?<strong>Chapter 979:</strong>


    “Sit down. We need to talk,” he instructed.


    Calvin hesitated butplied, though he subtly shifted further away, maintaining a cautious distance.


    Jake, surprisinglyposed, said calmly, “How have your mother and sister beentely?”


    Calvin was momentarily taken aback before a cold, mockingugh escaped his lips.


    “Isn’t it a bitte to be asking that now? I’m hardly a child to be fooled by mock concern.”


    Jake’s smile faded into a bitter grimace.


    “You’re right. It was foolish of me to ask.”


    An ufortable silence enveloped the room.


    Calvin scanned his surroundings, searching for a way to excuse himself from the tension.


    However, Jake, shifting the conversation abruptly, asked, “Why do you think Lacey would drug Elma today?”


    Caught off guard by the sudden query, Calvin took a moment before replying earnestly.


    “Because she just doesn’t strike me as a decent person, and it’s clear she harbors no love for me and my siblings.”


    “You mean, all of you?” Jake quirked an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice.


    “Yes,” Calvin affirmed firmly.


    LΑτ??τ chαρτ?rs ιn g??l??ov?l??.??????


    “After all, she has her sights set on you, and we, being your children—and Mom’s too—are just in her way.”


    Upon hearing this, a shadow of concern passed over Jake’s face, his expression hardening.


    “Calvin, I assure you, I have no intentions of marrying Lacey, or any other woman for that matter.”


    Calvin’s gaze was icy, reflecting the maturity far beyond his years.


    “There’s no need for promises here. It’s not about who fills the role of our stepmother, but rather, the fact that she simply cannot be the one. At the dinner the other night, she went out of her way to make a spectacle of us, using us of plotting against the Reeves family. That usation was a step too far, considering none of you appreciate the extent of the sacrifices my mother made.”


    Jake’s expression shifted subtly, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. For a brief moment, he found himself at a loss for words. He understood Lacey was trying to defend him, yet he couldn’t condone her public disparagement of Kallie. It seemed, perhaps, his judgment was clouded. Despite believing Kallie might wish him harm to gain control of the Reeves Group, he was reluctant to escte the conflict into outright hostility.


    Observing Jake’s reticence, Calvin saw his chance.


    “See? I’ve been saying all along that Lacey isn’t right for you, and yet you refuse to see it. Doesn’t your earlier promise seem a bit ridiculous now?”


    Jake responded firmly, without a hint of doubt.


    “No, it doesn’t. I swear, I won’t marry anyone else.”


    Calvin’s eyes flickered subtly, yet he emitted a disdainful snort.


    “Your assurances mean nothing to me. Your existence is irrelevant to my life.”


    Jake, uninterested in exposing Calvin’s lies, swiftly shifted the conversation.


    .


    .


    .