CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 38: I’M NOT LIKE THEM

Simon Sterling looked at Jean Ellison, and without a second thought, she blurted out.

"Nothing."

Justin Holden lowered his head with a smile, stood up, and looked at her.

"So, is the person behind you a human or a ghost?"

Jean turned to look, and at some point, Philip Paxton had come to stand behind her. He crossed his arms in front of him, looking coldly at Justin, with water stains on the hem of his police uniform.

"Why are you out?"

"I thought it was someone who couldn’t be seen, turns out it’s Lawyer Holden."

Philip Paxton walked past Jean Ellison with calm confidence and sat at the dining table, starting to peel crabs with his hands.

"Sit down, Jean."

"Lawyer Holden is right, if you don’t eat the crab soon, it’ll get cold."

Jean was completely puzzled. She didn’t understand why Philip Paxton chose to come out on his own since he had clearly suffered a loss in front of Justin last time.

After a moment, she went over to sit down.

Simon followed her, leaving only the seat beside Justin unoccupied.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down, then dragged the chair slightly to the side, trying to distance himself.

Philip Paxton placed the peeled crab meat onto Jean’s plate, ignoring the two men beside him.

Jean hadn’t even started eating before a pair of chopsticks reached over and took away the crab meat from her plate.

"What are you doing? Didn’t Officer Paxton peel that for me?"

She watched as Justin casually ate the crab meat, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Really?"

Justin questioned Jean, making it even more difficult to fathom what he meant.

Philip raised his head to look at him, saying firmly, "The crab meat was meant for Jean’s plate. If you want some, peel it yourself."

Justin put down his chopsticks and spoke seriously, "There are only three plates on the table. As the last guest, I naturally thought I would share with her, so I assumed the crab meat was for me."

Jean pursed her lips. Whether or not the other two believed Justin’s words, she certainly didn’t.

He clearly didn’t want her to eat the crab meat that Philip had peeled.

"I’ll get you a bowl."

She got up to head to the kitchen, and Philip immediately stood up.

"Jean, let me go. Your hand is still injured."

"It’s fine."

Jean didn’t dare let him handle it, unsure of what mess Justin might stir up next.

The atmosphere at the dining table was tense. None of the three men spoke, yet there was a palpable sense of tension.

Jean brought out an empty bowl and placed it in front of Justin.

The bowl was given to him, yet he showed no sign of wanting to peel the crab, lounging lazily against the chair.

"You know, trespassing carries civil liabilities."

Simon looked at Jean silently, while Philip directly asked, "What do you mean?"

Justin’s gaze was cold and unfazed by Philip. Instead, he set his sights on Jean.

"Did you know they were coming tonight?"

Jean shook her head honestly.

Justin brushed off dust from his shoulder nonchalantly, "Entering a legally protected residence without the owner’s knowledge or any form of invitation is trespassing."

He glanced at the two men at the table, sitting up straight, suddenly serious, "Without a doubt, your actions have constituted trespassing."

Jean frowned, looking at him, "I didn’t know you were coming tonight, either."

Her voice was calm and cool, with a hint of defiance in her eyes.

Implicitly, he too was trespassing.

Justin hadn’t expected her response and looked at her with some confusion. Holding her gaze for a few seconds, he said in a low voice, "I am not like them. I am your lawyer."

He stared at her, his eyes dark and stormy.

Jean, uneasy under his gaze, quickly looked away, focusing on anything else.

"That’s just twisted reasoning."

Simon interrupted him, slightly angered.

"I am a friend of Reporter Ellison, and this officer is her brother, so naturally, we should be here."

Philip’s face darkened, once again being called Jean’s brother by Simon, a title he could accept but only from anyone but him.

The relationship he had with Jean was none of Simon’s business.

"Really?"

Justin’s lips curled slightly as his eyes flitted over Philip and Jean’s faces.

He had investigated and found no blood relations or familiar ties between the two.

He could guess why Philip was entangled with Jean, possibly related to Claire Caldwell, as Philip was one of the detectives in the Caldwell case years ago.

The table fell silent, with no one responding to his words.

Clearly not.

Simon, in a daze, looked at Jean, wanting an explanation but upon reflection, realized he had no right to ask for one.

It was he who had come uninvited, using the excuse of delivering a report to visit her.

She hadn’t visited the sanatorium in days, and she was on his mind.

Even his junior could tell he was lovesick and had met the stereotype of healers unable to heal themselves.

"There’s no need for you to feel embarrassed; I can leave."

Simon stood up, heading for the door.

Jean hurriedly ran forward, stopping him, holding onto his arm, "Doctor Sterling, things are complicated. I’ll explain in person another day."

She asked Simon to hide, preventing him from encountering Claire, afraid it would affect Jesse’s case.

Justin was ruthless and untrusting of anyone.

If he thought she was finding a stepfather for Jesse, he’d refuse to help her regain custody of Jesse.

With the trial approaching, she had no time to change lawyers.

Plus, Justin had assured her that with a hundred thousand, he was confident they would win the case.

Despite his coldness, his competence was undeniable, and he wouldn’t make empty promises.

She still needed him for now, so she had no choice but to tread carefully around him.

Simon’s heart ached, not wanting her to look at him with such eyes filled with guilt and anxiety.

"Alright, I’ll volunteer at the sanatorium next weekend."

"I’ll wait for you."

Jean watched him leave, then turned to look at the two men at the table.

Philip sensed she was emotionally heavy and stood up, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"Lawyer Holden, it seems inappropriate for us to stay any longer. It’s late, and Jean needs to rest."

Justin merely nodded, surprisingly getting up and walking out with long strides.

"You’re right; it’s time to leave."

Jean was relieved, not expecting him to be so agreeable.

Justin stopped at the door, noticing a bag filled with hair ties on the floor, "I just remembered, I don’t have time to return these. If you don’t want them, just throw them in the trash."

Jean gave a neutral response, knowing she couldn’t return them and that such an expensive item shouldn’t be thrown away.

She planned to pay Justin back, but that would have to wait.

After he left, Philip approached Jean, saying earnestly, "Regardless of what’s happened between you, you should stay away from him."

Jean put a finger to her lips, signaling him to lower his voice. The walls were thin; she feared Justin might not have gone far and could still hear.

"I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry."

She whispered to Philip, watching him descend the stairs.

As Justin reached the ground floor and was about to drive off, he noticed a sneaky figure going up the stairs.

It was her again.

For some reason, whenever this little girl appeared, he worried about Jean.

He sat in the car, unmoving.

Whether the woman upstairs was alive or dead seemed not to concern him.

She’d just been released from prison, and didn’t she already have a pretty boy friend and a dubious brother by her side?

The phone in his grasp vibrated, and when he glanced at the name, his breath hitched.

Almost instinctively, he stretched his long legs and slammed the car door behind him.