CHAPTER 11: CHAPTER 11: ALL ABOUT CLAIRE CALDWELL

The door behind suddenly opened, and Jean Ellison was startled.

"Justin..."

She didn’t know how much he had heard outside, so she decided to remain silent for now.

"Claire Caldwell?"

Justin Holden’s expression was stern, and he gazed at her with an unusual emotion in his eyes.

Jean shook her head and retreated to the wall.

"You’ve got the wrong person."

Justin Holden put down what he was holding and strode over to her, scrutinizing her face.

"Of course, I know I’ve got the wrong person, but why are you here?"

Jean glanced at the sleeping Susan Kingston on the bed and lowered her voice so only they could hear.

"My mom is Aunt Kingston’s friend and asked me to visit her."

Justin gave her a glance, stepped aside to let her off the wall.

Jean quickly picked up her bag from the table, ready to leave when Justin blocked her path, holding an apple.

"Aren’t you here to visit Aunt? Aren’t you going to peel an apple for her before you leave?"

Jean reluctantly accepted the apple he handed over, picking up the fruit knife on the table, peeling it piece by piece.

"Why did you say you were Claire Caldwell?"

Justin stood beside her, staring at her hand as she peeled the apple.

Jean’s hand stopped, and she calmly said, "Only when I said I was Claire Caldwell would Aunt Kingston agree to take her medicine."

"Do you know Claire Caldwell?"

Jean placed the peeled apple onto the tray, looked up at him, and answered his question earnestly.

"I saw her when I was little, she was quite chubby."

"She wasn’t chubby at all."

Justin interrupted her, his face a bit chilly.

Jean glanced at him indifferently and continued, "I haven’t seen her since then. I heard something happened to the Caldwell family, and she was taken away by the police."

Justin remained silent, lost in thought.

Jean, in turn, asked him, "Why are you visiting Aunt Kingston?"

"I was just passing by."

Justin’s tone was cold as he carried the apple tray to the bedside, wrapped it in plastic wrap, and placed it on the nightstand.

Jean pursed her lips. In such a remote place, the idea that he was just passing by was not believable.

What is his purpose here?

Her father committed suicide, she was imprisoned, and now only her mother was left, who had gone insane. What more could he want?

Jean clenched her fists, standing behind Justin with tears welling up in her eyes.

Justin heard the noise, turned around, and all he saw was a cold and indifferent face.

He walked over, his cold gaze sweeping across her.

"Gather enough money before the fifteenth of next month, and I’ll help you win the lawsuit."

Jean was stunned.

Wasn’t he planning to drop the case, even returning the deposit with triple compensation to her?

"You changed your mind?"

Justin leaned one hand on the low cabinet beside her thigh, his broad shoulders and narrow waist towering nearly thirty centimeters above her.

Just lowering his head to gaze at her made her scalp tingle.

"Didn’t you come here to ask me to help you with the lawsuit?"

"Anything about Claire Caldwell is not yours to use as a bargaining chip."

"There won’t be a next time."

Jean wanted to argue, but she needed this misunderstanding from him now.

"Alright, there won’t be a next time."

After all, he was still willing to help her with the lawsuit. If he succeeded, Jesse would have a chance to return to her. As for that one million, she would find a way to come up with it.

"There are still pears in the fruit basket."

Justin’s tone was flat, glancing at the nearby fruit basket.

"Aunt Kingston can’t finish so much."

Jean waved her hand, refusing to peel the pear.

"It’s me who wants to eat."

Justin spoke as if it was only natural that she should do this for him.

"If you want to eat, why don’t you peel it yourself?"

Jean stood still, retorting with irritation.

"Your daughter, why don’t you get her back yourself?"

Justin leaned lazily against the bookshelf, his long legs proportioned like a model, pinching his glabella with a casual posture.

Jean wanted to pick up a pear from the basket beside her and throw it at his head.

Fuming, she held her tongue, went to wash a pear, picked up the fruit knife on the table, and started peeling it after finishing the apple.

She didn’t want to peel any apples or pears; she wanted to peel Justin Holden.

Did he have everyone peel fruit with a sour face when he was fighting others’ lawsuits?

"Doctor Sterling."

A passing nurse outside the ward called out to someone, standing at the open door, a young and handsome man suddenly appeared.

The white coat was as pristine as snow, exuding a cold presence, his fingers holding the medical record book were long and jade-like.

Simon Sterling responded politely, pushing the door open to enter the ward.

Aside from Jean, there was a man he didn’t recognize.

"Who is this gentleman?"

Jean didn’t know how to introduce Justin Holden, so she opened her mouth, intending to say he was just passing by.

The nurse who followed Simon Sterling for rounds came forward a step slower, standing beside him, said, "Lawyer Holden is Aunt Kingston’s son-in-law."

What kind of son-in-law was he!

Jean wanted to clarify, but she couldn’t say it out loud.

She just saw Claire Caldwell when she was little, how could she know the relationship between Justin Holden and the Caldwell family?

Justin nodded, his glance swept over Simon Sterling.

"Hello."

Hello, what?

Jean felt it was not good at all.

He might as well tell the truth.

"I’ve heard a lot about you, Lawyer Holden."

Simon Sterling gave a faint smile, showing no intention to continue the conversation with him.

He walked over to Jean, naturally taking the fruit knife from her hand and placing it on the table.

"You’re lacking in vitality, it’s best not to handle sharp objects, easy to slip and hurt yourself."

"Do you want to eat a pear? I’ll peel it for you."

Jean pointed at the man by the bookshelf, "He’s eating."

Simon Sterling put the pear he had just picked up back on the table, looking at Justin Holden, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"If Lawyer Holden wants to eat fruit, you can go downstairs."

"There’s a juicer and peeler, specifically for the patients in the sanatorium."

Jean’s mouth twitched. She didn’t intend to smile, but she couldn’t help it.

She looked up at Simon Sterling, admiration in her eyes.

Doctor Sterling was concise and right on point, virtually her best verbal substitute.

"It seems I should donate more equipment to the sanatorium so the doctors won’t have to use the patients’ peelers when they want to eat fruit."

Justin Holden smiled with a hint of chill in his dark eyes.

Simon Sterling frowned, sternly said, "I always peel the skin myself."

Justin replied, moving to Jean’s side, his arm brushing past her waist, his muscled forearm lightly touching her waist through the thin fabric.

The tingling sensation was like countless insects biting her bones, Jean’s shoulder shuddered, quickly dodging, her heartbeat became intense.

Her sensitive spots were just these few, long ago teased to the limit by Justin Holden.

She couldn’t handle it; just a touch would make her...

Five days a week, they spent the nights at a hotel outside school.

The remaining two were him working overtime overnight at the law firm.

No matter how much she changed, her body still bore his marks.

Justin seemed unaware of her anomaly, merely taking a pear from behind her.

A pear, half-peeled.

He took a bite at the spot Jean had peeled.

"Then you’re quite unfortunate, Doctor Sterling."

Simon Sterling’s face darkened, ignoring him, he told Jean, "Keep your distance from him."

This man, a married one, letting a young girl peel fruit for him, wasn’t thinking upright.

"I’m afraid she can’t fulfill your wish."

Justin’s gaze swept over Simon Sterling, steadily landing on Jean’s face, with some inquiry.