On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 167: Not Wanting Her to Be Touched by Wind and Rain
Charles Sterling’s eyes narrowed. "Tristan Sinclair wouldn’t, but Chairman Sinclair has long been resentful of playing second fiddle to a young upstart like Jasper Lockwood. As for Serena Lockwood... even though she’s the Lockwood Family’s adopted daughter, no one there seems to take her seriously. I imagine she’s resentful as well."
"Then aren’t you just a group of adults ganging up on a kid?"
"A kid?" Charles Sterling scoffed. "He’s a wolf, plain and simple. A fierce, ruthless, and rabid wolf."
"To take that position at such a young age and become the absolute head of the Lockwood Family, he must have some extraordinary tricks up his sleeve. That’s why I’m so worried about you."
Charles Sterling pulled the woman into his arms. "Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing."
After Chloe Sterling returned to The Lockwood Residence, she went to the study.
She took out the formula Charles Sterling had given her and began studying it carefully.
’In reality, I’m ninety percent confident I can solve this problem quickly, but to keep Charles Sterling from suspecting my true identity, I have to drag things out.’
Downstairs.
Jasper Lockwood returned from outside and asked the butler the moment he walked through the living room door, "Is my wife home?"
"Sir, Mrs. Lockwood returned an hour ago. She should still be in the study."
Jasper Lockwood glanced upstairs. "Understood. You may go."
Henry Chamberlain, who was standing behind him, said, "Sir, I’ll wait for you in the first-floor study."
"Mm."
Jasper Lockwood went upstairs.
Henry Chamberlain lingered, his expression growing grave.
Seeing his expression, the butler, who had been about to leave, turned back. "What’s wrong? Why that look on your face? Don’t tell me Sir Jasper and Mrs. Lockwood are fighting again, are they?"
Henry Chamberlain shot him a sideways glance. "Can’t you ever think positively?"
The butler replied, "I’d like to. The problem is, your expression doesn’t exactly scream ’good news.’"
Henry Chamberlain said no more and strode toward the first-floor study.
In the upstairs study.
Chloe Sterling was lost in thought when the study door was suddenly pushed open, followed by the entrance of a tall, masculine figure.
Hearing the movement, Chloe Sterling looked up. "You’re back."
"Yeah, I finished up, so I came back." Jasper Lockwood walked to her side, glanced at the papers on her desk, and asked, "What are you looking at?"
Chloe Sterling suddenly covered the text with her hands. ’I promised I wouldn’t leak this, so I have to keep my word. Even Jasper Lockwood can’t see it. It’s a matter of principle.’
Seeing her do this, Jasper Lockwood raised an eyebrow.
Chloe Sterling quickly explained, "This belongs to someone else. I promised I wouldn’t share it with anyone."
"Not even with me?"
"...No." Chloe Sterling stood up to face him and added, "Since I gave someone my word, I can’t break it."
Jasper Lockwood gazed at her with his deep eyes for a moment before saying, "Alright."
"Why are you back so early?" Chloe Sterling changed the subject.
"I finished my work, so I came back."
"You seem to have been very busy lately."
A flicker of something unreadable crossed Jasper Lockwood’s eyes. "A little. But I’ll get it handled soon."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Chloe Sterling asked.
Jasper Lockwood smiled. "Just being able to come home to you every day is enough."
"Jasper Lockwood..." After a moment’s thought, Chloe Sterling continued, "I know why you went to Maridia last time. You shouldn’t handle things like that personally anymore. It wastes too much of your time."
Jasper Lockwood said nonchalantly, "It was only for two or three days. It wasn’t a big deal. But who told you?"
"No one had to tell me. I can find things out on my own."
"So you investigated me?" Jasper Lockwood lifted her chin with his fingers and scoffed lightly, feigning displeasure. "So much for trusting me. You still had your doubts."
Chloe Sterling said, "No, that’s not it. It’s not that I don’t trust you."
Jasper Lockwood said, "Chloe, I told you I wouldn’t lie to you."
"Then why did you say it was for work?"
"I just wanted to confirm things before telling you, so you wouldn’t be disappointed. That doesn’t count as lying, does it?"
"It wasn’t the whole truth, either."
"Aren’t your standards a little high?"
"Just don’t do this again. You can tell me. I can go by myself, or we can go together. I’m not afraid of disappointment, I’m afraid of hearing nothing from you at all."
Jasper Lockwood released her chin and gently stroked her hair. "Alright." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
Chloe Sterling pressed her lips together and added, "I won’t investigate you again."
’In truth, she hadn’t investigated Jasper Lockwood. Jean Kensington had been worried about her and took it upon herself to look into it. But Chloe couldn’t reveal that, so she had to take the blame.’
"But if you’re dealing with something, don’t hide it from me."
Jasper Lockwood’s gaze faltered for a moment, but then he smiled again. "Okay. Go on, keep reading. I still have a few things to take care of, so I’ll head downstairs. You can come find me when you’re done."
"Didn’t you say you were finished?" Chloe Sterling blurted out. ’She had thought Jasper would stay and keep her company.’
"My outside business is done, but there are a few things here I need to address." After a pause, Jasper Lockwood added, "If you want me to stay, I can come back up in a little while."
Chloe Sterling: "...You’d better go."
Jasper Lockwood turned and left.
Staring at the formula on the desk, Chloe Sterling’s mind drifted. ’She had a nagging feeling that Jasper hadn’t been himself for the past couple of days, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. It always felt like there was something else hiding behind his smile.’
’But he refused to tell her anything, always putting on a relaxed and carefree act in her presence.’
When Jasper Lockwood walked into the first-floor study, the smile had vanished from his handsome face, replaced by a frosty chill.
Henry Chamberlain’s expression was equally grim. "Sir, should we make the first move? Just take them out...?"
After a long silence, Jasper Lockwood finally said, "Not yet."
"But they’ve already started making their move." After a moment’s hesitation, Henry Chamberlain added, "Sir, are you worried... that President Sinclair will blame you? Why not just tell him what’s going on? I’m sure he would understand."
Jasper Lockwood said coldly, "One is his biological father, and the other is his best friend. What difference would his understanding make?"
Henry Chamberlain gritted his teeth. "That old bastard is even using his own son in his schemes. He’s betting that you value your friendship with President Sinclair too much to make a move against him."
"What’s the situation with the Rivers Family? Any recent movements?" Jasper Lockwood asked.
Henry Chamberlain reported, "They’ve... been in contact with Charles Sterling recently, but we don’t know his stance yet. However, Charles Sterling came to Crestfall to find Mrs. Lockwood, so he probably won’t team up with them."
A sharp glint flashed in Jasper Lockwood’s dark eyes, and his thin lips parted slightly. "Not necessarily. If he had simply come to find the Pharmacist, Lynn Chester, he wouldn’t have tried to get close to me through others beforehand. He must have another agenda."
Henry Chamberlain’s expression shifted. "Then... I’ll immediately send someone to watch Charles Sterling."
Jasper Lockwood nodded. "Send someone sharp. Make sure they’re not discovered."
Henry Chamberlain: "Understood."
"And don’t let my wife find out about any of this."
Jasper Lockwood knew Chloe Sterling’s temperament. If she found out about all this, she would never stand idly by. He had married her to love her, to give her a home—not to let her get caught in the storm.
