Chapter 703

However, Melanie wasn't the only one concerned about Veronica's case. Throughout the entire school day, Jane overheard discussions about the dead body everywhere she went. Though she had absolutely no interest in Veronica's affairs, by the time school ended in the afternoon, she had still learned that the police had begun investigating everyone who had entered the resort villa during the estimated time of Veronica's death. Not that it had anything to do with her. As Jane walked out of the school gates with Harold that afternoon, she suddenly felt the same piercing gaze from two days ago land on her again. Instinctively, she glanced around but couldn’t spot who was watching her. A small frown creased her delicate brows. Harold, carrying her backpack in one hand, reached out with the other to smooth her furrowed forehead. "Jane, why are you frowning again? Keep this up, and you’ll get wrinkles before you even grow up!" "Brother Harold," she said in her soft, earnest voice, "I felt like someone was staring at me when I left school the day before yesterday. And just now, it happened again." Harold immediately tensed. "Do you still feel it now? Should we tell Big Brother and ask him to send more bodyguards?" "No need," Jane waved her hands dismissively. "Whoever it is, I don’t think they mean any harm." Still, Harold couldn’t shake his unease ever since Jane and Mina had been kidnapped by Franklin Hugo, he had become extra cautious. "Are you sure there’s no ill intent?" "Mhm," she nodded thoughtfully. "The way they look at me doesn’t feel bad. I just don’t know who it is or why they keep watching me." Harold frowned slightly but didn’t let his guard down. Meanwhile, on the other side of the school gates, Melanie had already gotten into her family’s car. Only then did Eden finally tear his gaze away from Jane. Melanie, unsurprised by her brother’s behavior, asked calmly, "Brother, Jane isn’t an ordinary child she’s very perceptive. If you keep waiting outside school just to watch her, she’ll figure you out soon enough." "Jane's birthday is next week. Do you have any plans?" "I've prepared a gift. Could you give it to her for me? I won't be going," Eden replied. "Brother..." Melanie couldn't hide the concern in her voice. She was genuinely worried that her brother might still feel insecure about his face not fully recovering. Eden ruffled her hair gently and said with a calm smile, "Don’t worry. The reason I’m keeping my distance isn’t because of insecurity. Even before I met her, she and Frederick had known each other for years. Even if I followed her around every day now, I doubt I could ever surpass Frederick in her heart." "So, the only way I can replace Frederick in her affections is to wait for the right moment to appear." Though his words were a bit convoluted, Melanie understood the gist her brother was waiting for a rift between Jane and Frederick so he could step in and take advantage. She couldn’t deny it was a clever strategy, even if it felt a little underhanded. The only question was would Frederick really give him that opportunity? When Jane got home, she spotted Mina and Helen crouched by the coffee table in the living room, engrossed in something. Excited, she called out, "Sis! Helen!" To her surprise, instead of turning to greet her, the two immediately scooped up whatever they were playing with and bolted upstairs in a flurry of footsteps. By the time Jane hurried into the living room on her short legs, her sister and Helen were already panting as they descended the stairs. Jane spun around in confusion. "Sis, Helen, what were you playing with just now? Why did you run upstairs when I called you?" Mina and Helen exchanged a glance. Mina put on an exaggeratedly innocent and clueless expression. "We weren’t playing anything! Jane, did you call us? I didn’t hear a thing. Helen, did you?" "I didn't hear anything either," Helen quickly shook her head. Jane's bright, clear eyes darted between them. Something was definitely up with her sister and Helen, why would Helen suddenly come over to play out of the blue? No, it wasn't just them. Everyone in the house had been acting strange these past few days. Even William and the others were acting weird. And Brother Frederick too. Yesterday when she went to see him, she'd clearly spotted something in his hands, but the moment she approached, he'd hastily tucked it away and even had Uncle Riley take the whole box out of the room. It felt like, all of a sudden, everyone had secrets they were keeping from her. Jane sniffled slightly, her obsidian-like eyes glistening with unshed tears. She blinked rapidly before lowering her head and murmuring, "Sister, Helen... I know you both have your own little secrets now. It's okay if you don't want to tell me. As long as you still want to be my friends, that's enough." Helen had never seen Jane like this before, and her heart instantly ached. Without thinking, she blurted out, "Jane, no! We don't have any secrets! We were just—mmph!" *—planning your birthday surprise.* Before she could finish, Mina swiftly clamped a hand over her mouth, turning her words into muffled nonsense. Mina flashed an exaggerated grin and chirped, "Jane, you're overthinking things! Why would Helen and I ever keep secrets from you? We were just playing cat's cradle earlier. Come on, let's play together!" As she spoke, she fished a string from her pocket, looped it around her fingers, and held it out for Jane to take over. Jane wasn't really in the mood for games, but seeing her sister's expectant expression, her small hands instinctively reached out to flip the string onto her own fingers. Helen patted her chest in relief that was close. She'd almost spilled the secret. Casually watching Jane manipulate the string, Mina asked, "So, Jane, you said the mute kid is coming back. Any idea when?" Jane blinked up at her. "Sister, didn't you ask Brother Huan yourself?" Mina pouted. "I wanted to, but who knows what he's been up to lately? He hasn't replied to my messages in ages." A flicker of concern passed through Jane's eyes. 'Could something have happened to Brother Huan?'