Chapter 327 - 325: Can You Afford It?

「Ying’s Roast House」

Yvonne Sterling was crouching on the floor, scrubbing grime from a corner cabinet. The corner of her eye caught a customer outside the shop, so she quickly wiped her hands and stood up to greet them. "What can I get for you? Everything’s prepared fresh daily..."

Her words trailed off mid-sentence. Yvonne froze for a moment, and then her expression turned cold. "What are you doing here?"

The person standing outside the glass window was none other than Cecilia’s paternal uncle, Connor Fulton.

Yvonne had long expected he would find his way to her shop, but seeing him in person still made her anger flare up.

"Get lost! Don’t keep me from my business!" Yvonne said, trying to shoo him away.

Connor Fulton put on a placating smile. "Ethan’s aunt, I just came to ask you where Jasmine took the boy. I’ve stopped by the house twice, but no one was there."

He never would have guessed that Jasmine would move. ’She lived in that house for over twenty years. It’s her home. How could she just up and leave?’

Yvonne scoffed. "What a novel idea, coming to me for answers. You think I’d actually tell you?"

"Don’t be so angry. I’m his uncle, after all. Even though Justin Fulton is gone, the boy still has Fulton blood in his veins. Blood is thicker than water, isn’t it?"

"Besides, I don’t mean any harm. I’d never hurt them, would I?"

Yvonne listened to his hypocritical words with a blank face, her sneer deepening. "Then tell me, what do you want with Ethan? If you’re not going to harm him, does that mean you’ve got good news?"

Connor’s throat tightened, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to explain his purpose.

Yvonne’s mocking voice cut in. "Alright, you can stop beating around the bush. We already know about the Fulton family’s demolition payout. You just want to pull Ethan back onto your household registry to add to the headcount and get a bigger share of the money, don’t you?"

"What’s there to be shy about? Are you afraid Ethan will ask you for money?"

"No, no, no!" Connor hastily denied. "Of course not! It’s just that our family hasn’t decided how to divide the money yet. But Ethan will definitely get his share."

"And what about Cecilia?" Yvonne shot back. "Ethan is their grandson, but they won’t acknowledge Cecilia, is that it? Regardless of whether Cecilia wants it or not, did the Fulton family ever once think of letting her move her registration back to get a share of the demolition money too?"

Yvonne trembled with anger just thinking about it.

Back then, if the old couple from the Fulton family hadn’t said, "We’ll agree to the marriage if it’s a boy," her sister wouldn’t have had to raise her child alone, and Justin Fulton wouldn’t have died so senselessly.

"Ethan’s aunt, you’ve really misunderstood us," Connor explained with a look of helplessness. "Cecilia is a stubborn girl. We can’t even persuade you all about Ethan, so how would we dare approach Cecilia?"

It was just one excuse after another.

Yvonne couldn’t be bothered to listen.

"Stop asking. I don’t know anything. Whatever demolition money the Fulton family gets has nothing to do with my sister and her boy, because they’ll never take your money."

With that, Yvonne picked up a flyswatter and deliberately waved it in front of Connor. "Don’t just stand there. You’re bad for business. And don’t come back. I have a bad temper and I’m not afraid to get physical!"

"Ethan’s aunt..."

"Didn’t you hear her? She told you to leave. Do we have to get rough?" Brendan Harris suddenly emerged from the back of the shop, glaring angrily at Connor.

Seeing this, Connor finally nodded sullenly and turned to leave.

"What a piece of work," Brendan spat, then looked at Yvonne. "You okay?"

Yvonne shook her head and took off her apron, looping it over Brendan’s neck. "Watch the front for a bit. I’m going to the back to call my sister and give her a heads-up. It’s been quiet for a few days, so I thought the Fultons had given up. Turns out they’re still after it."

Jasmine Sterling had just finished a job when she got the call from her sister.

"You didn’t tell him much, did you?"

"I didn’t say a thing. The Fulton family is like a toad—it doesn’t bite, but it’s disgusting to have around. Cecilia was so smart to move you guys away. Otherwise, this would never end."

"Okay, I understand. Now that Ethan is in Lorcain, he won’t be affected. It’s just hard on you guys, having to deal with them."

"That’s nothing. But what about you? Have you told Cecilia about sneaking out to work?"

Jasmine had only secretly told her sister about this.

"No. She doesn’t come back often now that school has started. If I told her, she’d definitely disapprove. But I’ve been doing this for a few days, and I actually feel pretty good about it. It’s better than sitting around at home."

"I get it. We sisters are cut from the same cloth—we can’t sit still. We’re not so old we can’t move, and if we don’t find something to do, we’ll go stir-crazy."

The sisters didn’t talk for long. After hanging up, Jasmine walked out of the kitchen. Mina saw her and waved her over, then jutted her chin toward the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window.

The client was on the phone, and Mina gestured for Jasmine to be quiet and wait a moment.

"My Yoda is a purebred Maltese. Don’t you have a Little Bichon? They could be companions!"

"Oh, but I’m pregnant now, aren’t I? My mother-in-law won’t let me keep pets. I just gave away my two cats last week. You know how domineering she is."

"Fine, fine. I’ll ask someone else then. Worst case, I’ll just post him online and sell him. I only asked you first because I couldn’t be bothered with the hassle."

’She’s planning to give the dog away?’ Jasmine thought, reading between the lines. ’And if she can’t, she’ll sell it?’

Jasmine’s gaze fell on the sofa. A cute little white dog was lying there, its dark, glistening eyes especially bright.

It looked like a very expensive breed. Jasmine didn’t know much about dogs, but she loved small animals.

"You’re done cleaning, right?"

The homeowner hung up and turned to them. "Alright, you can go. I’ve already paid on the platform. Remember to take the trash out with you."

Mina smiled and nodded. "Of course. We’ll be on our way then. Have a wonderful day!"

But Jasmine suddenly looked at the homeowner and asked, "Excuse me, miss. Are you planning on getting rid of this puppy?"

The homeowner was looking down, fiddling with her phone. Hearing the question, she slowly raised her eyes to look at Jasmine, blinked, and asked, "Does this have anything to do with you?"

"Please don’t misunderstand. I happened to overhear your phone call, and it sounded like you wanted to give the dog away. If no one wants him, would you sell him to me? I’d love to have him!"

Jasmine’s tone was exceptionally sincere. She truly wanted the dog. Having a puppy at home would be a great way to liven things up, and she had always loved small animals. The hotel where she used to work was even pet-friendly.

But when the woman heard this, she reacted as if she’d just heard the funniest joke. "Ma’am, do you have any idea how much a purebred Maltese costs? You want him? Can you even afford him?"