Chapter 290: Payment Account—Jane Lancaster

The Black-Haired Oracle’s eyes tightened. This ending had originally been determined by a vote among the residents of Aethelgard, and further deduced from the logical progression of the characters’ actions.

Its accuracy rate was as high as 80%.

Before going abroad, Sean Grant was certain to completely clear away all obstacles for his beloved.

But in his dejected state, he wouldn’t do it himself, nor would he stoop to speaking with his enemy, Jane Lancaster.

He sent Leo Grant to handle it.

Leo Grant’s task was to deliver a crushing blow in retaliation.

The first step was to shatter Jane Lancaster’s confidence, which was why, even after the Lancaster family had gone bankrupt, he still arranged for a kidnapping.

Then, he would call everyone, one by one, letting her hear with her own ears the fact that she had been abandoned by all.

The once high-and-mighty young lady of the Lancaster family would be left with no choice but to grovel at their feet like a dog, just to survive.

After that, it was even simpler. Of all the criminals Caleb Lowell’s mother had arrested, every single one who got out of prison would be notified.

’Don’t you love Caleb Lowell? Then you must be more than willing to help him erase the hatred directed at him.’

Those men originally hated Caleb Lowell to the bone, but unfortunately for them, Caleb was now a winner in life. They could never get close to him, let alone take revenge.

’Now that Caleb Lowell’s former fiancée has fallen into the mud, would you like a taste of his woman?’

Leo Grant would only need to drop a few hints, then abandon Jane Lancaster in a derelict warehouse, and evil would take root.

...

Jane Lancaster thought for a moment. ’I can always leave this world early, right? For instance, I could just kill myself first, couldn’t I?’

The Black-Haired Oracle replied, ’You can, but you have to wait for me to open a spatiotemporal rift.’

’Okay, Sys, you can do it! I believe in you!’

The Black-Haired Oracle said in a low voice, ’I won’t let something like that happen to you.’

’Mhm, I know. Thank you,’ Jane Lancaster replied, offering a few earnest words of praise.

She suddenly realized the courtyard had fallen silent. Looking up, she saw Julian Lancaster standing before her, though she hadn’t noticed when he arrived.

His expression was terrifyingly grim, as if the world were about to end in the next second.

"Jay!" He abruptly grabbed her wrist, asking through gritted teeth, "What is the meaning of this?"

Jane Lancaster frowned. "Let go!"

The butler hurried forward. "Young Master, how can you lay a hand on the Young Miss? Let’s talk this out! What if it’s all a misunderstanding?"

This close, Jane Lancaster could see Julian Lancaster’s eyes pull back from the brink of collapse as he quickly regained his composure.

Jane Lancaster quickly pulled her hand back, and the butler immediately stepped in front of her.

Before leaving, Timothy Lancaster had given explicit instructions to always put the Young Miss first. Between the Young Miss and the Young Master, he would of course choose the Young Miss.

Leo Grant watched this scene with great interest. He turned to the servant who had stepped forward and said, "You, speak."

That sentence was like opening the floodgates. Or perhaps it was Julian Lancaster’s attitude that gave everyone the courage to pick a side. In an instant, several servants stepped forward.

After all, Luna Morgan had lived with the Lancaster Family for a year or two, and the servants had all, to some extent, benefited from her kindness.

So, when they learned she was being slandered and trending for it online, they were all filled with righteous indignation.

"Miss Morgan doesn’t just help rich people. She helps poor people like us even more!"

"I’m a woman, and Miss Morgan helped me too!"

"Anyone who calls Miss Morgan a gold digger is heartless! Miss Morgan doesn’t care about money at all; she even frequently lends us money."

"Miss Morgan is just kind-hearted. To say she’s a gold digger who only cozies up to rich men is just malicious and despicable!"

"Young Miss, how can you slander Miss Morgan like this, leading netizens to cyberbully her? Doesn’t your conscience bother you at all?"

This last servant questioned Jane Lancaster with a powerful, resonant voice.

"Of course she isn’t bothered!" A few more cars drove into the courtyard, and Chloe Dave was the first to jump out.

Leo Grant smiled with satisfaction. "President Lowell, we’ve finally managed to get you here."

Jane Lancaster looked them over one by one. Not only had Caleb Lowell and Chloe Dave arrived, but also Vincent Holt, Jim Jenson, and finally, Pauline Shaw and Luna Morgan.

The grand inquisition was finally assembled. Everyone was here.

Caleb Lowell looked at Jane Lancaster with a complicated expression. Just a short while ago at school, he had vowed to protect her, but in an instant, he had changed his mind.

Pauline Shaw kept her gaze lowered, focused on supporting Luna Morgan, her face a mask of indifference.

Luna Morgan glanced worriedly at Jane Lancaster, then turned to Chloe Dave with a serious look. "Chloe, don’t spread baseless rumors."

After a pause, she looked warily at Leo Grant. "Why did you ask us all to come here? I believe in Miss Lancaster’s character. The Lucas Family was definitely not acting on her orders!"

Leo Grant countered, "You only said the Lucas Family wasn’t her doing. What about all the slander online?"

Luna Morgan hesitated for a moment before saying, "In any case, it definitely has nothing to do with her."

Leo Grant chuckled. "Is that what you think too, President Lowell?"

Caleb Lowell remained silent. The cold winter wind blew against his cheeks, but his gaze was even colder and more severe than the wind itself.

Suddenly, Luna Morgan coughed a few times. Caleb Lowell’s expression tightened, and he quickly turned his head. "Are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?"

He reached for Luna Morgan’s hand, but she glanced at Jane Lancaster and quickly dodged away.

Forgetting her foot was injured, she nearly stumbled, which made her cough even more violently.

Jane Lancaster sighed. ’On such a cold day, why does everyone insist on standing around in the courtyard, freezing in the wind?’

"Why don’t we go inside and talk?" After all, her home was a mansion, more than spacious enough to accommodate so many people.

Julian Lancaster’s gaze sharpened. "Wait!"

Leo Grant’s expression was grim. "In such a hurry to run away, Miss Lancaster?"

After a pause, he turned to Caleb Lowell. "President Lowell, you know how it is with these sensational social media incidents. The hype is so fierce because it relies on timing, on getting a version of the story out first so it sticks in people’s minds. That way, even if a clarification comes out later, no one cares."

"Right now, everyone online is calling Luna a gold digger. They’re even blaming her for the kidnapping years ago, saying she should pay for Howard Lucas’s death with her own life. Are you really not going to clear her name?"

Caleb Lowell’s lips tightened into a thin line. He finally raised his eyes to Jane Lancaster. "Jay, do you have anything to say?"

Jane Lancaster blinked. "The netizens are all spouting nonsense. Howard Lucas deserved to die. No one needs to pay for his life."

She hugged her arms. ’Seriously, aren’t they cold?’

Caleb Lowell closed his eyes in disappointment. Then he turned, and ignoring Luna Morgan’s protests, pulled her into his arms, enveloping her completely.

Jane Lancaster heard the system’s announcement.

[’BEEP. Change in character affection detected. Caleb Lowell’s affection has dropped to zero.’]

The corners of her lips involuntarily curled into a beautiful arc.

Leo Grant’s lips twitched, and he let out a gleeful laugh. He loved playing these kinds of heart-wrenching games.

He had been expecting to enjoy the look of pain on Jane Lancaster’s face, but when he turned and saw her beaming a huge smile at him, he was stunned for a moment. It was unbelievable!

’Did the shock finally break her? Has she completely lost her mind?’

His face darkened. "Since President Lowell is unwilling to speak, I’ll do it."

"First of all, we noticed that online post two days ago. We made a special effort to investigate the poster and found that the account was registered with a borrowed ID. Three days ago, the real poster received a large sum of money. The paying account—"

"—was Jane Lancaster."