Chapter <b>136 </b>
After the incident <b>at </b>the family dinner<b>, </b>Sean didn’t return to the Jasper estate for several days.
<b>Mrs. Jasper </b>Sr. called him multiple times. At first<b>, </b>he answered and asked her directly why she was targeting Charlotte.
<b>Mrs. </b>Jasper <b>Sr. </b>said it was because Charlotte had been mean to her precious granddaughter, Vivian.
Sean calmly exined that things weren’t the way Vivian made them sound, but Mrs. Jasper Sr. refused to listen. She insisted Sean had been manipted by Charlotte and said there was no way her sweet, well–behaved Vivian would ever lie.
The conversation went nowhere. Sean hung up and ignored every call from her after that.
During that time<b>, </b>Lilian also called in hopes <b>of </b>calming things <b>down</b>. But after learning that Vivian had been stirring up trouble behind the scenes, her feelings toward her adoptive daughter started to shift.
Vivian continued to fan the mes, feeding Mrs. Jasper Sr. one story after another, ming Charlotte <b>for </b>“sowing discord” and “tearing the family apart.”
At first, Mrs. Jasper Sr. had simply been lukewarm toward Charlotte. But after Vivian’s repeated whispers in her ear, her dislike deepened into full–blown hostility.
On Monday morning, Charlotte was jolted awake by her rm. She forced her <b>eyes </b>open<b>, </b>groggy and disoriented, ready <b>to </b><b>get </b>up for work but something felt wrong.
Her entire body ached with chills, her head throbbed like it might split open, and a dry, hacking cough wouldn’t <b>stop</b>. When she took her temperature, the thermometer shed 102.2<b>°</b><b>F </b>(39°C<b>)</b>.
She had caught the flu.
Charlotte called in sick and checked herself into the hospital for treatment.
Right after she finished the admission paperwork, she thought about messaging Sean. But she hesitated. He had <b>been </bpletely swamped with a major <b>project </btely<b>, </b>workingte nights every day<b>. </b>
She didn’t want to worry him over something as minor as the <b>flu</b><b>. </b>
She was a grown wornan. She could handle this<b>. </b>
She hired a private nurse and a part–time cook to take care of her during <b>recovery</b><b>. </b>Her voice had beenpletely <b>hoarse </b>for the first day or two, but after a couple <b>of </b>IV drips and doses of medication<b>, </b><b>it </b>returned to normal. It was just in time for a phone <b>call </b>from Sean, so he never <b>suspected </b>anything.
“Charlotte’s really in the hospital?” Vivian’s <b>voice </b>practically sparkled <b>as </b>she spoke <b>to </b>her friend, <b>Suzy</b><b>, </b>over the phone.
<b>Suzy </b>replied, “Absolutely<b>. </b>I went to visit a friend <b>at </b>the hospital yesterday and <b>just </b>happened <b>to </b><b>see </b>her checking in.<b>” </b>
“She was alone? Sean wasn’t with her?”
“Nope, <b>just </b>her. <b>I </b><b>even </b>asked a friend who works there<b>–</b>turns <b>out </b>a nurse has been caring for her the <b>past </b>couple of <b>days</b>. Looks like Sean <b>doesn’t </b><b>even </b>know she’s sick.”
“Gol it.”
That evening, Sean finally got home from work<b>, </b>exhausted.
As he switched on the lights<b>, </b><b>a </b>figure suddenly darted out from the shadows<b>. </b>His <b>reflexes </b>kicked in. He grabbed the person instantly, twisting their arm behind <b>their </b>back
<b>“</b><b>Ow</b><b>! </b>It’s <b>me</b><b>, </b><b>it’s </b>me<b>!</b><b>” </b><b>Vivian </b><b>cried </b>out in pain, looking up with a distressed <b>expression</b>. “Sean, <b>it’s </b>me!”
Sean frowned and released her.
“How did you <b>get </b>in here<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“<b>I </b>asked the housekeeper to let me in,” she said, rubbing her arun pitifully.
Then she gestured toward the dining room.
<b>“</b>You haven’t eaten <b>yet</b><b>, </b>right? I made <b>dinner </b>for you.”
<b>Vivian </b><b>had </b>grown up as <b>the </b>housekeeper’s daughter <b>and </b>learned <b>to </b><b>cook </b>from <b>a </b><b>young </b>age. After she was adopted into <b>the </b><b>Jasper </b>family<b>, </b>she often cooked to win <b>favor</b><b>, </b><b>especially </b><b>from </b>Mrs. Jasper Sr.
Sean walked <b>to </b>the <b>dining </b><b>area</b>.
Two tes of steak <b>Two </b>sses of red wine. Candles. Roses.
water
A full romantic dinner setup.
Vivian’s intentions couldn’t have been more obvious.
His expression darkened.
“You came over without even telling me? There’s already a cook here. I don’t need you making dinner. And for the record, I’ve already eaten.”
His voice turned colder.
“And one more thing: don’t waste your time having feelings for me.”
Vivian’s face went pale. Her lips parted, and tears welled up in her eyes.
“<b>I’m </b>sorry,” she whispered. <b>“</b>I just… I thought it would be a nice surprise.”