Chapter 301 : Did He Care?

Chapter 301 : Did He Care?
Allison raised her eyes and looked at him. "What else should I love? Your group of mistresses? Your empty bank account? Or the fact that you're a complete failure?"

Ronan immediately shot back, "Weren't you upset that I never gave you anything all those years? If you wanted money, all you had to do was ask. If you wanted power, I could have given that to you, too! You never said a word, so don't pretend I wasn't willing to give it!"

Allison chuckled. "A gift that has to be requested has no value. A gesture that only comes after a reminder means nothing. The moment I have to tell someone what to do, it loses its meaning. And if I ask and they still don't do it, then the one who becomes worthless is me."

Ronan sneered. "You're just putting on an act. Everything about you is fake."

Allison's expression didn't change. "Believe whatever you want. But at least Jareth only has one woman right now. He gives me a sense of security. Can you do that?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Ronan suddenly burst out laughing.

His face was filled with disdain. There was even a trace of satisfaction in his eyes, as though Allison had said something so ridiculous that it amused him greatly.

"Jareth only has one woman? You really think you're that special..." Ronan started to say. Before he could finish, a sharp cry escaped his lips, and he abruptly stumbled back a step.

Ronan kept shaking his hand as if it had been scalded.

Allison lowered her eyes and finally noticed the cigarette butt still burning on the ground. It had clearly been flicked down from the floor above.

She lifted her head and looked up.

Jareth was standing by the upstairs window.

Allison's heart sank. Her expression darkened. When did Jareth get here? And how much of what she had just said had he heard?

Did he care?

Jareth's temper had always been impossible to predict. Sometimes he was perfectly reasonable. Other times, a single sentence was enough to set him off, and he wouldn't stop until someone paid for it.

Jareth's eyes rested on Ronan. His expression didn't change, and his voice was flat as he asked, "What were you talking about with your aunt?"

Ronan suddenly felt a lump form in his throat. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed twice.

He knew exactly what kind of mood Jareth had been in these past few days. At a time like this, no one dared provoke him.

Without saying a word, Ronan turned around and walked away.

Allison glanced at Jareth cautiously. After watching him for a moment, she realized he wasn't even looking her way.

She assumed he wasn't in the mood to deal with her right now, so she quickly slipped away. Anxious thoughts crept into her mind as she wondered how she could possibly reconcile with him when they came home.

Ronan was still walking ahead of her.

Allison suddenly thought of something. She couldn't let Jareth take the blame for this for no reason.

She quickened her pace and caught up to Ronan. "You always act like you're above everyone else," she said. "But the moment you saw my husband, you ran away with your tail between your legs. And you're calling me spineless? Tell me, who's the real coward here?"

Ronan glared at her but after what had happened earlier, he had no intention of provoking Jareth again. And provoking Allison now would be no different from provoking Jareth.

Much to his dismay, Allison wasn't willing to leave the issue alone. "You've been hiding inside the compound for so long that you probably have no idea how much people are laughing at you outside. They're calling you a Ninja Turtle. The Hulunbuir grasslands are growing right on top of your head, and you're still too clueless to notice."

Those words got an instant reaction from Ronan. He stopped in his tracks. "What Hulunbuir grasslands?"

Allison smiled faintly. "Figure it out yourself. Do you really think a man with no money can still keep a woman by his side?"

Ronan's expression changed several times. He was furious at being mocked, yet at the same time, his mind was already racing, trying to figure out which woman might have betrayed him.

Was it Ezra or Sherrie?

He and Ezra had never had a good relationship. She was impulsive, bold, and always hanging around Alan. There was no telling what she might have done behind his back.

Ronan might not love Ezra, but that didn't mean he could accept being cheated on. He turned to leave, already planning to confront Ezra.

Then Allison's voice floated over from behind him, casual and unhurried. "How long has it been since Sherrie last contacted you, Cheater?"

Ronan felt his head spin. He spun around to face Allison, and his eyes blazed with fury and disbelief.

Allison dropped another bombshell. "VIP Wing. City Hospital. Room Three. Go see for yourself."

With that, she left him standing there, caught between rage and doubt, then turned and headed back toward the living room as if nothing had happened.

Ronan had enough problems of his own now. There was no way he could waste time arguing with Allison.

Perhaps he had finally realized just how long it had been since Sherrie last contacted him. Without another word, he turned around and hurried out of the Lopez family estate.

Back in the living room, nothing had changed. The same group of relatives was still gathered there, while Jordan and Jareth hadn't returned yet.

Few of them were sprawled across the chairs, chatting and laughing right in front of Allison.

The sorrowful expressions they had worn during the memorial service were long gone. Now that the ceremony was over, they couldn't even be bothered to keep up the act.

Meanwhile, in the study, Jareth casually closed the window after Jordan returned.

Jordan placed a document on the desk and said, "Sign this agreement, and the family will officially acknowledge you. Once you do, I'll tell you where your mother is buried. At least you'll have somewhere to visit her in the future."

Jareth lounged in the armchair and casually flipped through the document. It formally recognized his mother's remarriage and confirmed Jareth's status as the Lopez family's second heir.

He barely spared the document a second glance before letting it fall onto the desk. When he looked at Jordan again, there was nothing but contemptuous amusement in his eyes.

"I'll acknowledge the family," Jareth said. "But I have one condition."

Jordan raised an eyebrow. "What condition?"

His tone was relaxed, as though he didn't think any request Jareth made would be difficult to handle.