Chapter 295: Why Don’t I Judge Luna Morgan Too

Julian Lanscaster turned to look at Jane Lancaster, his chest aching as if it were being torn apart.

’My Jay... could she really suffer such a terrible fate?’

Ruined reputation, abandoned by everyone—that wasn’t even the worst of it. In the end, she’d be kidnapped, gang-raped, and then run over and killed in the street.

The mere thought of it made him feel as if his world was collapsing.

’If one of them has to die, Jane Lancaster or Luna Morgan, why can’t it be Luna Morgan?’

’If there really are gods watching all this, then he would let them see the full extent of his bone-deep hatred!’

"Julian..." Luna Morgan was at a loss, her expression dimming. "That time with Alvin... it was my fault for getting him involved..."

Suppressing the fractured emotions threatening to show in his eyes, Julian Lanscaster’s tone was icy. "Why do you always have to do such inappropriate things and make others suffer the consequences?"

Caleb Lowell frowned. "Luna had fainted. She didn’t expect this to happen either..."

Julian Lanscaster: "Oh, she ’didn’t expect this to happen’!"

He turned to look at Chloe Dave. Seeing the look in his eyes, Chloe Dave felt a sudden, inexplicable fear. "What... what do you think you’re doing?"

"Didn’t you collect a mountain of dirt on Jay, preparing to judge her for every last thing?" Julian Lanscaster paused. "Why don’t I put Luna Morgan on trial, too? Let’s see how she stands on her moral high ground, playing the whore while building a monument to her chastity, feigning reluctance while taking every advantage she can get!"

He had always been a man of self-discipline and propriety, a big-brother figure among Stratton’s younger generation, an idol everyone looked up to.

But now, he wanted to tear away that veneer of etiquette and civility. A hint of madness crept in as he willingly assumed the worst, driven by the greatest possible malice.

Aethelgard.

The comments section practically exploded.

[I knew something was off with big bro! So all that time, how he acted toward Jane Lancaster was just a facade!]

[SOB SOB SOB, he’s the best big bro, I’m so moved!]

[Wait, what are you all so moved about? What about the Julian Lanscaster and Luna Morgan love story? Wasn’t he supposed to develop selfish desires because of Luna Morgan, finally getting to be a person instead of just a money-making tool for the Lancaster Family?]

[Are you kidding me? Why should Luna Morgan be put on trial? Is it wrong for her to be kind, generous, and to repay malice with virtue?]

[Yeah, but I just want to say: if you repay malice with virtue, how then do you repay virtue?]

[Luna Morgan hasn’t done anything wrong! Big bro, I like you so much, please don’t turn into a vicious villain!]

[So Luna Morgan hasn’t done anything wrong? Neither has Jane Lancaster, but she’s still being put on trial, isn’t she?]

[They’ve gone crazy, crazy! Everyone’s lost their minds!]

[What the hell is going on? Wasn’t the plot already set? Why is this development a million miles off from the script?]

...

"Julian Lanscaster, watch your mouth," Caleb Lowell said, clenching his fists.

’Playing the whore while building a monument to her chastity? Feigning reluctance? Those words were too jarring.’

Julian Lanscaster ignored him. "First off, it might look like Luna Morgan is the one being attacked today, but you all actually prepared that video. Once it blows up on the top trending lists, the only one who will be utterly destroyed will be Jay."

Luna Morgan’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you accusing me of orchestrating this myself? That’s not it, I didn’t! I’m a victim too!"

Julian Lanscaster said, "No, you’re the beneficiary."

He paused, then added, "After this incident, you’ll be beloved by many, gaining a lot of fans. You’ll also be able to be with Caleb Lowell with a clear conscience and no burden, without being labeled an ungrateful traitor, isn’t that right?"

Luna Morgan met Julian Lanscaster’s gaze, and in that instant, it felt as if she had plunged into her deepest nightmare.

She went rigid. The pain in her foot was nothing compared to the pain in her heart, and tears streamed down her face.

’Julian Lanscaster hated her? He actually hated her? But why?’

’They had clearly resolved their misunderstandings and closed the distance between them, so why did it feel like everything had reset to three years ago, as if nothing had changed at all?’

Chloe Dave couldn’t listen anymore. "That’s enough! How long have Jane Lancaster and Zion been broken up? Is he not allowed to find someone else? If you really want to talk about cheating, Jane Lancaster was already involved with Jasper Sterling before the engagement was even called off."

Jane Lancaster was shocked. ’She was involved with Jasper Sterling before calling off her engagement?’

"Which one of your eyes saw me cheating? Do you have any proof?" she asked with great interest.

Chloe Dave retorted, "Does this even need proof? Jasper Sterling has had his eye on you for ages, and you know it. Who knows if you two weren’t already carrying on in secret..."

"Shut up!" Caleb Lowell cut her off. This was just baseless slander.

’He didn’t want them to make things so ugly for each other now that they had broken up.’

Chloe Dave shut her mouth and said no more.

Julian Lanscaster threw down several photos. "But I have proof that you and Luna Morgan were living together before you called off the engagement with Jay."

The surroundings suddenly fell silent.

Luna Morgan stared at the photos, her heart nearly stopping.

’Those were from when she had nowhere else to go and was temporarily staying in Caleb Lowell’s big house.’

’But the two of them never came and went together. How could they have been photographed?’

Caleb Lowell clenched his fists in anger. "You had me followed and secretly photographed? I was just letting Luna stay in a house I don’t live in. We weren’t living together!"

But the photos showed them eating together and drinking together, making his words sound like a weak excuse.

"These photos don’t prove anything. In any case, I have a clear conscience!" Caleb Lowell said, suppressing his emotions.

"Miss Lancaster, we really didn’t betray you," Luna Morgan said through her tears. The stigma of betraying her savior was too much for her to bear.

Vincent Holt glanced at the timestamp on the photos and sneered. "I was wondering what this was all about. Why do you think Zion took Luna in? Jane Lancaster, don’t you know better than anyone? If you hadn’t sent people to harass Luna and vandalize her cousin’s shop, would she have been kicked out and left homeless? Zion was clearly trying to atone for your sins!"

The moment he finished speaking, he was met with a scoff.

Vincent Holt looked up angrily... but after seeing it was Jasper Sterling, he silently looked away.

’After all, he had just suffered a loss at the man’s hands. He couldn’t afford to offend him.’

Jasper Sterling smiled and asked Caleb Lowell, "Is he right?"

Caleb Lowell glanced at Jane Lancaster. He had disdained to explain himself, but now there was no need to hide it anymore.

"I can only say that I had no ulterior motives," he said, his face cold.

’If Jane Lancaster hadn’t been so paranoid, forcing Luna Morgan’s cousin’s shop out of business and leaving Luna homeless, he wouldn’t have taken her in out of guilt.’

’If he hadn’t taken Luna Morgan in, he never would have had the chance to get to know her, to discover her good qualities, and to realize how much he had misunderstood her.’

’It was all just a string of unlucky coincidences. No one could be blamed.’

Jasper Sterling said, "Whether you had ulterior motives is beside the point. But the one who made trouble for Luna Morgan wasn’t Jay, it was Silas Holt."

Caleb Lowell froze, unable to believe his ears. "Who did you say?"

"Impossible! My dad wouldn’t do that!" Vincent Holt denied loudly.

Jasper Sterling directly made a call. The other end picked up in less than two seconds.

Silas Holt’s eyelid had been twitching all day; he had a bad feeling something was about to happen. Sure enough, the death summons from the King of Hell had arrived.