Filed To Story: The Scarlet Vengeance: Justice of a Framed Beauty Novel (Grace & Jason)
“Mason, let’s go,” Veronica said softly, lowering her gaze and turning to Mason beside her.
“Okay.” He responded and took her hand, intending to pass by the Archer couple.
“Hey, Veronica, where are you going? Are you going back to the hospital?” Archer asked in a hurry.
“I have been discharged from the hospital and will be staying with the Reed family for a while,” said Veronica.
“Huh? The Reed family?” Archer looked embarrassed. After all, his son was suspected of kidnapping
Jasper from the Reed family. It was natural that they didn’t feel comfortable going to the Reed family. If their daughter had to stay with the Reed family, it would be troublesome for them to see her. If they had to ask their daughter to plead for them, it would be even more difficult.
“As for Veronica, Lionel’s matter, you have to…” Rosalind’s words were cut off halfway by the look Mason gave her.
Although the other person was just a young boy, his cold and sweeping gaze made one feel a chill running down their spine. It was as if, if she said anything more, not only would her son end up in jail, but she herself would be doomed as well.
Mason left with Veronica, and the Barlow couple stared at the closed elevator doors, looking at each other in confusion.
“What about Lionel… What should we do?” Rosalind said anxiously.
“I don’t know, it’s because you gave birth to a good son!” Archer said unkindly. At the moment, besides worrying about his son, he was also concerned about the relationship between the Reed family and the Barlow family. If the Reed family really broke ties with the Barlow family, what would happen to his many businesses?
Downstairs, a car slowly drove out of the community.
Inside the car, Veronica kept her head down, silent and contemplative.
Mason tightly held Veronica’s hand.
“What are you thinking about?” After a while, his voice echoed in the car.
“Nothing…I’m not thinking about anything,” Veronica murmured.
Mason’s gaze deepened slightly. “I thought we were the closest people to each other! Aren’t we?”
Veronica hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’m just thinking about Lionel.”
“What do you hope will happen to him?” he asked.
“What will happen to him?” Veronica asked in return.
“Now those kidnappers all say he’s the mastermind behind the scenes. They were recruited by him online, and even the money used to buy weapons was given by Lionel. Once the charge of being the mastermind is confirmed, even if he’s still a minor, the crime won’t be taken lightly.
It’s enough to sentence him to ten years in prison!” Mason said.
Ten years… Veronica was taken aback. Ten years of imprisonment, even though Lionel is still young, but ten years, which should have been the golden time for studying, if he really goes to jail, then Lionel’s life will be hopeless.
Moreover, based on her understanding of Lionel, even if he behaves recklessly, he should at least know what is important and what is not. He should know better than to kidnap Jasper, especially when Jasper and she entered the private room together. Lionel should have stopped this plan!
Why still…
“What… How did Lionel respond to this? What did he say in his statement?” Veronica asked.
“I’m not sure,” Mason said. “Does Veronica think he could be the mastermind?”
“I don’t know,” Veronica said. “Mason, I don’t want Lionel to be falsely accused, and I also don’t want him to really spend ten years in prison. Can you help him? I think there must be some hidden truth in all of this.”
Even though she may not like her stepmother, she doesn’t hold any major grudges against her half-brother Lionel. In fact, it could be said that Lionel has been trying to please her all these years, and even though his efforts may have been calculated, she still has some sibling affection towards him.
Human emotions tend to accumulate little by little over the years.
“Is Veronica feeling sorry for him?” Mason asked in a low voice.
“Hmm?” Veronica was taken aback, then she bit her lip slightly.
“What did he say? He’s still my brother, and we’ve been together for so many years. I believe he doesn’t have the guts to do that!”
“Little brother?” Mason murmured, “So, how much does he weigh in Veronica’s heart?”
Inside the carriage, there was a strange yet dangerous atmosphere. When Veronica looked up, she only saw Mason’s deep black eyes staring at her intensely. In his gaze, there seemed to be a hint of something suspicious.
She paused, wondering if he was going to do it again…
Memories from her childhood flooded her mind – whenever
Lionel tried to please her, he would act strangely and even become possessive, clinging to her and showing signs of jealousy.
At one point, he even forbade her from calling Lionel “little brother”!
Is this considered jealousy?
“He’s just my younger brother, but Mason, to me, you’re not only a brother, but also the closest person to me!” said
Veronica.
Especially after he saved her, this feeling became even more apparent.
Perhaps no one else would dare to face guns and bullets to save her except for him. Because even a slight mistake could cost him his own life.
Mason’s eyes flickered slightly, his brother… is he also a younger brother?
At least he is still her closest person.
But one day, he may not be her brother anymore.
When he truly grows up, will she see him as another half of her life? Will she like him and love him more then?
“Since Veronica believes he didn’t have the guts to do it, I also believe it wasn’t him who did it. There may be hidden reasons behind it. When we go back, I’ll tell Dad and we can bail him out first,” said Mason.
Veronica’s eyes lit up at his words. “Do you really believe that?”
“Well, if Veronica believes it, then I naturally believe it too,” said
Mason. “So Veronica, you can rest assured that Lionel will be fine, and the real mastermind won’t escape!”
Veronica breathed a sigh of relief. “Mason, thank you.”
Mason stared at her firmly. “You don’t need to thank me for someone else’s sake.”
Veronica pursed her lips, feeling the hand holding hers getting hotter and hotter.
The car arrived at the door of the Reed House, and Mason took Veronica back to the main house. They had dinner with the Reed family, including William, and Veronica was the only non-family member present.
Similarly, the Reed family arranged a guest room for William, who reportedly rushed to Emerald City as soon as he heard about Jasper’s accident.
“Veronica, don’t be shy. If you want anything else to eat, just ask,” Grace said hospitably.
“Thank you, Auntie Grace. I really like all the dishes today, and I will eat more,” Veronica replied.
“Yes, eat more! We should cherish the importance of ‘safety’ after this incident. It’s a rare opportunity for us to sit together and have a meal,” Jasper sighed. This experience made her realize the true meaning of “safety.”
After the meal, Mason accompanied Veronica back to her room.
After being discharged from the hospital and returning to the Barlow family to pick up some things,
Veronica was already a bit tired. Mason asked, “Do you want to sleep?”
“Um,” she nodded.
“Then rest early,” he said.
“Okay,” she replied, planning to sleep after he left. However, he stayed in her room and showed no intention of leaving.
For a moment, the two of them stared at each other again.
After a while, Veronica was the first to speak, “Are you… um, not going out?”
“I’ll leave after you fall asleep,” he replied.
“But what if I can’t sleep?” she asked.
“Then I’ll stay by your side,” he said.
His expression was like that of a loyal and faithful dog, which left her unsure of what to say.
So, she went to the bathroom, freshened up, changed into her pajamas, and then walked over to the bed.
“Aren’t you going to lie down?” he asked, looking at her.
Well, there was really nothing to be embarrassed about! Veronica thought to herself. He had stayed by her bedside when she was in the hospital, after all!
Besides, she had slept with him countless times since they were young! Now, he was just sitting by her side, keeping her company until she fell asleep.
Veronica then lifted the covers and lay down on the bed.
He sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at her. “Veronica, they say that when people are in the most dangerous situations, they think of the people they care about the most. Who do you think of when you’re in danger?”
“Huh?” Veronica was taken aback and almost choked on her saliva.
When she was in the most dangerous situations, who did she think of? She looked at the beautiful face in front of her. The words that she could have said openly and honestly suddenly became difficult to utter!
What was wrong with her? Even if she said she thought of him, wouldn’t that mean he was the person she cared about the most? So what was the problem?
She didn’t know why, but when faced with his gaze, her heart raced unusually fast, as if something she didn’t want to change was slowly changing.
“I…I thought of my mother!” Veronica said with dry lips.
“Your mother?” Mason was taken aback.
“Yeah, I thought of my mother because when I was in danger as a child, my mother protected me,” she said, but only she understood that she was lying!
As for why she had to tell this lie, even she didn’t understand it at the moment.
A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything more.
Veronica quickly closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Mason’s face anymore.
Mason looked at the person lying on the bed for a long time before raising his hand and gently stroking her bangs. “Veronica, why wasn’t I the one you thought of back then?”
The person on the bed remained still, as if sleeping, with her eyes closed.
After a while, Mason withdrew his hand and sat quietly by her bedside, letting time pass by.