Adrian. I’ll handle everything here at home."
Last night, he had already loaded a car with the gifts from the Lowell family and Caleb Lowell’s personal belongings and had it all driven to the Lowell residence.
But Caleb Lowell clearly wasn’t going to let the matter drop, so it was best for Jane Lancaster to be away for a while.
Jane Lancaster replied, "I’ll do whatever Eldest Brother says."
Alvin and Adrian Lancaster had evidently been notified in advance, as they were already packed and ready to go.
Mama Knight had packed Jane Lancaster’s luggage and already brought it downstairs. Mama Knight would be accompanying them on this trip.
They all got into the car. Just as it was driving out of the villa community, a figure suddenly rushed out from the side of the road.
"Jay!"
Jane Lancaster looked up at the person outside the window. Caleb Lowell must have been waiting here all night; he had dark circles under his eyes and looked utterly haggard.
The car fell silent for a moment.
Alvin Lancaster hesitated. "Jay, I know you don’t want to see him right now, but..."
Jane Lancaster had already lowered the car window. She turned back to him. "What were you saying?"
Alvin Lancaster: "..."
Never mind. He had read too much into it, expecting some tearful, angsty drama to unfold.
Jane Lancaster paid him no mind, turning her head back to look at Caleb Lowell.
"Are you blocking our way because you have something to say? I’ll give you ten minutes."
’Any longer won’t do. We’re running out of time.’
Caleb Lowell’s thoughts were a jumble. The agonizing night had forced him to think about so much.
"Jay," he began, his voice slightly hoarse. A thousand tangled thoughts resolved into just two words. "I’m sorry."
Jane Lancaster nodded, indicating she’d heard him. "And?"
Caleb Lowell said, "Luna Morgan really did save my life once. Back when the specialists’ prognosis was that you would very likely never wake up... that night, it was pouring rain, and in a daze, I drove my car into the river..."
"It was Luna Morgan. She had been secretly following me, and when she saw my car plunge into the river, she immediately jumped in and saved me."
I was knocked unconscious for a moment from the impact. When I came to, there was only an unfamiliar man beside me.
Luna Morgan had saved a life but left without a word.
She had actually injured the tendons in her left arm during the kidnapping. Since it wasn’t an obvious external wound, no one paid it any mind, and it never healed properly.
After she jumped into the river to save me, she didn’t receive timely medical attention, and her left arm was left practically useless.
Normally, just picking up something like a cup would cause it to tremble slightly.
It might not be especially noticeable in her daily life, but it would pose a major problem if she tried to pursue certain professional fields.
For instance, she could no longer pursue things like scientific research or playing the erhu long-term.
Her life should have been full of infinite possibilities, but it seems I’ve ruined them all.
Jane Lancaster cut in, "So, this is why you had to rush off to save her yesterday when you heard she was in danger?"
She paused, her expression cold. "But what does any of this have to do with me?"
"Instead of wasting your time explaining all this to me, you should be thinking about how you’re going to explain yourself to President Osborne of Veridian. Perhaps he’ll be interested in your little story."
"Miss Lancaster, President Lowell dropped everything and waited for you all night! It’s because you’re the one he truly values most!" Caleb’s assistant cut in, clearly dissatisfied.
She was supposed to be a model socialite; shouldn’t she be considering the bigger picture at a time like this and standing by President Lowell to face the challenges together?
How could she not only throw a tantrum but also kick him while he was down?
"That’s enough. Don’t say any more," Caleb Lowell said, a look of embarrassment on his face.
Veridian was furious, and the company’s senior shareholders were all accusing him of being foolish.
He was completely swamped, yet he had still insisted on dropping company matters to come and placate Jane Lancaster first.
"Jay, I get it. I’ll take care of the company’s affairs first, and then I will come back and apologize to you properly," Caleb Lowell said.
He maintained his composure and stepped away from the car.
The assistant’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen, hesitated, and then rejected the call.
But it immediately rang again. Caleb Lowell glanced over, saw Chloe Dave’s name, and his eyes grew cold. "Reject it."
The phone began to ring for a third time.
"Chloe Dave must have something truly urgent. I suggest you take the call," Jane Lancaster said thoughtfully.
’According to the original plot, today is the day Luna Morgan is *actually* supposed to get kidnapped...’
As their car drove off into the distance, Caleb Lowell snapped back to reality and answered the phone.
"Did something happen to Luna Morgan again? Since you’re so worried, why don’t you just go die with her?"
With that, he hung up and blocked the number.
Meanwhile, in a dimly lit warehouse, Chloe Dave, face bruised and swollen, hands tied behind his back, froze when he heard this.
On the ground beside him, Luna Morgan, who had just regained consciousness, felt her eyelashes tremble. A single tear rolled down her cheek and splashed into the dirt.