Chapter 155 Has Bennett ever been seriously ill?
Jasper massaged his temples, his head throbbing painfully.
He hadn't touched a drop of alcohol last night, yet he felt as if he was suffering from a hangover.
Stella, sensing Jasper's silence on the other end, became anxious, "Jasper, are you still mad at me?"
"I really realize my mistake. I was blinded by jealousy before. I was envious and jealous to see Adeline working with you at Foster Group.
"After you left last night, I reflected, and indeed, it was my fault. I shouldn't have escalated the situation online after seeing the leak.
"I had them stop it at around eight o'clock; you must have seen it. But then at ten, some anonymous account posted that day's surveillance video.
"Now the views on that video are skyrocketing, and the people condemning me are only increasing.
"What do I do?"
Jasper furrowed his brows, "I'll look into it."
"Okay."
Stella sniffled, her voice carrying the tone of someone who had cried, "Let me know once you figure it out. If it turns out to be Adeline, I'm willing to apologize to her personally."
"Okay."
Jasper paused, then, a second before Stella could hang up, he said, "How are Bennett and Lauren?"
There was a moment of silence on the line.
"They should be at preschool by now, I guess?"
"Is that so?"
Jasper lifted his gaze to the calendar Adeline had left on the coffee table.
The calendar clearly showed it was Sunday.
Every weekend, the preschool where Bennett and Lauren attended made sure to give the kiddos a day off, fostering quality time with the parents, a fact completely unbeknownst to Stella, who had returned to Denver nearly a week ago.
It was hard to imagine that a mother who constantly professed her love for her children could be so uninformed.
Jasper's brow furrowed at the memory of Adeline's sharp accusations just the day before, when she spouted her heated diatribe.
"Today, you don't have to worry about the kids' meals. Let Alice handle it."
Stella paused on the other end of the line, her realization almost instant.
Those little rascals must have tattled to Jasper.
They were young but oh so crafty!
Although irked, Stella's voice remained soft, "What's wrong? Are they complaining about their mommy? I just care about them, that's all."
Jasper wanted to say more when a noise from the bedroom door interrupted him.
He furrowed his brow, and he quickly changed the subject, "Anyway, Alice will arrange everything today. Stay out of it. We'll talk about the specifics when I get back."
With that, he hung up and looked towards the bedroom.
Adeline, draped in her pajamas and arms folded across her chest, leaned against the doorway, "Awake and still here? What, waiting for breakfast?"
The morning sun highlighted her features.
Her slightly tousled hair made her delicate face seem even more petite.
On that small visage, her beautiful dark eyes were filled with loathing for him.
The man twisted his brow, "Adeline, don't forget I'm your boss.
"Don't use that tone with me again."
He detested this behavior more than anything. It was only after her prodding last night that he had completely lost control with her...
Adeline rolled her eyes, "Oh, getting bossy now that you've put your pants on?
"Why didn't you remember I'm your subordinate when you were being rude to me last night?"
Jasper's brows sank lower.
Last night's events…
Even now, they seemed unbelievable to him.
There was always a second time after the first.
He had excused the last occurrence by claiming it was the alcohol, that he had mistaken her for another.
But this time?
He hadn't drunk a thing.
And he was perfectly aware that she was Adeline, not someone else.
But…
Ding!
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
With it was Sebastian's concerned voice, "How's it going? Feeling any better? I brought breakfast. It’s time to get up and eat?"
He still remembered how Adeline's mood had soured last night after Lauren's call.
"Adeline?"
Jasper furrowed his brows, about to answer the door, when Adeline grabbed him.
"Don't you have a sense of decency? Because I sure do!"
With a bite of her lip, she shoved Jasper into her bedroom, "If you dare come out, I'll leak Stella's gallery security footage right away!"
After uttering those words, she shut the bedroom door and kicked Jasper's shoes behind the suitcase.
Having completed her mission, Adeline took a deep breath and opened the front door.
"Up already?"
Sebastian entered the room with a light chuckle as he crossed the threshold.
Adeline reluctantly followed, feeling guilty, "You're up early."
"I always wake up this early; I could bring breakfast every day," Sebastian said with another chuckle, quickly noticing the throw blanket on the couch and its telltale wrinkles, "Did you on the couch last night?"
Adeline paused, then nodded quickly, "The bedroom's a mess; I haven't had time to tidy up, so I crashed on the couch."
"Hm," Sebastian hummed nonchalantly, setting the breakfast on the coffee table, "How about I go help clean up your messy room?"
Adeline quickly grasped his arm, "No need to bother."
"Why don't you... just keep me company while I eat? Eating alone is so dull."
Sebastian hesitated, glanced at the slightly ajar bedroom door, then at the men's shoes behind the suitcase. Finally, he sat down with a light laugh on the couch opposite Adeline. "Well, I suppose I can spare some time to chat for a bit."
Adeline secretly breathed a sigh of relief and managed a smile, chatting idly with Sebastian while she ate.
Inside the bedroom, Jasper sat quietly, listening to the voices of the two outside.
Initially, he found their topics quite engaging.
But as Sebastian started talking about his paintings and Adeline about her designs, Jasper lost interest.
He sat down on the bed, surveying Adeline's bedroom, which was far from the chaotic mess she claimed. It was spotlessly clean.
She was a diligent woman. After he fell asleep last night, she had managed to tidy everything up.
Lavender sheets, and an ivory-colored desk.
On the desk, there was a picture of her with Lauren, and beneath it, a photo album.
Driven by curiosity, he leaned over and opened the album.
To his surprise, there wasn't a single photo of Adeline with both children inside.
Pictures of her with Lauren, her with Bennett, and Lauren with Bennett filled the pages.
Bennett's snapshots were notably abundant.
And yet...
The man furrowed his brow as he examined Bennett's photos with great attention.
Half portrayed the kid's quirky and playful persona, and the other half, a stark contrast—ponderous and mature; he was utterly unrecognizable from his current self.
A slight smile played on Jasper's lips.
This kid had more than one face.
But as he leafed through to the later photos, his smile faded.
At the end of the album were heaps of images of Bennett in striped hospital pajamas, pale and propped up in a hospital bed.
Some captured him hooked up to an IV, forcing a smile.
Others showed him holding Lauren's small hand, a smile of resignation on his face.
Jasper's heart sank abruptly.
Had Bennett been seriously ill?
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