CHAPTER 23: CHAPTER 23: THEY’RE ALREADY HAVING A CHILD

Jean Ellison found Justin Holden’s message reply tonight a bit strange.

But she didn’t want to talk much, and even less to start a new topic with him. She arrived at Corvin River Rose Garden early the next morning, right on time.

Passing by the kindergarten in the villa district, she saw several elegant and intellectual grandmothers chatting together after dropping off their grandchildren.

"The print on your dress is so unique; your son must have bought it for you from abroad."

"Not at all, it was Miss Wallace. She designed it. I liked it so much that I had the tailor make it based on her sketches."

"No wonder. I’ve heard Miss Wallace is a well-known designer; she even held a show abroad. It’s only because she’s recently pregnant that she’s taken a break from work."

"Her husband seems very busy; I haven’t seen him yet."

"Oh, I’ve seen him. He’s a big lawyer, tall and handsome, and they say he opened a law firm called Keystone and is one of the founders."

"Quite remarkable. He’s a great match for Miss Wallace."

The elderly ladies sensed a gaze upon them and turned to see Jean Ellison standing not far off—a young and pretty girl.

"Miss, who are you looking for?"

Jean was frozen in place, her face going pale, her fingers gripping tightly on the handle of her handbag.

She shook her head and ran away.

Were they talking about Wendy Wallace? She remembered Wendy studied fashion design.

Wendy was a year ahead of them; Jean had only heard the name but never met her.

After hearing rumors about Justin Holden and Wendy Wallace, she quietly went to take a look at the legendary school belle Wendy Wallace.

She was cool, slender, and tall, wearing a pure white dress reaching to her ankles, with jet-black, smooth hair, sitting upright playing the piano in the music room.

The music was so pleasant, and she was so beautiful.

Then looking at herself, overweight and lacking grace, no wonder Justin Holden didn’t like her.

Any man would want to date a beautiful and intellectual woman like Wendy Wallace, not a shy, chubby girl like her.

She didn’t leave Corvin River Rose Garden, but stood at the entrance of villa A112.

She was Jean Ellison, not Claire Caldwell. She came to discuss the custody case with the lawyer; getting Jesse’s custody back was most important, she couldn’t back down.

She stood at the door for a long time, expressionless, raising her hand, curling her fingers as her knuckles slowly touched the door.

The knock had barely sounded when the door opened.

It was Justin Holden.

Tall, with a lanky figure, he was wearing deep gray silk pajamas, slightly open at the neckline, revealing his defined neck and collarbone.

His hair was a bit messy, falling over his forehead. Seeing Jean at the door, two vertical creases formed between his brows.

The two of them just stood there, speechless.

Jean knew she had come too early; he had just woken up and hadn’t had time to change out of his pajamas.

At that moment, a female voice came from the kitchen.

"Awake? Old Pryce washed and dried your clothes from last night for you, and they are on the chair in the living room."

The speaker was Wendy Wallace, Jean guessed.

So he had indeed married Wendy Wallace, lived in a big house, and even had a servant just to do the laundry.

He must love Wendy Wallace a lot.

Justin Holden’s deep gaze lingered on Jean’s face, silent, but just kept observing the woman before him.

Why had she come to Samual Pryce’s home?

He couldn’t guess, and his expression grew colder.

"Is this not a good time?"

Jean clutched her handbag tightly, trying to keep her voice steady.

She didn’t have any intention of going in, nor did Justin show any inclination to invite her inside.

"Not convenient."

His voice was slightly hoarse, sounding like he hadn’t slept well last night.

Jean didn’t want to know what he had done with Wendy Wallace last night, "Then I’ll leave first; if there’s anything, let’s talk on WhatsApp."

Wendy Wallace came out of the kitchen holding a plate of fried eggs, wearing a form-fitting beige long dress that reached her ankles and red slippers symbolizing a new marriage.

Jean turned to leave, catching sight of her silhouette from her peripheral vision, her eyes landing on Wendy’s slightly rounded belly, pupils contracting sharply.

Her heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by a big hand, her blood rushing backward from head to toe, unable to breathe.

They were expecting a child so soon, so what was Jesse? A hidden illegitimate daughter?

Her heart ached so much, shaking uncontrollably, tears flowing nonstop.

Meanwhile, Wendy put down the plate of fried eggs, looked at Justin standing in the doorway. The door was ajar, but no one was outside.

"Lawyer Holden, what’s wrong?"

Justin turned around, closed the door with a casual glance at the breakfast on the table. Samual was still in the kitchen making food.

"Tell Old Pryce that I won’t be eating. I need to head back to the office first."

He walked over, grabbed the perfectly pressed suit from the chair, and went into the restroom.

Samual Pryce came out of the kitchen, holding a big bowl of vegetable congee, took off his apron, and asked Wendy beside him.

"Where is he?"

Wendy pointed towards the restroom, "He went to change clothes, said he wouldn’t eat breakfast, something came up at the office."

"Something at the office? How come I didn’t know?"

Samual frowned slightly, glancing at the clock on the wall. By this time, Jean should be here.

Justin changed, in a pale blue shirt and deep black trousers, outlining his slender frame, but he couldn’t find his tie.

Samual Pryce took off his own tie and handed it to him.

Justin deftly tied it, took the suit jacket hanging on the rack, sliding it over his arm. A casual motion causing the front of his suit to tighten slightly.

"Where’s my phone?"

Samual bent down to pick up the phone from the table, walked over to him, and said, "Don’t rush to the office just yet, Jean sent you a WhatsApp message last night."

Justin suddenly lifted his head, his gaze sharp, the surrounding temperature dropping abruptly.

He took the phone and saw the pinned WhatsApp conversation.

Samual paused, then added, "You were too drunk to function last night, so I took the liberty of messaging her. Since you guys are discussing the case, it doesn’t matter where you talk. She should be arriving soon."

"She already came."

Justin’s voice was calm, with a hint of contemplation in his eyes.

If he had asked her to come, why did she run away?

"Already came?"

Samual looked towards Wendy, who shook her head. When she came out, she only saw Justin alone by the door.

"It seemed like someone had been here."

She whispered to her husband, remembering the door being open at the time.

Justin placed the phone in his pocket, suit draped over his arm, picking up the car keys on the low cabinet.

"I’ll take the car."

Samual watched him leave, driving away in the Audi parked at the door, the speed fast.

"Damn, could Jean have misunderstood?"

"When she came, she must have only seen you and Justin."

Wendy’s face revealed surprise, stepping into her slippers, intending to run out after him to explain.

Samual pulled her back, "What are you going for? Let him chase after her."

Wendy didn’t understand, puzzled by what he meant.

Samual explained, "These two originally needed to discuss the case, but now Jean has misunderstood. With him driving after her, they won’t have to talk business when they meet, but about something else, won’t that help their relationship?"

Wendy nodded firmly twice, agreeing with his reasoning.

Corvin River Rose Garden was huge, with several villa districts connected, and gates in the east, south, and north.

Jean walked quickly, and when she looked up again, she realized she didn’t know where she was.