Justin Hughes, oblivious to the shift in her mood, turned to ask, "Joanna, you’re usually the closest to Vincent. Do you have any idea what happened?"

"He must have fallen for it because of you, right?"

In Justin Hughes’s mind, the only reason Vincent Grant would fall for such a ploy was for Joanna Sherman.

The corners of Joanna Sherman’s mouth tightened.

’Vincent Grant didn’t even see me today!’

’He only went to the Shaw family’s place today, which means he must have eaten the shrimp there!’

’Vincent Grant had always had a discerning palate. No one could pull a fast one on him right under his nose.’

’Unless he was willing!’

The word "willing" stabbed at Joanna Sherman like a knife, making her skin crawl. The color drained from her face, which grew several shades colder.

She said flatly, "How would I know? He went to the Shaw family’s home today."

Hearing the mention of the Shaw family, Justin Hughes sneered. "That Shaw woman... Everything she does is so underhanded. She knows full well Vincent has never had feelings for her, yet she still insists on pulling these petty little tricks."

"Does she think getting Vincent to have an allergic reaction and then pretending to take care of him will make him fall for her? So childish!"

Joanna Sherman’s mood had soured the moment she heard about Vincent Grant’s allergic reaction. She kept a stony expression and didn’t join the conversation.

Justin Hughes assumed she was just angry about Sophia Shaw’s petty schemes and quickly tried to console her. "Joanna, don’t be mad. That Shaw woman won’t be able to cause trouble for much longer."

"The news about her Five Pearls presentation is spreading like wildfire. Someone with zero experience making such a huge fuss... She’s going to be drowned by public opinion!"

"Don’t worry, I’m keeping a close watch. I won’t give her any chance to sweep this under the rug! I’m going to force Levin Sawyer to kick her out of Lead Aerospace!"

"So, you were the one who leaked the news?" Jenson Forrest, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly asked, his voice low.

Justin Hughes nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Of course! She’s always causing trouble and putting on an act in front of Joanna. She’s an eyesore. You think I’d let her get away with it?"

"Speaking of which, Jenson, haven’t you always disliked her? What do you say? Want to join me in kicking her while she’s down?"

"Hah!" A look of profound, unprecedented contempt for Justin Hughes crossed Jenson Forrest’s gentle face.

"I don’t bully women. That’s what cowards do!"

He turned, strode away, and walked out of the private room.

Leaving Justin Hughes utterly dumbfounded. He pointed a trembling finger at Jenson’s departing figure. "Wh-what’s his problem?"

The Jenson Forrest of the past had always been reserved and composed. Even when he disapproved of their actions, he would never have said something so harsh.

Justin Hughes racked his brain but couldn’t make sense of it.

Joanna Sherman’s eyes narrowed in silent contemplation.

’Lately, Jenson Forrest had clearly changed. He rarely joined their gatherings anymore, and he no longer sided with me like he used to.’

She strolled out of the room and called the attendant who looked after Lillian Forrest. "Ma Lane, how has Lil been lately? She hasn’t been throwing fits at Jenson, has she?"

"Not at all," Ma Lane replied, glancing through the crack in the door. "She’s been completely smitten with some tutor lately. It’s so late, and she’s still chattering away with her about all sorts of useless things. It’s like she’s possessed!"

Lillian Forrest was always talking to Sophia Shaw about things like love and how to get along with the opposite sex, which, in Ma Lane’s opinion, was improper.

Her face was set in a disapproving scowl.

Joanna made a small sound of surprise. "Oh? Have you mentioned this to Jenson?"

"It’s no use!" Ma Lane sighed indignantly. "Jenson’s even more taken with her than Lillian is! He waits outside the door during every lesson. The way he looks at that teacher... it’s so intense."

"A female teacher, you say."

Joanna Sherman let out an inscrutable little laugh.

’So, Jenson Forrest had fallen for a teacher.’

’I’d always wondered what kind of woman could ever catch his eye, and in the end, his heart was stolen by a mere teacher!’

’I’d heard about this teacher before.’

’To be able to charm both Lillian Forrest and Jenson Forrest... It seems this teacher has a few tricks up her sleeve.’

Joanna Sherman wasn’t worried, though.

’A teacher was, after all, just a teacher. No status, no background. If she ever wanted to marry into the Forrest family, she might even need my help.’

’And once she owed me a favor, she would be much easier to control.’

Before hanging up, she added, "Ma Lane, I remember your daughter is twenty now, isn’t she? I bought a little handbag for her; it should be delivered tomorrow. A young woman needs a nice bag when she goes out so people don’t look down on her."

"Oh my!" Ma Lane gasped, both shocked and delighted. She thanked her again and again, sounding so grateful she was ready to do anything Miss Sherman asked.

’Lillian Forrest had a bag from the brand Joanna Sherman had mentioned. A single one cost thirty thousand yuan!’

’Ma Lane had always envied how lucky Lillian Forrest was, despite being blind. Now, her own daughter would have something so nice. How could she not be ecstatic?’

Ma Lane eagerly pledged her allegiance. "Miss Sherman, if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask."

Those were the exact words Joanna Sherman had been waiting to hear.

—

It was already past nine o’clock by the time Sophia Shaw finished her call with Lillian Forrest.

Following Sophia’s advice, the young woman had recently become more open and confident, no longer letting her blindness define her.

Her life had indeed become much brighter, and she was even getting along better with her classmates.

But what she hadn’t expected was for the most handsome boy in school to confess his feelings for her.

Lillian Forrest was terrified.

She had no experience with this sort of thing and didn’t know what to do. It felt too awkward to ask Jenson, so she had no choice but to video call Sophia Shaw.

Sophia Shaw advised her to wait until college before thinking about a relationship with the boy.

Her studies wouldn’t be as demanding then, so she wouldn’t have to worry about being distracted and letting her grades slip.

It would also be a good time to date and gain some experience.

As for whether or not things worked out between them, that would just be a small episode in the long journey of life, nothing to get too hung up on.

The young woman, feeling as if she’d been given a priceless treasure, happily ended the call.

Sophia Shaw was happy she could help Lillian. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

She turned her head and saw Bun was still at the computer, interacting with her online audience.

With her little bottom stuck in the air, she was huffing and puffing as she dug through the toy box in front of her, showing off her various little treasures.

Half an hour had passed since she started her video call with Lillian, and not a single person had left the livestream!

Sophia Shaw was speechless.

’How on earth could these viewers watch a babbling toddler for half an hour straight without getting bored?’

Sophia Shaw picked her up to end the stream, but the little one wasn’t having it. She reached out with her chubby little hands, trying to grab the castles, sports cars, and cruise ships flying across the screen.

She babbled away.

"Pwitty castle."

"Pwitty caw-caw."

"Pwitty boaty."

’If Mommy turns it off, I can’t see them anymore!’

’No, no!’

The audience wasn’t happy either. "Hey, streamer, give us a bonus! We want a bonus!"

"Let Bun stay for ten more minutes! Just ten minutes!"

Sophia Shaw was utterly exasperated.

After ending the livestream, Sophia Shaw did what she always did: she donated all of Bun’s earnings to charity.

’As a mother, she just couldn’t bring herself to use money her daughter had earned.’

「The next day.」

Mrs. Sawyer called to tell Sophia, "The one who got Seraphina Vaughn into Lustra was Justin Hughes."

"Apparently, Justin Hughes was acting on someone else’s behalf."

Sophia Shaw understood immediately.

’The only person Justin Hughes would help so unconditionally was Joanna Sherman!’

With her suspicions confirmed, a sudden chill ran down Sophia Shaw’s spine.

’Joanna Sherman never did anything unless she stood to gain from it. She must have an ulterior motive for doing this!’

"Also, I heard something else," Mrs. Sawyer said over the phone. "I heard that Joanna Sherman is using Seraphina Vaughn to get to Old Master Sloan. I’m not sure what she’s planning."

Knowing that whatever Sophia Shaw had asked her to look into must be important, Mrs. Sawyer had made sure to dig deep.