Chapter 92: Chapter 87: More Backbone Than You

Arthur Lockwood shot a confused glance at Beta Morgan, only to meet a pair of eyes gloating at the drama. Arthur’s expression faltered as he thought, ’This guy is asking for trouble!’

Meanwhile, Jade Sinclair noticed Arthur Lockwood hadn’t responded right away. She knew that the scions of great families were always cautious and wouldn’t casually indebt themselves to others while they were out.

So, she forced a smile and pressed on, trying to leverage her connection through Stella Sinclair. “Young Master Lockwood, thank you so much for taking care of my niece, Stella. When you have some free time, we can have Stella invite you over to our home…”

“Wait, who did you say?”

Arthur Lockwood finally spoke, cutting her off.

He was used to people trying to curry favor with him, but this was the first time he’d seen someone get the connection so completely wrong. ’No wonder Morgan told me to come over,’ he thought. ’The Sinclair Family is truly laughable.’

Jade Sinclair’s expression froze. Staring into the Lockwood Heir’s unreadable, half-smiling eyes, her heart sank.

She stammered, “Ste… Stella…”

Arthur Lockwood decided to mess with her. His expression turned serious. “How did you know that she and I are acquainted?”

His question made the color drain from the faces of all the Sinclairs. Jade Sinclair, in particular, was mortified, rooted to the spot. Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

With a glint of amusement in his eyes, Arthur Lockwood leaned back, lazily twirling a string of beads in his hand. “I don’t know any Stella Sinclair…” he said, a playful tone in his voice.

He looked for all the world like a spectator enjoying the drama, an infuriating sight. But the Sinclairs didn’t dare show their anger. Instead, they tread carefully, terrified of offending him.

The atmosphere in the room grew awkward. The expression on Master Sinclair’s face shifted from one shade to another.

Jade Sinclair shot him a pleading look, but he only returned it with a harsh glare.

Suddenly, a startling realization dawned on Janet Sinclair and Tanner Sinclair: the one who knew Arthur Lockwood wasn’t Stella Sinclair, it was Aurora Sinclair!

They exchanged a look, and each saw a bitter smile in the other’s eyes.

Just then, a tiny voice piped up from a corner, sounding jarring in the silent room.

“Senior Sister… beads…”

Arthur Lockwood looked toward the voice and saw a little boy holding a small wooden car, his head tilted as he pointed at him.

Leigh Miles’s gaze followed his pointed finger, and he instantly spotted the string of beads Arthur Lockwood was playing with in his hand.

He asked in surprise, “Where’d you get those beads?”

His voice was clear and bright, tinged with a fearlessness that instantly shattered the awkward tension in the room.

The Sinclairs breathed a collective, silent sigh of relief. But a moment later, Jade Sinclair’s expression soured again. Her brows knitted, and her heart leaped back into her throat, terrified the boy would be tactless and offend him.

But Arthur Lockwood wasn’t angry at all. In fact, he smugly held up the string of beads and boasted, “Your Senior Sister gave them to me.”

Leigh Miles pursed his lips, looking rather displeased. He turned to Beta Morgan. “Mr. Beta, I want to go find my Senior Sister.”

Having had his fill of the drama, Beta Morgan smiled at Master Sinclair. “Mr. Sinclair, we’ll get going, then. If you need anything, just come find me in the private room on the far left.”

Master Sinclair hastily agreed with a polite word.

Seeing that Beta Morgan was leaving, Arthur Lockwood also stood up. He shot a meaningful glance at Master Sinclair and said with a smile, “Mr. Sinclair, if anything comes up, just have Aurora get in touch. I left her my card.”

***

The private room was deathly silent. Jade Sinclair sat on the sofa, staring blankly at the coffee table, her mind slowly processing what had just happened.

An icy chill seemed to descend upon the room. Everyone was silent, their faces grim and the atmosphere frozen solid.

The silence was broken only when Jean Quincy suddenly cried out, “The business card Big Cousin had… was that from Young Master Lockwood, for Aurora?”

Everyone shot her a complicated look.

’Took her long enough to figure that out.’

Her outburst seemed to thaw the icy atmosphere in the room, if only slightly.

Jade Sinclair, who had been sitting as still as a statue, finally snapped to life. Her face darkened as she looked at Master Sinclair and said through gritted teeth, “Dad, this has to be my sister-in-law’s scheme! I really underestimated how shameless the Gordons are…”

Her anger flared just thinking about all the money and gifts she had wasted on her eldest brother’s family.

For months, she had been groveling before Hailey Gordon, sucking up to her and showering Stella Sinclair with gifts, all because of the Lockwoods. To think they would dare to deceive her.

They were absolutely despicable!

***

Master Sinclair was furious as well, but he remained silent, his face grim.

Janet Sinclair crossed her legs, took a cigarette from its case, and lit it with an air of indifference. “Is this really a surprise?” she said nonchalantly. “The Gordons never do anything unless there’s something in it for them.”

“Uncle,” Zeke Quincy suddenly asked, “the guy we play games with… is that Young Master Lockwood?”

Tanner Sinclair shook his head out of reflex. By the time he caught himself, Zeke Quincy already had an “I knew it” look on his face.

“Young Master Lockwood has always been close to the Young Master of the Morgan Family. And right after Young Master Morgan got here, Leigh Miles knew Aurora had arrived just from a knock on the door. There’s only one explanation: Aurora came with the Young Master of the Morgan Family, and the only thing connecting those two is that game…”

“That’s not right. Aurora must have known Young Master Morgan for a long time,” Jean Quincy retorted, her eyes lighting up as if she’d just remembered something. She even picked up her phone and started scrolling through her calendar.

“Do you remember that time Aurora kicked Glenn Lockwood? When we were eating afterward, Aurora got a call. The caller ID was just a single name: ’Morgan.’ That has to be Young Master Morgan. Also…”

With every word Jean Quincy spoke, Jade Sinclair’s face grew another shade paler. Finally, she frowned and chided, “Why didn’t you tell me any of this sooner?”

“Why are you blaming the child? I told her not to say anything!” Master Sinclair shot another glare at his incredibly vain third daughter.

“Why, Dad? That’s the Young Master of the Morgan Family!” Jade Sinclair sounded hurt. Her gaze swept over the calm expressions of Tanner and Janet Sinclair, which only made her feel worse.

Her voice rose without her realizing it. “Did you two know all along that Aurora knew the Young Master of the Morgan Family?”

Janet Sinclair stubbed out her cigarette and shot her a sidelong glance. “Yes, we knew. So what?”

“You all…”

Jade Sinclair was livid.

Master Sinclair tapped his cane on the floor. “Jade,” he said heavily, “look at yourself! You’re nothing like you used to be.”

Jade Sinclair froze. Everyone in the room, including her own two children, was looking at her with reproachful eyes. A sudden wave of self-pity washed over her.

Her eyes stung with tears. She turned her head away and began to cry. “Do you think I want to be like this? The Sinclair Family and the Quincy Family are in different leagues. I’ve been married into that family for years, and they’ve always looked down on me. Even Jean and Zeke aren’t taken seriously. If I don’t try to climb the ladder, how am I supposed to secure a future for them?”

Jean Quincy, empathizing with her mother, felt her own eyes redden. She hugged Jade Sinclair and comforted her in a low voice.

Master Sinclair knew, of course, that his daughter had endured a great deal of unfair treatment over the years. He let out a helpless sigh.

Years ago, Alden Quincy had married Jade Sinclair against his family’s wishes. Naturally, the couple wasn’t welcome in the Quincy household and faced constant hostility. Alden’s mother, Mrs. Quincy, held Jade in complete contempt, and her sisters-in-law never missed an opportunity for a backhanded compliment or a veiled insult.

Jade Sinclair had been bottling up her resentment for years, dreaming of the day she would finally make a name for herself and shove her success in her in-laws’ faces.

A dark glint flashed in Zeke Quincy’s eyes. He handed her a tissue and said with a serious expression, “Mom, Jean and I aren’t going to fight for the Quincy family’s assets. We’ll make our own way in the future. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself for us anymore. From now on, let’s just visit the main house less and live our own lives.”

“That’s right, Mom. We won’t compete with them. My brother and I will earn plenty of money on our own to support you and Dad.”

Jade Sinclair looked up at her two children with red, tear-filled eyes, feeling both proud and heartbroken.

Janet Sinclair tossed her a pack of tissues and said matter-of-factly, “Your son and daughter have more backbone than you do.”

***

Meanwhile, a still-shocked Stella Sinclair was called backstage for the awards ceremony.

Zane Guthrie held up his phone, his face beaming. “Stella, Master Flora Guthrie is going to be online after the ceremony to offer critiques to the top three winners. You have to make the most of this. If your piece catches her eye, you might get a chance for her to mentor you personally. This would be huge for your future career…”

Stella Sinclair’s eyes lit up instantly. The dejection she’d felt because of Aurora Sinclair vanished completely.

’If I’m chosen by Master Flora Guthrie,’ she thought, ’even the heads of the Seven Great Families will have to take me seriously.’

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