"Keep an eye on Lauren, I'll be back immediately."
After hanging up the phone, Jasper got up and left right away.
"Wait!" Adeline stood up hastily upon hearing Lauren's name mentioned, "What happened to Lauren?"
Jasper's hand on the doorknob paused for a moment. He turned around, his gaze icy as he swept over Adeline's face.
Faced with his questioning gaze, Adeline took a deep breath and added, "Taking care of Lauren is my duty as her exclusive maid."
The man opened the door and walked out briskly. "Let's go."
On the way to Blue Bay, Adeline attempted to inquire about Lauren's situation.
The man glanced at her indifferently and tossed the contract at her and said, "You're not her exclusive maid yet."
Adeline pursed her lips and signed her name on the contract before handing it back to him, "Mr. Foster, can you please tell me what happened to Lauren now?"
Jasper furrowed his brows slightly and answered, "Molly found Lauren at home."
Adeline's heart sank completely with just those few words! Molly went to find Lauren! What was she going to do with Lauren?
As the youngest of the three children, Lauren had been deprived of nutrients by her two brothers in the womb. She was born thin and small. This was the first time in six years that Lauren had been separated from her for such a long time!
Adeline couldn't sit still. She clenched her teeth, looking out of the car window with an anxious expression, "Driver, can you go faster?"
Sitting beside her, Jasper watched her eyes gradually deepen in color.
"Looks like Miss Wilson cares more about Lauren than I, her biological father."
Adeline shook violently upon hearing Jasper's words. Not until he said it did she realize that her concern for Lauren had indeed exceeded that of a maid or nanny towards her employer.
She pressed her lips together and explained, "After signing the contract, Miss Lauren becomes my mistress. Of course, I care about her."
Jasper raised an eyebrow, looking at her face with a half-smile that contained a hint of ambiguity, "Is that all?"
His ambiguous attitude made Adeline inexplicably uncomfortable. She pressed her lips together and nodded, "Yes."
Jasper remained silent.
Soon, the car finally arrived at Blue Bay.
"Sir, you're finally back!"
As soon as the car stopped, the butler hurriedly greeted him.
"How is the situation?" Jasper frowned and asked.
"They..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the door on the other side was abruptly opened, and Adeline rushed into the villa like an arrow.
The living room was filled with a faint smell of blood.
When Adeline rushed in, Lauren was huddled in the corner of the sofa, looking pitiful and lifeless, her little head drooping.
And opposite her sat Molly, glaring angrily.
"Lauren!" Without thinking too much, Adeline rushed over and hugged the little girl's tender body in her arms, "Are you okay?"
Adeline's voice trembled for no reason, "Are you okay?"
Lauren silently reached out her small hand and held onto Adeline's arm, "I'm okay."
"Who are you?"
Molly, who was sitting across from her, glanced at Adeline coldly, full of disdain, "The new maid?"
"Looking like a vixen, trying to seduce someone?"
Molly's words made Adeline tightly purse her lips.
But she didn't feel like arguing with Molly now. She lowered her head and lifted Lauren's face, "Let me see."
"No need."
The little girl stubbornly kept her head down, afraid to let Adeline see.
A bad premonition surged in Adeline's heart. She gritted her teeth and ignored it, lifting Lauren's face anyway.
Sure enough, on the fair and tender little face of the girl, there was a swollen handprint!
The handprint was deep, and the palm lines on the hand could even be clearly seen!
Obviously, this was done by an adult, and with considerable force.
Adeline almost shed tears in heartache.
"I'm fine," Lauren comforted her softly, "The housekeeper Grandpa gave me an ice pack just now, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Her daughter's sensible demeanor made Adeline's heart ache as if it was being pierced by something sharp.
Raising her head, she clenched her fists tightly and stared at Molly in front of her.
"It was me who hit her."
Molly crossed her arms indifferently, "Thinking of venting your anger for this bastard child?"
"Who are you calling a bastard child?" Adeline gritted her teeth, she let go of Lauren, stood up, and approached Molly step by step, "She's still so young, how can you lay a hand on her!? How can an adult bully a five-year-old girl? Do you even have a conscience!"
Molly coldly sneered, her gaze coldly fixed on Adeline's face, "Is it not allowed to hit when one is young?"
"Who told this little bitch to go around and falsely claim a father? She deserves it!"
As soon as Molly finished speaking, Adeline swiftly stepped forward and slapped her hard.
"Smack!" A crisp slap reverberated in the living room.
Molly was slapped so hard that she fell onto the sofa, her head buzzing, unable to get up for a while.
Adeline bit her lip, coldly staring at Molly.
She used to be the one who loved Molly the most. Molly was her sister, so she gave her everything she could.
Even after marriage, when Molly couldn't find a good job, she recommended her to work at Jasper's company.
As a result, Molly became Jasper's personal secretary and conspired with him to push her into the abyss!
Now, Molly dared to hit her daughter, Lauren!
A slap couldn't quell the resentment in her heart!
"You dare to hit me!?" Molly got up from the sofa and charged angrily towards Adeline. "Do you know that I am Jasper's fiancée, the future mistress of this house? Do you still want to keep staying in this house? Someone, throw her out!"
The servants watched from a distance, none daring to come forward.
Molly cursed them as worthless and charged right at Adeline, and the two began to fight.
"Don't fight..." At this moment, a teary voice came from behind.
Little Lauren got up from the sofa and tried to come over to stop them, but she was too hasty and ended up falling onto the carpet.
"Lauren!" The sound of her daughter falling completely panicked Adeline. When she instinctively turned to check on the situation, Molly grabbed her hand.
"Smack!" A slap came flying from Molly, and Adeline's head instantly rang, a metallic taste filling her mouth.
Molly raised her hand again, preparing for another slap.
But she was too spoiled and couldn't react as quickly as Adeline, and her strength was no match for Adeline's.
So, Adeline turned the tables and pressed Molly down.
She licked the blood oozing from the corner of her mouth and said, "You want some more?"
Adeline raised her hand and slapped Molly's face.
Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed by someone.
It was Jasper.
With a cold expression, he asked, "What are you doing?"
"Jasper, this maid of yours dared to hit me!"
Taking advantage of him holding Adeline's hand, Molly quickly got up and viciously kicked Adeline, "Before you dare to touch me, take a good look at what kind of person you are!"
Molly's sharp shoe tip hit Adeline's back, causing her to grimace in pain.
"Auntie!" Lauren, who had gotten up, ran over to Adeline with concern and pulled Jasper's hand away. "Auntie, are you okay?"
Jasper turned around and was about to say something when suddenly he noticed Lauren's face. On the young child's tender face was a clear adult palm print!
He quickly pulled Lauren into his arms, his whole body filled with a chilling coldness, "Who did this?"