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

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: May I Have What You’re Holding?

Pauline Shaw glanced up. The private room had its own restroom, so why did Jane Lancaster go outside?

Julian Lanscaster fell silent for a moment. "Have Mama Knight come in."

Mama Knight was having a meal in the next room. When she heard someone call for her, she hurried over. "Young Master."

Julian Lanscaster handed her the almond milk the waiter had just brought over. "Jay stepped out. This almond milk isn’t good cold. You have this bowl. I’ll order another for her when she gets back."

Mama Knight took it hesitantly.

’The Young Master must have called me over for a reason,’ she surmised. ’He probably wants to ask about something.’

"Young Master, it’s truly wonderful that you’re back. The Young Miss has been through so much while you were away..."

She had a million things she wanted to tell Julian Lanscaster, growing more agitated as she spoke.

Julian Lanscaster’s tone was gentle. "It’s fine. Eat while you talk."

He looked up, his eyes sweeping over to Calvin Cole. "And you said the Young Miss was perfectly fine back home?"

Calvin Cole’s expression flickered.

When Julian Lanscaster had taken his team abroad, the one person he couldn’t stop worrying about was Jane Lancaster. As a result, looking after the Young Miss became one of Calvin Cole’s duties.

But what began as a solemn responsibility gradually devolved into a mere formality.

He’d been on edge for a while when Jane Lancaster was in the hospital for rehabilitation, worried she wouldn’t be able to handle the strain and would complain to the Young Master.

Thankfully, her recovery went smoothly, and the overseas project was also progressing well.

He thought he and Jane Lancaster had reached a mutual understanding, that they wouldn’t bother the Young Master with such trivialities.

He never imagined that Jane Lancaster, now fully recovered, would suddenly make a move against him without a word.

"Young Master, I..."

Julian Lanscaster raised a hand, cutting him off. His tone was cold and merciless. "Your bonus for the first half of the year is halved, and your promotion is canceled."

This was a severe punishment for Calvin Cole.

As Assistant CEO, he was supposed to drop the "Assistant" from his title this year and be promoted to President of a core business subsidiary.

The canceled promotion meant he would have to wait several more years, with no guarantee of another opportunity.

Seeing the dejected look on Calvin Cole’s face, Pauline Shaw felt a pang of sympathy.

If she’d never held a corporate job, she might not have empathized so strongly. But it was because she had that she understood: the higher you climb, the fewer the opportunities.

"Julian, forgive me for being blunt, but isn’t this a little harsh?" Pauline Shaw chose her words carefully. "Halving his bonus is one thing, but promotions are based on a comprehensive evaluation. I’m sure Jay wouldn’t want her personal matters to affect the company’s staffing decisions."

Julian Lanscaster chuckled. "Are you suggesting I can’t separate business from my personal life?"

"I accept the Young Master’s punishment," Calvin Cole said quickly. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Miss Pauline, but please, say no more."

He shot Pauline Shaw a look, signaling for her to stop. The Young Master was genuinely angry!

Pauline Shaw’s chest tightened, and she found it hard to breathe. ’So this is the aura of someone in power? It’s terrifying.’

Mama Knight hesitated. She hadn’t even started reporting what had happened, yet it seemed the Young Master was already taking action. ’Should I say something or not?’

"Help yourselves," Julian Lanscaster said with a calm expression, gesturing to the two of them.

Pauline Shaw couldn’t taste a thing. Just as she was about to make an excuse to step out, Julian Lanscaster suddenly stopped her.

"Pauline, that thing you’re holding onto. Can you give it to me?"

Pauline Shaw felt a jolt, as if her blood had suddenly reversed course. Her eyes went wide. "Julian, you..."

Julian Lanscaster took a jewelry box from Calvin Cole and pushed it across the table toward her.

"I just bought this at the jewelry show. A token of appreciation for all your hard work taking care of Jay. I hope you like it."

Pauline Shaw’s palms were clammy with sweat. Her voice was dry. "Julian, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Julian Lanscaster’s gaze remained on her, calm and silent.

Pauline remembered him looking at Chloe Dave the exact same way just over an hour ago, and her heart sank.

She could, of course, play dumb and deny everything. But the look in Julian Lanscaster’s eyes was unmistakable—he could just as easily dispense with reason and decide she was lying.

’No wonder Jane made an excuse to get away. Did she plan for Julian to confront me directly?’

Pauline Shaw slowly regained her composure. "I understand now. I’ll give it to you in a moment."

She gave a wry smile. "Julian, I’ve never shown it to anyone."

She wanted to make it clear that when she obtained the video, she never intended to do anything to harm Jane Lancaster.

She had paid for the video to keep it from getting out and hurting Jane Lancaster.

If she had really wanted to cause trouble, she wouldn’t have waited until now. She could have simply done nothing and let it leak.

"Thank you for your trouble." Julian Lanscaster understood her instantly. All that mattered was that the video hadn’t been leaked. He hated leaving any loose ends.

Mama Knight couldn’t understand the cryptic exchange between them, but she made a mental note of it.

She picked at her food, distracted. ’Why isn’t the Young Miss back yet?’

—

After leaving the restroom, Jane Lancaster took a stroll through the clubhouse.

She spotted a girl on the phone by a pond, walked over, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey, fancy seeing you here."

Willow Summers was in the middle of placating Beverly Lynch on the phone. When she turned her head and saw Jane Lancaster, she startled so badly that her hand trembled, nearly dropping her phone into the pond.

Jane Lancaster snatched the phone out of the air and glanced at the call history on the screen.

"Willow, what in the world are you doing?" came Beverly Lynch’s suspicious voice from the phone.

Her tone was laced with obvious displeasure and impatience. After all, she had been thoroughly humbled today and wasn’t in a great mood—and to top it all off, Willow Summers had bailed on her.

Willow Summers’s face tensed, terrified that Jane Lancaster would say the wrong thing.

Beverly Lynch had the temper of a pampered princess and always needed to be placated and praised. If she found out Willow was consorting with her mortal enemy, there would be hell to pay.

Jane Lancaster noted her anxiety and, with a smile, handed the phone back to her.

Willow Summers hastily pressed the phone to her ear. "It’s nothing... I wasn’t feeling well, so I headed home early."

The person on the other end didn’t seem suspicious and hung up.

But a moment later, the phone rang again—this time, it was a video call!

Just as Willow Summers was looking for a spot to take the video call, a long, slender finger shot out and hung it up with lightning speed.

Willow Summers was speechless.

Jane Lancaster retracted her finger. "There. She won’t call back."

’That’s not the point! The point is, she just hung up on Beverly Lynch!’

’Great. Now I’m in even deeper trouble. Tomorrow, I’ll have to face Beverly Lynch’s wrath.’

Willow Summers glared resentfully at Jane Lancaster. This was all her fault. Now she was going to get an earful.

Jane Lancaster said, "If you’re not feeling well, of course you don’t want to take a video call. She should be understanding."

"Easy for you to say..." ’As if Beverly Lynch was the understanding type.’

Willow Summers swallowed the rest of her sentence. She hadn’t forgotten that the woman before her was Beverly Lynch’s mortal enemy, and she didn’t want to give her any ammunition.

Jane Lancaster gazed at the koi in the pond. "Not as easy as you getting into this clubhouse. I only got in because I was with my brother."

The expression on Willow Summers’s face froze. She stared warily at Jane Lancaster. "What are you getting at?"

"The one who got you in here was Jim Jenson, wasn’t it?"

The color drained from Willow Summers’s face, then returned. "You saw?"