CHAPTER 10: CHAPTER 10: I SUSPECT THIRD UNCLE HAS A CRUSH ON YOU

What are you afraid of?

Of course, afraid of his Grim Reaper-like uncle stealing his woman.

Caleb Yates knows very well that if Jack Yates insists on competing with him, he has no chance of winning.

"Uncle, I want to take Renee to Nordland." He cautiously started the conversation.

Jack Yates lowered his gaze: "As you wish."

Caleb Yates breathed a sigh of relief, happily left the study, and headed to the garden at the back of the small building.

Renee Winslow saw Caleb Yates grinning brightly, and she quickly got up to greet him: "Caleb Yates, what did your uncle want to talk to you about?"

Caleb Yates smiled and held her hand: "Nothing much, my bar ran into some issues, Uncle asked me to go over and talk about it."

Renee Winslow didn’t ask about the bar’s issues, as it was irrelevant to her; she just wanted to leave there quickly.

"Caleb Yates, could you take me back to school, please? I really don’t want to stay at your house; facing your family, I feel very uncomfortable and restrained."

Caleb Yates pulled her to sit down, and said with a smile: "Instead of staying home, I’ll take you to Nordland for a trip."

Renee Winslow exclaimed in surprise: "What? Going to Nordland?"

Caleb Yates: "The summer vacation is long, the weather is hot, it’s perfect to visit Nordland towns to escape the heat."

Renee Winslow reacted like a cat whose tail was stepped on, almost screaming: "No, I don’t want to go!"

She had been holding on all day, but now she couldn’t anymore. Her eyes turned red, and tears welled up.

"Caleb Yates." Her voice was choked with emotion, "Please don’t make things difficult for me, alright?"

Caleb Yates was startled by her reaction, hurriedly embraced her and gently patted her back: "Okay, okay, we won’t go, don’t cry."

Renee Winslow sniffed, her hand countering his shoulder as she was about to push him away, when she looked up and saw Jack Yates’ cold and ruthless face through the second-floor window.

Jack Yates was sitting by the window, looking at her.

It was terrifying!

Renee Winslow was so scared that her heart almost stopped!

She hurriedly lowered her eyes and buried her face in Caleb Yates’ shoulder.

Caleb Yates felt Renee Winslow’s initiative, and his heart leaped with joy. Holding her shoulders, he stepped back, excitedly saying: "Renee, have you already started to li..."

His words were interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

Renee Winslow glanced at the second-floor window, where Jack Yates was no longer seated. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and took the opportunity to push Caleb Yates away.

Caleb Yates didn’t dwell on it, as he needed to take the call.

"Hello, Uncle, what’s up?"

Renee Winslow shuddered at hearing Caleb Yates call him "Uncle".

Now she had developed a stress response towards Jack Yates; even hearing others call him made her tremble involuntarily.

Caleb Yates: "Okay, we’ll come right over."

Renee Winslow leaned against the corridor’s pillar, her eyes carrying traces of tears, the corner of her eyes faintly red like peach blossoms.

Caleb Yates hung up the call, turned around, and saw her delicate, tender appearance. His Adam’s apple moved hastily, and involuntarily, his voice softened: "Baby, what’s wrong?"

Renee Winslow snapped back to reality, her teary eyes looked at him: "Caleb Yates, I want to go home."

Caleb Yates squatted in front of her: "Alright, I’ll book the flight for you right away, but promise me you’ll still be my real girlfriend when you come back from vacation, okay?"

Renee Winslow nodded through her tears: "Okay."

Caleb Yates tenderly wiped her eyes: "Does being with me make you feel this bad?"

Renee Winslow: "No, it’s my issue, I lack a sense of security."

Caleb Yates hugged her with a smile: "Silly girl, I’ve been pursuing you for a year. I haven’t been with anyone during this year, always waiting for you."

Renee Winslow didn’t want to continue the conversation on this topic, and she pushed him away: "Isn’t your uncle looking for you for something? You should go."

Caleb Yates leaned close to her face, asking with a cheeky smile: "What do you think of my uncle?"

Renee Winslow’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly replied: "What do I think? He’s your uncle; not mine. How would I know what kind of person he is?"

Caleb Yates pulled her up from the bench: "Let’s go, Uncle has called us for dinner."

Renee Winslow followed Caleb Yates into the house and immediately saw Jack Yates sitting in a wheelchair by the window.

The man turned his face to look out the window, the evening sunset shining through the glass, casting sharpened shadows on his features.

"Uncle." Caleb Yates came to his side to hold the wheelchair.

Jack Yates turned his face, not sparing a glance toward Renee Winslow, as if she was invisible, moving his wheelchair toward the dining room.

Renee Winslow sat at the table, still positioned as she was in the morning, with Caleb Yates on her left and Jack Yates across.

Jack Yates was colder than before, akin to an ice sculpture.

After dinner, Jack Yates didn’t return to the study or his bedroom to rest, but moved his wheelchair to the French window, looking outside with an indifferent expression.

Renee Winslow quietly sat on the sofa, Caleb Yates sat beside her.

Jack Yates said nothing, and Caleb Yates dared not leave.

After a while, Caleb Yates awkwardly began: "Uncle, are you bored, want me to play chess with you?"

Jack Yates: "Your chess skills are poor."

Caleb Yates embarrassingly touched his nose and secretly looked at Renee Winslow, who had rolled her eyes at the back of his uncle.

Stifling laughter, he asked: "Perhaps Renee and I should play cards with you instead?"

As soon as he said it, Caleb Yates regretted it, feeling childish, knowing his uncle would likely refuse, and maybe mock him. Yet, Jack Yates unexpectedly turned: "Okay."

Caleb Yates: "..."

Renee Winslow: "..."

Caleb Yates fully grasped the lesson of self-sabotage. Since the words were spoken, he couldn’t take them back.

Furthermore, he needed his uncle’s help with the bar issues, so he dared not annoy this Grim Reaper.

So he asked with a smile: "Where would uncle prefer to play, the game room or the living room?"

Jack Yates: "In the living room."

Caleb Yates stood up and moved the round high table to the French window, bringing over two chairs.

Jack Yates sat in the wheelchair, Caleb Yates and Renee Winslow each took a chair, positioned like at meal times, with Renee Winslow beside Caleb Yates and facing Jack Yates.

Caleb Yates shuffled and dealt the cards, asking afterward: "Uncle, would you like to play for money or stick notes to faces?"

Renee Winslow secretly glanced at Jack Yates, meeting his fierce eyes that made her heart tremble, and she quickly lowered her gaze.

Jack Yates: "Play for money."

Renee Winslow said nothing, quickly kicked Caleb Yates.

Caleb Yates chuckled and embraced her shoulder: "Baby, don’t be upset. If I lose, it’s on me; if I win, it’s yours."

Renee Winslow remained silent, focusing seriously on organizing the cards, but it was unclear whether it was due to nervousness or her hands being too small; she couldn’t hold the cards steadily, and they all fell onto the table before she finished sorting them.

Caleb Yates laughed heartily and reached out to pick them up for her.

Renee Winslow blushed a deep red, and after organizing them asked, "Who’s the landlord?"

Caleb Yates laughed again, "You are. Do you want to be the landlord?"

Renee Winslow: "I don’t want to."

Since she didn’t want to be the landlord, it was Jack Yates’s turn according to the order.

She quietly glanced at Jack Yates, but saw his expression was indifferent, without saying anything, he directly picked up the three landlord cards from the table.

Caleb Yates lounged against her shoulder, "Let’s team up against Uncle Jack. We’re sure to win."

After the first round, Jack Yates won.

The second round, Caleb Yates was the landlord, and just as he was about to say he didn’t want it, Jack Yates raised an eyebrow and coldly said, "If you dare push this onto me, you’ll have to sort out the bar issue yourself!"

Caleb Yates picked up the cards, grinning cheekily, "Uncle Jack, come on now, are you really in need of that little bit of money from me?"

Jack Yates didn’t respond, not even bothering to sort his cards, his indifferent expression leaning back against the chair, presenting a cool and detached demeanor.

Renee Winslow earnestly sorted her cards, and after finishing, she gripped them tightly with both hands for fear of them falling on the table again.

The second round ended with Caleb Yates losing, while Renee Winslow and Jack Yates won. To be precise, it was Jack Yates who won, since Renee Winslow barely got to play any of her cards.

Caleb Yates spread the cards on the table, "Where’s the Joker? How come the Joker didn’t come out?"

Renee Winslow spread out her remaining cards, "The Joker is in my hand."

The Lesser Joker was in Jack Yates’s hand; Caleb Yates played a two, Jack Yates played the Lesser Joker, and since she was on the same team as Jack Yates, she couldn’t play the Joker against Jack Yates.

Caleb Yates was stunned, "You held onto three twos and a Joker, and didn’t play a single card?"

Renee Winslow pursed her lips; was it that she didn’t want to play? She simply had no chance to do so.

The third round came, and it was Renee Winslow’s turn to be the landlord; this time she didn’t dare refuse, and quickly grabbed the landlord cards.

Caleb Yates reassured her, "Don’t worry, darling. If you lose, I’ll still pay for you."

However, this round, Renee Winslow won, while both Jack Yates and Caleb Yates lost.

Caleb Yates: "Uncle Jack, were you losing on purpose?"

Jack Yates tossed his cards onto the table, his gaze sharp as he looked at Caleb Yates, "Do you want to spend a few days in detention?"

Caleb Yates closed his mouth, not daring to say more.

Afterward, in each round, either Jack Yates won alone, Jack Yates and Renee Winslow won together, or Renee Winslow won alone.

Caleb Yates either lost alone, lost with Renee Winslow, or lost with Jack Yates; no matter whether he was the landlord or not, he lost.

After finishing the game, the two left Jack Yates’s courtyard; under the old locust tree, Caleb Yates suddenly stopped and smiled at Renee Winslow, "I feel like Uncle Jack might have that kind of interest in you?"

Renee Winslow’s eyelid twitched, pretending not to understand, "What interest?"

Caleb Yates lowered his head, bringing his face closer, "I feel that my Uncle Jack is interested in you."

Renee Winslow’s heart skipped fiercely, "Don’t say such nonsense."

Caleb Yates tugged at his lips, raised his hand to stroke her face, "You’re so timid, afraid even of me, how could you dare provoke my Uncle Jack?"

Renee Winslow angrily slapped his hand away, "Who provoked him? If it weren’t for you insisting on bringing me home, I wouldn’t even know if your Uncle Jack was round or flat, and yet you’re blaming me!"

Caleb Yates leaned one hand against the locust tree branch, grinning mischievously as he encircled her, teasingly saying, "Don’t be mad, darling. I’m not blaming you; I’m just reminding you."

Renee Winslow: "I don’t need your reminders. If you really care for me, send me back to school now."

Caleb Yates curled his lips into a carefree smile, "The school has long since closed. If you leave now, you’d have to stay at a hotel."

As he spoke, he lowered his head, gradually bringing it close to Renee Winslow’s face.

Renee Winslow pushed against his shoulder, retreating backward, but Caleb Yates held her waist tightly, pressing down forcefully.

Just as he was about to kiss Renee Winslow’s face, the ringtone of a phone rang out again.

Renee Winslow seized the opportunity to push him away, "Your phone, it’s ringing."

"Damn, who the hell is..." Caleb Yates’s swearing was cut short upon seeing the caller ID, and he quickly changed his tone to one of respect, "Hello Uncle Jack, what’s up?"

"Salary?"

"Alright, I’ll give it to her."

"Got it, I’ll tell her."

After hanging up the phone, Caleb Yates looked at Renee Winslow with a complex expression, "My Uncle Jack wants you to go and collect your salary from him."

Renee Winslow: "What salary?"

Caleb Yates: "For taking care of his cat."

Renee Winslow, anxious and uneasy, went to Jack Yates’s study. Jack Yates wasn’t there; a stack of printed papers was on the desk, and the window was half-open, allowing the wind to blow in, scattering the papers all over the floor. Renee Winslow bent down to pick them up, but halfway through, Jack Yates came sliding out in his wheelchair from the restroom.

"Mr. Yates, what did you need from me?" Renee Winslow placed the organized papers back on the desk, kindly picking up a book to press them down.

Jack Yates moved his wheelchair to the desk, his slender fingers tapping on the pressed papers, and said coldly, "So this is Miss Winslow’s purpose for approaching Caleb."

Renee Winslow was bewildered, "What do you mean?"

Jack Yates sneered, "Peeking at my company’s research project plan."

Renee Winslow: "..."

She was both angry and aggrieved, glaring at Jack Yates and loudly defending herself, "I didn’t look. I was just helping you pick them up; I don’t even know what’s written on them!"

Jack Yates raised an eyebrow, "I only trust my own eyes."

Renee Winslow could no longer conceal her anger towards him and shouted, "Jack Yates, what exactly do you want?"

Jack Yates curled his mouth into a faint smile, "I have a contract here; if Miss Winslow signs her name on it, I will pretend the spying incident never happened."

While speaking, he produced a thin sheet of paper and handed it to Renee Winslow.

Renee Winslow snatched it eagerly, "Fine, I’ll sign it. I understand Mr. Yates doesn’t want me and Caleb Yates to be together. You suspect I have ulterior motives in approaching Caleb Yates, hence you say these odd things and perform these bizarre actions to make me give up. Why not state it directly? Why resort to such tortuous and ludicrous measures!"

After rambling on, she lowered her head to look at the contract, and upon finishing, she raised her head, stunned at Jack Yates.

The contract was simple, with only two demands.

First: That she would care for him for two months during the holiday.

Second: Apart from sleeping, she must accompany him at all times, including but not limited to work, social events, and banquets.

Renee Winslow was dumbfounded and only regained her senses after a long pause, "You want me to care for you for two months? And to always be with you? Even when you go to work, I must accompany you? Even when you engage in social activities, I must be there?"

Jack Yates tugged at his collar with one hand, lifting his chin, and pointed at the contract, "Miss Winslow can choose not to agree, in which case, we would have to meet in court."

Renee Winslow fiercely gripped the thin sheet of paper, gritting her teeth, "I wish to know why?"

Jack Yates tilted his head back, his prominent Adam’s apple moving, undoing two shirt buttons with one hand, and beckoned her, "Come here."

Renee Winslow walked to Jack Yates’s side, and Jack Yates immediately pulled her into his arms, his well-defined fingers brushing over her trembling shoulders, his large hand gripping her slender wrist, guiding her hand onto his leg, lips brushing past her ear, lingering on her face, and finally reaching her lip corner, his voice husky, "Understand?"