Chapter 287: Granddaughter
Rick’s straightforward words could really cost him his job.
He had dared to suspect his boss’s father-that was practically asking for trouble.
Terrence Sterling’s eyes narrowed even further and he said nothing decisive: “Alright, I got it. It must have been a difficult night for you and Linda; you can go rest now.”
With that, Terrence Sterling ended the call.
Julian typically stayed away from company business, so why did he go to the office today?
After much thought, Terrence Sterling finally dialed Julian’s number.
At Ravenwood Hall.
Julian hadn’t gone to sleep yet; he was busy delivering a midnight snack to the now “functionally-limited” Leyton. When he saw who was calling, he answered it immediately, “Terry, so late at night, what’s up?”
Terrence Sterling got straight to the point: “You went to the office today?”
“Yeah, I did,” Julian admitted. “I took Leyton for a walk, we passed by the office, and I decided to check on you. Linda told me you weren’t in, said you went with Meredith to her checkup, so I left. What’s going on?”
“You took Leyton with you?” Terrence Sterling asked gravely. “When you were in the office, there was a report on the desk, did you see it?”
“What report? I didn’t see any, Terry. Are you missing something?” Julian wondered aloud. “I only went to the restroom then left.”
“It’s nothing,” Terrence Sterling decided not to inquire further.
After hanging up, a deep, unspoken gleam flickered in Terrence Sterling’s eyes.
On the other side, Julian was still puzzled, muttering, “Calling in the middle of the night just about a report?”
After the call, Julian pocketed his phone and walked over to Leyton, who was eating dumplings. “Oh, Leyton, you can’t grab them with your hands, it’s hot. Here, use chopsticks. Do you know how to use them?”
Patiently, Julian taught Leyton how to eat dumplings with chopsticks. Leyton, to put on a convincing act, had deliberately used his hands initially.
In order to get Julian to leave sooner, Leyton proficiently followed the instructions and picked up a dumpling with chopsticks. Julian happily praised him, “Leyton, that’s great!”
Did he think he was praising a preschooler?
In Julian’s eyes, Leyton was nothing more than a three-year-old in terms of intellect.Property © NôvelDrama.Org.
Despite feeling nauseous inside from the praise, Leyton had to play along, clapping his hands and showing a foolish grin, “Leyton is great, Uncle Julian, I’m so happy.”
Julian laughed, truly pleased, treating Leyton as if fostering another son, patiently teaching him, “Leyton, if you’re a good boy, Uncle Julian will ensure you no one can ever hurt you all your life.”
Leyton did not care for Julian’s protection but he couldn’t show it; outwardly, he continued playing the fool, smiling dumbly at Julian.
After Leyton finished the dumplings, Julian spoke to him like talking to a child, “Alright, Leyton, time to sleep. Uncle Julian needs to rest too.”
To finally be rid of Julian, Leyton obediently went to bed.
Once alone, Leyton’s eyes regained their clarity. He retrieved a phone from under the bed, switched it on, and several messages appeared.
“The report is secure. Sterling Corporation has suffered a significant loss.”
“Terrence Sterling is searching for the mole.”
“Pleasure working together.”
After reading, Leyton responded: “This is just the beginning.”
He then formatted the phone completely, leaving no trace behind.
Having done all this, Leyton truly lay down to rest.
For this whole time, he resided alone in the back garden of Ravenwood Hall, while the gardener lived near the flower garden; Stella and Grandma Sterling rarely visited the backyard, but Julian visited Leyton daily.
Returning to his room, Julian faced his wife Stella’s nagging: “You went to see that fool again? You care more about a fool than your own wife. I heard you even took him out today. Aren’t you worried what people will think, walking around with a fool?”
“Don’t say that,” Julian replied. “Although Leyton has brain injuries, he understands right from wrong. If he hears you calling him a fool, it will upset him.”
Stella scoffed, “A fool knowing whether to be happy or not?”
Julian ignored Stella’s remarks and headed to the bathroom.
Following him in her pajamas, Stella complained, “So you don’t want to talk? Are you tired of me?”
Julian sighed, “I see you can’t bother Meredith, so you come to annoy me. Is there any point in this?”
Stella felt slighted, “It’s because Meredith got pregnant. Did she go for a checkup today? Did you ask your son what the doctor said, whether it’s a boy or a girl?”
Julian explained, “He called earlier, I forgot to ask. But whether it’s a boy or girl, it’s our grandchild either way.”
“That’s not the same,” Stella retorted.
She had always regretted not having a daughter; after giving birth to Terrence Sterling, she had been pregnant with a girl, but the child was stillborn.