Give Up, Mr. Lawyer! This is Not Your Child-Chapter 142: Who

The United States, New York.

A welcome party is being held at the top-floor bar of a high-end hotel.

Outside the immense floor-to-ceiling windows, the city’s dazzling night view can be seen, while inside, the lights are soft, the music soothing, and well-dressed men and elegantly made-up women gather in small groups, toasting and conversing warmly.

The protagonist of this party is Justin Holden, who has just arrived in the United States.

The colleagues from the New York branch of his international law firm, as well as some local lawyers with whom they have partnerships, are here to welcome him.

Justin Holden, dressed in a well-fitted dark gray suit, stands in a relatively quiet corner, holding a glass of whiskey.

A polite smile is perfectly placed on his face as he greets people who come over, yet his eyes remain distant, not truly integrating into the surrounding clamor.

He clinks glasses and exchanges brief pleasantries with the crowd, but never intends to leave his corner.

A statuesque, strikingly beautiful mixed-race woman noticed this outstanding-looking Eastern man.

She approached, carrying a glass of champagne with graceful steps.

The woman has deep-set eyes and the delicate skin of the East, her smile exuding endless charm.

"Lawyer Holden? I’ve heard a lot about you."

She extended her hand gracefully, her Chinese carrying a slight accent but very fluent.

"My name is Joanne. My mother is also from Kingswell City, and I heard you’re from Kingswell, which feels particularly intimate."

Justin Holden lightly shook her hand, releasing it quickly, his tone flat.

"Hello."

Joanne, unbothered by his coldness, steps closer with more interest, raising her glass.

"Welcome to New York, let’s drink to the fate of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign land?"

Justin Holden’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if the words Kingswell stirred a slight ripple in him, but it quickly faded.

He lifted his glass, lightly clinking it against her champagne flute.

"Thank you."

He took a sip of his drink.

Seeing him drink, Joanne felt a secret joy, thinking this was a good start.

She smoothly attempted to sit on the barstool next to Justin Holden, leaning slightly towards him, her faint perfume scenting the air.

However, just as she was about to sit down, Justin Holden suddenly stood up.

He placed his glass on the table beside him naturally, clearly indicating his refusal.

"I’m sorry, Miss Joanne."

His voice was cold.

"I’ve been on a plane for over ten hours and feel a bit tired, I’ll excuse myself first."

With that, he gave Joanne a slight nod, which counted as a farewell, then walked straight through the crowd towards the bar’s exit without looking back at her.

Joanne maintained her awkward half-sitting position, watching his tall, indifferent silhouette vanish at the door, her smile slowly stiffening, then a hint of frustration and unwillingness crossed her face.

She sulkily sat back on the high stool, downing her glass of champagne in one go. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

A familiar American lawyer approached, teasing with a smile.

"Hey, Joanne, did you strike out? Looks like this man from the East, Lawyer Holden, is immune to beauties."

Joanne shot him an annoyed look: "Is he married? Has a girlfriend?"

The American lawyer shrugged: "As far as I know, no. The message from headquarters is that Lawyer Holden is single. However..."

He lowered his voice, a touch of gossip in his tone.

"I’ve heard he seems to avoid women altogether, never seen him get close to any woman. Some in the firm even privately speculate if he might prefer men?"

Joanne raised an eyebrow, undiscouraged, her eyes instead burning with a stronger interest and a desire to conquer.

Looking in the direction Justin Holden left, her lips curled with a determined smile.

"Men? Hah, even if he likes men, I’ll turn him straight. Such a man is a challenge, isn’t he?"

She paused and asked, "How long will he be in New York this time?"

The American lawyer thought for a moment: "I heard from the partners, he’s on a big collaboration project with Professor Thorne, might be at least a year or two. Exactly how long, not sure."

"A year or two..." Joanne repeated the duration, her smile more dazzling, "It’s enough, a few weeks is enough for me to win him over."

Confidently, she flipped her hair and ordered another drink from the bartender.

Justin Holden’s cold rejection rather ignited her intense competitiveness.

No man she’s set her sights on has ever escaped her grasp.

Meanwhile, Justin Holden had already returned to the apartment arranged for him by the law firm.

He stripped off his tie and suit jacket, tossing them casually on the sofa. The apartment is large, modern, luxurious yet empty and cold, with no sense of homeliness.

He moved to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the stark contrast of Kingswell City’s skyscraper jungle, there was no novelty or excitement for being in a foreign land, only a silent fatigue.

What he needed was not a romantic encounter, not noise, or even a new start for his career.

What he needed, was just a place to temporarily numb himself, to stop him from recalling the past.

Yet, no matter where he went, that profound sense of loss followed him like a shadow.

He closed his eyes, and the rumble of the plane’s takeoff seemed to echo in his ears again.

At that time, the smell of disinfectant filled the hospital air.

Jean Ellison, holding Jesse’s hand, hurried towards the neurology department head’s office.

They were supposed to be high above the ground on their flight to Gresten, their luggage already checked in, but at the last moment before boarding, they received Simon Sterling’s emergency call.

"Miss Ellison, your mother, Ms. Kingston’s condition has suddenly deteriorated. She is unconscious and in critical condition. It’s best if you come immediately."

The voice on the phone was serious and urgent.

Jean Ellison barely hesitated and immediately got off the plane with Jesse, canceling the trip.

Nothing was more important than her mother’s safety.

Simon Sterling, wearing a white coat, stepped out of the office to greet them, his face apologetic and grave.

"Miss Ellison, Jesse, I’m sorry to interrupt your trip."

"Doctor Sterling, my mom..."

Jean’s voice was somewhat tight.

"She’s temporarily stabilized, but hasn’t passed the critical period yet."

Simon Sterling gestured for them to come into the office for a detailed discussion.

"It was a sudden brain hemorrhage, the location is quite dangerous. We’ve organized an expert consultation and are formulating a treatment plan..."

After understanding her mother’s condition in detail, Jean Ellison’s heart felt heavy.

Jesse also seemed to sense the tense atmosphere, sitting quietly aside, not making a fuss.

At noon, Simon Sterling glanced at the time and spoke to the weary-looking Jean Ellison.

"Miss Ellison, don’t worry too much, the experts are doing their best. Go eat something first, the hospital cafeteria or a light meal downstairs is fine, if your health fails, you can’t take care of your mother."

Jean indeed felt a bit dizzy and lightheaded, so she nodded.

Simon Sterling took off his white coat and put on his jacket.

"I haven’t eaten yet either, let’s eat together, and I can tell you about some follow-up treatment options."

The two, along with Jesse, went to a clean bistro near the hospital.

Just after ordering and sitting down, they heard a slightly surprised female voice nearby.

"Miss Ellison? Jesse?"

Jean Ellison looked up and saw Zoe Holden and Leah Sutton standing by the aisle.

Zoe Holden’s face showed undisguised astonishment, her gaze drifting from Jean, Simon Sterling, to Jesse.

"Weren’t you going to Germany yesterday? How come you’re here?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Simon Sterling again, her eyes inquisitive.

Simon Sterling wore casual clothes with an elegant demeanor, but Zoe Holden didn’t know him.

Jean felt a jolt in her heart, not expecting to meet someone from the Holden family here.

She quickly adjusted her expression and kept her tone as calm as possible.

"Miss Holden, the plan changed at the last minute, something came up here that needs handling, so the trip to Germany was postponed."

"Oh, is that so."

Zoe nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at Leah’s belly, looking like she was speaking unintentionally.

"I’m here with Leah for a prenatal check-up, everyone in the family is very precious about this baby."

Leah cooperatively showed a gentle, slightly shy smile, lightly touching her belly.

Jean’s fingers curled slightly, but her face remained impassive.

"We won’t disturb you any further."

After speaking, she lowered her head and quietly said to Jesse.

"Jesse, eat quickly. We need to go back and see Grandma after this."

Simon Sterling also sensed the subtle atmosphere and politely nodded to Zoe and Leah, saying nothing more.

Zoe, seeing this, also refrained from speaking further and helped Leah find a seat a little further away.

Jean finished her meal tastelessly. After a hurried meal, she left the restaurant with Simon Sterling and Jesse.

Just after they left, Zoe immediately pulled out her phone, with an excited look of having discovered a secret, and quickly typed a message to Justin Holden.

"Guess who I just ran into at the hospital?"

It was deep night in the United States.

After quite a while, Justin Holden’s reply finally came, just one word.

"Who."

Zoe typed rapidly.

"Jean Ellison, Jesse’s mom, your client, she didn’t go to Germany at all. She’s right here downstairs at the hospital, having a meal with a man. They seemed quite familiar. She said something came up here, so her trip was delayed."

The message sent successfully.

Zoe put down her phone with a satisfied expression, a hint of a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

New York, inside a high-end apartment.

Justin Holden had just finished a transatlantic video conference, looking weary.

Seeing the message from his sister, his previously unfocused gaze instantly sharpened.

He stared at the words "Jean Ellison" and "didn’t go to Germany" on the screen, reading them multiple times.

His heart felt as if something gripped it tightly, then started pounding intensely.

She didn’t leave?

She’s still here?

Why?

Who is that man?

A flood of questions rushed into his mind.

He sprang from his chair, hesitating not at all, immediately grabbing another phone to call the airline’s booking service.

His voice, urgent, came across as a bit hoarse.

"Hello, the earliest flight back to Kingswell, yes, economy class is fine, the sooner the better."

Hanging up, he swiftly started to pack up the important files and personal items on his desk, his movements brisk with a sense of suppressed urgency.

He needs to go back immediately.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Justin frowned slightly, ignoring it.

But the doorbell kept ringing persistently, with a kind of relentless determination.

He took a deep breath to quell his impatience and went to open the door.

Standing outside was Joanne.

Today she was clearly dressed up, with bold makeup, wearing a form-fitting dress that accentuated her figure, holding a delicate Japanese-style bento box.

Upon seeing Justin, she immediately displayed a smile she assumed to be charming.

"Lawyer Holden, I heard you often work late and don’t eat well. I specially made some bento for you as a late-night snack..."

Before she could finish, she tried to inch her way into the doorway.

Justin had no intention of letting her in.

He looked at her expressionlessly, his eyes cold as ice, and directly interrupted her, "Thank you, but I don’t need it."

With that, without waiting for Joanne’s reaction, he moved past her and closed the door.

He was holding only a suit jacket and a briefcase, clearly about to go out.

Joanne’s smile froze, her carefully prepared lines and postures rendered useless.

She watched as Justin walked straight to the elevator, not sparing her even an extra glance, as if she were just an insignificant obstacle.

"Lawyer Holden! Where are you going?"

Joanne asked unwillingly.

But Justin seemed not to hear; the elevator door opened, and he stepped in, pressing the close button.

In the final moment as the elevator door shut, Joanne only saw his stern profile and tightly pressed lips.

Standing in place, staring at the closed elevator doors, Joanne glanced down at the meticulously prepared bento box in her hand, feeling as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her from head to toe.

She bit her lip, her face turning from green to white, both embarrassed and angry.

Inside the elevator, Justin, watching the descending numbers, had only one thought in his mind.

Get back home, immediately, without delay.

He must find out why Jean didn’t leave and who the man by her side is.

He had a bad feeling...

Could that man be Jesse’s biological father, and were they visiting the hospital for a paternity test?