Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Sullen

This was very different from before.

When Victor Morgan heard Jessie’s voice, he looked up, stood, and walked over to her.

“You’re awake? Still sleepy? Do you want to sleep a little longer?”

Jessie looked at the man before her, a strange expression on her face. Victor would never have said something like this in the past.

Her old stick-in-the-mud would just lecture her about sleeping and waking up early. He’d say that since she was awake, she shouldn’t laze around in bed and should get up to eat because it was good for her health.

So now, Jessie couldn’t resist reaching out and poking Victor’s face.

Victor: “?”

Jessie burst out laughing. “I’m just checking to see if you’re really Victor. You don’t sound anything like him.”

Victor: “…”

He caught the hand that was making mischief on his face. “It seems you’re wide awake now. Get up. Someone’s looking for you.”

While Jessie was still sleeping, her phone had rung once.

Victor hadn’t planned on answering it. But when he saw the caller’s name on the screen, he remembered the report from his people back home. Only then did he pick up the phone, step outside, and take the call.

“Looking for me?” Jessie was a little surprised. “Who?”

She picked up her phone as she spoke.

“Wendy Lawson? Why is she calling me so early in the morning?” Jessie was even more surprised when she saw the call log.

It wasn’t just that a night owl like Wendy would actually call her at seven or eight in the morning. She was even more shocked that Victor had been the one to answer.

Victor didn’t normally look at her phone, and him answering a call for her was practically unheard of.

“Did something happen?” After only a moment of confusion, Jessie quickly put the pieces together and asked.

Victor didn’t say much, just told Jessie to call and ask for herself.

Wendy Lawson had been waiting for Jessie’s call. When it finally came through, her voice was a little hoarse the moment she spoke.

It had been an agonizing wait.

Especially since Victor had been the one to answer the last call; Wendy still felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it.

Jessie held the phone, listening as the agitated voice on the other end spoke. After a few “mhm”s, she said, “Fine, I’ll send you the address. If you want to come over, then come.”

After ending the call, Jessie looked up at Victor and said, “Wendy Lawson feels terrible and wants to come apologize in person. Also, she’s bringing someone named Daisy Woods. She’s from the same company as that Liam Lawson guy from online, and Wendy suspects she’s working with him.”

Victor had already been briefed on the entire incident. Hearing Jessie’s words, he arched a brow. “So, what’s your take on it?”

Jessie went into the bathroom. “I doubt it,” she said as she started her morning routine.

She hadn’t had a chance to check the online rumors yet, but based on what Wendy said, Daisy Woods probably wasn’t the mastermind or an accomplice.

’If a mastermind or accomplice had that much nerve, wouldn’t they be capable of something much more earth-shattering?’

“That confident?” Victor asked.

Jessie paused at the doorway and turned back. “It’s not about trusting anyone. It’s just that for social media bloggers at Daisy Woods’s and Wendy Lawson’s level, there’s no need to do this. The risks outweigh the rewards, and it would be too easy to investigate. Plus, Wendy already learned her lesson once; she wouldn’t deliberately crash and burn a second time.”

Victor nodded. His thoughts were similar to Jessie’s.

“That guy, Liam Lawson… someone will send over his file by this afternoon at the latest. Was he the one who followed you to the restroom last night?” As Victor asked this, his expression soured.

Jessie, inside the bathroom, didn’t see him. Her voice was muffled by a mouthful of mouthwash.

“…There might be something wrong with that guy’s head,” Jessie said.

Outside, Victor let out a short, cold scoff, making sure Jessie couldn’t hear.

Liam Lawson’s social media page had plenty of photos and short videos of him calling out to the camera, “Hey, big sis,” and the like. Victor clicked on one, watched for less than a second, then scowled and immediately closed it.

It was utterly nauseating.

Victor could guess what a man like that wanted by getting close to Jessie.

In their social circle, there was no shortage of men who were kept by women.

If he didn’t have some ulterior motive, then he just wanted to cozy up to Jessie.

Either scenario was enough to make Victor’s expression turn grim.

’Trying to become my wife’s boy toy? Does he think I’m dead or something?’

When Jessie came out from her shower, she saw Victor sitting by the balcony, his expression suddenly even darker than before. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “What’s wrong now?”

’Did something else happen out there while I was in the shower?’

Victor took the towel from her and began to dry her hair. “There’s milk and bread in the dining room. Go eat something to tide you over.”

Jessie said, “You scared me! I thought something else had happened. I came out and saw you with that grim look on your face.”

Victor pursed his lips but didn’t offer an explanation.

He felt that even mentioning the possibility—that Liam Lawson was trying to become her kept man—would taint Jessie’s ears. Naturally, he couldn’t reveal the slightest hint of it to her.

When she went downstairs, Jessie’s mood improved considerably upon seeing the fresh-cut flowers arranged on the long dining table.

Perhaps it was because Victor’s dark expression was, for her, so incredibly reassuring, but Jessie wasn’t worried at all.

She thought it was best not to share this particular thought with Victor, though. If he knew, he would probably go sulk by himself.

Jessie had just come downstairs to eat and hadn’t even finished when Wendy Lawson and Daisy Woods arrived.

The traffic at this hour was still quite heavy, so they were stuck for some time, making them a little late.

The butler opened the door and showed the two of them in.

Wendy Lawson didn’t even have a moment to admire the magnificent manor on the banks of the Sereine River; her expression was grave.

“You’re here!”

Wendy Lawson had imagined many ways Jessie might react upon seeing her today, but she never expected that the moment she and Daisy Woods walked in, they would be met by Jessie’s smiling eyes.

“Have you eaten? Would you like to join me for a bite?” Jessie asked.

How could Wendy possibly have the appetite to eat? The nicer Jessie’s attitude was toward her, the more unnerved and guilty she felt.

After all, it was because of her that Jessie had been framed.

“No, thank you.” Wendy shook her head. “Miss Sterling, have you seen the news online?”

Unconsciously, Wendy had reverted to her previous, more formal address.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep