Chapter 249: I Disagree
Jasper paused, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"So helping to defend Adeline means falling for her?" Jasper smirked a hint of mockery in his voice. "Then, every time you defend Evelyn in front of me and speak highly of her, does that mean you've fallen for Evelyn?"
What he said instantly enraged Nathan.
Nathan slammed his fist hard on the table. "Jasper, watch your words! Monroe and I have been friends for many years! His daughter was no different from mine! Besides, she's already dead. Are you not afraid of karma?"
Jasper chuckled lightly. "Whether Evelyn is truly dead or not remains uncertain."
"But..." Jasper turned his head, his gaze icy as it swept over Nathan's face. "Didn't I learn this logic from you?"
Nathan's chest heaved with anger. "You bastard! How dare you speak like this to me!"
"If I'm a bastard, what does that make you?" Jasper asked.
Leaving these words hanging in the air, Jasper turned and left, with the door shut behind.
Furiously, Nathan swept the food off the table.
At Willowcrest Terrace.
Adeline sat on the sofa, working on her sketchpad. She listened to the chatter of the three children through her headphones.
"Alice made us dinner tonight. It's not as good as Mommy's, but still tasty!" Lauren's voice sounded proud over the phone.
"Much better than what Stella makes," Lauren added in a childish tone.
Bennett chuckled. "Honestly, Stella's cooking might not be as good as mine."
Then, he seemed to remember something. "Blake, did you know? With Alice's help, I've learned a few new dishes recently. When you're better, I'll cook for you."
Bennett's words lingered for a while before Blake's low laughter came through the phone. "Why do I have to wait until I'm better to enjoy your cooking?"
Bennett chuckled. "I'm afraid if you're still sick, my cooking might make it worse."
Adeline sighed helplessly. "So, is your cooking good or bad?"
Bennett hesitated. "It should be good. But you might get a stomachache afterward."
Adeline was speechless.
Shaking her head helplessly, she adjusted her position and continued working on her sketch. "It's already past nine. Bedtime!"
"When I'm not around, you and Lauren should watch out for each other and go to bed early," Adeline added.
The phone went silent instantly.
After a long pause, Bennett sighed, his voice muffled, "Mommy, did you really promise Jasper not to contact us freely anymore?"
Adeline nodded. "Didn't I promise that before? It's fine."
"But this time is different." Lauren pouted angrily, "This time, there's that annoying Stella in the house!"
Adeline was at a loss for words, unsure how to comfort the children.
"When Dad's not home, Stella will make things difficult for us." Lauren continued to complain.
Frowning, Bennett said, "Lauren, don't say these things to Mom. She can't do anything about it."
"But..." Lauren replied.
"I'll figure something out." Just as Lauren and Bennett were about to argue, Blake sighed on the other end of the phone, "Wait for my news."
Blake ended the conversation between the two little kids.
Adeline took a deep breath. "I'll figure something out, too."
After comforting Lauren and Bennett, she hung up, feeling slightly exhausted.
Lauren was right.
Even if Stella didn't dare to treat them as she did during the kidnapping, living under the same roof with her was bound to cause some trouble for the children.
When Jasper was at home, Stella wouldn't dare to touch the children.
But what about when he wasn't home?
After much thought, Adeline couldn't resist but called Jasper.
"What's up?" Jasper's voice was filled with displeasure as if he was dealing with something difficult.
Furrowing her brow, Adeline tried to keep it brief. "I remember you mentioned before that Stella had some knowledge of jewelry design, right?"
Leaning back in the car's leather seat, Jasper closed his eyes, his voice masking his emotions. "What about it?"
"I need some help right now." Adeline bit her lip, getting to the point. "Instead of hiring new staff to assist, why not have Stella come to the company to help?"
"As your wife, she'll have the company's best interests at heart," Adeline said. "Besides, starting from the bottom is the best way for her to integrate into the Foster Group."
"Once this project is over, I can give all the credit and accolades to her, which will silence those who say she got in through connections. After that, you can assign her any position you want," Adeline added.
That was the best Adeline could do to protect the children.
Since Adeline couldn't be with them every day, she could keep Stella close to her.
This project would take at least two to three months.
At that time, Adeline would surely get pregnant with Jasper's child.
Even if Adeline didn't, she could use the excuse of being separated from Bennett and Lauren for too long to bring them out of Blue Bay.
"Give all the credit and accolades to Stella?" Jasper held his phone, his voice calm. "That's not a good deal for you."
This jewelry project was significant, and he saw it as a turning point for the Foster Group's jewelry division.
From preparation to coordination and subsequent planning, highly professional strategizing was required.
Adeline had it all.
Moreover, once this project was completed, Adeline's value would double from what it was before.
'To pass up such an opportunity, is Adeline really willing to do that?' Jasper thought.
"Consider it my compensation for taking Stella's child back then." Adeline smiled. "Talk to Stella about it tonight."
"Have her start at the company tomorrow. I'll assign her the easiest," Adeline added.
"Why?" Instead of agreeing her proposal, Jasper asked indifferently, "Your relationship with Stella is not good enough for you to hand over such an important achievement, isn't it?"
Adeline held the phone tightly, her voice tense, "What do you think I'm doing this for?"
Probably not expecting Adeline to question him back, Jasper furrowed his brow in thought.
After a while, Jasper chuckled. "You must think that if Stella doesn't work and stays in Blue Bay every day, she'll make things difficult for Bennett and Lauren, right?"
Jasper's answer caught Adeline's breath slightly.
Jasper had always been like this.
He was too clever and sharp.
Her thoughts were crystal clear in front of Jasper.
Biting her lip, Adeline said, "Just consider it my overthinking."
"But I don't agree with this." Jasper stopped in his tracks and let out a cold laugh.
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