Chapter 38
Brad’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Jaxon walking toward them.
Brad wondered, ‘Did that little girl just call Uncle Jaxon Dad?
‘Uncle Jaxon isn’t even married yet. How can he have this kid?
Could she be his illegitimate daughter?‘
All these questions kept swirling around in Brad’s mind, and he just couldn’t shake them.
“What are you guys up to?” Jaxon immediately sensed something was off, and when he saw Lillian looking so upset, his face turned cold.
He fixed his gaze on Brad, a slight frown appearing between his brows.
“Uncle Jaxon, when did you get a daughter this age? I’ve never heard anything about this.” Brad looked at Jaxon and then nodded toward Sally. “And why is Sally the one bringing your daughter to school?”
Sally’s grip on Lillian’s hand suddenly tightened.
She never expected Lillian to suddenly call Jaxon Dad.
Just as she was panicking about what to do, Jaxon spoke up, calm as ever, “Lillian is indeed my daughter. It’s her first day at school today. I couldn’t bring her this morning, so I asked Mrs. Zale to help me out.”
The word daughter made Sally freeze for a second.
It was obvious Jaxon was just making this up to cover for them.
There was no way Lillian could actually be his daughter.
“But it’s Nick’s graduation. Sally, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to go, but you’re helping Mr. Zale drop off his kid instead…” Lena stood in the middle, clearly trying to stir the pot.
“What’s wrong?” Jaxon frowned slightly, his gaze landing on Lena. “Do you have a problem with that, Miss Yasmin?”
“No, of course not. I wouldn’t dare,” said Lena.
Lena instantly deflated, her eyes darting away from him nervously.
She instinctively reached out and tugged at Brad’s sleeve, as if hoping he would speak up for her.
But Brad pulled his arm back and glanced at Sally. “Since you’re just helping Uncle Jaxon drop off his kid, I’ll let it go today. After you’re done, you can come to the playground for Nick’s graduation…”
Sally cut him off before he could finish, “I said I’m not going.”
Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed Lillian’s hand and quickly headed toward the classroom.
Brad watched her walk away, his expression turning noticeably colder.
She really embarrassed him in front of everyone.
Damn it!
“Lena, take Nick to the playground first. I need to talk to Uncle Jaxon,” said Brad.
Lena nodded. “Okay.”
Jaxon was about to leave but stopped when Brad called out. He shot Brad a look. “What else do you want to say?”
-Brad asked out of curiosity, “Uncle Jaxon, does Grandpa know you have a daughter? How come you never mentioned it? Not even a hint.
Jaxon’s face darkened for a moment. “As far as I remember, you’re not the type to care about gossip.”
Brad looked genuinely puzzled. “It’s not gossip. We’re family, aren’t we? I just want to know more about your life. This isn’t a small thing. Grandpa should know.”
“My business isn’t your concern. Just focus on your own stuff.” Brad’s tone was ice–cold.
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Chapter 38
“Uncle Jaxon…” Brad called out quickly as Jaxon turned to leave. “Your daughter seems pretty jumpy. Maybe you should take her to see a therapist or something.”
Jaxon’s brows suddenly knit together. “Boys are different from girls. Don’t be so harsh when you talk. Trust me. No matter how old they are, girls always like guys who are gentle.”
Before Brad could say anything, Jaxon turned and strode off without looking back.
Brad watched him leave, his eyes growing dark and cold.
He quickly pulled out his phone and made a call. “Find out everything you can about Jaxon’s so–called illegitimate daughter. I want to know who he had that kid with.”
When Sally brought Lillian to the classroom door, the headteacher, Fiona Campos, was already waiting for them outside.
“Hi, Lillian. My name is Fiona Campos. I’ll be your headteacher from now on,” Fiona greeted warmly.
“Hello, Ms. Campos,” Lillian replied softly.
Maybe she was still shaken from what happened downstairs. Lillian’s eyes were still red, but Fiona’s gentle smile helped her calm down a lot.
Sally had already told Fiona about Lillian’s situation.
Fiona had promised to look after Lillian.
“Ms. Campos, if you need anything, just give me a call,” Sally reminded.
“Okay.” Fiona nodded gently and then led Lillian inside.
Sally couldn’t help but worry, so she stood by the window for a while, making sure Lillian was okay before finally leaving the classroom door.
When she got to the school gate, Sally spotted a Maybach parked right outside.
A familiar figure walked up to her. “Mrs. Zale, Mr. Zale is waiting for you in the car. He wants to have a word with you.”
Sally looked up at Caleb and nodded instinctively. “Alright.”
When she got to the car, she reached out and opened the door. Jaxon looked up, and their eyes met.
As soon as Sally got in, Jaxon spoke up, “Why is Lillian with you?”
Sally froze for a moment, caught off guard.
She thought, ‘It looks like he really doesn’t know what he helped me with.
‘Maybe Sienna never brought it up.
Back when I was badly hurt in prison, with serious internal injuries, I asked Sienna for help. The person Sienna found was Jaxon.
He sent some acupuncture tools to Sienna, and it was thanks to that treatment that I managed to pull through!
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Jaxon watched her, curiosity written all over his face when she didn’t answer.
Sally snapped out of it and looked into Jaxon’s eyes. “Sienna and I were cellmates. We got along pretty well, and she once saved my life. To repay her. I promised I’d look after her daughter when I got out.”
After hearing her explanation, Jaxon gave a slight nod.
“Thank you for what you did today, Mr. Zale.” Sally’s tone was serious. “I know you’re not Lillian’s father, but in that situation, you stepped up to protect her and let her keep her dignity.”
“Her mom and I were just friends. We crossed paths a few times, so I’ve met Lillian before.” Jaxon’s expression darkened a bit. Brad told me Lillian has some mental health issues. What did he mean by that?”
Sally’s back suddenly stiffened.
She thought, ‘Brad even told him that? He really can’t keep his mouth shut!‘
“Actually, she has autism,” said Sally.
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Chapter 38
“Autism Jaxon looked a little confused. “How did that happen?”