Chapter 226: You Must Compensate Me

The sky was dim. Though it wasn’t raining, dark clouds hung low, making it seem as if night would fall at any moment.

Yet, it wasn’t time for the streetlights to turn on.

Jane Lancaster walked on, using the reflection in a classroom building’s window to watch behind her. Sure enough, she could see a figure following her.

She subtly quickened her pace, and just as she expected, the person behind her sped up to match.

"Hey, what do you think you’re doing?" a voice called out.

The newcomer strode past Jane Lancaster and rushed forward to confront the stalker.

"What are you doing, following a girl like that? Are you some kind of pervert?"

The stalker, having been stopped in his tracks, looked up to reveal a young, panicked face.

Jane Lancaster recognized the face. He had been sitting behind and to the side of her. A few times when she had unconsciously glanced his way, his face had turned bright red.

"I’m not a pervert! I—I just saw that her hand seemed injured and wanted to see if she needed any help..." he explained, flustered.

Shawn Sutton scoffed and grabbed the guy by the collar. "If that’s not what a pervert would say, what is? Who knows what you were really planning?"

"I’m really not! I was following her because I saw someone else following her!"

"Still making excuses! Let’s go. You’re coming with me to the security office!" Shawn Sutton started to drag the guy away.

The boy’s face went pale with fear. "I’m sorry, I was wrong! I’ll never do it again!"

Jane Lancaster watched quietly for a moment before finally speaking up. "Just let it go."

She was busy today and didn’t want to waste any more time on this.

A moment later, footsteps approached from behind again.

The person didn’t speak, just followed at a steady distance. It was clear that even after chasing off the first stalker, he was still worried and wanted to play the part of her gallant protector.

It was a move straight out of the "caring, considerate guy" playbook, but it made Jane Lancaster stop in her tracks.

"Shouldn’t you be on your way, too?"

Shawn Sutton grit his teeth, strode forward, and slammed a hand against the wall in front of her. He then tilted his head and looked at her.

Jane Lancaster: "..."

She could tell he was trying to imitate Caleb Lowell. His expression and movements were very similar, and combined with the resemblance in their side profiles... he was a 70 or 80 percent convincing copy.

"Are you out of your mind?" she warned. "Get lost, now. Or I’ll scream."

Shawn Sutton looked at her in disbelief. "You don’t like me?"

"Why would I like you? For being so pretentious and cringey?" Jane Lancaster shot back.

Shawn Sutton was frustrated. He had studied so hard for so long, and he thought he’d mastered the expressions and movements perfectly. He couldn’t believe he had still failed.

Since he’d already made a fool of himself, he decided to just go for broke. "Then why did you provoke Mandy into breaking up with me? I was genuinely in love with her!"

’I’ve been miserable every day since our breakup, and it’s all thanks to the woman standing before me!’

Jane Lancaster said, "First, you tell me: who told you I liked you?"

Shawn Sutton pursed his lips. He figured he was under no obligation to keep secrets for someone else.

"Pauline Shaw... I ran into her at the mall once. She was crying, so I offered her a tissue, and she accused me of trying to hit on her. Then she told me it would be more effective to hit on you, because you like to sneakily steal other women’s men."

His words jogged Jane Lancaster’s memory, and she realized which incident he was talking about.

It was the time Samuel Miller’s parents had cornered them at the bridal shop. They had run into Shawn Sutton that day, too.

Back then, Pauline Shaw had been provoked by a few choice words from Jasper Sterling and had run off in tears...

That must have been when Pauline Shaw bumped into Shawn Sutton, who was still at the mall.

"And you believed something she said when she was angry? Besides, the Lowell Family doesn’t appreciate counterfeits. Keep imitating Caleb Lowell like this, and you’d better watch out for a sack over your head."

Jane Lancaster paused, then answered his earlier question. "And that is why I ’provoked’ her."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Shawn Sutton stood frozen to the spot. He understood what she meant.

’It’s true you were genuinely in love with Beverly Lynch, but why did your heart waver the second someone mentioned I might like you?’

He really had liked Beverly Lynch. The obedient, doting boyfriend act hadn’t been entirely a performance; he truly thought she was wonderful and deserved the best.

But now that they were broken up, he wasn’t one to dwell on the past. If a better option presented itself, he certainly wasn’t going to pass it up.

At the end of the day, he just couldn’t resist the allure of a better deal.

As Shawn Sutton walked away, he passed the glass door of a roadside shop and found himself stopping to look at his reflection.

’Is dressing up and acting like Caleb Lowell really that cringey and pretentious? But then why did Luna Morgan say the resemblance was uncanny?’

He mimicked one of Caleb Lowell’s expressions and then cringed in disgust.

’Okay, I got ahead of myself. I guess I really can’t pull off the whole domineering CEO look.’

---

When the middle-aged woman saw someone else confront the "stalker," she started to have second thoughts.

If Jane Lancaster always had someone with her, she would never dare to rush up and confront her.

Fortunately, after a little while, the two parted ways, and Jane Lancaster was alone again.

Thank goodness. A flicker of hope rekindled within her.

In truth, she had been staking out the school for several days now, wanting to strike first and find an opportunity to corner her target.

’My life is so hard now, and Jane Lancaster is partly to blame. She has to take responsibility for me!’

She had finally appeared today, and the woman didn’t want to miss this chance.

Seeing Jane Lancaster stop to look at the shops along the street, the middle-aged woman’s heart leaped with joy. ’Perfect, here’s my chance!’

She excitedly tailed her, and just as she was about to catch up to Jane Lancaster, she reached out to grab her.

---

Jane Lancaster calmly looked at the middle-aged woman who had fallen to the ground.

Just a moment before, as the woman’s hand was about to grab her shoulder, she had abruptly dodged to the side. Thrown off by the momentum, the woman had lost her balance and tumbled to the ground.

"So that guy was right. Someone really was following me."

Ignoring the pain and her now-filthy clothes, the middle-aged woman scrambled to hug Jane Lancaster’s leg.

"Jane Lancaster, you’re not going anywhere! WAAAAH, why is my life so miserable!" the woman suddenly began to wail.

Jane Lancaster: "Let go. Get up and talk."

"Waaah, you can’t just leave me! You’re the one who ruined me, you have to take responsibility!"

Jane Lancaster: "...If you keep crying, I’m really leaving."

The middle-aged woman hesitantly scrambled to her feet and straightened her clothes. "You, come with me over there."

There were still a few passersby here. What they needed to discuss was private, so it was better to find a more secluded place.

Jane Lancaster followed the woman into a small alley.

"Alright, spit it out. What do you want with me?"

The woman chose her words carefully, then summoned her courage. "You caused my brother-in-law’s death. That made my parents-in-law fall ill, and now the entire burden of caring for them is on my shoulders. So, you have to compensate me."

Just then, several menacing men in black ski masks rushed into the alley.

"Good job! It’s a good thing you lured her over here. Now she can’t get away!"

The middle-aged woman’s eyes widened. "Who are you people...?"

The men had already surrounded Jane Lancaster. "We finally found you. Let’s see you act so high and mighty now! Today, we’re going to teach you a lesson you won’t forget!"

The terrified middle-aged woman quickly shrank back. ’I just wanted to talk to Jane Lancaster! How did I get dragged into something like this?’

She was on the verge of a breakdown. ’What is wrong with this girl? Why is she always surrounded by trouble!’

Terrified, she turned and ran.