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Chester was so thoughtful that it left Giselle feeling lost. She changed into the new clothes–a loose, short- sleeved T–shirt and light–colored pants. The designs were simple, which matched her style. D
She drew the curtain and said, “I’ll transfer the money for this to you, Mr. Fordham.”
In truth, she hadn’t accepted many jobs over the years. She’d been under too much pressure because of her desire to marry Jonathan.
The Grant family wanted nothing more than for her to end things with Jonathan so Charlotte could be with him. As for the Lawson family… there were people there who didn’t like her, either. (1)
No matter what she did, she felt like someone secretly controlled her life in the shadows. They were making her run into dead ends everywhere.
Chester pulled out his phone. Then, he said, “You should save my number again.”
Giselle stiffened. Upon learning he was Jonathan’s uncle, she’d immediately blocked and deleted his number. She thought he’d have no idea, but he’d been aware of it this whole time! That meant he’d tried to text her.
She took down his number and saved it as “Mr. Fordham“.
“Remember to treat me to a meal when you’re free.” Chester tucked his phone away, a hint of happiness flashing in his eyes.
Giselle nodded.
The sky was completely dark now, and it was still raining. They took the elevator downstairs and ran into Jonathan. His coat was thrown over his arm, and his handsome face was menacing. His jaw was clenched–it was clear he didn’t want anyone near him.
When he saw Giselle and Chester, his blood boiled again. Giselle’s clothes weren’t the same as before–she’d changed into something new, and it went without saying who’d purchased them for her.
“When are you going back abroad, Uncle Chester?” he asked bluntly. He was pissed to see Giselle standing with
Chester.
“Is it any of your business?” Chester was cold toward him. He gave him a once–over and said, “Think about how you’re going to explain to your mother the fact that you ended up in the police station because of a woman.”
Just a few minutes ago, he’d texted Jean, who was busy with an experiment abroad. The broad message of his text. was that Jonathan had ended up in the police station over an irrelevant woman.
He figured Jean would hurry back once she was done with her experiment. He wasn’t going to let Giselle suffer for nothing.
Jonathan was even more pissed by Chester telling on him, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Chester looked like he wanted for nothing, but the tricks he had up his sleeve were enough to make one quake in their boots. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and his disguise was infallible.
Since Jonathan wasn’t getting anywhere with Chester, he chose to go after Giselle instead. “I’m going to see Larry now. You’re the one who made him end up in the hospital, so you’re coming with me.”
She found this ridiculous. As expected, a person’s heart could change in a heartbeat. When she’d been bullied in high school, Jonathan had played hooky to go after the culprit. He’d almost beaten them to death.
The Lawson family had grounded him for a month after that, and he’d written a long essay to show his remorse. She’d felt bad for him, but he’d comforted her with a laugh
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Chapter 8
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“Why are you crying? It’s not like I’m hurt. No one at school will dare bully you from now on, so wait for me to come back to you.”
Giselle composed herself and said, “Are you blind? Larry’s the one who started it. I was only defending myself.”
“Would he have done anything to you if you hadn’t slapped Charlotte?”
She had to hold himself back from slapping him when she heard him say such shameless words.
Chester stepped forward and shielded her behind him. He narrowed his eyes dangerously and said, “There were surveillance cameras in the room. We can always check the footage.”
“This is between me and her, Uncle Chester. It’s none of your business.” Jonathan was seething at how Chester kept defending Giselle. He glared at Chester, brimming with hostility.
“That’s enough!” Giselle stepped forward before things could escalate further. Her expression was ice cold, and she looked disgusted as she met Jonathan’s gaze. “If you think Larry’s injuries aren’t extensive enough, feel free to take me with you. I wouldn’t mind making things worse.”
She sounded so manic that a trace of surprise flashed in Jonathan’s eyes. Then, he became angrier. “Do you have to be like this, Giselle?”
“Like how?” She scoffed, her mockery clear. “Call the cops to arrest me right now if you’re not happy with me.”
She had nothing to fear, anyway. He found her unfamiliar, and the feeling was mutual.
The tension was palpable. In a fit of rage, Jonathan reached to grab Giselle’s arm. Before he could touch her, Chester grabbed his wrist. “Is this how the Lawson family raised you, Jonathan?”
Chester oozed frostiness, and his eyes glinted sharply. He tightened his grip on Jonathan’s wrist, but Jonathan didn’t back down. He sneered and said, “It’s not up to you to lecture me, Uncle Chester.”
So what if Chester was a big deal? Jonathan wasn’t exactly a pushover, either. Besides, Chester had been abroad all these years to focus on his scientific research. He wasn’t necessarily more influential in Seaworth City than Jonathan was.
Giselle felt a headache coming on. As the crowd watched, she reached for Chester’s wrist. “Don’t bother stooping to an idiot’s level, Mr. Fordham.”
He released Jonathan and allowed her to pull him away. Behind them, Jonathan snarled, “Don’t regret this, Giselle!”
Giselle only let go of Chester’s wrist once they were outside the hospital. He looked down at the spot she’d held, his gaze darkening. He smiled almost imperceptibly.
“You’ve already helped me too much, Mr. Fordham,” she said. “I can handle it from here.”
Whatever it was, Chester and Jonathan were related to each other. There was no need for them to butt heads over someone irrelevant like her.
Chester knew what she was like and nodded. He didn’t push her. Instead, he said, “Call me if you run into something you can’t handle.”
The world thought Chester was a cold–hearted, aloof man, but he sure didn’t seem like that right now.
Giselle recalled her time abroad as an exchange student. He’d been pretty warm and enthusiastic toward her then,
too.
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T
Chapter 8
4
After they got into the car, Chester texted someone. “Investigate the Barton family.”
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He locked his phone and looked at Giselle, who was leaning against the window with her uninjured shoulder. Her eyelids were drooping, her lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. The drowsiness washed over her, making her
nod off.
Chester draped a blanket over her. Her face was pale, and her brow was furrowed. Her sleep was restless.
The driver slowed down, turning a half–hour journey into close to an hour.
Giselle only slowly opened her eyes when they arrived at her condominium. Chester retracted the hand he’d stretched out to shake her awake. He said, “You’re home, Ms. Stone.”
She thanked him before heading upstairs. He didn’t immediately leave.
He looked up after replying to a message to see Giselle exit the building again. He frowned and got out of the car. Ms. Stone?”
“I’m going to the management office,” she said.
P
