Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
Why couldn’t he be with Jada? Wesley wondered. Though he was only seventeen, Jada was just six years older. There were plenty of couples with larger age gaps.
Wesley’s eyes suddenly sparkled with a newfound light. He looked at Jada with clear admiration and said, “Jada…” Realizing what Wesley was about to say, Jada was startled and quickly cut in, “Isabella, stop it. Wesley and I are like siblings. That’s the best we can be.”
“It seems like you’re not interested in being with Wesley, but when you mentioned Norton’s feelings, you didn’t seem bothered. Did you have feelings for Norton before?” Isabella asked, curious.
What a smart question! All eyes were on Jada, and her face flushed with embarrassment. At that moment, Maxine chimed in, “Oh, so you had feelings for him?” She turned her gaze to Norton.
Norton looked alarmed. He had pursued Maxine for quite a while before they became a couple. He quickly said, “Definitely not! We’re just friends. Right, Jada?”
Jada was taken aback by Norton’s hasty clarification. She felt a pang of sadness but managed to smile and say, “Yes, we’re just friends. Maxine, don’t read too much into it.”
Maxine gave a small nod. “That’s good.”
Jada took a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed. Everything seemed to be spiraling in an unexpected direction. She glanced at Isabella, wondering if her remarks were intentional.
Catching her look, Isabella served her some food, saying, “Try this. It’s your favorite.”
“Thanks,” Jada replied with a gentle smile. She had invested a lot to maintain a good relationship with Isabella, hoping that her actions weren’t deliberate. Maxine ate with an air of grace.
Meanwhile, Norton was ever so attentive to Maxine, serving her food and treating her with the utmost care. His devoted attention made Jada feel a twinge of jealousy. Maxine was merely an actress; Norton’s taste seemed questionable.
When Maxine got up and headed to the restroom, Jada also got up and left. Noticing this, Isabella narrowed her eyes, wondering if Jada just couldn’t wait to stir up trouble. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Maxine.
When Maxine came out of the restroom, Jada was at the sink, washing her hands. She finished drying her fingers with an air of elegance and turned to look at Maxine. “Maxine, don’t take what Wesley said to heart. It was just a joke. The whole thing with Norton was ages ago,” Jada said, leaving things vague to provoke a reaction.
Maxine remained unfazed. “I’m aware.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried you might get the wrong idea. You know, you do resemble me a bit,” Jada said, glancing at Maxine in the mirror. “Sometimes I wonder if Norton is a bit of an idiot. If he needed a replacement, shouldn’t he have picked someone less obvious? Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
Jada put on an apologetic expression but felt smug inside. She doubted any woman would remain unaffected by such remarks.
Maxine didn’t show any anger. “A replacement? You might be imagining things.”
Jada was taken aback by this response. She sneered inwardly, amazed at Maxine’s confidence. “I’m not imagining things. Norton treated me really well back then, but all I could think about was Andrew. I regret it now, and if I had the chance, I’d want to make it up to him. But I didn’t expect him to move on so quickly and find you.” She sighed, glancing at Maxine. “Even though we’re different, I can accept it—as long as you can make Norton happy.”
“So, Jada, are you saying Norton still has feelings for you and just sees me as a replacement?” Maxine asked bluntly.
Jada was taken aback by her directness but found it refreshing. She smiled and said, “Yes, that’s right. Maxine, don’t be upset. He’s just very fond of me; I won’t interfere with you. As long as you make him happy, I’ll be content.”
“You say you’ll be happy as long as he’s happy, but here you are, causing trouble. Isn’t your scheming a bit too obvious?” Maxine replied, her voice laced with sarcasm. A faint smile tugged at her lips, while her bright eyes gleamed with mockery. To her, Jada was nothing more than a pathetic joke.
Maxine wasn’t a very successful actress, but she had a commanding presence. Jada realized she might have underestimated her.
“I’ve heard the entertainment industry is quite chaotic. You must be very skilled to have survived there for so long. I’m not sure I follow what you’re saying, but I just want you to be happy,” Jada said, playing innocent.
“Alright, I’ll be happy,” Maxine responded without a trace of anger, then calmly turned and walked away. Jada felt her efforts had landed with no effect at all.
Why did things always seem to veer off course from her carefully laid plans? Jada quickly reached for Maxine’s hand, her voice low. “Maxine…”
Before Maxine could react, Jada unexpectedly took a step back, hitting the edge of the washbasin with a loud thud. “Ah!” she yelped. Her sharp cry echoed through the hall, cutting through the silence.
Within moments, some people rushed over to see what had happened. Norton and his friends were also drawn to the commotion, and when they arrived, they found Jada seated on the floor, clutching her waist.
“What happened?” Norton asked.
“This has nothing to do with Maxine, Norton…” Jada lifted her tearful eyes toward him, and as soon as she saw him, tears began streaming down her cheeks. “I was just too careless.”
Isabella looked worried and asked, “Jada, what are you talking about? No one even mentioned Maxine, but you brought her up. So, is she part of this or not?”
The best way to handle someone cunning was to make them explain their vague words and watch closely for how they reacted.
Jada hesitated, almost choking on her words. Under the weight of everyone’s stares, she finally spoke slowly, “Maybe Maxine was jealous, so she shoved me. I didn’t keep my balance, which is why I fell. It’s not Maxine’s fault… Ah, it hurts!”
Norton quickly moved forward, offering his hand to help Jada to her feet.
“Wesley, move!” Isabella urged, giving Wesley a shove. It was only now that Wesley seemed to grasp the situation. He hurried over and scooped Jada up. “I’ll take you to the hospital!”
Jada had secretly wished it was Norton carrying her, but that hope vanished. Gritting through the pain, she managed to say, “I’m fine. It’s just my waist. Just help me sit down for a while, and I’ll be okay.”
“Are you sure?” Wesley asked, still concerned.
Jada managed to give a strained smile, insisting, “Yes, really, I’m fine.”
Wesley nodded and carried her back to her seat.
As Jada sat down, her discomfort was obvious. Wesley, feeling sorry for her, shot a glare at Maxine and snapped, “Why would you push Jada? You kept telling me to be nice to you before you arrived.”
Maxine responded flatly, “I didn’t push her. She fell on her own.”
Wesley’s face twisted in disbelief. “Who’s going to believe that? Jada would never lie.”
Wesley had always despised women who schemed and manipulated, and in his mind, Jada was nothing like them. She was in a league of her own.
Maxine narrowed her eyes and then broke into a smile. “But she is indeed lying.”
With that, Maxine pulled out her phone and played an audio clip.
The recording was of the conversation between her and Jada.
Jada’s eyes widened in shock when she recognized the voices. This sneaky girl had actually recorded their talk. Actually, when Maxine went to the restroom, she had received a message reminding her to be careful from Isabella. Even without that message, Maxine would’ve been on high alert around Jada.
“I’m relieved to hear that. I was worried you might get the wrong idea. You know, you do resemble me a bit. Sometimes I wonder if Norton is a bit of an idiot. If he needed a replacement, he shouldn’t have picked someone so obvious… Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Jada’s soft, almost fragile voice played in the recording.
The moment the recording ended, an awkward silence fell.
“I was just worried that Maxine might get the wrong idea about us, so I tried to clear things up,” Jada quickly explained, her voice shaky and her eyes welling up with tears. “You don’t think I’m trying to sow discord, right?”
Before Norton could respond, Wesley cut in, “Of course he won’t. Jada, we know exactly what kind of person you are. But you, Maxine, what’s the deal with you recording this conversation?”
Norton didn’t acknowledge Wesley’s comment; instead, he looked conflicted. “I need to ask you something.”
“Go ahead, Norton,” Jada replied, her face showing a mix of hurt and confusion.
“When did I ever say I was in love with you?” Norton asked quietly.
Jada was momentarily speechless, taken aback by the question. It was true. Norton had never outright said it, but the way he acted toward her certainly seemed to come from feelings of affection.
Jada felt the sting of tears forming. “What do you mean?”
“Just like you see Wesley as a brother, I’ve always seen you as a sister,” Norton said. “I’ve never had romantic feelings for you.”
It felt like Norton had driven a knife through Jada’s heart with those words. The truth was, she didn’t even like Norton that way. She had just kept him as a backup plan. But now, it felt like he had completely turned his back on her.
Jada’s eyes widened, but she said nothing in response. Wesley frowned and asked, “Norton, are you being serious? Did you just say that because of her?”
“Jada, do you have feelings for Wesley?” Norton asked directly.
Jada quickly answered, “Of course not. He’s like a brother to me.”
“Exactly. You never fell for Wesley. You care for him because you grew up together like family. So, what makes you think I was in love with you?” Norton continued.
Jada said nothing, sipping her water gracefully as the conversation unfolded. Tears filled her eyes, reflecting the deep crushing disappointment she felt.
Jada was at a complete loss for words, unsure of how to respond. After a brief pause, Maxine spoke deliberately. “Jada, it seems like you can’t come to terms with the fact that Norton has never been in love with you. But even though you’ve always believed he had feelings for you, you never returned them. Instead, you’ve been chasing after Andrew all this time. Were you just keeping Norton as a backup?”
“That’s not true!” Jada snapped back instantly, denying it with all her might.
Norton, however, had already begun to pick up on the truth. His gaze slowly hardened, growing colder by the second, making Jada feel uneasy.