Chapter 228: Is She Stupid, to Even Compensate the Criminal’s Family?

Jane Lancaster had fired the cook, so for the past few days, her household had been interviewing new ones and holding food tastings.

She didn’t want to go home to help with the tastings, so she decided to eat out.

She hadn’t been eating for long when Will reported in. The middle-aged woman’s residence had been found; it was within a two-kilometer radius of their current location.

After hanging up, Jane Lancaster turned to Jasper Sterling. "How about you join me for a walk? We can say it’s to help with digestion."

Jasper Sterling smiled. "It would be my pleasure."

The car drove to the mouth of the alley but could go no further.

This was a neighborhood of old, small, and dilapidated buildings in the city center. With its run-down apartment blocks and potholed alleys, it was home to low-income workers just trying to get by in the city.

The middle-aged woman lived on the dark, damp first floor.

Though it was called the first floor, it was actually a semi-basement apartment. The conditions were terrible, with only a single half-window at ground level for light.

By the time Jane Lancaster walked over, Will had already knocked on the door and it had been opened.

The woman was still holding a half-eaten container of instant noodles. When she saw Jane Lancaster, she looked as if she’d seen a ghost, her face a mask of panicked despair.

"H-how did you find me? What do you want?" She was scared out of her wits.

She had just barely worked up the courage to go and confront them, only to have them show up and corner her at her own door!

Looking at the two bodyguards, Wayne and Will, she realized she had probably messed with the wrong people.

"Don’t think I’m afraid of you! I... I won’t let you go, not even in death!"

Jane Lancaster replied, "Your brother-in-law is a ghost now, and he still can’t touch me, can he?"

The woman was speechless.

She glared at Jane Lancaster, desperately wanting to scream, ’Are you the devil?’

Jane Lancaster’s gaze fell on the woman’s noodles. She gestured to her men. "You’re coming with me."

The woman didn’t want to go. She grabbed the doorframe, panicked. "What are you going to do to me? I’m warning you, we live in a society with laws!"

Jane Lancaster sighed. "What are you imagining? Didn’t you want me to take responsibility? I’m treating you to dinner. Isn’t that kind enough?"

At the restaurant, the woman’s eyes went wide when she saw the dishes being served.

She tentatively picked up her chopsticks and took a few bites. Seeing no reaction from Jane Lancaster, she relaxed and began to eat heartily.

By the time the meal was over, her impression of Jane Lancaster had completely changed.

"You really are a good person!" the woman said, trying to curry favor.

Now, the more she looked at Jane Lancaster, the more beautiful she found her. The aura of a wealthy young lady was truly something else—so poised, generous, and graceful.

Jane Lancaster smiled. "So, what is it you wanted from me?"

’That makes me a good person? She’s so easy to fool.’

The woman hesitated for a moment, then decided to be direct. "I’m Howard Lucas’s sister-in-law."

Wayne and Will instantly tensed.

Howard Lucas... the kidnapper from all those years ago.

Jasper Sterling, however, showed no surprise. With a subtle glance, he dismissed the two men, and they retreated.

Perhaps because the man before her was smiling so gently, the woman found the courage to continue.

"Our Larkin family scrimped and saved to raise a Ph.D. student like Howard, do you understand? That’s a doctorate! The moment he graduated and found a job, he would have made a million a year!"

The whole family had worked so hard to support him, thinking they were finally about to see better days. But then things started going wrong for Howard, culminating in the hostage incident.

When the news reached their town, the family felt like their world had collapsed.

Because his death was so disgraceful, they couldn’t even raise a fuss to demand compensation. At the time, Jane Lancaster was still in the hospital undergoing emergency treatment, her fate uncertain.

Her father-in-law and husband were too ashamed. Fearing that other victims might also demand compensation, they moved the entire family away from their town.

But after years of supporting her brother-in-law, the family was left destitute. After such a catastrophe, the whole family fell into a deep depression.

Her father-in-law and husband stopped working and just idled around all day. Her mother-in-law, constantly grieving for her youngest son, fell into poor health and was always sick, needing shots and medication.

The entire burden of the family fell on her shoulders. She worked from dawn till dusk just to keep the family afloat.

Jane Lancaster said, "That sounds truly pitiful."

"It is, isn’t it? For us country folk, it’s not easy to support a college student, let alone a Ph.D. candidate. It cost so much money. With Howard’s death, our family was completely ruined."

The woman’s fingers were rough, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes spoke of profound hardship and exhaustion.

Anyone who saw her and heard her story would have felt a pang of sympathy.

’But sympathy is something I just don’t have. She really picked the wrong person to come to.’

Despite her thoughts, Jane Lancaster wore a perfectly amiable smile. "So you came to me, hoping I’d give you money out of pity?"

Finally getting to the point, the woman said hurriedly, "I know you and your family are very charitable people! For the past two years, someone has been wiring money to my family annually. The memo had your name on it. It was your family, wasn’t it? No wonder fortune smiled on you and you survived!"

Jane Lancaster frowned. "Impossible. You’re lying."

’I was in a coma back then. It wasn’t even certain I would pull through. The three Lancaster brothers would have to be insane to send money to the culprit’s family.’

The woman was stunned that she would deny it. "How could it not be? It clearly said Jane Lancaster’s name! One hundred thousand each time, for a total of three transfers!"

If not for a guilty conscience, why would they have sent the money?

Jane Lancaster thought for a moment. After eliminating all other possibilities, only one remained—

’Could Luna Morgan have been the one who sent the money? Is she an idiot? Compensating the criminal’s family?’

’She was nearly killed at Howard Lucas’s hands. Does a victim really need to have that much sympathy for her attacker?’

’In the original novel, after this woman dies, Luna sponsors the entire Lucas family. That’s somewhat understandable, because the woman dies in a car accident right after coming to see me, so Luna feels the need to compensate them.’

Jasper Sterling lowered his gaze. ’So that’s how it is.’ He finally understood why it was so important to find this woman tonight.

The woman was going to die in a car accident, and the blame would likely fall on Jane Lancaster.

He smiled faintly. "So, how much money do you want?"

The woman turned to look at him. She had noticed this man from the start.

He was more handsome than any celebrity she’d ever seen on TV. More importantly, he had a gentle temperament and no airs about him. The way his charming, almond-shaped eyes crinkled with a smile made one feel exceptionally at ease.

She didn’t know how to describe it, but she felt this man could make even the biting late-autumn wind feel gentle.

"You must be Miss Lancaster’s fiancé, right?" The woman had been wondering if she should be more tactful, since she was about to ask for money.

But meeting Jasper Sterling’s gaze, she felt strangely encouraged.

"I want five million!" Her husband had already done the math for her. It wasn’t that much money; in the city, it was just enough to buy an apartment, with not much left over for the family’s living expenses.

Jasper Sterling said, "Alright. I’ll give you five million."

Jane Lancaster looked up at him, confused.

The woman was ecstatic, but she quickly noticed Jane Lancaster’s expression and hurriedly tried to suppress her grin.

Her husband had taught her some negotiation tactics, and now was the perfect time to use them.

"Miss Lancaster, please don’t think I’m asking for too much. If Howard were still alive, this would only be five years of his salary. You have to understand, he was the pillar of our family. Without him, our whole world collapsed!"

Jane Lancaster stared at her coldly. "Shut up."