THE FORGOTTEN HEIRESS-Chapter 217: I’m Not Falling For It.

"How dare you question my love for my sister? I Love her and would do anything for her," Jason declared with a fierceness that surprised not only him but even Shawn who was clearly testing his weak point.

"Come on, bring it on." Do you dare to deny that you can’t see her sufferings?" Shawn taunted the more.

When Jason caught the mischievous glint in Shawn’s eyes, he was more angry with himself than Shawn, as he understood that he had fallen into the trap Shawn had carefully woven for him to expose his weakness, by deliberately provoking him.

"Dang it!" he cursed as he sat back on his seat. He didn’t know Shawn was this despicable and manipulative. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

But again he wasn’t surprised. How else could he have risen to the top of the business circle in Baltimore and beyond if he wasn’t this calculative and manipulative in his dealings with others.

What surprised him more was how Shawn was able to discover his weakness towards his sister.

What he dreaded the most was any situation that would make his sister doubt his love for her. It was still a puzzle to him how Shawn got to know about it and to the extent of using it against him to force his hands.

He was sure that his love for Janice was genuine and didn’t need to prove anything to anybody, least of all the scumbug, Shawn.

There was no way he was going to fall into his trap again.

"Help us get back together and you’ll be surprised at the transformation you will see in your sweet sister. I believe you also want the best for your niece and nephew."

Jason stared at the piercing blue eyes of the man that reminded him so much of his nephew and quickly looked away.

"I’m not falling for it. If you can’t do it yourself you can as well forget about getting back with my sister," Jason declared within an air of finality.

"It’s fine then, I thought you would be able to help. I didn’t know you lacked the ability," Shawn said with an air of indifference as if Jason was the one that had something to lose if he decided not to help.

"I was even tempted to think that as the rational one, you would be able to think outside the box and guide her aright. You know her heart has been clouded by bitterness and anger, so she can’t see beyond that for the moment.

"There you go again. But I’m still not falling for it," Jason snickered at Shawn’s effort to provoke him.

A ghost of a smile appeared around Shawn’s lips. "Hey, take it easy. I can handle my own stuff. I was only pulling your legs."

Jason sneered at Shawn’s attempt to make him believe he wasn’t serious earlier. "Whatever. I think I am done with you here."

"Me too." Shawn rose up and adjusted his suit. "I’m almost late for my next appointment."

He extended his hand for a handshake which Jason reluctantly took. "I’ll be seeing you around," Shawn said and strode out of the office.

Jason kept staring at the door long after Shawn had gone.

"What a strange man. One minute he appears weak and seems to be helpless, the next minute, he is back to his domineering self."

Unfortunately this was the man his sister chose to fall in love with and the father of her two children.

"Should I help him? Na! He is a man. Let him sort himself out and prove to be worthy of my sister and her children."

How Shawn intends to get my sister’s forgiveness in two weeks is still a mystery and I can’t wait for those two weeks to elapse to see the outcome.

"That’s his business not mine," Jason said and went straight to his work for the day.

******

At Fairview Manor, Kathleen had a faint smile on her face as she watched Eleanor, giggling joyfully while playing with the energetic puppy Jason had gotten for her.

Eleanor’s face radiated pure delight and from time to time, a burst of laughter would escape her lips as the puppy, equally playful, bounced around her.

Although Eleanor took yesterday’s incident lightly and seemed not to be affected by it, she still wanted to observe and help her completely get over the experience.

So she had called the school to ask for a day’s leave for the two children which was readily approved.

She had also taken the day off from her busy schedules to accompany the children in whatever they wanted to do, especially Eleanor.

Approaching Eleanor with a glass of pineapple juice, Kathleen sat beside her on the rugged carpet.

Upon seeing her mother, Eleanor’s eyes lit up and the puppy, who had gone to fetch the ball Eleanor threw, scurried over, happily joining them.

"Thank you mummy," Eleanor said as she collected the juice her mother handed to her.

"You two seem to be having a lot of fun together," Kathleen remarked as she gently stroked the puppy’s fur, casting a fond gaze toward Eleanor.

Eleanor nodded emphatically, her eyes still sparkling from the play. "Yes, Mom! He’s the best! We played hide-and-seek earlier too."

"That’s good to know, sweetheart." Kathleen’s expression softened, and she took Eleanor’s free hand in hers. "Sweetheart, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

Hearing about yesterday, Eleanor’s smile faltered slightly as she recalled the events of the previous day. "Yes, Mom. I was a bit scared at the time but then, the special guest jumped into the pool to save me. But I’m okay now," she replied with a reassuring smile.

Maybe it was because the person that rescued her was their father, whom she had always longed for; it appeared the incident did not cast a shadow over her. But Kathleen was still concerned.

Even if she had pretended not to have cared when she heard what happened to Eleanor from Jason last night, she was still shaken when she thought of what might have happened if she hadn’t gotten help on time.