Chapter 199
Jasper had been sticking close to Lance lately. Ever since they’d made up, they seemed tighter than ever. Today, Lance brought Jasper along to pick up Camilla. Jasper leaned comfortably against Lance’s shoulder, talking nonstop and eagerly telling Camilla about all sorts of things he’d seen and done.
Camilla noticed right away how much more lively Jasper seemed. It made her quietly grateful. She smiled and asked, “What brings you here today, Jasper? Wasn’t expecting you to come find me p>
Jasper grinned at her. “You promised you’d spend time with me every day, but you didn’t show up today. Since Lance and I were running errands nearby, we decided to stop by and find you p>
“Errands? What kind of errands?” Camilla pressed, glancing at Lance.
Lance just shrugged. “Nothing big. Just some business stuff p>
Camilla looked at him in surprise. “You took Jasper along to a meeting? He’s a good kid, really, and it’s not like he causes trouble. But you could’ve left him with the butler, or one of the staff. You don’t always have to take him everywhere p>
Sure, she had let Jasper stay temporarily with Lance, but that was only because of their private relationship. Business was another world. Even though Jasper was a child, as far as the Charles family was concerned, he was still an outsider. It didn’t seem right to bring him along on business.
Lance didn’t look bothered at all. “What’s the harm in it? Who knows, maybe someday Jasper will be my son. It won’t hurt for him to get used to the Charles family’s business early on p>
Camilla was caught off guard. Somehow, no matter how long she’d known Lance, he could always leave her speechless with just a few words. She cleared her throat, her tone going serious. “Lance, the Charles family isn’t your own private playground. I finally got Jasper away from the drama of the Carter family, and I don’t want him getting dragged into anything else. If you keep taking him to business meetings, then I’ll just have to take him back myself p>
Years of living with Barnard had made Camilla see things clearly. In this world, families cared so much about status and bloodlines. Lance might care about Jasper, but the rest of the Charles family probably didn’t see him the same way. Just dealing with the Carter family nearly wore her down. She couldn’t even imagine what the Charleses, a true old-money clan, might put her and Jasper through. The thought of the elders finding out that Jasper had been anywhere near their business almost made her panic.
Lance finally softened. “Camilla, don’t be so serious. I was just joking. I didn’t actually bring Jasper into the meeting room. Abelard took him out to play while I went in p>
Camilla glanced at Jasper, looking for proof. He was already focused on his little toy, completely absorbed. She looked back at Lance, a bit of suspicion still lingering.
Lance caught her gaze, his eyes dark and thoughtful. He could tell just how much Barnard’s influence still lingered in Camilla’s life. All he’d done was cross a line ever so slightly, trying to bring something of hers into his world, and she instantly put her guard up. Clearly, Barnard had never truly cared for her, otherwise she wouldn’t be so convinced that business had to stay behind closed doors.
He didn’t care about all that, and honestly, neither did his family. In business, everyone stood on their own two feet. If he messed up, he’d only blame himself; it was never about the so-called outsider in the room.
This time, Lance brought Camilla and Jasper to a children’s themed restaurant instead of some fancy place. Online, it was famous. The décor was bright and filled with cartoon characters, and there were mascots performing in the main hall. Lots of kids loved it, and it was a trendy spot for family photos — even social media influencers liked to take pictures there. They even had photographers on hand.
Jasper had begged to visit for a family photo before, but when Camilla brought it up to Barnard, he dismissed it as childish and scolded Jasper, saying boys shouldn’t waste time on silly things. Back then, Camilla thought it was just because Barnard was determined to raise Jasper as an heir, but now she realized he simply didn’t like Jasper at all. No matter what Jasper asked for, Barnard would always brush it off impatiently.
As soon as Jasper got out of the car, he lit up with excitement. “Mom, there’s a family game today! If we win, we can get a huge stuffed animal. Let’s hurry up and go inside p>
Jasper had always loved these kinds of family activities at preschool. Camilla knew that, but lately she’d been too busy, and with all her worries about the Carter family, she hadn’t sent Jasper back, even though his leg had healed. Thinking about it, Jasper must have felt lonely at home, with nobody to play with.
This was the perfect chance, and Camilla was more than happy to go along with him. While she was still thinking about it, Jasper tugged eagerly at her hand, pulling her toward the entrance. She looked down at him, a little confused. “Don’t we need to wait for Lance p>
After all, it was Lance who brought them here, and Camilla figured he’d join in.
“Not this time. The rules say the moms and dads have to be on different teams. You’ll understand once we get inside.” Jasper spoke quickly, his excitement barely contained.
She knew he was just talking about the activity, that the “dad” he mentioned was just for the event. Still, the word caught her by surprise, making her heart skip a beat.