Chapter 481
So now, whenever Stephanie mentioned it, he felt a bit anxious. Jackson quickly shook his head. “I’m not going to use any tricks.”
“So what do you want to do?” Stephanie asked.
“I’m here to ask about that argument you had with Mayra. Was Lilian involved at that time?” Jackson replied.
Stephanie thought, ‘Mayra? Did he come all the way just for this? Maybe he’s a bit too nervous.’ Stephanie looked outside at the icy landscape; the snow was heavy. “Did you come all the way just for this?” she asked.
Jackson replied, “Of course.”
Stephanie said, “You could have just called me.” She thought, ‘It’s not worth making a special trip for such a matter.’
Jackson replied, “I don’t have your number.”
Stephanie thought, “That’s true. Not many people know my number, especially someone I’m not close to, like Jackson. We can talk about it on the phone. Why come in person?” “You could have called Sebastian instead,” Stephanie said.
When Stephanie said that, Jackson felt his heart skip a beat. “Are you sure you’re not joking with me?” Calling Sebastian about this could turn the situation into a big misunderstanding. Jackson was not foolish enough to walk right into Sebastian’s trap.
Stephanie felt confused.
“Just tell me, was Lilian involved back then? If she was, I definitely won’t let her off when I return,” Jackson said.
Stephanie replied, “You’re heartless.” She thought Jackson was too harsh to say the word.
Jackson said, “Of course, I’m her brother. Would I be ‘teaching’ her like this if I wasn’t?”
The word “teaching,” Jackson said with heavy emphasis, leaving Stephanie speechless. Jackson looked at her. “So? Was Lilian involved or not?”
Stephanie nodded. “Yes, she was involved.”
Jackson was shocked and thought, ‘What? She really was involved? That brat Lilian, I knew she wouldn’t acknowledge it but still argued with me.’ At that moment, Jackson was stunned. “She was involved?”
Stephanie nodded. “Yes, she was involved.”
“Did she hit you?” Jackson’s tone was already losing its calm as he spoke. He couldn’t keep his cool about this. Recently, he’d been telling Lilian many times that Stephanie was like a treasure for Sebastian.
Jackson thought, ‘Lilian used to complain about Tyler’s issues with Stephanie, but now she had to keep all that to herself. If Lilian couldn’t keep it in, she couldn’t leave the house. That stubborn girl…’ Jackson felt like he might faint right there.
Stephanie said, “No, Lilian didn’t hit me. She was holding Mayra for me. Mayra got beaten up badly.”
Jackson, with his mind in chaos, heard Stephanie and froze for a moment. He couldn’t help but twitch as he looked at Stephanie. “What did you say? Lilian was holding Mayra for you?”
Stephanie nodded. “Yeah, Lilian was holding Mayra, holding her tight.”
Jackson was speechless and thought, ‘So, what exactly went on there? Did Stephanie and Lilian gang up to take on Mayra?’
Just as Jackson felt confused, ready to speak again, Sebastian returned. He did not look too happy. “Mr. Hodge, you had the time to visit the Shallow Bay Area. Why didn’t you give me a call first?”
Jackson was shocked. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed the dissatisfaction in Sebastian’s eyes. Jackson thought coming to see Stephanie when Sebastian was present was acceptable, but having him return midway was a completely different story.
Seeing Sebastian return, Stephanie stood up and walked over to him with a sweet smile. “Back so soon?” She thought he’d take longer, especially with today’s bad traffic.
Sebastian reached out and ruffled Stephanie’s hair. “Elliot brought the food in. Go have a look.”
Stephanie nodded. “What kind of food is it?”
“You’ll know when you see it,” Sebastian said indulgently, his tone full of affection. Jackson was stunned by the sight and thought, ‘Mr. Giovanni is a mix of extremes; all his warmth is given to Stephanie. The others see only his icy exterior.’