Chapter 482 Call Him Now and Ask Him
When Adeline rolled up to Jason's office, the secretary threw up a hand. "Sorry, Miss Wilson, Mr. Smith ain't here."
Adeline squinted, checking the time. Just past nine in the morning, prime work hours.
She thought, 'It's Monday. If Jason's not here, where the heck is he?'
While she was mulling over Jason's MIA status, a bigwig from Smith Group showed up. "Hey, Mr. Smith called me for a report. Is he around?"
The secretary shook her head. "Mr. Smith's not here right now."
The exec frowned. "But he called me like half an hour ago, and I just saw his car downstairs. He can't have left, right?"
The secretary got all twitchy, giving the exec a look while keeping an eye on Adeline. "Mr. Smith just stepped out."
The exec paused, then caught on and cleared his throat. "Got it."
He turned and left, leaving the secretary to exhale a long sigh of relief. She turned to Adeline with a forced smile. "Miss Wilson, Mr. Smith, he..."
Adeline cut her off. "He's still in the office, isn't he?"
Ignoring the secretary, Adeline pushed the door open and walked in.
The office was empty, not a soul in sight.
The secretary rushed after her. "Miss Wilson, I told you, Mr. Smith isn't here."
Adeline narrowed her eyes and pulled out her phone to call Jason.
The phone was off. What kind of boss has their phone off during work hours?
She let out a cold laugh, realizing Jason was dodging her. She plopped down on the office sofa. "I know Jason's not here. I'll wait for him, cool?"
The secretary sighed, poured Adeline a cup of coffee, and stayed close to make sure she didn't wander off.
Adeline leaned back on the sofa, sipping coffee and messing with her phone. She was texting Blake.
Blake: [Uncle Jason's company's firewall got re-encrypted; it's tough to crack now.]
Adeline stared at Blake's message. His hacking skills were top-tier.
Someone had beefed up the defenses after Blake breached Jason's company's firewall, making it unbreakable even for Blake. Could Jasper be the hacker helping Jason?
Jason was dodging her, probably scared she'd find out about Mia's emails. But why was Jasper helping Jason?
She took a deep breath, feeling more uneasy by the second.
Her phone buzzed.
Blake: [Hang tight, mom. I'll try to access Uncle Jason's phone signal.]
Blake: [Even though his phone's off, I planted a virus in Jason's and Jasper's phones before.]
Blake: [Jasper noticed and deleted it, but Uncle Jason didn't.]
Blake: [I'll try to turn his phone on.]
Reading Blake's message, Adeline chuckled.
Adeline: [Why'd you plant a virus in their phones?]
Blake: [To keep them from messing with you, mom. Protecting you is my job as your son!]
Blake: [Alright, it's on!]
As Blake's message came through, a phone startup sound echoed from the wall behind Adeline.
She frowned, picked up her phone, and dialed Jason's number while walking towards the wall.
The ringtone got louder.
Finally, Adeline found a hidden door in the wall and opened it.
Inside, Jason was sweating bullets and looking flustered.
Seeing Adeline, Jason forced a smile and waved. "Hey."
Adeline couldn't help but chuckle at Jason's flustered look. "Come on out."
Jason closed his eyes and sighed. He should've listened to Jasper and bailed through the back door!
Jasper had just told him on the phone to scram, but he thought it would be too embarrassing for the president of Smith Group to sneak out just because Adeline showed up.
Jason figured hiding in the secret room would do the trick. But he totally underestimated Adeline and Blake's craftiness!
Even with his phone off, it turned on by itself and started blasting music. No matter how many times he hit the power button, it wouldn't shut up!
Thinking about it, Jason forced a smile at Adeline while cursing under his breath. 'Blake's definitely Jasper's kid. Not only is he a hacking whiz, but he's also just as sneaky.'
Adeline asked, "Mr. Smith, why are you hiding from me?" She plopped down on the sofa next to him, cutting straight to the chase.
Since Jason was dodging her, he must've known why she was there.
Adeline looked him in the eye. "In my experience, Mr. Smith isn't the type to do good deeds anonymously. So why are you hiding after helping me this time?"
Jason took a sip of coffee to steady himself and spoke with some difficulty, "Because I've tried to get you to reconcile with Jasper a few times, but you always ended up hurt. I felt guilty and wanted to do something for you before you left Radiance Springs."
He watched her face carefully. "Is that reason good enough for you?"
Adeline didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out some documents and handed Jason a photo of a burn. "Where did this photo come from?"
Jason stared at the photo in silence before tentatively saying, "Found online?"
This kind of burn pic should've been found online by Jasper, right?
Adeline smiled. "Mr. Smith, your memory's slipping. This photo was bought by you from a doctor at Westside Hospital's Burn Department."
Jason froze, eyes wide with shock. Jasper bought such a horrifying photo? Why would he spend money on something like that?
Adeline watched his reaction closely. She squinted and continued, "Mr. Smith, do you remember how much you paid for this photo?"
Jason was silent for a long time before guessing, "Five thousand?"
Adeline corrected him, "It was twenty thousand."
She took a deep breath and looked coldly at Jason. "Didn't Jasper explain this to you before?"
"No, we..." Jason started, then quickly backtracked. "I did this myself; it has nothing to do with Jasper."
Adeline sighed. "Alright, Mr. Smith, stop pretending."
She rubbed her temples. Before coming here, she thought it was likely Jasper who sent the email to Mia. Now, Jason's reaction almost confirmed it; it was Jasper.
Adeline closed her eyes, staying silent for a long time before opening them and looking deeply at Jason. "Tell me, why did he send that email, and why did he help me?"
Jason bit his lip, struggling for words. Finally, he sighed. "You'll have to ask him yourself."
Adeline exhaled and pushed Jason's phone in front of him. "Call him now and ask. I'll listen."
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