Everyone Can Hear My Thoughts, and Now They're Panicking

The driver paused before adding, "...But it looks like President Sterling took the items away with him again, untouched. Don’t tell me the Lancaster family just gave them right back to him?"

’That’s too strange. Surely Jasper Sterling isn’t short on that little bit of cash?’

Caleb Lowell got out of the car, strode past the gatehouse, and headed straight inside.

Alvin Lancaster was still in the courtyard and was surprised to see him. "Caleb, what are you doing here?"

"Did Jasper Sterling take everything with him?"

Alvin Lancaster paused, stunned. "He did... I asked him to help sell the items. Why?"

Caleb Lowell remained silent. Since the items were being sold anyway, saying anything more was pointless. It would only make him look like he was trying to take credit.

Then, it suddenly dawned on Alvin Lancaster. ’So the person my sister mentioned, the one who got ahead of himself and added his own things to the pile, was Caleb Lowell!’

"Don’t worry, all the money from the sale will go to Jay!" ’As her big brother, it’s not like I’d fight her for it.’

Caleb Lowell nodded. "That’s good."

He hesitated before asking, "Is Jay doing okay? I’d like to see her."

The words had barely left his mouth when Jane Lancaster emerged from the adjacent garden. "Did you need me for something?"

Caught completely off guard, Caleb Lowell froze. He only snapped back to reality when Jane Lancaster prompted him again.

He’d thought she wouldn’t want to see him. "I never knew you were in a gifted program for young geniuses."

"Don’t... you have anything to say to me?" Caleb Lowell’s voice was heavy with emotion.

Alvin Lancaster was speechless. ’How strange. Why is everyone suddenly looking for my sister? Do they want her to read their fortunes or something?’

Jane Lancaster thought for a moment. "I don’t believe so. I already warned you to be careful about the company you keep... Oh, have you been to the old estate lately?"

’Since you contributed a nice chunk of change, I’ll do you one more favor.’

’Sigh. Why are you so eager to be a patsy? Putting Mrs. Everett and that brainless Clayton Lowell under the same roof is a recipe for disaster.’

"I suggest you go have a look." Having said her piece, Jane Lancaster turned and entered the living room.

Caleb Lowell frowned. ’She knew I took in Mrs. Everett?’

Alvin Lancaster realized what was happening. He had tried to give Caleb a subtle warning before, but it seemed to have gone in one ear and out the other.

"I haven’t seen Uncle Shane around much lately. What’s he been up to?"

Caleb’s thoughts returned to the present. It was true; he hadn’t kept tabs on Clayton Lowell for a while now.

—

Jane Lancaster soon found out what Clayton Lowell had been up to.

He was fundraising for an investment project in the entertainment industry, one he claimed was a guaranteed moneymaker.

The idea had been inspired by Lana Sterling and her friends. After all, using his masculine wiles to coax money out of women was his forte.

Hadn’t everyone seen it? He just had to sweet-talk them a little, and the women would fall all over themselves, calling him their "dreamboat" and putting him on a pedestal.

Clayton Lowell dictated his "secrets" to his assistant, who compiled them into a manual for newly signed pretty-boy actors to study. He even commissioned a screenplay based on his life story, which he intended to produce as a film.

Jane Lancaster was completely floored. "Has he gone insane?"

Clayton Lowell had always been a bit unhinged, constantly bragging about the Lowell family’s high standing, but he’d never been stupid enough to throw money away on some ridiculous investment.

So where did this sudden burst of confidence come from, leading him to launch a project that was obviously doomed from the start?

’Does he have more money than sense?’

Willow Summers sighed on the other end of the line. "Who knows? The crazy thing is, he’s actually managed to raise a significant amount of funds."

Clayton Lowell had no shortage of female "admirers." He called them one by one, laying on the charm, and miraculously got them to open their wallets.

Jane Lancaster was speechless.

After a moment’s thought, she called Jasper Sterling.

Lana Sterling was one of Clayton Lowell’s biggest fans. In the original novel, after Jasper Sterling died, Clayton had charmed her into signing away the entire Sterling family enterprise.

She had a strong suspicion that Lana Sterling had invested in this, too.

—

The moment Jasper Sterling stepped into the living room, Lana Sterling sprang up from the sofa.

"Jasper, you’re back?" She eagerly guided her nephew to a seat on the sofa, then brought over tea and snacks.

Jasper Sterling sat down slowly, resting an elbow on the armrest and studying her. "You seem to be in a good mood, Aunt."

Seeing his calm expression, Lana Sterling figured he must be in a good mood, what with the Woods War Family’s recent misfortunes.

"Oh, Jasper, it’s like this. I’ve got a project on my hands with fantastic prospects and a very attractive rate of return... It’s about a fitness boot camp! You work out every day, you even have an eight-pack, right? Could you invest in my project?"

Jasper Sterling said, "A fitness project? That sounds like a good cause. How much funding are you looking for?"

Lana Sterling was overjoyed. "Really? I need 300 million!"

"Aunt, let’s not drive up the price of pork," Jasper Sterling said with a smile. "Do you think that pig, Clayton Lowell, is worth 300 million?"

It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. "How did you know it’s Shane’s project?"

Uncle Lynn sighed. ’Why can’t the miss ever seem to learn her lesson?’

"Wait a minute! How could you call Shane a pig? That’s horrible! Is that any way to speak to an elder? And so what if he’s a little overweight? Chubby can be cute, too!" Lana Sterling bristled. ’He’s being so disrespectful to me!’

Jasper Sterling gave her a strange look, completely baffled by her logic. "’Chubby can be cute?’"

He tossed a printed photograph onto the coffee table. "You think this is cute?"

Lana Sterling picked it up. A few seconds of looking at it was enough to offend her eyes.

She put the photo down. "You just took a deliberately unflattering picture of him. I’m not falling for it. Shane said he’s going to join the boot camp himself. He’ll lose the weight!"

’My dreamboat has been slender for most of his life. He must just be putting on weight for fun! He’s so self-disciplined, after all!’

Jasper Sterling continued, "What else did Clayton Lowell tell you? Did he say he’s been wandering his whole life and now he’s ready to get married and settle down, right?"

Lana Sterling eyed him warily. "How did you find that out? Don’t tell me you’re about to say I’m indulging in wishful thinking."

Jasper Sterling was speechless.

"Like I said, don’t drive up the price of pork." Jasper Sterling stood up. "Clayton Lowell is the one who’s delusional. He’s not nearly good enough for my beautiful aunt."

Lana Sterling muttered unhappily, "Then why won’t you give me the money?"

Uncle Lynn was shocked. ’Has the miss drunk a love potion? The young master has laid it out so clearly, yet she’s still completely hung up on Clayton Lowell.’

Jasper Sterling, on the other hand, wasn’t surprised. If his long-running assault with unflattering photos had no effect, it just meant Lana Sterling was even more hopelessly love-struck than he thought.

"Fine," he said, giving up on persuasion. "We can talk about it when Clayton Lowell loses the weight." ’You can’t teach people with words, but failure is a lesson they’ll learn in one go.’

Lana Sterling couldn’t stand it. How could he treat her like this? "Some little siren asks you for 100 million, and you wire it over after a single phone call! What makes me any different from her?!"

Jasper Sterling ignored her.

"Hmph. Don’t think I don’t know who that is. It’s Jane Lancaster, isn’t it? See if I don’t go and claw her face off!" Lana Sterling fumed.

Jasper Sterling stopped walking. He turned to look at her. "Who told you that?"

His tone was mild, and he was even smiling.

For some reason, a chill ran down Lana Sterling’s spine. "I... I don’t remember," she stammered after a moment.

When she saw Jasper Sterling raise an eyebrow, she hastily added, "I think I overheard it when I was out drinking a few days ago. Why don’t I go and try to find out more?"

Uncle Lynn was speechless.

’That’s our miss, all right,’ he thought. ’Backs down at the speed of light.’