Chapter 725

From the third floor down to the ground level, even as she passed by the jewelry counter where Huan was making his selection, Mina didn't shed another tear or cast him so much as a glance. Her smile had vanished, replaced by a heavy silence. Once inside the car, she leaned against Jane and murmured, "Jane, I'm a little sleepy. I want to rest for a while. Wake me up when we get home, okay?" "Mm-hmm, sure! Go ahead and sleep, sis," Jane replied, wrapping her small arms protectively around her sister. Only after Mina's car had pulled away did Huan's gaze linger, dazed, in the direction it had gone. His eyes, shadowed with suppressed longing and heartache, spoke volumes. Maia Philip followed his line of sight, but the car had already merged into the flow of traffic and vanished into the night. "That little girl is quite adorable," Maia Philip remarked, standing beside him. Huan withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent. "Let's get back to picking out jewelry." Inside the car, Bryan waited until Mina had fallen asleep before lowering his voice to a furious whisper. "We can't just let Huan off the hook like this!" Jane kept her eyes downcast, fixed on her sister's tear-streaked face, and said nothing. She had already uncovered the truth about Huan and Maia Philip's relationship, as well as his reasons for acting as he did. While she understood his predicament, forgiveness still felt impossible. But would beating Huan to a pulp or worse really make her sister happy? After a pause, Harold spoke quietly. "Brother, since Mina said she wants to pretend she never knew Huan, we should respect her wishes and leave it at that." Though resentment still simmered in him, Bryan reluctantly let go of the idea. If he went after Huan and it only made Mina more miserable, it wouldn’t be worth it. By the time they arrived home, John was already waiting at the gate. Noticing Mina had fallen asleep, he gently scooped her up and said, "Jane, let's go home." Jane hesitated for a moment before speaking up in her soft, childlike voice, "Big Brother, there's something I want to talk to Brother Frederick about. Can I stay with him for a little while before coming home?" Upon hearing this, Frederick's eyes lit up with barely contained delight, his lips curling into an involuntary smile. Though he could feel John's icy glare boring into him, none of that mattered as long as he got to spend time alone with Jane. Despite the thousand objections swirling in his mind, John couldn't bring himself to refuse when faced with Jane's pleading eyes. He nodded reluctantly. "Alright. I'll take your sister home first and then come back for you." "Okay, Big Brother," Jane replied earnestly, her voice sweet and tender. Once inside Frederick's living room, Jane absentmindedly grabbed a Peppa Pig plushie and hugged it to her chest, sitting quietly with a pensive expression. Frederick settled beside her, his dark eyes studying her intently. "Jane, what did you want to talk about?" She looked up, her large, glistening eyes meeting his. "Brother Frederick, do you know why Brother Smith Huan did what he did?" Frederick reached out and gently ruffled her hair before pulling her into a comforting embrace. "I do. But I don't think he deserves forgiveness." Jane furrowed her tiny brows. "Brother Frederick, if you were in Huan's place, what would you have done?" Frederick arched an eyebrow slightly. "It's simple. Huan's uncles have been involved in shady dealings for years, and he already had evidence against them. All he had to do was hand it over to the police they would’ve taken care of the rest." His voice grew firmer. "But instead of going through the proper channels, Huan chose to collaborate with Fletcher like making a deal with the devil because he wanted to protect the Smith family’s reputation. He thought he could clean house without paying the price. That’s where he was wrong." "He thought bringing Maia back was protecting Mina, but in reality, if he could just let go of the Smith Corporation, Sylvester and Saylon wouldn’t even have the chance to target Mina in the first place!" Jane stayed silent, her small mind racing back to when Big Brother took over the Wallace family and when Frederick assumed control of the Fuller family. The situations were similarly dire if anything, Huan’s circumstances were even slightly better. At least he still had Shawn by his side to support him. Yet neither Big Brother nor Frederick had acted the way Huan did. Perhaps Huan wasn’t ruthless enough. From his perspective, he wasn’t entirely wrong. But maybe he truly wasn’t the right fit for her sister. At least in her eyes, if Huan could hurt her sister’s feelings now to protect the Smith Corporation, he’d do the same later for anything else he deemed important. That kind of betrayal was unforgivable. Her sister was right it was best to act as if they’d never met at all! Just as this realization settled in, footsteps echoed from outside, followed by Fisher’s deliberately loud greeting, "Mr. Wallace, here to pick up the little one?" Jane froze for a split second before snapping back to reality. She was still sitting on Frederick’s lap, John definitely wouldn’t be happy about that. In a flash, she kicked her little legs and scrambled to the ground. Before Frederick could even reach for her, she was already toddling toward the living room entrance on her short, stubby legs. "Brother Frederick, Big Brother’s here for me! I’ll head back now, but I’ll come play with you again tomorrow!" The words barely left her mouth when John scooped her up into his arms. Jane white hand waved obediently at Frederick in farewell. Though slightly exasperated, Frederick’s eyes still softened with affection as he wished her goodnight. John cradled Jane securely with one arm while using his free hand to gently pinch her little nose. "What exactly did you rush over here to tell Frederick?" "I just wanted to ask Brother Frederick what he would do if he were Huan," Jane declared in her tiny, matter-of-fact voice, chin held high. John's lips curled into a gentle smile. "Then let me ask you this if you were Mina, what would you do?" Jane fell silent for a moment, her round eyes locking onto his with unusual seriousness. "I'd hand over all the evidence of Sylvester and Saylon’s crimes to the police." John blinked, momentarily taken aback, but quickly grasped her reasoning. Her choice served two purposes: it was both a lesson for Huan on how to act and a punishment. What he sought to protect, she would tear down. It was a ruthless move, but then again Mina wasn’t Jane. He pinched her tiny nose playfully. "You’re not wrong, Jane. But Mina isn’t like you. She still doesn’t even understand why Huan suddenly came back with a girlfriend." His voice softened. "What I want is for Mina to grow up like any ordinary kid after this to chase her dreams and live a simple, happy life." "Mm!" Jane nodded emphatically. "I get it!" "But only if Huan stays away from her," she added, suddenly fierce, tiny fists clenching as she shook one in the air. "If he dares bother her again I won’t go easy on him!"