Chapter 177 Tattling to Lauren
Jasper put down his fork, placed his small hands gently on the table's edge, and with eyes more composed than those of his peers and a tone carrying maturity beyond his years, said, "Elodie, about what happened at school today, could we not tell Mom and Dad for now?"
Elodie looked up at him, seeing his serious expression that didn't seem like a child's wheedling, so she put down her spoon and asked patiently, "Can you tell me why?"
"You know Dad's personality—if he heard someone curse at me like that, he'd definitely go straight to the other family. That would blow things up and probably put the school in a difficult position. Mom's already busy enough with Obscura Fashion. If she knew someone stepped on my hand, she'd definitely worry and might even take time off to accompany me to the hospital, which would really interfere with her work."
He paused, then added, "Besides, everything's already been resolved, they apologized, and I'm not really hurt. There's no need to make them worry about it. In the future, if something like this happens again, I'll call you first and won't handle it alone. Don't worry."
Looking at this five-year-old child who could analyze pros and cons so thoroughly, Elodie felt deeply moved.
Jasper had inherited both Emily and Charles's composure—he was nothing like an ordinary little kid.
She nodded gently, "Alright, I promise you. But remember, no matter what happens, you don't have to handle it alone. Your parents and I will always be your support."
"I know. Thank you, Elodie." Jasper nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face as he picked up his fork again and ate his cake in small, elegant bites that were pleasing to watch.
Elodie couldn't help but smile watching him.
She'd teamed up with Jasper, Ethan, and Emma on plenty of occasions—keeping one more little secret was no big deal.
After finishing the cake, Elodie took Jasper to the music store to buy limited-edition sheet music.
On the way, Jasper even chatted with Elodie about learning violin with Daniel.
Jasper's praise for Daniel was so effusive that it made Elodie a bit annoyed.
When they arrived at the Windsor Manor, Jasper specifically reminded Elodie, "Elodie, you just had surgery today. Remember to rest well when you get home and don't overwork yourself."
That little bit of annoyance in Elodie's heart disappeared.
She ruffled Jasper's hair, "Got it. Now go inside quickly, don't keep your parents waiting."
Watching Jasper walk composedly into the villa, Elodie finally turned to leave, mentally planning to finalize treatment plans for several critical patients after going to the hospital tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Lucy burst into the Johnson Villa in tears, throwing herself into Lauren's arms as soon as she entered, "Grandma, I've been bullied by Emily! She fired me from Obscura Fashion. I didn't do anything wrong. I just brought Mr. Windsor a cup of coffee, and she didn't like it, so she kicked me out!"
Lauren was feeding birds in the courtyard when she heard this. The birdcage in her hands dropped to the ground, and the birds fluttered their wings in alarm.
She helped Lucy up, her expression immediately darkening, "What did you say? Emily dared to fire you? What gives her the right!"
Lucy wiped her tears, deliberately embellishing the story, "She's just jealous that I'm getting close to Mr. Windsor. She's afraid I'll steal her position! Grandma, Mr. Windsor is so wealthy. If I could marry him, the Johnson family could live well, too! But Emily not only won't help me, she fired me. She just doesn't want the Johnson family to prosper!"
Lauren grew angrier as she listened, her cane thumping loudly on the ground, "Emily, that ungrateful wretch! She's becoming more and more like her dead mother! How dare she oppose me! And she's sabotaging your chance to marry into wealth. I think she's tired of living!"
She helped Lucy stand up and marched angrily toward the door, "Come on! I'm taking you to Obscura Fashion to settle accounts with Emily! I want to ask her what gives her the right to fire you, what gives her the right to stop you from getting close to Mr. Windsor!"
"Grandma, you're so good to me!" Lucy was delighted inside, quickly supporting Lauren as they walked out, calculating that once Lauren intervened, Emily would definitely back down, and she might even be able to get closer to Charles.
But just as they reached the door, Simon, returning from outside, blocked their way.
Seeing Lucy's tearful state and Lauren's furious expression, Simon immediately understood most of the situation.
He frowned, "Mom, where are you going?"
"I'm going to Obscura Fashion to settle accounts with Emily! She fired Lucy! She's sabotaging Lucy's chance to marry into the Windsor family. I must make her apologize to Lucy and let Lucy return to work at the Windsor Group!"
"Mom, don't make a scene! Lucy was fired because she frequently skipped work at Obscura Fashion and mixed up warehouse inventory. Multiple departments complained about her. Emily told me everything—she was following company policy and did nothing wrong. Besides, Mr. Windsor is the father of Emily's children. You clearly know what their relationship is. Why do you insist on having Lucy pursue Mr. Windsor? And Mr. Windsor has no interest in Lucy whatsoever. Stop letting Lucy chase impossible dreams and have her find a proper job instead!"
Lauren looked at Simon in disbelief, pointing her cane at his nose, "You're actually taking Emily's side? I raised you for nothing! Lucy is your niece; instead of helping her, you're helping an outsider? Simon, have you been bewitched by Emily?"
Simon's expression darkened too, "Mom, Emily is my daughter, not an outsider! And I'm trying to reason with you! Look at yourself, fighting with Emily over Lucy's issues, fighting with me. Can't you be more rational? The Johnson family is already chaotic enough. Celeste is still in the hospital, Clara's reputation is completely ruined—can you please stop making things worse?"
Lauren trembled with rage, "Making things worse? I'm doing this for the Johnson family's good! Look at you, completely useless! Not only were you deceived by Celeste, but now you can't even protect Lucy! I shouldn't have let you come to Emerald City in the first place. If your brother Declan were here, he definitely wouldn't let Emily bully the Johnson family like this!"
Lauren had always favored Declan, believing he was more capable than Simon. She'd left the entire Johnson family fortune to Declan, which was why Simon had to strike out on his own in Emerald City and met Scarlett.
Now seeing Simon acting so pathetic, Lauren missed Declan even more.
"I don't care! I'm calling Declan right now and having him come to Emerald City! I'll have him teach you a lesson and stop Emily from interfering in the Johnson family affairs!"
Simon looked at Lauren's stubborn attitude, feeling both angry and helpless, "Mom, please stop causing trouble. Declan is living well back home. Don't make him come to Emerald City and get involved in all this mess, okay?"
"No!" Lauren was resolute, pulling out her phone to call Declan while muttering, "I'm definitely having Declan come to Emerald City to back up the Johnson family and show Emily that the Johnson family is not to be messed with!"
Simon watched Lauren's back as she made the call, the anger in his heart finally becoming unbearable.