Elis was stunned to find that Jane had politely declined him. If it were someone else, they would have been overjoyed. But it was precisely Jane’s calm and uncorrupted character that made Elis appreciate her even more.
Mike saw Katherine’s face turn even more pale and quickly put a stop to the conversation.
“Alright, alright, everyone is tired. Let’s all sit down and eat.”
Mike clapped his hands and the feast began.
He waved towards Katherine with a smile on his face, “Good girl, come over here and eat with me.”
Katherine immediately put on a smile and nodded eagerly before picking up her skirt and walking over to Mike’s side. She looked at Jane sitting next to him with an air of triumph.
Jane paid no attention to her though; she just ate by herself.
The servant brought out a chair for Katherine which was placed on Mike’s other side.
Katherine stared up at the sky with wide eyes while Jane ignored her completely leaving her feeling bored.
“Wait until you finish eating and accompany Katherine, don’t let her get too bored.”
Who knew that just as everyone was halfway through their meal, Mike asked Patrick to accompany Katherine.
Jane’s eyes flickered for a moment, but she didn’t stop eating and continued on her own.
“I’m not going, Grandpa. I want to stay with Jane.”
Who knew Patrick would directly refuse in front of everyone, making Katherine feel embarrassed.
“If I ask you to go, then go. Why so many words?”
Mike’s face turned dark. He had also noticed that Katherine had lost face. If he didn’t do something to salvage the situation, the Maltz family might come knocking.
“I’m not going.”
Patrick refused again, placing a piece of meat from the table into Jane’s bowl. “You like this, eat more.”
Jane was taken aback, not expecting Patrick to defend her like this. She nodded and her long eyelashes trembled gently.
Seeing Patrick’s gentle gaze, Katherine’s heart was stirred.
Thinking about his coldness and dissatisfaction towards her in the office, and comparing it to Jane’s tenderness, Katherine became more and more unwilling.
Since Mike was still present, Katherine couldn’t say much and could only silently eat her food.
“Now, this is my banquet today. You don’t even listen to my words?”
Who knew Mike would get angry and publicly criticize Patrick.
“I just did what I should do.”
Who knew Patrick wouldn’t back down either and openly quarreled with Mike.
“I already have Jane. Do you think it’s appropriate for me to accompany a single woman?”
“She’s your friend!”
Mike was displeased, defending Katherine in front of everyone. Seeing that everyone was looking, Jane quickly intervened.
“Alright, alright, calm down. Let’s just eat.”
Jane spoke up, and Patrick didn’t continue. Both of them had darkened expressions, and no one else spoke.
The banquet ended on a sour note. On the way home, Jane let out a sigh of relief.
The next day.
Jane stood in front of Braiden’s house, tidied up her clothes, and then pressed the doorbell.
After waiting for a while, the door opened. Just as Jane was about to raise her hand to greet, she suddenly realized that the person in front of her didn’t match Braiden’s figure.
She looked up and indeed, the person wasn’t Braiden; it was Elis.
Jane’s pupils contracted. Elis? What was he doing here?
“Good day, Mr. Edwards.”
Jane greeted Elis, and though Elis was a bit surprised to see her, he nodded lightly.
“Come in. You’re here to see Braiden, right?”
Jane nodded, not expecting Elis to be a guest at Braiden’s house as well.
“I haven’t visited Mr. Rees in a long time. I was afraid he would think I, as a younger generation, lack manners, so I came to see him.”
“That’s good.”
Elis nodded, his impression of Jane improving even more.
Jane came prepared this time, specifically bringing a piece of jade of excellent quality that Braiden had always liked.
Elis also noticed this and nodded in satisfaction before leading Jane into the house.
Braiden was sitting in the center, busy brewing tea. “Who is it?”
“It’s me,” Jane replied, placing the jade she brought on the table. “I had someone bring this for you. You can play with it for a couple of days.”
“Good, you’re really thoughtful,” Braiden smiled and nodded, then stood up and approached Jane. “Take a look at her, isn’t she good-looking?”
Braiden raised an eyebrow, proudly showing off to Elis.
“Not bad, not bad,” Elis could only go along with Braiden’s words. The next second, Braiden placed his hand in front of Jane’s abdomen.
“I’ll show you something, don’t blink.”
Then, using his internal energy, Braiden’s veins slightly bulged as Jane’s painting appeared before them.
Unlike others, Jane’s painting was a vibrant green, more translucent compared to the dull colors of others.
This represented that Jane’s painting was of superior quality, even Elis rarely saw such a thing.
His pupils contracted, applauding continuously. “Impressive, truly impressive.”
The next second, Jane retrieved the painting.
She hadn’t expected Braiden to do such a thing, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“I’m sorry for showing my inadequate skills in front of you.”
Jane scratched her head, her actions becoming somewhat unnatural.
“Oh, how could that be,” Elis quickly waved his hand, praising Jane’s painting. “Leaving everything else aside, your painting is much better than my disciples’. Many people spend a long time practicing to reach this level, but you achieved it at such a young age. It’s truly remarkable.”
Braiden laughed heartily, seeing that Elis was very satisfied with Jane. After all, talents like Jane were indeed rare.
“No, no, Mr. Edwards, please don’t make fun of me.”
Jane smiled modestly, touched her abdomen, and let out a sigh of relief.
“It seems that none of the rumors about you from the outside world are true. I wonder who’s spreading such false information.”
Elis frowned. Many people had been discussing Jane’s character before, and if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes today, he might have believed them.
“We can’t control what happens outside. Let them say what they want,” Jane replied calmly, earning even more admiration from Elis.
It was extremely rare for a young person to have such maturity and composure.
Braiden noticed Elis’s thoughts and quickly stopped him. “Hey, wait a minute, are you thinking something inappropriate again?”
Upon hearing this, Elis gave Braiden a sharp look.
“What do you mean by inappropriate thoughts? Watch your words!”