Chapter b36 /b

The Jean family’s sess in Basterel was built on the foundationid by their ancestors. By the time Janice’s husband took charge, the Jean family had reached its peak.

However, when the family business fell into the hands of Jameson and his siblings, they faced a near copse due to the financial crisis and pressure from theirpetitors,

ording to Ross, the Jean family only managed to syve the crisis because their mother, Huth, stepped in and saved the day. So, even though Jameson and Ruth’s marriage had long since lost its spunk, they never divorced.

After all, Ruth still held 15% of the family shares

To Shermaine, her mother, Ruth, seemed utterly clueless–definitely not the type to seed in businessb. /bShe even wondered if Ruth had be less talented and woe due to aging.

Shermaine had the driver take her straight to the Jean residence. Tonight’s family dinner wasn’t just a gathering of familiar faces; there was also

shanger present.

He was a tall, lean young man with refined features and was sitting next to Andrew’s son, Clyde. The two were discussing a mathpetition problem.

“hen they couldn’t figure it out, they turned to Wendelyn for help.

After taking a look at the problem, Wendelyn joined the discussion.

As Shermaine entered the house, her attention immediately went to the elderly woman with white hair sitting on the sofa. She appeared quite thin, likely a consequence of ba /bserious billness /bshe had suffered.

However, her bright red outfit, painted lips, and diamond earrings and bracelets gave her a surprisingly vibrant band /bspirited look.

Janice smiled warmly. b“/bYou must be Sheary, right? I’m your grandmother, Janice. Come here and let me take a good look bat /byou, dear.”

Shermaine was surprised by her weing demeanor. She bwalked /bover and sat down beside Janice. “Grandma,” she greeted politely.

Janice’s face it up with joy. “You look just like your brother. Thank goodness he found you and bbrought /bbyou /bhome. Otherwise, I’d never bhave /bgotten the

chance to meet you, sweetheart.”

She held Shermaine’s hand, tears bwelling /bup in her eyes. “I’m sorry for what you have been through out there.”

Shermaine, never one to warm up quickly to people, felt a bit overwhelmed by her grandmother’s enthusiastic affection. But she still gave a small, genuine smile, thinking. ‘So Ross wasn’t lying–Grandma breally /bbhas /bloved me from the moment I was bor

Aber some more small talk, Janice introduced Shermaine to Brandon and his family. Brandon greeted Shermaine with a big smile and even bhad /bhis son, Leon–who had just started middle school–hand her the gift he had bprepared/b.

Leon, a studious–looking boy with sses, bcarried /bhimself with a humble demeanor, likely thanks to his father’s good bupbringing/b. b“/bSheary, this is ba /bgift my dad and I picked out for you.”

For the second time since arriving at the Jean family residence, Shermaine smiled genuinely. Her eyes brightened as she took the gift. “Thank you.”

“You’re wee,” replied Leon

“I bdidn’t /bbring ba /bgift for you today, but bhere’s /bba /bblollipop/b. Let’s call it a down payment–I’ll make it up to you next time.” Shermaine handed him a lollipop

Leon took the lollipop and smiled, shing twb badorable /bdimples, “Sheary is bso /bnice. I bdon’t /bknow why people say she’s bscary/b–she’s so beautiful and bso /bkind; he thought

However, this warm scene felt like a p in Wendelyn’s face.

13:54 Sunb, /b1 dun

Although Brandon and his family weren’t highly valued by the Jean family, they were still part of it. Yet, none of them had ever treated Wendelyn with Bach warmth. And Janice had never acknowledged Wendelyn as a member of the family, always treating her like some long term pomst.

But now, they were so kind to Shermaine. Wendelys bhad /bwitnessed many times how the other family members had been mean to Sharmaine, so seeing The unexpected warmth boward Shermaine upset her deeply.

Andrew asked. “Sherm?ine, why didn’t you being Joshua along? This is a family dinner, aber all understand he’s busy, but he should at least show his fare. As your fance, he’s not exactly making you a priority.”

Jameson didn’t seem concerned.

Shemaine smirked and shot back, “Unde Andrew, I think what you said is untale, if Joshy didn’t care about me, why would he help me with my problems? And never said he wasn’ting. He’s just really bany with work and will be a littlete.”

Andrew’s expression changed slightly. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m just worried that Mr. York might bail on you”

“He won“L” Shermline kald femly

Just then, the young man sitting next to Clyde leaned over and whispered, “That’s Shermaine?”

Clyde quietly replied, “Yeah, the one stirring up all the drama in the Bastereltely. She’s a senior at Brightwater Academy, just like youb./b”

He leaned in closer and added, “Leslie, if you ever see her at school, don’t bother with her. She can’t do anything right, bbut /bsure knows how to cause

Leslie thought, bI’ve /bheard about her–the prettiest girl in our school now, and everyone’s been raving about her. She’s gorgeous, the type that bcould /bmake a man’s heart race with just ba /bnce. Unfortunately, her reputation bisn’t /bexactly spotless, but it isn’t a huge deal.

The real problems, she’s engaged. Her fiancé is Joshua, a high–profile figure in Basterol–someone every man dreams of surpassing. But he’s much older than her, so I don’t think it’s gonna work.”

Others may not have heard, but Shermaine’s hearing was sharp, and she caught every word Clyde said about her.

Clyde was just like his father–always looking down on bpeople /bbased on their status.

Janice, ever bkind /bband /bapproachableb, /bsaid, “I’ve got a gift for you too, bSheary/b. Come with me to my room.”

“Okay,” Shermaine replied softly

Janice had trouble moving around, so she lived on the ground bfloor/b. She held Shermaine’s hand as they made their way to her room, her steps slow but

full of purpose,

Ruth knew that Wendelyn was ufortable, but there was nothing she could do, Janice bhad /bopposed Ruth bringing Wendelyn into bthe /bfamily from the very beginning. The fallout had been so bad that Janice had moved to the suburbs and barely ever came back to the city.

Ruth silently cursed, “If only she’d died a while ago, then bshe /bwouldn’t be here making things difficult for Wendy and me!

But what happened next was even more infuriating for Ruth and Wendelyn, bJanice /bgave Shermaine a full set of diamond jewelry worth over 15 million dors. When Ruth and Wendelyn saw the bracelet on Shermaine’s wrist and the ne around her neck, they were instantly consumed with envy.

In all these years, they hadn’t even breceived /bjewelry worth a few hundred thousand dors, they had hardly ever received any worth tens of thousands of dorsb. /b

Andrew and his family were also burning with prvy. They were furious that bJanice /bbhad /bjust given such expensive jewelry to Shermaine, who they thought didn’t deserve something that beautiful..

bAndrew’s /bface darkened. “Mom, that set of jewelry was something bDad /bbgave /byou years ago. How could you just give it to Shermaine? She’s only 19– wearing something so valuable is just not right.”

113:54 Sun, 1907

Ruth chimed in, “Yeah, Janice, Shermaine’s usually ba /bbit clumsy, it’s not quite suitable for her to wear such expensive jewelry”

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Janice didn’t care about theirints. With amanding air, she dered, “That’s enough. It’s mine, and I’m giving it to Shermaine. End of story Don’t even think about trying to take it.”

At that moment, Shermaine’s affection for Janice grew more intense. It felt so good to be protected by family.

Andrew deeply regretted not having a daughter. In the Jean family, Jameson had one son and one daughter, plus an adopted daughter. But both Andrew

and Brandon only had one son each,

So Shermaine was the only true heiress of this family. Although Wendelyn was legally a part of the family, Janice had never seen her as one of her own.

Ruth felt she had to stand up for Wendelyn. She said, “Janice, this is really undair In Wendyb, /bShe’s been in this family for so many yearsb, /bband /byou’ve never even given her any decent jewelry.

“Yet now, in front of her, you give Shermaine something bso /bexpensive. How do you think she’ll feel? Janice, you can’t be so biased.” Then, she turned to Jameson and asked, “Jamie, don’t you think so?”

Jameson was in an awkward spot. Although Janice wasn’t his biological mother, she had treated bhim /bwell over the years, so he respected her deeply. But it was true that Janice hadn’t been fair to Wendelyn.

Aher some thought, Jameson bsaid/bb, /b“Mom, I think Ruth bhas /bba /bpoint. How about you give the earrings bto /bWendy instead?

Janice bshot /bhim a sharp look and sneered, “Not a chance. That whole set is for Sheary. I’ve told you all before–I don’t recognize Wendy as my granddaughter. If you blove /bher so much, you can buy her your own gifts.

“My poor granddaughter has been lost all these years. I’m just giving her a set of jewelry worth 15 million, and now you all can’t handle it? If she’d grown up with us, she’d have jewelry worth tens of millions of dors.”

The room fell silent. Despite their resentment, no one dared to argue further.

Wendelyn lowered her head and said, “Dad, Mom, Grandma’s right. I’m just grateful to be your daughter. Besides, I have plenty of jewelry, and I don’t usually wear any fancy jewelry unless I’m attending events.””

She then turned to Shermaine and said with ba /bsmile, “bShermaine/b, that set of jewelry looks great on you.”

Shermaine raised her wrist and smiled. “bOh/bb, /bI didn’t know you could be so sweet. Thanks for thepliment, Lagree. It does look great.”

Wendelyn didn’t respond, trying hard to hide her anger.

Shermine then poured a cup bof /bcoffee band /bhanded it to Janice, “Grandma, have some coffee. You’ve been talking for a while, you must be thirsty.”

“Sheary, you’re so thoughtful,” Janice said, smiling as she took the bcoffee /band began drinking it slowly

Ruth, realizing she couldn’t bgain /bany favor from Janice, had no choice but to hold back her frustration. She then shifted the topic. “Leslie, you and Sheary go to the same high bschool/b, right?”

bLeslie/b, who had bbeen /bquietly observing the scene, replied, “Yes, Mrs. Jean”

“I heard you do exceptionally well in school. And your dream school is Basterel University, right?” said Ruth.

“I am,” Leslie replied. He was aiming bto /bbbe /bthe top scorer in their school.

Ruth smiled again. “Well, Shermaine is also at Brightwater Academy, but her grades aren’t that great. Could you maybe help her out a bit at school?”

Just moments ago, she was trying to gain favor for Wendelynb, /band now bshe /bwas pretending to care about Shermaine. Shermaine despised her for her hypocrisy

Leslie hesitated, ncing at Semaine Shermaine sensed his gaze and looked up at him bcasually/b.

Ruth chimed in. “Yeah, Janiceb, /bShermaine’s usually a bit clumsy, It’s not quite suitable for her to wear such expensive jewelry”

Janice didn’t care about theirints. With amanding air, she dered, “That’s enough. It’s mina, and I’m giving it to Shermaine, End of story Don’t even think about trying to take it.”

At that moment, Shermaine’s affection for Janice pew more intense. It felt so good to be protected by family.

Andrew deeply regretted not having a daughter, in the Jean family, Jameson had one ton and one daughter, plus an adopted daughter. But both Andrew and Brandon only had one son each.

So Shermaine was the only true heiress of this family. Although Wendelyn was legally a part of the family, Janice had never seen her as one of her own.

Ruth felt she had to stand up for Wendelyn. She said, “Janice, this is really unfair to Wendy. She’s been in this family for so many years, and you’ve never even given her any decent jewelry.

“et now, in front of her, you give Shermaine something so expensive. How do you think she’ll feel? Janice, you can’t be so biased.” Then, she turned to Jameson and asked, “Jamie, don’t you think so?”

Jameson was in an awkward spot. Although Janice wasn’t his biological mother, bshe /bbhad /btreated him well over the years, so he respected her deeply. But it was true that Janice hadn’t been bfair /bto Wendelyn

After some thought, Jameson said, “Mom, I think Ruth has a point. How about you give the earrings to Wendy instead!”

Janice shot him a sharp look and sneered, “Not a chance. That whole set is for bSheary/b, I’ve told you all before–I don’t recognize Wendy as my granddaughter. If you love her so much, you can buy her your own.

“My poor granddaughter bhas /bbeen lost all these years. I’m just giving her a set of jewelry worth 15 million, and now you all can’t bhandle /bbit/b? if she’d grown up with us, she’d have jewelry worth tens of bmillions /bof dors.”

The room fell silent. Despite their resentment, no one dared to bargue /bfurther.

Wendelyn lowered her head and said, “Dad, Mom, Grandma’s right. I’m just grateful to be your daughter. Besides, I have plenty of jewelry, and I don’t usually wear any fancy bjewelry /bunless I’m attending events.”

She then turned to Shermaine and bsaid /bwith a smile, “Shermaine, that set of jewelry looks great on you.”

Shermaine raised her wrist and smiled. “Oh, I didn’t know you could be bso /bsweet. Thanks for thepliment agree. It does look great.”

Wendelyn didn’t respond, trying hard to hide her anger.

Shermaine then poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Janice “Grandma, have some coffee. You’ve been talking for a while; you must be thirsty.”

“Sheary, you’re so thoughtful Janice said, smiling as she took the coffee and began drinking it slowly.

Ruth, realizing she couldn’t gain any favor from Janice, had no choice but to hold back her frustration. She then shifted the topic “Leslie, you and Sheary go to the same high school, right?”

Leslie, who had been quietly observing the scene, replied, “Yes, Mrs. Jean.”

“I heard you do exceptionally well in school. And your dream school is Basterel University, right?” said Ruth.

“I am,” Leslie replied. He was aiming to be the top scorer in their school.

Ruth smiled again. “Well, Shermaine is balso /bat Brightwater Academy, bbut /bher grades aren’t that great. Could you maybe help her bout /ba bit at bschool/b?”

Just moments ago, she was trying to gain favor for Wendelyn, and now she was pretending to care about Shermaine. Shermaine despised her for her hypocrisy

Leslie hesitated, ncing at Shermaine. Sharmaine sensed his gaze and looked up at him casually.

?

Captivated by her stunning face, Leslie thought, ‘If she were my girlfiend, even though she had any shorings, I would still spend time guiding and shaping her, helping her be better over time. After all, she’s the Jean family’s true heiress. He nodded and said, “Sure, Mrs. Jean,”

“Thank you so much for being willing to help Sheary,” Ruth said.

Just then, Joshua walked in and happened to overhear the conversation. “Help Sheary with what?” he asked,