Chapter 240 Expecting Justin to Be Dumped

Chapter 240 Expecting Justin to Be Dumped

On the day of Joanna's discharge, the Lawson family's luxury cars lined up at the hospital entrance like a parade.

The entire family piled into the spacious SUV parked in the middle.

On the way home, Hazel chattered nonstop, describing in detail how she'd redecorated Joanna and Justin's bedroom. Her tone practically begged for praise.

"Well, at least you did something right for once," Elizabeth said approvingly.

Then she turned to Joanna. "You'll stay in your old bedroom. Justin will be in the room next door. I've already had his belongings moved."

So Elizabeth had given Justin a separate room.

Joanna had assumed she'd be placed in one of the guest rooms.

"Thank you, Grandma."

"We're family, dear. No need for formalities. Once we're home, if there's anything else you need, just say the word. I'll make sure you have it."

Elizabeth's smile was warm and kind. Though she looked thinner, her spirits had clearly lifted. Her face practically glowed with happiness.

When they arrived at the estate, everyone led Joanna straight to her room.

Hazel pushed open the bedroom door. As Joanna stepped inside, her gaze swept over the warm-toned sofa set and the soft, elegantly patterned curtains.

Her eyes lit up.

Originally, this room had been decorated according to Justin's taste—dominated by dark colors, monochromatic and austere.

Once, Joanna had mentioned offhandedly that the style felt too stark.

Only Hazel had heard her. At the time, Hazel had sneered, "What, you expect Justin to indulge you? As if you're worth it."

Joanna hadn't meant anything by the comment, nor had she expected Justin to change things for her. Besides, their actual home was at Lakeside Gardens. She rarely stayed here, so she'd never brought it up again.

Eventually, she'd grown used to it and stopped thinking about redecorating.

She'd completely forgotten about that conversation—until now.

"Joanna, do you like it?"

Hazel's smile carried a hint of eagerness to please. "I picked everything out myself. Is there anything you'd like to change?"

"No, it's fine. Really."

Joanna's tone was measured. She didn't sound displeased, but she wasn't exactly thrilled either—just briefly surprised when she'd first walked in.

Hazel studied her face, trying to figure out if she was being sincere.

Karen stepped in, taking Hazel by the arm. "You'll only know what needs adjusting after you've lived here a while. We can deal with it then."

"Exactly," Elizabeth chimed in with a smile, her gaze warm on Joanna. "Why don't you rest now, dear? I'll call you when lunch is ready."

"Okay."

Joanna smiled back and watched them file out. She gently closed the door, cutting off Justin's lingering gaze—he'd been the last to leave.

Turning back around, Joanna took another careful look at the room.

The colors were bright but not garish. Nothing clashed. Everything flowed together seamlessly.

Clearly, Hazel had put real thought into this.

Joanna understood this was Hazel's way of apologizing. And she accepted it.

Still, their past interactions had always been barbed. It was hard to feel close to Hazel now.

The walk-in closet had been stocked with an array of new designer clothes. Joanna selected a blue loungewear set, changed into it, and settled onto the sofa to check her recent work emails.

Meanwhile, in Elizabeth's room, Karen was trying to comfort a dejected Hazel. "Joanna sees your effort, even if she doesn't show it. Don't be upset."

Justin stood in the doorway, tall and rigid, looking down at them. He let out a derisive snort. Unlike Karen and Elizabeth, he wasn't about to sugarcoat things for Hazel's benefit.

"After everything you've done to her, what makes you think a few nice gestures will suddenly make her warm up to you?"

Hazel had just started to feel a little better after Karen's reassurance. Now Justin's blunt words made her flush with shame. Defensive, she lashed out.

"Oh, please. She kicked you out of her room. How are you any better off than me? You've got some nerve."

Justin's lips pressed into a thin line. His expression turned icy.

The air grew heavy.

Hazel shrank back, burying herself against Elizabeth, afraid Justin might take out his frustration on her.

After a long, tense silence, Justin said nothing. He simply withdrew his cold gaze, turned, and walked out with his head lowered.

Hazel straightened up and peeked out at his retreating figure. It slowly dawned on her that she'd hurt him.

But she didn't feel like she'd done anything wrong. After all, he'd come at her first.

She stood up, declaring with newfound determination, "You know what? I've decided. I'm going to spend all my breaks interning at the company. I'll keep proving to Joanna that I've changed through my actions."

Lunch was a lavish affair.

For the first time in over three years, everyone sat together at the same table and shared what could only be described as a harmonious meal.

Joanna had gotten used to napping after lunch. Once the meal was over, she headed back to her room, yawning.

When she woke up, she saw unread messages in the group chat she shared with Cathy and Diana.

Diana had officially invested in Everglory Construction.

It was a substantial amount, made in her personal capacity—Brandon had nothing to do with it.

Cathy had already completed all the preliminary work and officially taken on the role of CEO of Everglory Construction.

To ensure Cathy had the authority she needed as CEO, Joanna had voluntarily transferred some of her shares to her.

Now, Cathy held the largest stake, Joanna was second, and Diana third.

The three of them had created this group chat the day they became business partners.

Half an hour ago, Diana had asked Joanna when she'd be free to go out. She wanted to throw a party to celebrate Joanna's discharge from the hospital.

Joanna hadn't replied yet. Cathy had chimed in: [Justin's treating her like a porcelain doll right now. There's no way he'll let her out.]

Diana: [We can take care of her just fine! Does he think he's the only one who knows how to look after people?]

Cathy: [Do you really think he's the reasonable type?]

Diana: [So what, he's just going to monopolize Joanna? Fat chance. Joanna makes her own decisions. She doesn't answer to him.]

Diana: [And if he doesn't agree, that just proves he's controlling. Joanna should dump him.]

She followed that up with a mischievous grinning emoji.

Cathy: [You sound like you're really hoping Justin gets dumped.]

Diana didn't respond to that.

Cathy added: [But now that Joanna's staying at the Lawson estate, it's going to be harder for us to hang out with her.]

After reading through the messages, Joanna grabbed her phone and left her room.

In the living room, everyone except Justin was sitting on the sofas, chatting.

When Joanna suddenly came downstairs, all eyes turned to her.

She stopped in front of the sofa and asked gently, "Would it be okay if I invited some friends over? Cathy and Diana—you've met them before."

At the mention of Cathy, Karen hesitated for a moment.

But Elizabeth spoke up first. "Of course, dear. Just let me know when they're coming, and I'll have the kitchen prepare something nice for them."

This was one of the rare times Joanna had asked for anything. Karen quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes, absolutely. Whatever makes you happy."

"Okay. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Grandma. I'll head back upstairs now."

As Joanna climbed the stairs, she typed out a reply: [I have my own room. You guys can come over whenever. It's totally fine.]

Cathy: [Perfect!]

Diana immediately followed: [I'm coming too.]

The two of them wasted no time.

The very next day, they showed up at the Lawson estate with gifts in hand.