Chapter 503 Pretending
Boyfriend?
James nearly slammed his head against the wall.
The two officers stared at him in disbelief, their eyes locked on his face.
Lavinia was startled for a moment, then her voice hardened. "Hestia. Regardless of who he is or whether he's your boyfriend, you can't shield him."
Despite her high position and extensive connections, she wouldn't let Hestia protect someone who had broken the law.
"James, tell them you're innocent!" Hestia exclaimed. "I don't believe you did those things."
The female officer spread her hands. "Ms. Sharp, I wish your boyfriend was innocent too, but many witnesses saw him commit the assault."
The male officer added, "That's right, and since it involves theft of an invaluable formula, he can't be released on bail yet."
Seeing their conviction, Hestia's pretty face showed doubt. "James, did you really do these things?"
Lavinia looked down at James with a cold sweep of her eyes, then took Hestia's hand. "Hestia, you can't judge a book by its cover. Let the police handle this."
She didn't want Hestia associating with criminals.
"Hestia, I really am innocent," James said, sitting up straight and opening his phone. Seeing Hestia's concern and sensing Lavinia's influence, he decided to act.
He pulled up two video clips and played them on the interrogation room computer. "This is surveillance footage I installed at Cloud Residence. It clearly shows Beckett and the others attacked first."
"The level-eight formula is mine—I created it on the spot with dozens of witnesses. I secretly recorded it on my phone to prevent them from denying it later."
As the videos played, Lavinia and the others immediately understood the truth. Their expressions toward James softened, while they grew contemptuous of Beckett and his group.
Especially when they saw Githa about to cut off Michelle's fingers, Hestia became so angry she nearly smashed the computer screen.
"Lawless! Absolutely lawless! The Garcia family is truly despicable," she shouted at the two officers. "You need to arrest them—all of them!"
Lavinia calmed her daughter. "Hestia, don't be impulsive. The police will handle this fairly."
The female officer's face turned red as she looked at James. "If you had evidence, why didn't you show it earlier?"
"I was worried someone might destroy it," James replied with a faint smile. "Besides, you were already convinced I was a thief. No matter what I said, you would have considered it an excuse."
The female officer looked ashamed and glared at James.
An hour later, James and Michelle walked safely out of the police station.
Though he could have left easily without Hestia's help, James still thanked them both. "Mrs. Sharp, Hestia, thank you."
"When you have time, I'd like to treat you both to dinner," he added warmly.
Hestia laughed softly. "In Sovereign City, there's nothing my mom can't handle."
"Hestia, don't exaggerate. James was released mainly because he was in the right," Lavinia said, looking at James with calm eyes. "If he had actually committed a crime, even I couldn't have helped him."
James smiled warmly. "Regardless, thank you both. If you ever need help with anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
Lavinia smiled dismissively at his words. Horizon Vista Properties was one of Sovereign City's top real estate companies—what problems could James possibly solve that she couldn't handle herself?
Hestia's eyes lit up, however, and she grinned at James. "I'll hold you to that! When I need your help someday, you can't back out."
James nodded. "Don't worry, I won't."
"James, you're quite impressive—filial, talented, and grateful," Lavinia said, looking at him with a faint smile. "Much more mature than most people your age. I admire that."
"The Garcia family probably won't let this go. Here's my card—call this number if you need any help," she said, handing him a gold-embossed business card.
Her attempt to get closer to James wasn't out of admiration but to better understand his relationship with Hestia, to prevent her daughter from being fooled.
James understood her intentions but didn't point it out. "Thank you, Mrs. Sharp."
As he took the card, his fingers brushed against hers—smooth, but with a hint of coldness. His eyes instinctively glanced toward Lavinia's stomach.
Lavinia caught his glance and frowned slightly, finding his gaze a bit presumptuous and intrusive. At least he wasn't looking at her chest, or she would have slapped him.
"Mrs. Sharp, since you've been so kind, I have some advice for you," James said hesitantly. "You should get your stomach checked at a hospital. There seems to be an issue."
"James!" Hestia's face immediately fell. "Not this again!"
She was exasperated with James. He seemed so proper, yet he kept "cursing" people with illnesses.
Lavinia's eyes narrowed, her polite tone turning cold. "Really? Are you a doctor now?"
"I actually am a doctor," James sighed. "Mrs. Sharp, there truly is a problem with your stomach. You should get it thoroughly examined at a hospital in the next few days. If it flares up, it could be life-threatening."
He had wanted to offer treatment himself, but seeing her reaction, he knew she would only consider him a fraud, so he suggested a hospital visit instead.
"James, please stop," Hestia interrupted urgently.
"Hestia, it's precisely because you helped me and because you're my friend that I'm telling you about this condition," James said sincerely. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't mention it to avoid offending them."
"How thoughtful," Lavinia said with a cold laugh, stopping her daughter from speaking. "James, are you really a doctor? I don't feel anything wrong with my stomach. I eat and drink normally every day."
She pressed her stomach to demonstrate that nothing was wrong.
"Dry mouth, bitter taste, red tongue with yellow coating—these are symptoms of liver and stomach heat stagnation," James explained.
"Mrs. Sharp, have you experienced burning pain in your stomach, intense discomfort, irritability...?"
"Enough, I understand," Lavinia cut him off with a dismissive smile. James had listed symptoms she didn't have at all. Her health had been the same as always, with no unusual changes.
"I'll get checked when I have time. We should go now—Hestia and I need to leave." She gave him a meaningful look. "You should behave yourself."
James noticed her dismissive attitude and realized she hadn't experienced those symptoms, which he found strange. "Mrs. Sharp, if you don't mind, I could check your pulse..."
"That's enough, James. I'm fine—perfectly fine," Lavinia said, her expression darkening. "Thank you for your concern."
This young man was so clueless, always seeming eager for her to be sick.
Seeing Lavinia's displeasure, James said nothing more, just nodded. "Goodbye, Mrs. Sharp."
Lavinia didn't respond, just put on her sunglasses and led Hestia to a luxury RV.
Hestia turned back to glare at James twice, seemingly angry that he kept "cursing" people.
"Hestia, avoid contacting James in the future," Lavinia said once they were in the vehicle. She crossed her legs, her fair skin tracing an alluring curve.
She opened the car refrigerator and took out a can of high-concentration coffee. "Not just as a boyfriend—I won't even allow him as a friend."
It wasn't just James's conflicts with the Garcia family that would bring them unnecessary trouble—it was his self-proclaimed doctor act that made her lose all respect for him.
What future could a man have who put on such airs to attract attention?
Hestia lowered her head and murmured agreement.
"Even if you don't like Allan, there's no need to choose someone like James," Lavinia reminded her, opening another bottle of coffee. "He's simply not compatible with us, not from our social circle."
Hestia sighed softly. "I understand."
Ten minutes later, the RV slowly passed Sovereign City Hospital.
Lavinia, drinking her coffee, suddenly let out a cold laugh and nodded slightly to the driver. "Go to the hospital. Arrange some specialists for me."
"I want to thoroughly check whether there's anything wrong with my stomach."
She planned to use professional medical reports to humiliate James and make Hestia see through his tricks once and for all.
"Mom, don't bother. I know James was just talking nonsense," Hestia said, grabbing her mother's arm. "He once claimed Genevieve had a tumor too. He's sometimes just weird—don't take it to heart."
"It won't take more than a few minutes, but it will make him utterly embarrassed," Lavinia said with a smile.
She took Hestia with her into the hospital and used her connections to gather specialists for an examination, particularly focusing on her stomach. She had several experts examine her in succession.
She was waiting to prove James wrong.
Half an hour later, several oncology specialists rushed to her with the results. "Mrs. Sharp, stomach cancer, stage two..."
Lavinia's smile instantly froze.
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