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

Jasper Sterling sat back down on the sofa, watching her with a leisurely air.

"Aunt, this isn’t about ’asking around.’ You need to remember for me right now. Don’t leave out a single word."

He smiled, his voice as gentle as arsenic laced with honey. "If you can’t remember, then you won’t be sleeping tonight."

Lana Sterling was on the verge of tears, regretting her momentary sharp tongue.

At first, she had been furious. ’Who the hell did Jane Lancaster think she was?’

’Getting a hundred million with a single phone call? The nerve! That’s like pulling a tooth from a tiger’s mouth. Even I’ve never managed to squeeze a hundred million out of Jasper Sterling!’

’Fine, just fine. She, Lana Sterling, wasn’t a pushover. There was no way she would let that woman get away with this!’

...She just hadn’t expected to be the first one to suffer.

"Our investment project is classified as top-secret within the company. If that hundred million I invested goes down the drain, I’ll deduct it from your monthly allowance."

His tone was unhurried. "And I won’t just be deducting a hundred million. It will be over a billion—the money I should have earned."

Lana Sterling: "..."

Uncle Lynn: "Miss, this is very serious! That person is up to no good. Think about it—it’s a top-secret project. How could they possibly know about it?"

Lana Sterling wasn’t a complete fool. She knew her ability to shop ’til she dropped depended entirely on her nephew’s money-making skills, so she never touched any company documents.

The Sterling Family’s business had been booming in recent years, and as a rising tide lifts all boats, she had gradually become the center of attention at her friends’ gatherings.

But whether it was a gathering with friends or a grand banquet, she never revealed anything about Jasper Sterling. After all, there were countless people who wanted to either become her in-laws or ruin him.

If Jasper Sterling was brought down, would she still be able to live this good life?

At her friends’ gathering the other day, she had been worrying about her dreamboat’s project and how she was unable to help.

Jasper Sterling gave her eight million a month in allowance through the family fund, but she was basically broke by the end of every month. Even if she wanted to support her dreamboat, she was willing but unable.

At the time, everyone was chattering, saying that while she seemed to have a lot of allowance, she actually had no status in the Sterling Family and couldn’t even get a three-hundred-million investment.

Unlike Jane Lancaster, who could get a hundred million from Jasper Sterling just like that.

The last time Jasper Sterling gave the Woods War Family a hard time, he had used his aunt as a pretext, but he was actually helping Jane Lancaster get revenge.

In the end, an aunt wasn’t a mother. Once Jasper Sterling got married and the Sterling Family had a new matriarch, his aunt would become a nuisance and sooner or later be pushed aside.

But for her to walk all over his aunt before anything was even set in stone was just too arrogant.

"Actually, I know. Eunice Holt and the others only get a million a month at most for their allowance. They were all deliberately fanning the flames. It’s just that when you hear it so much, it’s easy to start doubting yourself, isn’t it?"

Lana Sterling looked a little embarrassed. Even when she was occasionally unhappy, she would only complain a little to Uncle Lynn. She knew how to distinguish true feelings from false ones.

It was just that she had had a lot to drink at the time, and with everyone saying the same thing... she got swept up in a moment of anger and fell for it.

Jasper Sterling looked up. "Eunice Holt?"

Lana Sterling nodded emphatically. "I was drunk, but I remember she was the first one to say it!"

"Alright, I understand." Jasper Sterling didn’t press her further.

For this matter to come from the mouth of someone from the Holt Family was very interesting indeed.

That day, Jim Jenson had been suppressing Jared Thorne’s film crew, trying to acquire the movie at a low price, only for Jane Lancaster to intercept it and give it to him instead.

At the time, Jim Jenson had put pressure on the film crew, and Jasper Sterling had specifically warned the Jenson Family not to act rashly.

The Jenson Family had been keeping a low profile lately, fading from the public eye.

However, Jasper Sterling had been keeping a close watch on the Jenson Family. He had noticed that Jim Jenson’s recent investments had all yielded good results.

The old patriarch of the Jenson Family was also gradually giving him important responsibilities in the company, clearly intending to groom him as the heir.

For Jim Jenson to be so patient, he obviously had an expert advising him from behind the scenes.

But now, it was the Holt Family making the first move. He was quite curious—how did the Holt Family find out?

The next day, an investigation file appeared on Jasper Sterling’s desk.

Jasper Sterling tossed the file to Lana Sterling. "Eunice Holt has been getting close to Jim Jenson’s older sister recently. And this project I invested in? It was originally one that Jim Jenson had his eye on. He wanted to use forty million to acquire all the shares in the movie, dragging things out until the crew had no choice but to turn to him. But I intercepted it."

Lana Sterling was stunned. Setting aside everything else, Jim Jenson’s methods were just plain disgusting.

Uncle Lynn: "Oh, my dear Miss, now do you see what others’ intentions are?"

It wasn’t that Lana Sterling didn’t understand; it was that her "princess syndrome" would flare up from time to time, allowing opportunistic people to take advantage.

Lana Sterling lowered her head. "I know I was wrong. I’m sorry."

She also saw that Jane Lancaster’s name wasn’t on the investment contract. Instead, someone named Melody Knight held a small portion of the shares, worth only about a million—an amount Lana herself would look down on.

Jane Lancaster didn’t know Jared Thorne or anyone on the film crew. To say that Jane had taken advantage of the situation was a huge stretch.

You could say this matter had nothing to do with Jane Lancaster at all. The person who instigated this had ulterior motives.

"But thank goodness this has nothing to do with Shane," Lana Sterling muttered to herself, relieved that Clayton Lowell wasn’t involved.

Uncle Lynn was shocked. ’Miss, you really are incorrigible!’

Jasper Sterling, however, didn’t say much. His aunt had done as she pleased for half her life. Perhaps because of that, she was now eager to taste the bitterness of love.

Since she wouldn’t turn back until she hit a wall, he might as well let her hit one.

---

Jane Lancaster had no idea that Jasper Sterling had quietly nipped a scheme against her in the bud.

Instead, it was Willow Summers who called again, saying she’d discovered that Lana Sterling was secretly selling off her jewelry!

Seeing that she couldn’t get the investment from Jasper Sterling and with Clayton Lowell pressing her, Lana Sterling had steeled her heart and decided to sell her own jewelry.

She was even saying that it was her own property to dispose of as she wished, and it was nobody else’s business.

"She sold off part of her jewelry collection and got 180 million."

Although that was still nearly half of the three hundred million she needed, it was still a considerable sum.

Willow Summers was utterly shocked. "Everyone in our circle is talking about it now. The Sterling Family is so rich! And Jasper Sterling really spoils his aunt, letting her get away with anything."

Willow Summers knew all too well. Some of the wealthy ladies in their circle might look glamorous, with husbands frequently gifting them jewelry, but that jewelry was a family asset. The lady of the house only had the right to wear it, not the right to sell it.

Some women from lower-class backgrounds who married into wealthy families seemed to have flown up the social ladder to become phoenixes, but in reality, they had to sign I.O.U.s just to wear jewelry to a banquet and were required to return it on time.

The wealthy ladies in their circle were green with envy. Why weren’t they born so lucky?

Jane Lancaster: "..."

She was so envious she could cry. The freedom to sell her own jewelry as she pleased...

"What channels did she use to sell her jewelry? I want to sell mine too!" Jane Lancaster asked quickly.

Willow Summers suspected she was hearing things. "You want to sell your jewelry too?"

Jane Lancaster: "Yeah, the engagement party was called off, right? The jewelry I prepared for it is useless now, so..."

"Okay, I’ll go ask around for you right away!" Willow Summers said hurriedly.