CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 95: MY TURF, CAN’T I CALL THE SHOTS?

Justin Hawthorne stared at his dad for a few seconds, then nodded heavily, "Yes!"

Jason Hawthorne walked toward the bathroom without a change in expression. He still didn’t want to tell his son about his situation with Laura Quincy just yet. His elder and second brothers were eyeing him closely at the moment; he couldn’t be too careless.

Watching his dad’s back, Justin bit his finger thoughtfully, wondering just how far things had progressed between his dad and the teacher.

Hmph! If they wouldn’t tell him, he’d find a way to figure it out himself.

Laura Quincy woke up around 10 o’clock. After rolling around in bed for two minutes, she suddenly realized she was at the Hawthorne Villa.

She immediately jumped out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible, ready to wash up...

After a simple face wash and tooth brush, she went to the living room and saw Jason Hawthorne and Justin Hawthorne, the father and son duo, sitting on the sofa playing on an iPad.

It was clear one was checking stocks, while the other was playing a game.

Upon seeing Laura, Justin sweetly called, "Sister, did you sleep well?"

The child’s innocent comment made Laura blush slightly. As a tutor, she had slept in the host’s home until nearly noon...

Though the culprit was a certain cunning man, she couldn’t exactly voice her grievance...

"I accidentally overslept, sorry about that! Let’s get started now!"

"It’s okay! Dad said girls like to sleep in, and since you work hard during the week, you should take the chance to relax on the weekend."

Justin said, sounding like a little adult.

Laura awkwardly glanced at Jason. Would The Demon King actually say such a thing?

Jason remained silent with a stern face. Justin was getting bolder! He was pinning words on him that he didn’t say...

Truly, the student surpasses the master!

Laura could only manage a smile, "Justin, you’re so well-behaved."

Justin grinned happily, "Sister, after you have breakfast, we can start the lesson. Without a full belly, how will you have the energy to teach me English?"

Laura could only comply silently. The more time she spent with Justin, the more she realized he was not just the adorable and well-behaved kid he appeared to be...

In fact, he was quite like his dad, both of them were the type to be secretly cunning...

At such a young age, he already showed a maturity beyond his years...

The first thing Stella Jennings did upon waking up was call Jason Hawthorne, "Jason, shall we have lunch together?"

Without a second thought, Jason refused, "I promised to stay home with Justin today."

Stella didn’t give up, "Jason, why not take Justin to the amusement park this afternoon? He’s been wanting to go. If you’re worried about the crowd, I can call ahead to have it cleared."

She suggested ingratiatingly, just hoping to see Jason. In fact, they hadn’t been on a date alone for quite some time; whenever she called him, he always had some excuse about being busy...

She hadn’t been suspicious before.

But ever since that night when during their discussion she saw "Little Hedgehog" displayed on his phone, she became more alert and even hired a private investigator to secretly investigate, but it was all for nothing...

She couldn’t help but feel frustrated, who exactly was that mysterious "Little Hedgehog"?

If only she had pressed for the number more quickly that day...

Jason’s tone remained calm, "Justin wouldn’t like an empty amusement park, let’s not. He needs to be home studying English this weekend."

Upon hearing this, Stella quickly asked, "Have you found a suitable English tutor? Why don’t we invite them for dinner tonight?"

Jason was already somewhat impatient, "No need, you carry on with your own matters."

And then, he hung up.

Stella was infuriated by the abrupt end to the call but felt helpless. She knew that Justin had always been picky about tutors and nannies, having changed countless ones since he was little...

This English tutor probably wouldn’t last long either?

Suggesting a dinner invitation was just a polite gesture to please Jason, but he outright refused, suggesting that the tutor might only be around for a few days...

With this in mind, she called her college roommate Jane Goodwin, asking if she wanted a part-time job, thinking perhaps having her tutor Justin might also help her gather some information.

At lunchtime.

Serena Jennings dressed up flamboyantly, came down from upstairs, "Dad, Mom, sister, I’m going out on a date! I won’t be home for lunch."

Mr. Jennings, long accustomed to his youngest daughter leaving at noon and returning late at night, continued reading the newspaper without looking up, "Hmm."

Mrs. Jennings glanced at her youngest daughter with satisfaction, "Your lipstick is too red."

Serena Jennings coquettishly walked over to sit beside her mother, "Mom, this is Red Blaze. Jasper said he likes it when I wear this color."

Mrs. Jennings, unable to handle her persistence, said, "I know, so when are you two getting engaged?"

Serena glanced over at her second sister, who was playing on her phone, and said nonchalantly, "Mom, Second Sister isn’t married yet! Why are you in such a hurry to marry me off?"

Stella, who was suddenly called out, looked up at her little sister, "There’s no particular order for getting engaged. If you get married first, I’ll give you a big red envelope, or even a double one."

Serena was left speechless for a moment, "Second Sister, listen to yourself. I’m just concerned about you! You and your Third Uncle have been dating for so long. Every time I see Big Uncle, he asks me about it! It’s really awkward to answer. As a woman, sometimes you have to take the initiative, or else..."

Her words were full of insinuations, each one poking at Stella’s sore spots.

Instantly furious, she retorted, "I don’t need your pretense of kindness!"

Hearing this, Serena quickly looked at her mother with grievance, "Mom, look at Second Sister, I didn’t even say anything..."

Mrs. Jennings immediately defended her youngest daughter, "Stella, I’m not saying this to push you, but you and Jason Hawthorne should also start talking about marriage. After the new year, you’ll be 27. Your Uncle Shawcross’s daughter, who’s the same age as you, is already expecting her second child..."

Stella got irritated every time her mother nagged, as if not marrying soon would leave her as an unwanted spinster.

Since childhood, her third sister was always better at charming and winning their mother’s favor, which often left Stella feeling hurt, although she’d grown accustomed to it...

Mr. Jennings timely interjected, "Alright! Stella is a sensible and measured child! What’s wrong with being 27? She’s in her prime, and her relationship with Jason Hawthorne has been stable for years. Isn’t marriage just a matter of time? All you do is nag, nag, nag! Can’t you say something that might actually make the child happy?"

What Stella was most thankful for was that although her mother wasn’t fond of the second sister, her father was. Ever-independent, her academic achievement was the best among the three sisters, and her character most resembled her father’s, leading him to especially cultivate her, even bringing her into the Jennings Group...

Seeing her dad intervene, Serena knowingly got up, "Dad, Mom, Second Sister, I’m leaving now."

From a young age, having been clever and knowing when to quit, combined with her ability to sweet-talk, Serena won favor with Mrs. Jennings, and Mr. Jennings liked his youngest daughter too, but compared to her, he still preferred the mature and capable second daughter.

As Serena exited the house, she saw Jasper Hawthorne’s car waiting outside and got in.

Jasper glanced at her pouting face, "What’s wrong?"

Serena bit her lip, "Isn’t it just because of my Second Sister! My dad has always favored her over me!"

Jasper knew exactly what she was doing, "Did you provoke her again?"

Serena glared at her boyfriend, "She always boasts about being the most capable, but when it comes to men, she’s absolutely clueless! Everyone outside says her relationship with your Third Uncle is stable and that they’re bound to marry. Do you think that’s true?"

Jasper furrowed his brow, "I can’t say for sure, no one really understands my Third Uncle’s thoughts, but my grandfather does hope he’ll marry your Second Sister."

Serena bit her lip, contemplating, "Do you think there’s a way to sabotage their relationship?"

Jasper immediately became interested, "Sabotage it?"

A gleam flashed in Serena’s eyes, "Yeah! If their marriage plan falls through, wouldn’t that be most beneficial for us? Without the Jennings family’s support, your Third Uncle would surely be at a disadvantage, right? On the contrary, once I marry you, my Big Uncle would definitely choose to support you."

Seeing the logic in his girlfriend’s words, Jasper agreed, "So what should we do?"

Serena pursed her lips, "This needs careful planning. We just need a trigger point."

Suddenly, a name popped into Jasper’s mind, "I’ve thought of someone who might become that trigger."

Serena got excited immediately, "Who?"

"A translator from Aegis Group’s third translation team. She once went on a business trip with my Third Uncle. I think there’s an opportunity to manipulate things with her."

"A translator? Working right under my Second Sister’s nose? If she had anything going on with your Third Uncle, my Second Sister would know about it. You’re underestimating her, right?"

Feeling it was impractical, Serena didn’t believe her Second Sister, who always kept a close watch on Jason Hawthorne, would allow any woman to flirt with him under her watch.

After her reminder, Jasper also wondered if he had overthought it, questioning whether there was any affair between Laura Quincy and his Third Uncle, or if it was just his speculation all along?

"Precisely because it’s under her nose, your Second Sister is confident she hasn’t missed anything suspicious, maybe that’s where it all went wrong..."

Jasper, still not giving up, stated this, for he felt uneasy about leaving it unresolved.

Serena was half convinced by his words, "What’s the name of that translator you mentioned? I’ll check on her myself."

Jasper could only truthfully reply, "Laura Quincy."

As soon as he spoke, he felt Serena’s sharp gaze, "Laura Quincy? Isn’t that the name of your ex-girlfriend?"

Seeing Serena’s memory was spot-on, Jasper cringed a bit; she had actually memorized Laura Quincy’s name...

"Yes, it’s her. She’s now working in the third translation team at Aegis Group."

Serena narrowed her eyes, "Jasper Hawthorne, what’s your real motive? How come your ex-girlfriend is connected with your Third Uncle? If there’s even a tiny lie, I won’t forgive you!"