Chapter 597

Chapter 596:

After a quiet visit from the Collins family’s private dentist, who had administered a gentle, pregnancy-safe anti-inflammatory treatment, Jocelyn’s wisdom tooth pain had subsided completely. It was a lazy Tuesday afternoon. She sat in the sunroom sketching designs for her charity foundation’s logo while Gaston lounged on the sofa beside her, peeling an apple with a small, sharp knife. The scene was one of perfect domestic tranquility.

Then the apartment’s intercom buzzed.

It was unusual enough to draw attention. All visitors were pre-screened and announced by building security downstairs. Mrs. Higgins walked to the panel.

“Yes p>

The security screen flickered on, revealing a middle-aged man standing in the lobby. He wore a faded, slightly rumpled suit. His face was weathered and lined, and he carried a cheap plastic grocery bag.

Jocelyn glanced up from her sketchbook. When she saw the man on the screen, every trace of color drained from her face. Her hand froze, the pencil hovering over the paper.

Richard Stein. Her uncle. A man with a notorious gambling problem and a long-standing reputation as the black sheep of her mother’s family.

Richard spotted the camera and immediately arranged his face into a wide, warm smile. “Jossie! It’s me — Uncle Richard! I saw you on the news this morning, cooking breakfast! Looks like the whole country is watching you now, isn’t that something? I’m in New York on business and thought I’d drop by to see my favorite niece p>

Jocelyn’s stomach clenched. She knew this man. He never appeared without wanting something.

She couldn’t simply refuse him. Not with millions of people watching. If she turned her uncle away, the tabloids would paint her as a cold, heartless woman who had forgotten where she came from.

Gaston set down the apple and the knife. He studied the screen, his eyes hardening to chips of ice. He looked at Jocelyn and mouthed two words: Throw him out.

𝘞𝖾𝗲𝘬𝘭𝘆 𝗿е𝗅e𝗮𝘴e𝘴 𝘰𝗇 ѕ.𝘤о𝗺

But Richard was already performing for the camera. He held up the plastic bag. “I know you’re busy, Jossie. I’ll just wait right here. I brought you some fruit from the old neighborhood p>

The live chat flooded with sympathy immediately.

“Aww, it’s her uncle p>

“He looks so sweet and humble p>

“She should let him up p>

Jocelyn was trapped. She watched Gaston signal the security team to remove him and shook her head frantically — if security dragged him out on camera, the damage would be irreparable. Her eyes met Gaston’s for a fraction of a second, a silent and cold understanding passing between them. She knew this was a performance. Every performance needed a stage and an audience. She would give him his stage. Then she would burn it down.

“Let him up,” Jocelyn said into the intercom, her voice dangerously calm. “Ten minutes. Only ten minutes. And Mrs. Higgins — please ensure the cameras in the foyer capture his arrival clearly. We want a full, high-definition record of our guest p>

A few minutes later, Richard Stein walked into the penthouse. His eyes swept the room, moving over the priceless artwork and the custom furniture. A flash of pure, naked greed crossed his face before he quickly composed it into an expression of humble sorrow.

He set the cheap plastic bag of fruit on the massive marble coffee table. The contrast was jarring.