Chapter 29
Jasmine almost choked, thinking, I just think Conrad is good-looking. And… She smiled and said nothing but looked at Samantha for help. Samantha, explain it she exclaimed inwardly.
Samantha calmly took a sip of coffee and nodded at Conrad. She said, “Conrad, I’m going upstairs. I’ll leave Jas to you.”
Conrad was startled, but then, he cleared his throat and smiled. “Okay,” he said.
Jasmine watched Samantha’s departing figure in astonishment and feeling miserable. She had once told Samantha she would be too constrained if she met someone she liked. She wondered if Samantha had misunderstood now.
On the stairs, Samantha gave Jasmine a cheering gesture and continued upstairs without looking back.
Upstairs. Samantha locked the door. She took a small object from her bag, put it on the table, and then typed something on the phone. A blue screen appeared, showing a foreigner in a white suit.
Seeing Samantha, the woman smiled politely and spoke fluently in Astorian. “Ms. Vanderbilt, it’s been a while. How are you?”
Samantha sat on the bedside, took a sip of coffee, and nodded slightly. I’m fine. What happened this time?” she asked.
The woman didn’t expect Samantha to figure it out so quickly, so she reported seriously, “There’s a traitor in Hork. He surrounded Hork with his men. They have a few people, and we’ve successfully arrested them. We have no casualties at present. Are you going to interrogate him personally?”
Samantha put the coffee on the table and uttered slowly, “Is he the one I suspected before?”
The woman nodded.
*Send more manpower to the border to strengthen the force. Jas and I will be there tomorrow, Samantha instructed.
“Okay!” the woman answered.
The screen disappeared. Samantha picked up the cup again and took a sip from it. ‘I didn’t expect him to betray me in the end. It seems I shouldn’t be softhearted, she thought.
Samantha finished the coffee, opened the door, and went downstairs.
Downstairs, Jasmine looked blank while Hansel kept bombarding her with questions.
Samantha glanced at Jasmine with a smile and turned to walk toward Kathleen. She sat next to Kathleen, looked at the food. on the table, grabbed a snack, and began to eat.
Kathleen shifted her gaze from Jasmine to Samantha. Afraid that Samantha might choke, she poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Samantha
“Sammie, is that young lady your friend?” Kathleen asked; she didn’t know Samantha well yet. What if she is Sammie’s teacher?’ she wondered. After all, Jasmine was dressed elegantly
Samantha paused and nodded before saying. “Yes.”
Kathleen’s eyes lit up. She leaned closer to Samantha and glanced toward Jasmine, asking quietly, “How old is she? What’s her name? Does she have a boyfriend? How did she meet Conrad?”
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Chapter 29
Samantha was about to respond after hearing the first few questions but hesitated and thought for a while at the last question before replying, “Her name is Jasmine. She’s 24 years old and has no boyfriend. She met Conrad around… this morning?”
“This morning?” Kathleen wondered. She said, “Huh? Then, did she approach Conrad first, or did Conrad approach her first?”
Samantha replied, “Neither, I don’t know. Mom, aren’t you thinking too much? Conrad was probably worried that Jas might encounter danger going home alone at night. Why are you and Dad-”
“Sammie, you’re still young and don’t understand love. This friend of yours may become your sister-in-law in the future,” Kathleen said. She had been smiling since she saw Jasmine. Apparently, she was satisfied with her.
Samantha smiled and said nothing. She just focused on her own business. She picked up her phone and leaned lazily on the couch. Then, she turned the phone sideways and opened the game.
About ten minutes later, Brennan and Adrienne came home. As soon as they entered the house, they saw Hansel smiling like he had won the lottery, and in front of him was Conrad and an unknown woman in a light green bodycon dress.
Brennan looked at Jasmine’s back and frowned, wondering, ‘She looks like Ms. Sullivan, the new teacher who arrived today. Standing there, he suddenly recalled the scene of Jasmine’s class in the morning. As soon as Jasmine came in, she took care of all the troublemakers in the class. She wasn’t as gentle as the first time he saw her. ‘She’s like an exterminator!’ he thought.
Brennan gulped and called out tentatively, “Ms. Sullivan?”
As the words fell, the main hall fell into silence, and everyone looked toward Jasmine, wondering, ‘She’s a teacher
Jasmine turned around and found it was a student from her class. Brennan.
Brennan transferred to Class Two today. With Brennan’s grade, he should have been in Class One. But for some reason, he moved to another class.
Jasmine had a good impression of Brennan and greeted him with a smile. “Hi, Brennan.”
Conrad’s face froze when he saw the two know each other. He looked at Brennan without expression.
Seeing Conrad was inexplicably angry, Brennan dared not stay longer. He smiled awkwardly and went straight upstairs.
Jasmine didn’t find anything wrong. She talked to everyone for a while and then glanced toward Samantha again.
Seeing Jasmine’s pleading look, Samantha got up and walked over.
“Mr. Vanderbilt,” Adrienne said. She stood at the door, staring at Jasmine beside Conrad with jealousy.
Now that Adrienne was no longer a member of the Vanderbilt family, she didn’t have to hide her love for Conrad anymore. But given her current situation, she had to restrain herself. She thought, I won’t let this woman have the person I can’t have!
Hansel’s face darkened when he heard Adrienne’s greeting. Given Adrienne’s identity as a guest of their family now, he responded calmly but distantly, “Adrienne, you’re back. Let’s get ready for dinner.”
Hearing this, Adrienne tightened her grip on her bag and responded with a smile. Then, she went upstairs. She was like a different person from before.
Samantha took another sip of water and thought, ‘Adrienne, you’d better behave yourself.
Dinner was ready soon. Usually, Jasmine would grab Samantha, wave her hand, and exclaim, “Let’s have a big meal together!” But now, she placed her hands on her lap with a gentle smile, looking graceful, as if she had been possessed.
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Unfortunately, Samantha lowered her head and focused on her food. She estimated the trip to Hork would last at least three days. She planned to check on the diamond mines there.
For Jasmine, this was the most tormenting meal she had ever eaten. Fortunately, it was getting late. She escaped from the dining table with the excuse of going to bed.
In Samantha’s room upstairs, Jasmine shook Samantha’s shoulders with both hands and complained, “Sammie! You’ve gone too far! How could you leave me alone with the Vanderbilt family!”
She closed her eyes, raised her hands, and apologized perfunctonly. “All right, all right. I’m wrong, okay? Keep your voice down. This room is not soundproof,” Samantha said.
