Chapter 130
Shermaine ignored the look Jason gave her and calmly took a seat beside Ross, waiting for Janice.
Janice had developed a fondness for evening walks, and lately, she’d fallen in love with dancing. Since coming home, Shermaine had been accompanying her regularly, helping her stay active.
After a while, the conversation between Janice and Jameson wrapped up. Janice stood and called out, “Sheary, I’m ready now. Let’s go.”
She still refused to accept Jason as a rightful member of the family, and part of the reason was simple: he was a ticking time bomb. Janice wasn’t about to let someone so unpredictable get close to Shermaine again. Yes, Jason’s illegitimacy wasn’t his fault, and he was just another victim—but Janice’s heart had never been impartial.
“Okay,” Shermaine replied.
The two left together, chatting and laughing as they headed out.
In the living room, Ruth sipped her coffee and threw Jameson a mocking glance. He looked so smug, as if he really believed Jason could become the top achiever in natural science. It reminded Ruth of how foolish she had once been, blindly believing Wendelyn could outshine Shermaine. And when the truth came crashing down, it was like a hurricane of humiliation. She wasn’t going to warn Jameson. Let him experience the sting of public embarrassment for once. Just picturing it gave her a quiet sense of satisfaction.
Still, she couldn’t resist getting in a jab. “There’s always someone smarter. You can’t just decide to take the title and expect it to happen.”
“You only think I’m arrogant because you don’t know me,” Jason said, lowering his gaze. “I’m not some adopted girl like Wendelyn, full of useless tricks.”
Ruth slammed her cup onto the table. “Jameson, this is your beloved son, huh? Thinks far too highly of himself, doesn’t he?”
“Jason’s just telling the truth,” Jameson said, backing him up without hesitation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. And you know what? No one asked you.” To him, Jason wasn’t just smart. Everyone believed he was a prodigy.
Across the room, Ross was silently watching the show. The tables had turned. Ruth had once been just as blindly confident. Now it was Jameson’s turn. Fine, then. In the end, the outcome would be the same.
Fuming, Ruth stood and stormed upstairs.
Seeing the time, Jameson noted that Jason still had assignments to finish, so he told the driver to take him back to Natalie’s. When he came back inside, Ross was still there, lounging in an armchair with a finance paper in hand. He looked relaxed, composed, and entirely in his element. Right now, Ross had a natural air of authority.
Jameson couldn’t ignore the shift in dynamic. Over the past two years, Ross had gained considerable influence within the company. He was starting to feel more like the leader than Jameson himself. And now, with Jason in the picture, Jameson wondered if Ross really was as indifferent as he seemed. He also couldn’t forget the project from earlier. Joshua had originally invested a lot of money in it, but then, he withdrew the funds and funneled them into Ross’ project instead. Jameson hadn’t been able to reach Joshua since. He couldn’t help but suspect Shermaine had said something behind his back. The mere thought of this made Jameson’s blood boil.
“Ross,” he asked, “what do you think about Jason? As your brother, I mean.”
Ross looked up from his newspaper. “He’s your son, Father. What does he have to do with me?”
“I’m planning to transfer some shares to him once he’s officially part of the family,” Jameson said.
Ross chuckled. “Father, I suggest you take some time to really learn what your daughter is capable of. Once you do, you’ll realize how delusional this idea of yours truly is.”
Jameson said nothing. He didn’t see what was so special about Shermaine. Could her grades really beat Jason’s? Wasn’t she just a spoiled girl, acting high and mighty because she had Joshua backing her?