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

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: How Many Times Have You Visited Me?

"My grandma has trouble getting around. How was she supposed to visit?" Vincent Holt retorted loudly.

’How dare she make such a demand of an old woman? Isn’t she afraid of being struck by lightning?’

Jane Lancaster said, "Oh, you seem to get around just fine. How many times have you come to visit me?"

The answer, of course, was not even once.

’This bunch pays lip service to caring about me, but in reality, they couldn’t run away fast enough, desperate to keep their distance.’

’If that’s the case, then just stay away from me. It’s not like your acting concerned is very convincing anyway. Why bother forcing it?’

Vincent Holt’s expression soured. ’Why should *he* have to go visit *her*?’

’Besides, visiting a cripple who’d been in a coma would just be bad luck.’

At another table, Chloe Dave raised his glass to his lips, taking a sip to hide his expression.

Before Jane Lancaster’s accident, he and his friends had already started making investments alongside Caleb Lowell. They had all claimed to treat Caleb’s fiancée like their own little sister.

Chloe Dave had lamented her fate when he first heard about the accident, but life goes on.

Time relentlessly pushes everyone forward. Three years later, the news of Jane Lancaster waking up no longer brought him and his buddies any joy.

On the contrary, his first reaction was that she was going to be a problem.

’Zion’s power and status today were a world away from what they were three years ago. Yet Jane Lancaster was using a flimsy piece of paper—their marriage contract—to tie him down for life. How could he not be worried?’

’To be blunt, Jane Lancaster’s injuries were so severe, who knew what kind of long-term effects she might have? What if she couldn’t have children? Wouldn’t she just be a burden on Zion for the rest of his life?’

Noticing Alvin Lancaster’s gaze on him, Chloe Dave coughed lightly. "Alvin, you know, we really are all very busy."

Alvin Lancaster nodded instinctively, then immediately frowned.

He’d only fractured his ankle, and despite how busy everyone was, they had all stopped by the Lancaster home to visit him.

But his sister had been in the hospital for over two months doing physical therapy, and very few people had gone to visit her.

Chloe Dave glanced at Julian Lanscaster, who was sitting at the head of the table, and was reminded of how Julian had sided with his sister the other day.

"To be honest, with her whole family doting on her and keeping her company, and with Zion being so devoted to her, she hardly needs us to visit..."

The expression on Alvin Lancaster’s face suddenly froze.

’Keeping her company? Only he knew that wasn’t true at all.’

’Everyone in the Lancaster family was busy. No matter how devastated they had been initially, three years had passed, and everyone had their own new life.’

’His father managed the overseas headquarters in Europe and was rarely seen all year; his eldest brother was also too busy with work abroad to break away.’

’After his younger brother Adrian Lancaster shot to fame, his schedule was booked solid through the end of the year. Even Alvin could only follow his news online.’

’They were all constantly in a rush. They’d show up, offer a few words of concern, and then leave again.’

’Even he himself preferred working overtime at the office to going home.’

He suddenly remembered Jasper Sterling’s accusation and Claire Sheffield’s comment about them being "unqualified." His heart felt as if it had been caught in a giant net, and he suddenly struggled to breathe.

Old Mrs. Holt’s face darkened. "We may not have gone to visit you, but I went to great trouble to go to the temple and burn incense to pray for you."

’Isn’t that more sincere than some hospital visit?’

Jane Lancaster smiled. "Oh, so the reason I recovered so quickly is because you were praying for me."

Old Mrs. Holt said, "Of course. If I hadn’t burned incense and prayed to the Bodhisattva for blessings, how would you ever have woken up?"

Jane Lancaster held out her hand to Old Mrs. Holt.

Old Mrs. Holt asked, annoyed, "What are you doing?"

’The Jane Lancaster of the past would never have dared to be so brazen in front of her.’

’Her grandson was right. She gets sick once, and now she’s using the fact that she saved someone to put on airs and try to walk all over Caleb Lowell.’

’How is a woman like this fit to marry into the Lowell family? The moment Caleb gets back, I’m going to tell him an earful!’

"Where are the peace charms?" Jane Lancaster asked with a look of innocent confusion. "If you were praying, you must have asked for plenty of peace charms and amulets for me. Didn’t you?"

’Come on, old lady, at least put on a show. Aren’t you embarrassed, taking all the credit like this?’

’She always loved making empty promises to me in front of Caleb, vowing to give me heirloom jade pendants and blessed jadeite carvings. In reality, I never got a single thing.’

’Maybe Caleb was foolish enough to fall for your act, but I’m not buying it.’

Old Mrs. Holt’s face turned livid. It took her a moment to reply. "What’s the rush? I was planning on giving them to you later."

She paused, then added, "You may not understand, but asking for a peace charm so directly will affect our family’s luck. But I won’t hold it against you..."

"Then I don’t want them," Jane Lancaster said agreeably, immediately lowering her hand.

Old Mrs. Holt felt a flicker of smugness. ’She’d forgotten more than this girl would ever know; how could she not be able to handle her?’

Jane Lancaster said, "After all, if I took your peace charms and your family’s stock price happened to plummet tomorrow, I’d be in huge trouble, wouldn’t I?"

She was joking.

Even though she had a smile on her face and her voice was gentle, the faces of the Holts at the main table all fell, feeling her words were a jinx.

"Aha! Jane Lancaster, you’re cursing us!" Seizing the opportunity, Vincent Holt pounced. "My grandma says a few words to you, and you have to retaliate so viciously?"

Jane Lancaster said calmly, "I’m just speaking hypothetically. Your family’s stock price can’t possibly plummet tomorrow."

Livid, Vincent Holt shot back, "...And what if it does?"

Jane Lancaster gave him a surprised look. "You’re a grown man, use your head. Tomorrow is the weekend. The stock market is closed."

Vincent Holt was speechless.

"I’d never heard that Caleb Lowell’s fiancée was so sharp-tongued," Silas Holt said, setting his wine glass down heavily.

He was Vincent Holt’s father. With three older sisters, Vincent was a long-awaited son, and the entire family spoiled him rotten.

Otherwise, Vincent wouldn’t have grown up to be so arrogant and unruly.

Now, seeing his son put in his place and looking furious, he, as the father, couldn’t hold back any longer.

He looked up at Julian Lanscaster. "Julian, what do you have to say about this?"

He meant that as the eldest brother, a role akin to a father, Julian ought to discipline his sister properly.

Julian Lanscaster picked up the liquor decanter, poured a glass, and downed it in one go. "Jay isn’t feeling well. Allow me to apologize on her behalf. I hope you’ll forgive her, Mr. Holt."

As the junior, he drank three straight glasses of liquor, and only then did Silas Holt’s expression soften slightly.

The others at the table also chimed in to smooth things over, their gazes toward Julian Lanscaster filled with appreciation.

In truth, given the Lancaster family’s current standing, it would have been perfectly normal for them to disregard the Holt family.

But Julian Lanscaster was surprisingly humble, treating everyone with courtesy and showing none of the usual impulsiveness of youth.

Someone joked, "I’ve heard President Lancaster treasures his sister like the apple of his eye. Seeing it today, it really is true."

It was just this sister who seemed particularly thoughtless, her reputation clearly overblown.

Timothy Lancaster used to dote on this daughter, spoiling her endlessly while treating his sons with a cold indifference. From the looks of it today, it was the sons who were truly dependable after all.

The atmosphere warmed up considerably, and people started toasting Julian Lanscaster one after another, seizing the chance to build a better relationship with him.

Luna Morgan watched from afar, somewhat distracted. She was a little worried about Julian Lanscaster; after all, he had a history of stomach problems.