Chapter 128

Janice could never have imagined Jameson would actually bring his bastard son home, and that kid even had the nerve to call her “Grandma.”

Jason heard Jameson clearly. He could see the contempt in Janice’s eyes, plain and sharp. If she didn’t hate him, he wouldn’t have spent his whole life wearing the label of “bastard.”

But biologically, she was his grandmother. So he lowered his head and said quietly, “Hello, Grandma. I’m Jason.”

That was all he said.

Janice ignored him completely.

She had been the first to discover Jameson’s affair. Ruth had been pregnant with Shermaine back then. Jameson was supposed to take her to her prenatal checkup, but claimed something urgent had come up.

In the end, Janice went with Ruth. And just as they left the hospital, Jameson arrived with his mistress, escorting her to her own prenatal exam.

As a mother, Janice had done it all—yelled, scolded, lectured, and cried. She even confronted Natalie and handed her a wad of cash, telling her to get rid of the child.

Natalie took the money, but didn’t get rid of her baby. Instead, she vanished overseas and gave birth to him.

Janice had known she planned to leave the country. If she had been a little more ruthless back then and dragged Natalie to a clinic herself, maybe none of this would be happening now.

But she hesitated. After all, Natalie was a woman too. It was Jameson who made the mistake. Why should Natalie carry the full burden?

That one hesitation turned into years of regret. Natalie had returned to Basterel multiple times with the child, meeting Jameson in secret.

When Shermaine was five, she was kidnapped, a tragedy born of Jameson’s carelessness and blatant favoritism toward his illegitimate son. That one moment had cost them more than a decade.

So how could Janice possibly accept Jason now?

If Jason were really so well-behaved, why had he thrown a tantrum at the amusement park? Why had he clashed with Shermaine? Kids might be just kids, but how they were raised made all the difference.

Luckily, Janice hadn’t lashed out yet. But Ruth did. Face dark with fury, she exploded like a wildcat. “Jameson, am I dead to you? You bring this bastard into our home right under my nose?”

Jameson had anticipated her outburst. With a calm expression, he said, “Jason is my son. What’s wrong with me bringing him home?”

Ruth’s tone turned vicious. “A bastard son, and you think that’s something to flaunt? Wait till I go public. Let’s see if all the respect you’ve built over the years goes up in smoke.”

Jameson didn’t flinch. “Go ahead. Say what you want. I’m bringing Jason home no matter what. And soon, I’ll hold a party to formally acknowledge him. Everyone in Basterel will know he’s my son, a part of our family.”

“Oh, yes,” Ruth scoffed. “And he’s two months older than Shermaine. Unbelievable.

“Jameson, I doubt any other cheating man in Basterel has your level of shamelessness, bringing home a bastard and parading him around like some kind of prize. We may still have pride, even if you don’t.”

She sneered. “A party? What a joke.”

Jameson hadn’t planned to lose his temper, but Ruth’s taunts were too much. His face turned red.

“Bottom line is: I’m bringing Jason home. Laugh all you want. I made mistakes, and I’ll take responsibility. As for you, let’s see how much longer I can tolerate you.”

Ruth sneered, “Planning to divorce me? Keep dreaming.”

The argument was heating up.

Janice felt a headache coming on. It was clear now just how determined Jameson was to acknowledge Jason. But had he ever tried to think about how Ross and Shermaine might feel? Especially Shermaine, who had just come home.

Beside them, Shermaine eyed the spread of dishes and soup, her stomach growling. Before Jameson could continue, she said evenly, “Grandma, may I start?”

Janice replied, “Go ahead. No need to wait for others.” She picked up a spoon and served Shermaine a chicken drumstick. “Eat more. You’re too thin,” she added.

Shermaine sipped her soup and nodded with a smile.

Ross followed Shermaine’s lead and dug into the meal. After a whole day of business meetings, he was absolutely starving.

In fact, the siblings had long anticipated that Jameson would bring Jason back. They just didn’t expect it to happen this soon.

With Ruth having thrown such a fit, Jameson figured it wasn’t the right time to introduce Jason to Ross and Shermaine. Instead, he told the housekeeper, “Bring another set of cutlery.”

The housekeeper glanced at Janice, and seeing no objection, headed to the kitchen.

Janice kept a blank expression. “Whatever needs to be said, wait until after dinner. Jason is just another stranger at our table tonight.”