Chapter 52: Chapter 49: That Damn Scumbag

When Master Sinclair came out, Hailey Gordon was sitting on the sofa, yelling at Tanner Sinclair. Linton Sinclair and Stella Sinclair just stood silently to the side.

Hailey Gordon knew Master Sinclair was in the study, so she was being deliberately loud.

Ever since Aurora Sinclair returned, she and Stella had endured a lot of frustration. This time, Aurora had dared to offend a Tier 2 member of the Kingsford Calligraphy and Painting Association, giving her the perfect excuse to vent.

“Father, you’re here too! Perfect, we need to have a serious talk about this!”

Master Sinclair’s face was grim. He leaned on his cane and replied coolly, “Talk about what? What is there to talk about?”

Then he told Aurora Sinclair, who was standing beside him, to go to her room and sleep, because she had school tomorrow.

Hailey Gordon watched coldly as Master Sinclair continued to favor Aurora Sinclair. She sneered, “Father, they are both Sinclair granddaughters. You don’t have to be so blatantly biased, do you?”

Stella Sinclair stood nearby, her eyes red and swollen, a look of pure grievance on her face.

Butler Sinclair helped Master Sinclair to a single armchair. The old man coughed heavily twice, ignoring her, and turned his gaze to his eldest son instead.

“Linton, do you feel the same way?”

Linton Sinclair stammered for a while, glanced at his wife and daughter, then forced himself to say, “Dad, this incident with Aurora will affect Stella’s position in the Calligraphy Association…”

“Hmph…” Master Sinclair snorted and turned his head away, refusing to look at him any longer.

Seeing her husband’s newly mustered courage evaporate under the old man’s glare, Hailey Gordon shot him a look of utter disappointment.

She took over the conversation, her voice sharp. “Father, Stella went all out to find a tutor for Aurora Sinclair, finally managing to secure a Tier 2 member. And what happens? On the very first day of class, Aurora sends the man to the hospital. How do you expect Stella to face anyone at the Calligraphy Association now?”

“What do you want to do about it?” Master Sinclair glanced at the silent Stella Sinclair before finally looking at Hailey Gordon, his expression indifferent as he asked.

Hailey Gordon clutched her handbag tightly, glaring furiously at Aurora Sinclair, who hadn’t left yet. “She must go to the hospital and apologize to Professor Anson!”

The words had barely left her mouth when Tanner Sinclair quipped, “Sister-in-law, your preparations are rather lacking!” Then he stood up with a smile and said to the old man, “I’m off to bed too. You’re too old to be staying up this late.”

Seeing Tanner Sinclair treat her this way, Hailey Gordon’s face turned pale with rage. She pointed a trembling finger at him. “You’re taking her side too, aren’t you?”

Tanner Sinclair cleaned out his ear. “Sister-in-law, it’s past eleven. Your volume is disturbing the peace.”

“You… Fine! You’re all ignoring this, is that it? Stella, we’re going back to the Gordon family—” Furious, Hailey Gordon shot to her feet, grabbed her bag, and stormed toward the door.

The tears Stella Sinclair had been holding back for so long began to stream down her face like a broken string of pearls. Master Sinclair’s heart ached at the sight, and he quickly had Butler Sinclair pass her a tissue.

Stella Sinclair slapped the tissue away, her eyes brimming with tears as she pressed him, “Grandpa, am I still your biological granddaughter? Why can Aurora make a mistake and not have to apologize?”

Master Sinclair’s tone wasn’t as harsh with her as it was with Hailey Gordon. His voice softened slightly. “Stella, you’re an adult now. Some things aren’t as simple as they seem. Aurora, she…”

“Grandpa, haven’t you realized? Ever since Aurora Sinclair came back, the Sinclair family has become the laughingstock of Kingsford’s high society…”

“Enough! Stella, why are you starting to be so unreasonable? Aurora is your sister—” Master Sinclair’s voice was extremely stern, and his expression was even more frightening.

Stella Sinclair’s body trembled. She bit her lip hard, not daring to say another word.

Hailey Gordon, who had reached the doorway, heard Master Sinclair scolding her daughter and spun around in a rage. Her high heels clacked loudly on the floor, a clear sign of her extreme anger.

She grabbed Stella Sinclair’s arm and barked, “What are you standing there like an idiot for? Their favoritism knows no bounds. There’s no place for the three of us in this family anymore. When we get back, I’m changing your and your brother’s last names to Gordon—”

“You dare—”

Overcome with fury, Master Sinclair shot to his feet, clutched his heart, and collapsed backward.

“Dad—”

“Family Head—”

“Grandpa—”

***

「After the chaotic scene.」

Master Sinclair slowly regained consciousness, murmuring, “Myles… Stella…”

Myles Sinclair was still abroad; only Stella Sinclair was in the room.

Her eyes red-rimmed, she immediately stepped forward and grasped Master Sinclair’s aged hand. “Grandpa, I’m here…”

“Stella… Aurora… won’t affect… you…”

The worried look in Stella Sinclair’s eyes faded. Her face paled, and she pressed her lips together tightly.

’Even now, he’s still thinking about Aurora Sinclair.’

“Aurora…”

Aurora Sinclair slowly stepped forward so he could see her.

“Aurora…”

Master Sinclair reached out, trying to grab her hand, but Aurora Sinclair was standing a bit too far away.

Butler Sinclair gave her a gentle push, and only then did she take Master Sinclair’s hand. “Grandpa.”

“Don’t blame… them…”

“Mm…”

Master Sinclair placed Stella’s and Aurora’s hands over his heart. “You… are sisters…”

Those few words seemed to drain all his remaining strength. After speaking, he fell into a deep sleep.

Stella Sinclair had no love for Aurora Sinclair. After calling out to her grandpa a few more times, she pulled her hand away and stood up straight.

“Stella, let’s go—”

Seeing that Master Sinclair was out of danger, Hailey Gordon’s stern expression returned.

When Linton Sinclair saw that his wife and daughter were leaving, he couldn’t stay either. He hastily dropped a “call me if anything happens” and left with them.

The vast private hospital room was now left with only Aurora Sinclair and Tanner Sinclair.

Four or five medical instruments surrounded the hospital bed, and the readings on them were all relatively normal.

That was a close call just now. If they had been a minute later, Master Sinclair might have passed away, unable to catch his breath.

Ever since Thomas Sinclair and Noelle Rhodes passed away, his health had been poor. He had been relying on medication for years, gradually handing over the company to his eldest son and youngest daughter while entering a state of semi-retirement.

His health had been managed fairly well, but Hailey Gordon’s words were so cruel they had pushed him over the edge, triggering a heart attack.

Tanner Sinclair patted Aurora Sinclair’s head, comforting her. “This isn’t your fault.”

He could see that Aurora Sinclair was blaming herself and was full of regret.

“Aurora, I’m here. You should go home.”

Just as he was speaking, Butler Sinclair suddenly pushed open the door to the room, his face ashen, a phone in his hand.

“Fourth Master, could you step out for a moment?”

Tanner Sinclair’s expression changed slightly. ’Has the old man’s condition become unstable?’

He immediately strode toward the door.

After closing the door properly, Tanner Sinclair asked with a grave face, “What’s wrong? What did the doctor say?”

Butler Sinclair handed him the phone. “It’s not the Family Head, Fourth Master. Look at this…”

The screen showed a trending topic from Veridia’s largest social media platform.

#KingsfordCalligraphyAssociationMemberSexualHarassment#

He tapped on it and saw it was a police bulletin.

[This afternoon, the Kingsford Police Department received a report from a Quentin Anson, who claimed to have been assaulted by a student surnamed Sinclair. A preliminary investigation revealed that Quentin Anson (male, 35, a Tier 2 member of the Kingsford Calligraphy and Painting Association) has a history of molesting and sexually harassing female students, as well as coercing them into taking indecent photographs for blackmail. The student, a Miss Sinclair, was acting in self-defense, which is considered justifiable. The suspect, Quentin Anson, has been lawfully detained, and the case is under further investigation.]

“Fourth Master, this is…”

Tanner Sinclair’s face was as dark as it could possibly be. He clenched his fists and cursed, “Fuck! I’m going to fucking break both of that bastard’s hands…” Then he started to walk away, his expression grim.

Butler Sinclair immediately stopped him. Although he was furious himself, he knew he had to calm Tanner down. The Young Master of the Morgan Family had said he would handle this matter and that the Sinclair family should not get involved.

“Fourth Master, someone is already handling this. It’s not convenient for us to interfere!”

“Why not?” Tanner Sinclair was so angry he looked ready to explode.

Butler Sinclair quickly tried to persuade him, “Fourth Master, the Second Miss’s reputation is paramount…”

Tanner Sinclair froze, then a wave of frustration washed over him. “To hell with her reputation! Are we just going to let this go?”

He thought of Aurora Sinclair at the police station, how she hadn’t tried to defend herself, and his heart ached for her. He wished he could grab a knife and butcher that animal right now.

“No. His fate will be far worse.”

A merciless glint flashed in Butler Sinclair’s eyes.

***

「The next day.」

The official website of the Kingsford Calligraphy and Painting Association published an expulsion notice for Marius Anson.

This announcement was once again pushed to the top of the trending topics by netizens, attracting attention from all corners of society.

Netizens flooded the comments section, applauding the decision.

[This is how it should be! You can’t go easy on animals like him!]

[He deserves it! Justice comes sooner or later. The Calligraphy Association did a good job this time!]

[I support the victim for speaking up and reporting him. Send all this scum to prison.]

[To the person above me, prison is too light. I suggest taking people like him out and shooting them.]

[Unfortunately, the crime of hooliganism in Veridia doesn’t carry the death penalty, but I urge the judge to issue a harsh sentence.]

…

Due to Master Sinclair’s health, Butler Sinclair and Tanner Sinclair kept this matter from him.

Unexpectedly, Master Sinclair discovered it himself by noon the next day. He flew into a rage and called Linton Sinclair, ordering him and his family to get their asses to the hospital immediately.

“Mom, what do we do? Grandpa will never forgive me!” Stella Sinclair’s eyes were filled with panic. She never expected the police to go to the trouble of investigating Marius Anson and uncovering so much.

Although she had heard rumors at the Calligraphy Association about Marius Anson’s lecherous habits, she had deliberately concealed this problem because she hated Aurora Sinclair and recommended him to her grandfather.

If her grandfather found out, she could be expelled from the Sinclair family.

Because one of the Sinclair family’s rules was that one must not deliberately frame or harm a sibling. The penalty was expulsion from the family and forfeiture of all Sinclair family assets.

Hailey Gordon was also terrified. She especially remembered her accusations against Aurora Sinclair from the day before—it was a total slap in the face. In her heart, she couldn’t help but resent her own daughter for her poor judgment of character.

“Stella, didn’t you look into Marius Anson’s character beforehand?”

Stella Sinclair’s eyes flickered. She replied guiltily, “I didn’t know he was that kind of person either.”

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