Chapter 233: He Spat Blood

In other words, Timothy Lancaster’s adoration for his daughter was real—pathologically so, to an incomprehensible degree.

Even with his three sons dead or grievously wounded, it wasn’t enough to shake his love for his daughter.

In the original storyline, even at the very end, he knew his daughter had done so many terrible things, yet he still chose to leave all his assets to her.

This is precisely why everyone loathed the villainess with a passion, for she had betrayed a good father who doted on his daughter so much.

The villainess only realized this on her deathbed. Consumed by regret and remorse, she broke down, resentful, making a pathetic scene as she cried that she didn’t want to die and wanted a do-over.

Unfortunately, her life was slipping away bit by bit. It gave her time to regret, but not a chance to act on that regret.

So why was Number 14 so certain that Timothy Lancaster would change his will?

—

Jane Lancaster thought for a moment and decided to find time to visit Luna Morgan.

As she went downstairs, she was surprised to find Julian Lancaster and Adrian Lancaster still at home.

’Aren’t those two going to work?’

She gave them a casual glance, then ignored them and started to head out.

The butler hurried over. "Miss, the car is ready."

"Where are you going?" Adrian Lancaster couldn’t help but ask, his tone accusatory.

Jane Lancaster gave him a baffled look. "Do I have to report to you every time I go out to have fun?"

’Psycho. What business is it of yours where I go?’

Adrian Lancaster sneered. "Don’t you know that our brother just..."

"Adrian!" Julian Lancaster cut him off.

Jane was about to leave when her phone suddenly rang.

"Jane, have you seen the news online?" The moment she answered, Willow Summers’s anxious voice came through.

Jane thought about it and decided a few minutes’ delay didn’t matter. She opened her phone to check the news.

She didn’t even have to look for it; the platform had already pushed the relevant topic to her feed.

#Lancaster Heir Sells Sister for Power? The Truth Behind Julian Lancaster’s Rise#

Tapping the link led to a long blog post by a clickbait account. The author started by bringing up the recent scandal involving the influencer dog, Reggie, and the phone call Julian Lancaster made during the livestream.

The blogger told everyone not to be surprised that Julian would sell out his sister in exchange for a massive bride price (the billion-dollar-plus partnership and profit-sharing promised by the Hughes Group). It wasn’t strange at all, they claimed.

This was because Julian Lancaster was a fraud of an heir. He had no real ability; he had climbed to his position by relying on his sister. He was desperate to sell her off because he was afraid she would compete with him for the role of heir.

This way, he could get a huge bride price and have a legitimate reason to kick his sister out of the family, killing multiple birds with one stone.

What followed was a detailed and richly illustrated account of how Julian Lancaster went from being an abandoned son, cast off in the countryside, to where he was today by tricking his sister every step of the way.

The post even included a scoop that Julian had recently started seeing a therapist, mocking him as an abandoned son who couldn’t shake his poor, petty mindset even after becoming the head of a multi-billion-dollar company.

The comment section below was in an uproar, with all kinds of reactions.

[Holy crap. I only became a fan of Julian Lancaster after reading his interview in a finance magazine where he said he doted on his sister.]

[The only reason I bought stock in The Lancaster Group was because both President Lancasters are known for loving their daughter/sister, right?]

[So even if you’re born into a rich family, you can still be sold off for a huge bride price.]

[Reading this whole thing just sends a chill down my spine. Is this brother even human?]

[He’s bleeding his sister dry and showing no mercy. Vicious, just absolutely vicious!]

[I’m rooting for Jane Lancaster to get her act together and take the company back!]

[Jane Lancaster has so much grit. The fact that she could bravely save someone back then shows how strong-willed she is. If she were in charge of The Lancaster Group, she’d definitely do a better job!]

[Yeah, at least she wouldn’t marry off her brother in exchange for a billion-dollar partnership deal [sarcasm].]

[The Lancaster Family is rotten to the core. Capitalists with black hearts like them need to be taught a lesson by us netizens. Everyone, let’s boycott The Lancaster Group!]

[Boycott The Lancaster Group +1. I’m a fan of Jane Lancaster, and since the company isn’t hers anymore, let it go bankrupt!]

[The weather’s turning cold. It’s time for the Lancaster family to go bankrupt. /smirk]

Some people in the comments were asking about the "bravely saving someone" incident. A helpful netizen posted a link to the news from that year, which actually caused the old story to start trending again.

Some people remembered the incident, but many others were hearing this "tea" for the first time and were completely shocked.

A "little sister" so brave and resilient—who wouldn’t love her? The comments were a flood of praise for Jane Lancaster.

Jane scanned the article quickly, then turned, her expression calm, and asked, "What happened with my brother just now?"

But Adrian fell silent.

"It was nothing." Julian Lancaster’s face showed no trace of anything unusual. He said in a gentle voice, "Weren’t you going out? Go on, don’t keep your friend waiting."

Jane replied, "I’ll be leaving then. Goodbye, Brother."

She gave Julian a sweet, obedient smile, as if nothing had happened, and turned to leave.

’Julian must hate my guts right now, right? Does he think I’m the one who paid for the trending topic?’

Julian Lancaster looked up at her retreating back. ’And aren’t you?’

After hearing her thoughts that day, he realized public opinion could turn against him and had already done some PR damage control.

He had his team squash any similar rumors or discussions as they appeared.

His people had been monitoring the situation for a while. Just when they thought it was over and let out a sigh of relief, the topic skyrocketed to the top of the trending list out of nowhere.

He would never believe that there wasn’t someone manipulating things behind the scenes.

Jane thought to herself as she walked.

’Hating me is useless. Who told you to be so stupid and fall for Jean Hughes’s cheap tricks? Isn’t it perfectly normal for someone with an agenda to exploit this?’

’I can even guess who’s behind it. The Hughes Family definitely had a hand in it. The other person is probably the main villain, Sean Grant, right?’

’Now this is going to be a good show...’

Only after she had walked out the main gate and her thoughts could no longer be heard did Julian Lancaster raise a hand to rub the bridge of his nose.

Adrian looked worried. "Brother, are you okay? Should we call a doctor right now?"

"I’m fine," Julian said, his tone indifferent.

He had just had a physical not long ago, and all his numbers were improving. Yet today, "overcome by a fit of rage and anxiety," he had coughed up blood.

It was only a small trace, but it was clearly not a good sign.

"Let’s schedule another checkup for later." Seeing his brother still looked worried, Julian amended his statement. "But the doctor did say that excessive tests aren’t good for you. Many of the procedures involve radiation, which can be more harmful than helpful."

A shadow fell over his heart. ’So, am I still going to die of cancer?’

Adrian was silent for a moment before changing the subject. "Brother, why did you suddenly decide to go to therapy?"

He wanted to confirm his suspicion. "Was it because you heard her thoughts that you made that decision?"

Julian met his gaze, instantly understanding what he meant.

Jane Lancaster might have figured out long ago that they could hear her thoughts.

If that were the case, she could be intentionally mixing truths and half-truths in her thoughts, making it difficult for them to tell them apart.

The living room instantly fell silent.