CHAPTER 158: CHAPTER 158: HOMEMADE DUMPLINGS

The atmosphere in the living room of the old Holden residence was heavy.

Mrs. Holden sat on the main sofa, clutching her phone tightly, the screen displaying Justin Holden’s Weibo statement.

Leah Sutton sat anxiously on the single sofa on the side, her hands protecting her abdomen, her head lowered.

Zoe Holden sat beside her mother, looking somewhat tense as well.

Mrs. Holden placed the phone heavily on the coffee table, making a crisp sound.

She raised her eyes and looked at Leah with a distant gaze, her voice cold and hard.

"Leah, tell me the truth now, how exactly did this child come about?"

Leah shuddered, lowered her head further, and twisted her fingers into the hem of her clothes, stammering.

"Auntie, it was just that day..."

"Enough!"

Mrs. Holden interrupted her, her eyes disappointed and knowing, "At this point, you still want to fool me? Justin would rather use this way to disgrace both the Holdens and the Suttons than admit to this marriage. Can’t you see it?"

She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger.

"You know full well where this child came from, and so do I."

Leah’s face turned pale, and she bit her lip, not daring to respond.

Zoe quickly tried to mediate: "Mom, don’t be angry. What’s most important now is the child Leah is carrying. No matter how it came about, it’s still part of the Holden bloodline, isn’t it?"

Mrs. Holden turned sharply to her daughter, her eyes sharp.

"Shut up, don’t think I don’t know you had a hand in this."

Zoe was embarrassed being exposed by her mother and fell silent, blushing.

Mrs. Holden looked at her, then at Leah’s swollen abdomen, and sighed heavily.

She rubbed her forehead wearily: "At this point, the child is innocent."

She looked at Leah again, her tone much more distant, lacking the previous warmth.

"Deliver the child safely, and the Holden family will take responsibility for raising it. We won’t let him suffer."

She paused, seeing Leah’s face drain of color, and continued, "But if Justin isn’t willing to marry you, no one can force it. You’ll have to face the consequences yourself."

With that, Mrs. Holden stood up, no longer looking at them, and went upstairs.

Leah sat dumbfounded on the sofa, tears welling in her eyes.

Zoe frowned at her, speaking softly: "Let’s go to my room."

The two walked into Zoe’s bedroom, one after the other.

As soon as the door closed, Leah’s tears fell as she grabbed Zoe’s hand.

"Zoe, what do I do? Justin is trying to completely sever ties!"

Zoe pulled her hand back, sat down at the dressing table, and spoke with relative calm.

"Why panic? The child is still inside you; that’s your biggest card."

She tidied her hair in the mirror and continued, "I know a doctor abroad with excellent prenatal care. In your current situation, staying here is awkward, so why not go to him and come back after the child is born."

Leah was stunned, instinctively resisting: "Go abroad? Alone? I don’t want to go!"

Zoe turned and looked at her.

"It’s the best solution for now. Justin’s attitude is clear. What can you gain by staying here, apart from enduring people’s looks? Better to focus on delivering the child safely."

She stood up, approached Leah, and lowered her voice.

"As long as the child is born safely and is Justin’s, when you return with the child, even without a marriage certificate, in the Holden family’s eyes, and everyone else’s, you’re still the recognized Mrs. Holden, the woman who bore the heir."

Leah’s eyes flickered, clearly swayed, but still hesitant.

"But what if, what if while I’m away, Justin gets involved with someone else..."

"He won’t."

Zoe cut her off firmly.

Leah was doubtful: "How can you be so sure?"

Zoe moved to the window, gazing outside.

"The person he cared about has long passed, that woman died five years ago. Do you think he can love anyone else?"

She turned back, her tone insightful.

"Over the years, the family introduced him to countless women, all sorts, and which one did he ever look at? Not a single one."

Zoe walked over to Leah, patting her shoulder in reassurance: "Rest assured and go, I’ll watch over things here. I won’t let any unsavory woman get close to Justin."

She remembered something, adding: "Besides, that Jean Ellison who had a kid and was ambiguously involved with him, hasn’t she gone abroad already? I heard she went to Gresten, and Justin is in the United States now. With the Atlantic between them, what could possibly happen?"

Leah thought over Zoe’s analysis and found it reasonable.

She was aware of Justin’s obsession with his ex-girlfriend.

That woman named Jean Ellison, whatever she did to have Jesse, wasn’t a threat as she and her daughter had indeed left.

Jean Ellison and Justin were perhaps nothing more than a one-night stand.

Otherwise, how could Justin not have known about Jesse?

She touched her own belly, finally making up her mind, and looked up at Zoe: "Alright, Zoe, I’ll listen to you and go abroad."

Zoe’s face showed satisfaction: "That’s right. I’ll contact them immediately and arrange for your departure as soon as possible. Remember, your only task is to deliver the child safely."

Leah nodded, her eyes regaining determination.

She caressed her belly, imagining the day she would return triumphantly to the Holden family, child in arms.

Zoe watched her, yet a subtle complexity flickered in her eyes.

Her younger brother, with thoughts as deep as the ocean, would he really do as they wished?

But now, they seemed to have no better choice.

Keeping Leah steady and having the child was the only bargaining chip they had.

On the other side, in New York.

Aunt Mason rubbed her aching knee and sighed softly.

Her old rheumatism was acting up again, making it difficult for her to walk.

"Aunt Mason, have a seat and rest, I’ll take care of the rest."

Jean Ellison, seeing her condition, quickly took the rolling pin from her hand and deftly continued rolling the dumpling wrappers.

They made two kinds of dumpling fillings today.

The pork and corn filling loved by Dylan Sawyer, and the chive and egg filling preferred by Jean herself.

"Getting old, I’m becoming useless."

Aunt Mason sat on a chair nearby, watching Jean busy at work, with a look of satisfaction in her eyes.

"That child Dylan must be working overtime again. When you’re done, could you please deliver it to him? My legs..."

Jean nodded, her hands not stopping: "Sure, Aunt Mason, I’ll take it to him when I’m done."

Once the dumplings were cooked, Jean carefully packed the pork and corn ones into a thermal lunchbox, then headed out to Dylan Sawyer’s company.

Upon arriving at the skyscraper again, Jean walked straight to the elevator.

The receptionist seemed to recognize her and nodded with a smile.

In the elevator, she encountered a few employees leaving for the day, their eyes lingering on her for a moment.

A group of fashionably dressed white female employees gathered near the pantry. Seeing Jean carrying the lunchbox towards the exclusive elevator for higher-ups, they exchanged curious glances, whispering in English:

"Look, that Asian girl is here again."

"Who is she? President Sawyer’s sister?"

"Doesn’t really look alike... Never heard President Sawyer mention a sister."

"Could she be his girlfriend? Isn’t President Sawyer always single?"

"Who knows? President Sawyer hasn’t been with the company long, his private life is very mysterious."

Jean vaguely heard some of the gossip, but kept her eyes straight, heading directly towards Dylan Sawyer’s office area.

She knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

Gently pushing it open, the office was empty.

Her eyes instinctively fell to the wall.

The place where his late wife’s photo once hung was now empty, leaving only a faint mark.

The photo had been taken down.

Just then, Dylan Sawyer’s assistant David walked up and said politely, "Miss Ellison, President Sawyer is in the adjacent lounge meeting with a guest."

"Thank you."

Jean nodded, carrying the lunchbox, and headed to the lounge next door.

The door to the lounge was slightly ajar.

Jean raised her hand to knock gently, then pushed the door open.

What she saw inside left her frozen in place.

Dylan Sawyer was sitting on a solo sofa, and opposite him, with his back to the door, sat a familiar figure in a dark suit.

Just from the silhouette, Jean recognized Justin Holden.

Justin Holden seemed to hear the noise, slightly tilting his head, his peripheral vision catching the figure at the door.

When he saw it was Jean, his fingers holding the coffee cup tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then quickly turned back, expressionless, as if he’d seen nothing.

Dylan Sawyer saw Jean and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained composure.

He stood up, walked towards her, and with fluid motion, took her wrist holding the lunchbox, with his other hand naturally taking the lunchbox.

"Why are you here?" Dylan Sawyer’s voice was gentle, his tone intimate, "Is it raining outside?"

Jean, still not fully over the shock of seeing Justin Holden, answered almost mechanically, "It’s not raining, we made dumplings at home, and I brought some for you."

She paused, then added, "It’s the pork and corn filling you like."

Dylan Sawyer glanced down at the lunchbox in his hand, then back at her, his lips curving slightly, "Thank you for the effort."

The grip on Jean’s wrist was just right, conveying an air of undeniable implication, yet not making her uncomfortable.

This posture, in the eyes of others, especially those of Justin Holden, was full of possessiveness and protectiveness.

Justin Holden remained with his back to them, holding the coffee cup, his posture unchanged, though the lines of his profile were tense.

He didn’t speak or turn back, exuding an aura of "stay away."

Feeling Jean’s slight tremor, Dylan Sawyer glanced at Justin Holden, whose presence cast a low-pressure aura.

After a brief reflection, he maintained a polite tone, and said to Justin Holden: "Lawyer Holden is here too, wouldn’t you mind joining us for some food? Just a homemade meal—dumplings we made ourselves."

His intention was merely out of courtesy, knowing Justin Holden’s character and the current delicate atmosphere, he expected a refusal.

However, Justin Holden slowly put down his coffee cup.

He turned, his gaze calmly sweeping over the lunchbox in Dylan Sawyer’s hand, finally landing on Jean’s slightly pale face, and with thin lips parted, he clearly uttered two words.

"Sure."

Dylan Sawyer’s polite smile froze for a moment.

He hadn’t expected Justin Holden to actually agree.