CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: EXPLICIT INDICATION

Julian Hawthorne felt a bit awkward, "I got hit by a car."

"Hmm? Are you hurt?"

Julian raised his hand, showing a small scratch on the back of it.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "The doctor said it might have affected my brain."

"Then why are you wrapped in bandages all over?"

"Simon Hawthorne wrapped me up.

He answered like a little schoolboy.

And a schoolboy who sold out his brother!

Betrayed Simon Hawthorne, filled with grief and anger, decided he would no longer care about his big brother and stormed out of the hospital in fury.

In the ward, Paige Sterling continued, "Did the doctor say you need to stay for observation?"

Julian nodded, and Paige said again, "Alright, then stay here for now. I’m going back to sleep."

She stood up, turned around, but Julian reached out and tugged on her hem.

Paige raised an eyebrow, asking, "What’s wrong?"

Julian said, "I feel a bit dizzy, and my brother won’t take care of me..."

Really so pitiful.

Paige patted Julian on the shoulder.

Julian looked puzzled.

Paige said, "If you don’t move over a bit, where am I supposed to sleep?"

Mr. Hawthorne was somewhat dumbfounded, shifted over a bit, and then watched in further befuddlement as Paige climbed up, pulled up the blanket, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.

Julian Hawthorne, "..."

Did she not shy away from other men at all?

This question plagued Julian Hawthorne to the point where he didn’t sleep all night.

The next day Julian underwent a few tests and was discharged.

With two dark circles under his eyes, he returned home with Paige, who this time tossed him a box of face masks.

"This is a gift from me; you keep it for now, and I’ll give you a box for men later."

Julian accepted it in silence.

Eye masks and face masks again, he couldn’t help but wonder if Paige thought his skin looked bad and old.

Back in his room, Julian felt like handling nothing, lying on the bed with a face mask on.

Simon called via video to check on how things were going, and seeing Julian using a face mask, his worldview refreshed once more.

"Big brother, that face mask is from Paige Sterling, isn’t it?"

Julian, masking his face, said nothing, while Simon rambled on, "Where does Paige get these things? They’re pretty effective. I took the box of eye masks from your drawer, and they worked great."

Julian, "... give them back!"

"Why are you being so stingy, bro? If you run out, just ask sis-in-law for more."

Even through the mask, Simon could sense how upset Julian looked and hurriedly ended the call.

Meanwhile, in the Sterling Family, Yvette Hughes was anxious because Paige had offended Mrs. Wright, and she called Mrs. Wright first thing in the morning.

Yvette’s behavior evidently gave Mrs. Wright a sense of superiority.

She coldly said, "I’m telling you, your stepdaughter was rude to me first. If she wants my forgiveness, she must come in person to apologize!"

Yvette dared not have Paige go and apologize to Mrs. Wright.

She thought this matter should be told to Jared Sullivan, as Paige truly overstepped this time. How could she hit a guest?

Thinking she was doing what’s best for Paige, Yvette mentioned it to Jared over breakfast.

Jared only learned about what happened last night, and his expression immediately darkened.

Yvette thought Jared also believed Paige was out of line and said, "You should talk to Paige and have her apologize to the Wright Family. Otherwise, if this spreads, it won’t be good for her reputation."

Jared looked at Yvette for a long time, making her feel inexplicably uneasy and begin to fret.

However, Jared did not say anything to her and directly called over Nanny Sutton.

"Nanny Sutton, what happened last night?"

Yvette’s eyes widened. Why did Jared still want to ask Nanny Sutton? Did this mean he didn’t trust her?

"Sir, it had nothing to do with Miss Paige. She was polite and greeted them; she just had a cold expression. But hasn’t Miss Paige always been this way? That Mrs. Wright just focused on this and badmouthed her. Before leaving, she even threatened to let everyone know that our Miss has a past and make it impossible for her to get married..."

These words were spoken by Mrs. Wright as she exited the Sterling Family’s door, and it made Nanny Sutton so angry that she wanted to give her a slap.

Jared’s gaze fell back on Yvette.

"If that’s the case, why are you asking Beau to go apologize?"

Yvette found herself at a loss for words when faced with Jared’s expression.

Jared sneered.

"How dare the Wright Family come and bully my daughter, and they expect her to apologize? If they have such gall, are you offering up the Sterling Family’s face for others to tread on?"

Yvette spoke weakly, "I’m just afraid this would damage Paige’s reputation, and if she doesn’t marry in the future..."

"If anyone wants to marry Beau, I wouldn’t consider an ill-mannered family like theirs. Do you think they could influence my daughter’s marriage prospects? They’re really self-important!"

Jared was so angry he couldn’t finish his breakfast and left the house.

Enduring such grievances within his own home, while his daughter hadn’t said a word to him, Jared couldn’t help but wonder if he had disappointed her.

Jared instructed the secretary to investigate, only to find the circle was rife with rumors about his daughter. From her being unclean as a celebrity to using drugs and getting into trouble...

The rumors couldn’t be more unsavory.

Moreover, these rumors started spreading only after Paige withdrew from the entertainment industry.

It seemed there were certain people that needed to be dealt with.

...

The Wright Family recently undertook a big project, but due to limited connections, even if they managed to secure it, making significant profits seemed unlikely.

At this time, President Wright naturally thought of Jared Sullivan.

If he could bring Jared Sullivan on board, although the Sterling Family would get a share, with Jared’s connections and financial power, making a large profit would not be difficult.

After much negotiation, Jared finally agreed, and a contract was even signed.

However, today President Wright suddenly received a call from Jared’s secretary saying that the Sterling Family was withdrawing their investment.

Knowing that they’d signed a contract, the withdrawal means a breach, not only incurring a penalty, but if this got out, it would also harm Jared’s reputation.

Yet, Jared was resolute in not collaborating with the Wright Family.

President Wright was utterly bewildered. He hadn’t offended Jared, so why was Jared doing something so harmful to both sides?

In a hurry, President Wright called Jared, but Jared never answered.

Having no other option, President Wright urgently contacted Jared’s secretary, trying to discreetly find out what was going on.

"Secretary Shaw, what exactly is President Sterling thinking? Weren’t we moving forward with this project? This sudden withdrawal, VastReach won’t be affected much given its size, but our Wright Family is just a small operation. I’ve invested all the money, which I now can’t recover, and our business is about to be ruined. What did I do to offend President Sterling? Please give me some insight."