Chapter4
1333 Words
Her father had been a lifelong workhorse for Jason’s mother.
And in the end, after she became the “mother of the richest man,” even marriage had to be equal in status.
In Wendy Lincoln’s eyes, her father was nothing more than a driver.
A spare tire.
Heh.
And Anna Nolan’s fate was no different from her father’s.
“Anna, what kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
If it weren’t for the bandage still wrapped around Anna’s forehead, her father would have already scolded her severely.
“Wendy, don’t misunderstand. Children speak without thinking. Anna, hurry and apologize to Aunt Wendy.”
Her father gently pushed her.
But Anna remained standing where she was, her posture firm.
“Dad, I’m not speaking nonsense.”
“If you don’t believe me, then today, Aunt Wendy—please give my father a clear answer.”
“Are you willing to marry him and live your life with him, or not?”
“Anna!”
Her father exploded in anger, startling the pedestrians nearby.
Jason’s mother froze in place.
Her face turned pale.
She had clearly never expected that one day Anna Nolan would force her like this.
Of course she didn’t want to marry Anna’s father.
On what basis?
Why should Wendy Lincoln, a widow, marry a brick porter?
She had already been generous enough not to despise the man who brought his daughter to eat and drink at her stall.
And now she was supposed to marry him?
What she wanted was only a free porter—
loyal, undemanding, and someone who didn’t even dare hope for more.
“Anna, did you argue with Jason again?”
“Don’t be angry. When Jason comes home later, Auntie will scold him for you.”
But the moment she finished speaking, she saw Jason Lincoln in the distance.
She waved her hand.
“Jason—”
Her already pale face instantly turned even paler.
Why—
was her son holding Jessica Cole’s hand while crossing the street?!
After Jason Lincoln pulled Jessica away and separated from Anna earlier, he found a place and told Jessica everything—about the pain and hatred buried deep in his heart from his previous life.
In this life, he swore he would never let Jessica Cole suffer again.
He decided to bring her to meet his mother and confess everything openly.
The sun was setting.
On a street filled with the scent of everyday life, Jason Lincoln walking hand in hand with Jessica Cole looked like a scene from an oil painting.
Every expression.
Every movement.
The tenderness carved into his bones—
all of it he showed only to Jessica Cole.
To Anna Nolan, it was more dazzling than the sunset itself.
For more than twenty years of knowing him, Jason Lincoln had never once held her hand while crossing the street.
Even on the rare dates that Anna had painstakingly arranged, Jason would either walk ahead or lower his head to play on his phone.
If the traffic light changed or someone bumped into Anna, he never once looked back.
Thinking about it now, in her previous life Anna Nolan had always been the one chasing Jason.
Even when she was angry, she still had to compromise and coax him carefully.
Anna had always believed Jason didn’t love her simply because he wasn’t good at expressing his feelings.
But that wasn’t true.
When the person wasn’t her—
Jason Lincoln was actually better at expressing love than anyone.
Just like the scene before her now.
After holding Jessica’s hand across the street, Jason still worried that the strands of hair on her forehead were being blown by the wind.
He lifted his hand gently and tucked them behind her ear.
Those eyes of his, like a field of stars, were so gentle they seemed capable of dripping water.
Even when they announced their engagement, the ring Anna Nolan wanted had been given to her like he was completing a task.
He had simply placed the ring box in front of her.
No kneeling.
No sweet words.
Not even a simple sentence like,
“Anna Nolan, marry me.”
Instead, he only said,
“Choose the wedding date yourself.”
Love or not—
the truth was written in the smallest details.
Jason Lincoln didn’t see Anna Nolan at all.
In his eyes and in his heart—
there was only Jessica Cole.
He also didn’t notice his mother rushing toward him in furious anger.
Just as he lifted Jessica’s hand and whispered softly,
“Don’t be afraid,”
his mother’s furious voice exploded.
“Jason Lincoln! What are you doing?!”
Jason’s mother rushed forward and forcibly pulled his hand away from Jessica’s.
After years of doing hard work, her strength was not small.
Jessica Cole lived in the same alley as Anna Nolan and Jason Lincoln.
Since childhood, Jason’s mother had never liked her.
Jessica was the type of girl who—whenever she came to eat at the breakfast stall—would demand that the table be wiped three times and sprayed with disinfectant before she would even sit down.
Jessica naturally didn’t want to embarrass herself.
The moment Jason’s mother rushed forward, she immediately released Jason’s hand.
She didn’t even have time to explain,
“Aunt Wendy, please don’t misunderstand. Jason was just worried I might not be careful crossing the street, so he held my hand—”
Before she could finish, Jason’s mother had already dragged her aside and scolded her loudly.
“Didn’t I tell you before that you are not allowed to associate with him?”
“Why are you even holding hands now?!”
“Jason, you’re about to become a student at a prestigious overseas university. You’re the top student of the entire grade! You know exactly who Jessica Cole is! If I ever see this again, I’ll break your legs!”
The moment those words left her mouth, Jason Lincoln’s mother suddenly seemed to realize why Anna Nolan had been acting so strangely today.
So it really was this unlucky girl who had angered her.
“Anna, didn’t Auntie ask you to keep an eye on Jason so he would focus on his studies? Why did you let him associate with people like this—uncertain backgrounds and low rankings? Anna—”
“Mom, how can you talk about Jessica like that?”
Jason Lincoln interrupted his mother.
“Jessica, don’t be angry. My mom has always been like this. Don’t worry, I’m here.”
Jessica Cole’s expression looked awkward.
“Class president, it’s fine… um, I still have something to do. I’ll go first. We’ll meet later at school during evening study.”
Jessica fled faster than a ghost.
Was she joking?
She had personally seen Aunt Wendy beat Jason Lincoln before.
Even if the class president had suddenly “short-circuited” and decided he liked her—she didn’t mind.
But that didn’t mean she was willing to walk straight into the barrel of his mother’s gun.
She gave Jason a meaningful look:
We still have time. But Aunt Wendy matters more right now.
Then she ran away without looking back.
Jason stared at her retreating figure, her hurried steps filled with anxiety.
Guilt filled his chest.
Once again, he had caused Jessica to suffer.
Resentment, anger, and frustration exploded inside him—
and all of it was directed at Anna Nolan.
His face darkened as he spoke sharply.
“Anna Nolan, what did you say to my mother?”
Did she think his warning meant nothing?
Hearing this, Anna Nolan let out a cold laugh.
So this was somehow her fault too?
“Jason Lincoln, speak properly to your mother,” Jason’s mother said coldly.
“I’m asking you—what exactly is your relationship with Jessica Cole?”
She wasn’t blind.
She could clearly see that her son liked Jessica Cole.
And that—
was absolutely unacceptable.
- Writer
