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

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: I Won’t Be Able to Resist Cheating on Caleb Lowell

Not everyone was fortunate enough to be the center of their own universe, like she was.

Perhaps because she had so much, she could be not only unsympathetic, but downright cold-blooded at times.

Last night, Mrs. Everett had revealed something. When she first started working as a cook for the Lancaster family, she hadn’t been thorough enough in her meal planning and had made Jane Lancaster eat leftovers a few times.

Jane Lancaster said nothing to her face, but she went behind her back to Timothy Lancaster and demanded that Mrs. Everett be fired.

Caleb Lowell vaguely recalled that Alvin Lancaster had indeed missed a day of school that year. He’d heard it was because he got into a huge fight with his father over a cook.

Mrs. Everett came from a difficult background. Her daughter suffered from a congenital heart defect, and her husband was an abusive alcoholic. This job was the only lifeline she had.

Yet a single, careless word from Jane Lancaster had nearly crushed all of Mrs. Everett’s hopes.

And at the time, Jane Lancaster was only nine years old.

Even though he had suspected she wasn’t as gentle and harmless as she appeared, hearing all this still made him feel a faint sense of unease.

Caleb Lowell forced himself to stop overthinking. "Jay, I want to do more good deeds from now on to build up good karma for you. That way, you’ll have a peaceful and happy life."

Jane Lancaster was silent for a moment. "Thank you."

She looked up at him earnestly. "Thank you for everything you’ve done for me."

Her sincere thanks, however, seemed to displease Caleb Lowell. "Jay, of course I’d do anything for you. You don’t have to thank me."

Jane Lancaster smiled. "In that case, I’ll have to write down what you just said so I can read it all the time."

’Oh, right, and I’ll post it all over my social media to show off. It’s sure to make some people jealous and take the bait.’

Caleb Lowell’s brows knitted together. ’Is my heartfelt affection just a tool for her to show off?’

Caleb Lowell’s phone rang. It was getting late, and he really had to leave.

"Zion, come back soon," Jane Lancaster said, seeing him off.

Caleb Lowell paused, then suddenly turned his head. "Jay, is there anything you want to tell me?"

The day after tomorrow was when Dr. Sheffield was fated to have his accident. If Jane Lancaster wanted to do something, there was still time.

Jane Lancaster said, "I have a feeling you’ve been targeted by some unsavory characters recently. You should be careful, even with your friends."

’Just a friendly little reminder. Consider it a reward for being so obedient.’

For some reason, a profound sense of disappointment suddenly washed over Caleb Lowell.

He paid Jane Lancaster’s words no mind and left without a backward glance.

Jane Lancaster stood in the hallway, watching him go.

In the novel, after watching the video Pauline Shaw showed him, Caleb Lowell didn’t confront the original Jane face-to-face. Instead, he chose to run from the problem.

Gradually, the phone calls became less frequent, and he started ignoring her texts.

He abruptly began giving her the cold shoulder.

The original Jane, feeling neglected and insecure, constantly asked him when he was coming back.

But he kept pushing back his return date. A business trip that was supposed to last two weeks dragged on for a whole month.

When Caleb Lowell finally returned from his trip, he didn’t tell the original Jane. Instead, he went to a bar to drink alone.

And just by coincidence, he happened upon Luna Morgan being harassed by a group of thugs.

He chased off the thugs and, discovering Luna Morgan had nowhere to go, took her in—partly out of guilt.

Luna Morgan, unaware that the couple was at odds, ran into the original Jane the next day and mentioned that Caleb Lowell had come home late the previous night.

This led the original Jane to suspect Caleb Lowell was cheating. After all, she was his actual fiancée, yet she didn’t know his travel plans, while Luna Morgan found out before she did.

But Caleb Lowell was completely oblivious. Living under the same roof as Luna Morgan, he only grew closer to her.

Even some of Caleb Lowell’s childhood friends started openly bad-mouthing the original Jane, saying she wasn’t good enough for him.

This made the original Jane even more resentful and jealous, driving her to frame Luna Morgan with increasing desperation.

Ultimately, she drove herself to a dead end, one step at a time.

The system’s voice suddenly chimed in. [Actually, if you just perform better than Luna Morgan, Caleb Lowell will still take your side.]

Jane Lancaster sighed. "What foolishness are you spouting? Have you forgotten the original Jane’s scandalous past? Besides, it’s not like I’m a good person either."

"Thank goodness it’s you. If this were a heroine’s system, forcing me to be a perfect saint all day, every day, I’d definitely lose my mind."

System: [...]

It had really overestimated the situation, thinking Caleb Lowell’s heartfelt confession would actually move her.

"Sys, don’t tell me you’re worried Caleb Lowell’s favorability score is going to go up again?" Jane Lancaster asked.

’The male lead is just temporarily confused. How could he really be won over by the villainess?’

[Once his favorability score reaches 100%, it will lock in, and your mission will be a total failure,] the system felt compelled to remind her.

"It won’t reach 100%," Jane Lancaster said, then paused, unsure where her own certainty was coming from.

"Probably because I’m not the original Jane," she quickly concluded.

[Host, please focus on your tasks and advance the mission’s progress as quickly as possible.]

Jane Lancaster replied, "Don’t worry. After today, Alvin Lancaster’s favorability toward me will be all but wiped out, and Caleb Lowell will soon discover my two-faced nature."

"He’s always been proud and arrogant. The moment he finds out I’m not as kind as he imagined, his favorability score will plummet."

The system, having nothing more to say, went offline for a while.

Jane Lancaster watched her shadow on the wall, her heart completely still.

If Caleb Lowell’s love were truly so deep and unwavering, he wouldn’t have condemned the original Jane without asking a single question.

He swore he would do good deeds to build up good karma for the original Jane, yet he distanced himself from her for not being kind enough.

Jane Lancaster believed that in the moment he knelt before the Buddha to make his vow, he was absolutely sincere.

But that sincerity was as fragile as a cicada’s wing; the slightest pull, and the bond between them would snap.

"What are you so lost in thought about?" a voice suddenly broke in.

Startled, Jane Lancaster turned to meet a pair of dazzling, charming eyes.

"Why are you still here?" The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Jasper Sterling replied, "I heard from the second young master of the family that the view from the second floor of the Lancaster residence is particularly fine, so I took the liberty of coming up to see for myself."

"Jay, we just came up and saw you staring into space. Young Master Sterling just wanted to say hello."

Alvin Lancaster, feeling his sister’s earlier question had been a bit rude, quickly tried to explain.

Jane Lancaster composed herself. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even heard the elevator arrive.

"Well then, Young Master Sterling, you’d better go enjoy the view. See you." She gave a dismissive wave.

Alvin Lancaster gestured for him to follow. "Young Master Sterling, this way, please."

Jane Lancaster turned and headed for the stairs, already complaining internally.

’That blockhead Alvin Lancaster, letting someone get into the inner sanctum so quickly. He has no sense of caution at all.’

’And Caleb Lowell just left? Without making an excuse to get Jasper Sterling out of here too? Wasn’t he always terrified of Jasper getting anywhere near me before?’

’He has way too much faith in me. If Jasper Sterling keeps parading himself in front of me like this, I won’t be able to stop myself from cheating on Caleb Lowell.’

The electric wheelchair jerked to a stop.

Alvin Lancaster went rigid, fighting the urge to look back.

Jasper Sterling smiled. "Is something wrong?"

Alvin Lancaster gave a slight, deliberate cough. "It’s nothing."

’Thank goodness. At least Young Master Sterling didn’t overhear that absolutely scandalous bombshell.’

’He was genuinely worried now. Was his sister just thinking these things, or did she actually plan to do it?’

—

Jane Lancaster went straight downstairs.

When Calvin Cole saw her, he looked a little surprised and quickly stood up. "Miss Lancaster."

He had assumed Jane Lancaster was deliberately avoiding the situation and wouldn’t be coming downstairs at all.

’After all, he could be the bad guy. As long as Jane Lancaster didn’t get involved, she could maintain her image as the pristine and innocent young lady of the house.’