The Fake Heiress Turns Out to Be a True Tycoon!-Chapter 398: She Just Didn’t Make it Back

Kingston Jennings’ room was located on the topmost floor, in the farthest corner. It was the same type of suite as the others, with a small study outside. The study contained nothing but a vintage bookshelf and a long desk.

On a small rack on the desk sat transparent bottles filled with various natural pigments, some still resembling their original mineral forms.

Scarlett Jennings wasn’t very knowledgeable about pigments. Her glance skimmed over them, recognizing only a few common ones like Vermillion, Coral, and Lapis Lazuli.

Outside the window, the sunlight was bright, spilling onto half of the room.

The reason it was only half was because the curtains were partially drawn.

He stood at the clear dividing line between light and shadow, painting.

The painting was in the illuminated space, while he remained in the darkness.

This was the scene Scarlett Jennings walked into.

Perhaps Nathan White’s treatment had alleviated Kingston’s physical pain enough to spark his interest. His gaze was heavy as he stared at the canvas, but his hand moved casually, a few strokes sketching out small fish.

Scarlett stood to the side and waited for a moment. Seeing him leisurely draw little fish without any sign of stopping, she spoke directly,

"Who made your substitute doll for you?"

The pen on Kingston’s fish paused slightly before he switched pens to color the fish, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

Scarlett pressed on,

"I know you didn’t tell the truth earlier. You don’t want to bring it up in front of the family, so I came to ask you privately."

Mainly because Second Uncle is really annoying.

If she’d asked in front of the family just now, she probably wouldn’t have gotten far before he’d interject, trying to educate his son, which wouldn’t help at all and would only waste time.

Scarlett thought that asking him alone might make him willing to disclose something.

But Kingston only glanced at her sideways, finally setting down his fish, and walked over to start fiddling with his pigments.

At times like this, the advantage of being mute became evident.

When he didn’t want to answer, he could justify not speaking.

Scarlett didn’t understand, but she could see that his gaze held no malice, and none of the targeting or impatience that Adam and Chase had shown initially.

After a moment of thought, Scarlett decided to provoke him with words,

"Whoever helped you make the substitute doll and let you use it to ward off evil spirits clearly acted irresponsibly. If you ever deal with them again, you should be more cautious."

As expected, this statement made Kingston finally stop what he was doing. Turning around, his expression darkened slightly, and he swiftly gestured at her.

Scarlett met his gaze boldly, "I don’t understand sign language. Type it out."

Kingston gave her a glance but still picked up his phone, tapping away quickly before staring intently at Scarlett.

[She wasn’t irresponsible.]

You can’t say that about her.

"She? Who is she?"

Scarlett successfully got him to respond, so she certainly wouldn’t let the opportunity slip away.

But Kingston looked at her and typed again.

[You really want to know?]

As Scarlett was about to answer, she saw his next message already appear.

[I’m not going to tell you.]

Scarlett: ...

This cousin of hers—was he teasing her?

Yet his expressionless demeanor made it seem unlikely.

Scarlett wanted to push further, but he had already put down his phone and stopped typing.

When he said he wouldn’t tell, he really wouldn’t tell.

Scarlett found herself at a loss with him.

If it were Adam or Chase, she could still use certain "methods."

But with Kingston, she felt it wasn’t necessary.

Fine. Let it be.

Scarlett turned to leave, but just as she reached the door, she suddenly heard a mechanical electronic voice from behind.

[Do you know why my parents divorced?]

Scarlett assumed he was purely curious and wanted to know the reason. She did know the reason, but she wasn’t sure whether she should tell him.

After all, the truth was quite disturbing.

Before Scarlett could make up her mind, Kingston’s voice cut through again.

[I know why.]

Scarlett froze and looked into Kingston’s slightly darkened eyes. Just one glance told her he truly knew the inside story.

But who had told him?

She felt it couldn’t have been anyone in the family.

Other than the direct parties involved, only Old Sir Jennings knew the details. Even Lady Jennings wasn’t told, and Adam and Chase were completely unaware.

So who was it? It couldn’t have been Second Uncle himself, right?

"How do you know?" Scarlett asked him.

Kingston smiled faintly.

There was some sarcasm in that smile.

He didn’t type anything but raised his hand, pointing two fingers to his own eyes.

Scarlett froze.

She didn’t understand sign language, but she recognized that gesture.

He had seen it himself.

Scarlett found it absurd.

Aside from that incident in North City, had Odessa done something even more outrageous?

But if she had, how could no one in the Jennings family have noticed?

Suddenly, Scarlett recalled what she’d heard about Kingston before.

He and Odessa, his biological mother, had never been close.

When Lady Jennings asked him to come home before, he refused. Yet when Odessa went abroad, he voluntarily returned.

"When did you find out?"

Kingston seemed unimpressed with her composed demeanor. He lowered his head and typed quickly again.

[Around four years old, maybe.]

Even Scarlett, who had tried to appear calm, couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

Four years old?

But then again, substitute dolls were precocious. Though frail, they were often exceptionally perceptive. If Odessa had done something and he had picked up on it, it wasn’t completely out of the question.

Still, Scarlett felt disgusted.

Not at Kingston, but at Odessa.

What could she have done to make her four-year-old son pick up on such sordid intentions?

In fact, Scarlett was overthinking it.

Odessa hadn’t dared to do anything outright scandalous, especially not in front of her son.

Kingston had only seen it by accident.

That year, Kingston was four, and his younger brother Adam was one, just learning to speak.

Odessa had been holding a family portrait, pointing at Luca Jennings’ face and teasing Adam to call him "Daddy."

She had thought Adam was too young for his mistake to matter.

She never expected anyone to care.

But it satisfied a petty desire of hers.

Kingston had understood faintly even then.

Though he was primarily cared for by his aunt, he hadn’t been completely devoid of affection for his biological mother.

After that incident, however, he froze her out emotionally.

And as he grew older, the more he found her intentions repulsive.

Luca Jennings wasn’t just anyone—he was his uncle.

The husband of his aunt, who had always cared for him.

How could he possibly want to return home to console her?

Even as a small child, Kingston had grown to understand shame.

He didn’t even know how to face his aunt.

But before he could figure out how to confront her, she disappeared.

Because her daughter had been kidnapped, the aunt chased the kidnappers to their lair, falling into the sea and vanishing during the pursuit.

The rescue team recovered only small parts of her body.

Everyone said she was dead.

At the time, Kingston felt like his entire world had darkened.

The blow from his biological mother was nothing compared to the impact of his aunt’s passing.

That’s why, when Scarlett called that person irresponsible earlier, he had refuted it.

She wasn’t irresponsible.

She just couldn’t come back.