“Very well, you did a good job this time.”
Patrick walked towards her, and the principal left, giving them some time alone.
“You haven’t answered me yet. Can you forgive me?” Patrick continued to ask.
“When you settle the matters in your family, I can forgive you anytime,” Jane replied.
Jane didn’t hold as much resentment towards him but his family.
Just dealing with Mike alone was enough for her, and now his mother was added to the mix. Neither of them were easy to handle.
Putting these two together would be a disaster for her.
Moreover, her child would be born in a few months, and she didn’t want her child to grow up in such an environment.
“I have already sent my mother away and made Mike leave as well. They won’t cause any trouble overseas,” Patrick explained.
“And I have decided that apart from the living expenses, I won’t give them any more money. Although Mike seems extravagant and has a lot of power, he doesn’t actually have much money.”
Patrick had been dealing with these matters for the past few days. He had talked to Mike several times, and the recent results had exhausted him mentally.
He gave Mike an ultimatum, and if things didn’t improve, he would cut ties with them. Their future grandchildren would carry Jane’s surname, which hit a nerve with Mike, prompting him to obediently take Beatrice and return abroad.
Without staying for even a moment, they left directly.
Jane was satisfied when she heard the result.
She stretched out her hand for him to hold as they walked out of the screening room. There were many people gathered at the entrance.
Jane warmly greeted everyone while Patrick protected her from behind, afraid that someone would accidentally bump into her belly.
Amidst the crowd’s support, the two of them left the school.
On the way, Patrick couldn’t help but ask, “When did you become the principal of this school?”
Jane smiled and didn’t answer.
“How many surprises are you hiding from me?” Patrick looked at her and felt that she was full of secrets.
“You’ll have to discover them slowly!”
They continued on their way, laughing and talking.
…
As Carl walked out of the Waters family mansion’s gate, an unprecedented sense of freedom arose within him.
Although his life was currently a mess, he looked forward to a brand new life.
Before long, Carl took a taxi and arrived at a high-end apartment complex located in the city center.
The location was excellent, and the privacy and security were top-notch, making it suitable for a public figure like him.
He entered the apartment with the key, placed his luggage down, and took out a few sets of clothes and daily necessities, arranging them in different positions.
The apartment wasn’t large, but it was enough for a family of three.
Carl cooked some instant noodles for himself, imagining a day when Nana would accept him again, and they could live together as a family of three in this place.
Lost in his thoughts, he couldn’t help but smile.
Suddenly, Carl remembered that he had Nana’s photos on his phone. He searched for them and stared at them quietly.
“Ring, ring…”
Just as Carl was engrossed in looking at the photos, an incoming call appeared on his phone, displaying his agent’s name.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t been to the set for many days.
This included the previous notices his agent helped him accept and the negotiations for upcoming ad endorsements.
“Hello! Hailey, how did you know this number?”
The call connected, and Carl was somewhat surprised.
A while ago, to avoid his agent Hailey Ratliff’s incessant bombardment, Carl directly stopped using his usual number.
On the other end, Hailey heard his lazy tone and wished she could jump out of the phone and strangle him.
“Carl, how long do you plan on disappearing? Do you know that I’m on the verge of losing my job?”
Upon hearing this, Carl realized that stopping all work had brought disastrous trouble to Hailey.
“I’m sorry, Hailey. I just moved today. Let’s talk about work matters tomorrow!”
Carl apologized first and then tried to negotiate with Hailey.
However, as a top-tier agent, Hailey wasn’t easily brushed off.
“Wait a moment. If you hang up now, I’m afraid this number won’t be reachable tomorrow either.”
Hailey was on the verge of losing it. If it weren’t for accompanying another artist she represented who was participating in a program out of town, she would have stormed directly to Carl.
“No, no, I’ve never lied to you, Hailey!”
Carl grinned, knowing that his agent had been through a lot for him, so he did his best to comfort her.
But Hailey didn’t buy it. She directly mentioned the news she had just seen.
“You haven’t logged into Twitter recently, right? Ten minutes ago, I saw someone taking a photo of you with the headline ‘Carl dragging a suitcase homeless on the street.'”
As soon as Carl heard that someone had taken photos of him on the street and made a big deal out of it, he couldn’t help but sigh at the efficiency of paparazzi these days.
“Who said I’m homeless? Didn’t I buy an apartment in the city center?”
Carl casually replied, not taking the news seriously.
However, Hailey’s tone became increasingly serious, and she let out a long sigh as she informed him, “Please behave normally. Negative news about you floods the internet every day. You’re becoming an outsider in the entertainment industry!”
Hearing his agent’s account, Carl realized that it had been almost a month since he took a serious job since his last break on the set.
This industry was fiercely competitive, and within just over twenty days, his disappearance had caused his acting career to plummet.
Even the company was discussing in meetings whether to put Carl on ice, cancel all his packaging and marketing budgets.
“Carl, we’ve been working for these few years, and you’ve always been hardworking and ambitious. I hope to see the old you when I come back in a few days!”
Hailey’s words were heartfelt, hoping that the person she personally nurtured could return to the right track.
Unfortunately, Carl’s mind had long been elsewhere. He lazily replied, not caring at all, “No one can stay at the peak forever. If it really doesn’t work, I’ll just retire!”
Meanwhile, while Carl was on the call with his agent, Nana had just finished her saline drip and was leaning by the bedside eating fruit.
A few hours ago, after emergency treatment by the doctor, her pain had subsided, fortunately without any tearing of the incision.
Jerry and Tracy were by Nana’s side, seeing her feeling down, and had been staying by her bedside, keeping her company and talking to her.
“It’s been a few days since the child was born, and we haven’t given her a name yet.”
Jerry had just finished talking about the weather for tomorrow, and Tracy brought up a new topic.
Hearing the voices, Nana swallowed the apple in her mouth and shook her head lightly in response, “I haven’t decided yet. How about you guys help me think of a name?”
In fact, a few months ago, Nana and Carl had discussed the baby’s name together. At that time, they searched through books and dictionaries, coming up with over ten names to be finalized after the child’s birth.
However, things had changed, and now Nana didn’t want to use those names anymore. She didn’t want to be reminded of the past and get trapped in memories.
Seeing Nana’s indecision, Jerry and Tracy exchanged glances.
“What name should we choose…”
Tracy dragged her words hesitantly.
“How about Janelle? It means truth, goodness, and beauty. We hope the baby will grow up to be sincere and make her dreams come true.”
Jerry pondered for a moment, and after forming an idea in his mind, he tentatively asked for Nana’s opinion.
Hearing the good meaning behind the name, Nana smiled and agreed, “Alright, let’s name the baby Janelle.”
Tracy had no objections to that, but suddenly remembered another matter.
“Oh, Nana, since you and Carl are separated now, let’s give the baby our last name, Lawson!”
Tracy smiled faintly, concerned that Nana might have reservations, and took this matter upon herself.
“If Carl comes back in the future, I will say it was my decision to let our granddaughter bear the surname ‘Lawson.'”
Jerry also supported this idea.
“That’s settled then. The child’s name will be Janelle Lawson.” Jerry decisively made the decision.
However, as the mother of the baby, Nana remained neutral.
“Mom, Dad, Carl doesn’t know about this yet. I think we should discuss it with him first to avoid future disputes.”
Nana hesitated, picking up her phone and browsing through it.
Coincidentally, she stumbled upon a popular retweet on Twitter and saw a photo of Carl walking alone on the street at night, dragging a suitcase.
He moved out of the villa?
Nana’s eyes widened slightly, guessing that Carl must have had a disagreement with Mrs. Waters when he went back.
“What’s there to fear? Even if there are disputes, Mom and Dad will handle it for you.”
Tracy patted Nana’s hand, reassuring her not to worry about these minor details.
But after seeing this news, Nana became even more uncertain.
Although she couldn’t forgive Carl, she didn’t want to make a decision about the surname without his consent.
“No, let’s just give the baby a temporary name for now. We can discuss the surname later.”
Nana insisted on her own idea. She knew that Carl would definitely come back to the hospital.