Chapter 210 - 208: I’m Not Afraid of Trouble, I’m Afraid of You Being Unhappy

Seeing this, Estelle and Blair both spoke up. "It’s alright, Miss Sterling. We’re not that hungry right now."

"That’s right, there’s no rush. Miss Sterling, let me give you a hand."

As she spoke, Blair was already rolling up her sleeves. Jasmine Sterling quickly said, "Oh, there’s no need. I can get it done quickly on my own. You must be tired after a long day of exams. Go rest on the sofa and have some fruit first."

With that, she hurried off to the kitchen.

Blair didn’t just stand by, however. She followed her. "Miss Sterling, I’ll help. I know how to cook."

Cecilia Sterling could tell something was off with her mother, but she didn’t press her about it. Instead, she turned to Estelle and said, "Looks like you’re the only real princess here. Go on, sit down and rest. I’m going to help too."

"Huh?" Estelle asked with a woeful look. "Wouldn’t that be rude...?"

Cecilia scoffed. "No need to be so formal in my house."

With that, she left Estelle on her own and headed back to the kitchen.

Cecilia and Blair handled washing and prepping the vegetables while Jasmine did the cooking. The kitchen was quite spacious, so the three of them didn’t feel crowded in the slightest.

You could tell at a glance that Blair cooked often. She handled the ingredients with deft efficiency, and her knife skills were incredible.

Watching her, Jasmine couldn’t help but praise, "Blair, you must cook for your parents often at home, don’t you?"

That single sentence made the other two in the kitchen freeze. Cecilia pursed her lips in awkwardness and was about to speak, but Blair beat her to it. She offered a calm smile and said, "Miss Sterling, my parents passed away a long time ago. I was raised by my Master and his wife at their martial arts school."

Jasmine Sterling was stunned into silence.

A look of slight shock crossed her face, as if she couldn’t quite process it.

Cecilia said softly, "Mom, Blair’s family situation is a bit complicated. You can learn about it later when there’s time."

Jasmine snapped out of it and quickly looked away, flustered. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry."

"It’s alright, Miss Sterling. It happened many years ago. I’m long past it." Blair showed no hint of blame, which only made Jasmine feel even more uncomfortable.

The atmosphere in the kitchen instantly grew cold. It wasn’t until a moment later, when Cecilia and Blair noticed Jasmine secretly wiping away tears, that they exchanged a shocked glance.

"Jeez, Mom, what are you doing!"

Cecilia quickly put down the string beans she was holding and stepped forward to comfort her. "Why are you crying all of a sudden?"

Jasmine, her eyes moist, waved her hand dismissively, clearly embarrassed. "I’m just getting old and sentimental. I can’t bear to hear such stories."

"Please don’t cry, Miss Sterling. Seeing you like this is making me feel bad, too." Blair was also a bit flustered. She’d told her story to many people, and while most showed her sympathy, Miss Sterling was only the second person to actually cry for her. The first had been Estelle, who had cried her eyes out.

Perhaps it was because she was a mother of three herself that she was so sensitive and empathetic about such things.

"Alright, I won’t cry. I’ll just cook." Jasmine gently nudged the two girls. "See? I told you I didn’t need help. Now go on, you two get out..."

Seeing that the ingredients were all prepped and all that was left was the cooking, Cecilia pulled Blair out of the kitchen.

Blair had rarely seen an adult cry in front of her, let alone because of her, and she was at a loss. "Cecilia, is your mom always this emotional?"

Cecilia thought for a moment and shook her head.

’Actually, my mother is a very strong and resilient woman. Just raising the three of us on her own and making sure we grew up well is something no ordinary woman could have done.’

’Thinking back, I can hardly remember her ever crying.’

’Maybe it’s just like she said. She’s just gotten more easily moved with age.’

"Anyway, if she asks about your situation later, let’s be careful what we say," Cecilia said, deciding it was best to play it safe.

’She’s already in tears just hearing that Blair’s parents died young. If she found out that Blair’s master’s wife is in a coma in the ICU, and that to make money, Blair has been fighting big, burly professional male boxers in underground matches and getting covered in injuries... Her heart would break!’

Dinner was soon on the table. Although Jasmine was preoccupied and not in high spirits, her cooking, fortunately, did not suffer.

"It smells amazing, Miss Sterling! My mouth is watering!"

"It looks delicious. Thank you for all your hard work, Miss Sterling."

Estelle and Blair both heaped on the praise, and a smile finally returned to Jasmine’s face. She urged them to go wash their hands first.

Once Blair and Estelle had gone to the washroom, Cecilia finally had a chance to pull her mother aside. "Mom, I can tell you’re unsettled. Are you hiding something from me?"

’We have to get this out in the open,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, neither of us will be able to eat this meal in peace.’

Jasmine hadn’t expected her daughter to see right through her. She hesitated, at a loss for words.

Seeing her reaction, Cecilia knew something was definitely wrong. But she didn’t get angry, simply saying to her mother in a calm, even tone, "Is it something you can’t tell me? Think about it, Mom. This is Lorcain. How long could you possibly hide anything from me here? Is it something about Veridia? Is there a problem at my aunt’s house? It can’t be about Grandma, can it?"

"No, no, it’s none of that," Jasmine quickly denied, before confessing that she had taken matters into her own hands and gone to the Jennings Group that day.

Her voice was filled with regret and self-blame as she explained, and hearing it, Cecilia’s heart only ached for her mother.

Before her mother could finish, Cecilia quickly cut her off. "Mom, stop. I thought it was something serious. It’s fine. Mr. Jennings wouldn’t get angry with you over something like this. He’s not that kind of person. Your intentions were good, how could he not see that?"

"But... but I texted him and he never replied," Jasmine said, her expression still fraught with worry.

Cecilia smiled faintly and gently put an arm around her mother’s shoulders. "You’re overthinking it. Mr. Jennings is a very busy man; it’s entirely possible he just hasn’t seen it yet."

"Are you sure it’s okay?" Jasmine looked at her daughter, still unconvinced. "I was afraid I’d only make things worse and cause trouble for you."

Cecilia let out a soft laugh. "How could this possibly be a problem? If Mr. Jennings were that easily troubled, I wouldn’t have sought him out in the first place. Relax, it’s really fine."

Hearing her daughter’s words and seeing her calm, open attitude, Jasmine finally began to relax a little.

Cecilia then gently patted her mother’s shoulder again and said earnestly, "Mom, you don’t have to walk on eggshells like this. Even if you really did cause trouble, I would never blame you. You’re my mother. You’re the most important person in the world to me—more important than any problem or trouble."

"I’m not afraid of trouble. I’m afraid of you being unhappy."

This sudden declaration of love touched a soft spot in Jasmine’s heart once more. She looked at her daughter through tear-filled eyes and nodded. "I know, I know..."