Less than ten minutes later, Janet Sinclair was back in the hospital room.
She had guessed Master Sinclair would send for her again, so she had been waiting outside the hospital.
With Butler Sinclair’s help, Master Sinclair sat up, his sharp gaze fixed on his daughter, who stood leaning against the opposite wall.
"Speak! What is it you really want?"
Janet Sinclair raised an eyebrow at him. "Don’t you already know?"
Master Sinclair coughed a few more tis. After glaring at her for a mont, he asked in a raspy voice, "Do you want to be the Family Head that badly?"
Janet Sinclair shrugged, her expression nonchalant. "Since Second Brother’s death, there’s no one in the Sinclair Family more qualified than , is there?"
Master Sinclair took a sip of water from Butler Sinclair. He didn’t deny her claim but was unwilling to let his youngest daughter get too complacent. "Your fourth brother is also capable."
Janet Sinclair let out a soft laugh, an unreadable emotion flashing in her eyes. "He is, but unfortunately, just like Aurora, our fourth brother has no desire to return to the Sinclair Family."
At these words, Butler Sinclair’s heart sank, and he shot a worried glance at Master Sinclair.
As expected, the words angered him so much that he started coughing again, this ti coughing up blood.
"Family Head— Doctor—!"
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... Don’t call anyone... COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
Master Sinclair gripped his arm tightly, wiped his own mouth, and looked up at Janet Sinclair, asking through his coughs, "Do you resent , too?"
Janet Sinclair, her delicate features set in a stoic mask, walked to the bedside and helped Butler Sinclair support him.
She said in a toneless voice, "How could I? You are the Head of the Sinclair Family. Your word is law. I’m counting on you to pass the position to , after all."
Master Sinclair’s gaze darkened. ’The girl she used to be was never this obsessed with power...’
"Janet, if I make you the Family Head, can you bring Aurora back to the Sinclair Family?"
Janet Sinclair froze. Looking down at the hand gripping hers tightly, she shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. "Dad, don’t you understand yet? From the mont you sent Aurora away, she no longer belonged to the Sinclair Family."
The corners of Master Sinclair’s eyes reddened, and a sheen of tears welled up. "Janet, was I really wrong back then? I just wanted to protect the Sinclair Family. I’d already lost your second brother. I couldn’t bear to lose..."
"Dad, you already made your choice. Don’t regret it now—" Janet Sinclair cut him off, struggling to suppress the fury in her eyes.
’Second Brother, who brought the Sinclair Family to prosperity, not only died without an intact corpse, but even his only daughter was treated as a sacrifice.’
’How tragic!’
"Dad, the Sinclair Family of today doesn’t deserve her. Let her go."
***
The moon hung over the treetops, but not a single star was in sight.
The early sumr wind was a bit chilly.
Janet Sinclair drove her sports coupe along the deserted ring road.
It was the dead of night, and the city was as quiet as if it were uninhabited, save for a few young people on motorcycles out for a late-night ride.
They sped by, a blur of passionate rhythm.
Janet Sinclair smoked a cigarette, glancing at her rearview mirror.
Not far behind her was a plain black sedan. It had been tailing her since she left the hospital, keeping a steady distance, neither close nor far, its driver’s intentions unclear.
A slight smile touched Janet Sinclair’s lips. She flicked the ash from her cigarette and turned the steering wheel, pulling the car over to the side of the road.
The other car also pulled over, stopping right beside hers.
The tinted window slowly rolled down, revealing the face inside.
It was a man with an exceptionally plain face, the kind you’d never rember seeing in a crowd.
A flicker of alarm rose in Janet Sinclair. One of her hands moved to cover the air freshener on the car door.
"The Fifth Miss Sinclair, my master would like to invite you for tea—"
Janet Sinclair raised her arm to check her watch, replying with feigned composure, "I never drink tea this late at night."
"Don’t worry. It’s authentic Da Hong Pao, freshly opened."
Janet Sinclair’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Which family do you serve?"
"My master’s surna is Morgan."
***
At dawn, the sun had just crested the horizon. The sky was half-light, half-gray. The greenery lining the road was beaded with fresh dew, which trickled slowly down the veins of the leaves to their tips, hanging as if about to drop.
Suddenly, a black figure shot past like the wind, rustling the branches and leaves, and the dewdrops finally fell to the earth.
Aurora Sinclair had a habit of running every morning, circling the quiet residential complex again and again.
Only at this ti could she completely quiet her mind and sense a certain energy flowing through the air.
Just as she finished her second lap, she saw a familiar figure walking toward her.
"Auntie..."
Janet Sinclair froze for a second, her sleepy mind clearing slightly. She yawned and waved at her.
As Aurora Sinclair approached, walking into the sunlight, her entire body seed to be plated in a layer of light, causing Janet Sinclair to freeze once again.
’She’s a precious jade. Brush away the outer layer of sand and dirt, and you’ll see the clarity within. It’s just that you Sinclairs don’t know how to recognize treasure...’
That was what the man with the captivating, almost demonic good looks had said with a faint smile.
Janet Sinclair smiled wryly to herself. She took an exquisite little box from her bag and handed it to Aurora. "Here, this is a welco gift for you. I just got back in the country yesterday."
Aurora Sinclair accepted it with both hands and thanked her earnestly.
***
As soon as they entered the house, Janet Sinclair made a beeline for the sofa, found a comfortable position, and flopped down. She yawned again and said, "You go do your thing. I’m going to get so sleep."
By the ti Aurora Sinclair finished breakfast and was ready to leave for school, Janet Sinclair was fast asleep on the sofa.
She didn’t wake up until noon, rubbing her temples.
"What were you up to last night? You didn’t even change your clothes?"
Janet Sinclair turned her head to see her fraternal twin brother, Tanner Sinclair, sitting on the opposite sofa playing a video ga. He glanced up at her from ti to ti.
Janet Sinclair pushed herself up, yawned, and replied nonchalantly, "Master Sinclair wanted to have a heart-to-heart with ."
As her twin, Tanner Sinclair naturally knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth. He frowned at her for a long mont before saying disapprovingly, "Go on, keep making trouble! It’s only because Aurora isn’t interested in the Sinclair Family. Just try this with Stella. Our sister-in-law alone would eat you alive!"
Janet Sinclair sat up straight, picked up the cigarette case from the coffee table, and lit a cigarette, taking a couple of drags.
"If I don’t take it, soone else will sooner or later. Might as well be . That’s what Second Brother taught , you know!"
White smoke billowed from Janet Sinclair’s mouth. Tanner Sinclair waved it away. "You think we siblings can’t protect her?"
"Hah. People’s hearts are unpredictable. Who can guarantee they’ll stay true forever? I certainly can’t..."
Tanner Sinclair was stunned.
***
anwhile, in a private villa sowhere in Kingsford, a fierce argunt had broken out.
Hailey Gordon had soone draft an agreent to relinquish share rights and told Linton Sinclair to get Aurora Sinclair’s signature, but Linton Sinclair, worried about losing face, flat-out refused to go.
Hailey Gordon was furious and imdiately called the Head of the Gordon Family.
"Dad, Linton Sinclair is cheating on ! I can’t go on living..."
Linton Sinclair’s face instantly darkened. He snatched the phone from her hand, pressed the end-call button, and roared, "What the hell are you trying to do?"
Hailey Gordon’s face was now devoid of expression. She said coldly, "Linton Sinclair, I can overlook the affair, but don’t you dare cross my bottom line. What belongs to and my child, no one else will get a piece of—not a single person."
Linton Sinclair was taken aback, and his tone softened slightly. "The second brother saved my life once. How can you expect to bring this up with his daughter?"
A flash of resentnt crossed Hailey Gordon’s eyes. She stared him down and said sharply, "Your precious sister was raised by the second brother since she was a child! If she can make a move, why can’t you?"
Seeing Linton Sinclair’s hesitant face, Hailey Gordon was filled with hatred. She picked up her phone and played a recording of him with his little vixen on the side.
"Honey, when are you going to divorce that old hag? I don’t want our son to be a bastard his whole life."
"Baby, don’t be anxious. Just wait until I beco the Family Head..."
The recording cut off abruptly.
Linton Sinclair’s face went deathly pale. He stared at her in disbelief. "You... How could you..."
"Should I let the two old masters have a listen?" Hailey Gordon threatened, her eyes cold and rciless.
"You..."
He knew Hailey Gordon had always been a ruthless woman. That’s why, ever since he learned Shannon was pregnant, he had been extrely careful in arranging for the mother and son’s life, never expecting she would find out anyway.
’In that case, his young son...’
Linton Sinclair didn’t dare to think about it. His hands at his sides clenched into tight fists, and he squeezed the words out through his teeth, "Hailey Gordon, don’t you hurt them. I’ll go to the school right now..."
Any last shred of affection Hailey Gordon felt for her husband was completely obliterated by his choice. She gave a self-mocking laugh and said heartlessly, "There are three agreents in total. Make sure she signs all of them."
***
An hour later, Linton Sinclair and the Gordon Family’s lawyer rushed to Kingsford No. 1 High School.
Class was in session, so Leon Barron had the two of them wait in his office for the bell.
Unlike his last visit, Linton Sinclair was now restless and on edge. He was afraid Aurora Sinclair wouldn’t agree to sign, especially since Hailey Gordon and Stella had never been friendly to her.
"RING—"
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class.
Linton Sinclair shot up from his chair by reflex and strode out of the office.
The hallways gradually filled with students, and the noise level rose. The two n walked briskly, their faces etched with anxious haste.
As they rounded a corner, they ran right into Zeke Quincy from the experintal Class A.
"Uncle Linton?"
Linton Sinclair’s pupils contracted. He froze, then forced an awkward smile. "Shawn, you’re out of class, too..."
Zeke Quincy nodded, then glanced quizzically at the man beside him. "Uncle Linton, what are you doing here?"
"I’m here to see Aurora about sothing..."
Zeke Quincy gave him another suspicious look. "Let take you to her."
"No, no... You go on. We’re heading over now!"
Linton Sinclair refused repeatedly, then turned and strode quickly toward Class Six.
His steps were ssy, betraying his panic.
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