Love’s Change of Heart novel Chapter 326

The words had only just left Mr. Jackson's mouth when Leanna came down the stairs.

She smiled and called out. "Mr. Jackson."

Mr. Jackson beckoned toward her. "Come, come. Have a seat."

She walked over and sat down beside him.

He held the head of his walking cane with both hands as he spoke jovially, "Where did you arrive? I wanted to go and pick you up, but I was worried that I might cause trouble for you instead."

"I just arrived not long ago."

"That's good." While he spoke, his gaze landed on her clothes. Then, he asked puzzledly, "Why are you covered in so much dust?"

When Lloyd heard those words, he froze in the middle of picking up his teacup.

She replied, "It's nothing. It's just a prank Miss Crossley played on me earlier. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to change my clothes."

Mr. Jackson scowled fiercely and glared at Lloyd. "What kind of prank?"

Lloyd laughed. "Gina was a little immature. I've already reprimanded her for her actions."

Naturally, Mr. Jackson noticed that Lloyd was reluctant to speak the truth, so he turned to glare at the servant standing behind Lloyd and instructed sharply, "You! Tell me!"

"Uh… That is…" The servant hesitated for a long time and did not dare to speak.

He slammed his walking cane against the ground hard and rebuked angrily, "What did I just tell you? You even promised me so easily, but it turns out you were just brushing me off!"

"You've misunderstood. I promise that this kind of thing will not happen again in the future."

His expression was dark and gloomy. Based on the servant's statement earlier about cleaning out the miscellaneous items, the dust floating around the house, and the dust covering Leanna from head to toe, he had a rough guess of what had happened earlier. Therefore, he spat unforgivingly, "You'd better think about what you've just promised me! Otherwise, I'll see how you can even look Sandra in the eye when you meet her in heaven!"

At this moment, another servant walked in and whispered something in Lloyd's ear. Lloyd nodded in response. "Let him in."

Mr. Jackson queried, "Who's here?"

Lloyd replied, "A business partner. You have a good eye for people. Why don't you help me take a look at this person?"

"I'm getting on in years, and my eyesight is poor. So what would I know about people?"

Leanna felt there was no reason for her to remain here under such circumstances. Therefore, she was planning to take a shower, change out of her clothes, and head to her studio.

Who could have known that Mr. Jackson would tug at her lightly to indicate that she shouldn't leave as soon as she made a move? His movement was so slight that Lloyd failed to notice anything.

When she understood his intentions, she remained primly seated and did not show any intention to leave again.

A short while later, the visitor came into view. It turned out to be William.

William stood in the living room. After he exchanged greetings with Lloyd, he glanced in their direction. He was as polite as ever. "Mr. Jackson, Miss McKinney."

Lloyd's gaze was calm, and he slowly remarked. "It turns out that everybody is acquainted with each other."

William merely smiled as he said, "I had a stroke of luck to meet Mr. Jackson once while I was abroad. After returning to Highside, I was also fortunate enough to visit the Jackson Family. As for Miss McKinney, I worked with President Pearson in the past. So, thanks to a series of coincidences, we've met each other on several occasions."

Lloyd seemed extremely averse to hearing Aidan's name. So, he gestured for William to take a seat and instructed the servant to serve some tea before he diverted to the topic, "I heard that you were born in Highside, Mr. Morris. Which part of Highside did you come from?"

William mentioned the name of a place. "I have been living abroad for many years. Upon my return, I discovered that the place I used to live had long since changed. It's no longer the same as before."

"It looks like you're a person of nostalgia, Mr. Morris. So many years have passed, but you still returned to Highside in the end."

"It's not really about nostalgia. My company plans to enter the domestic market, and the only place I'm familiar with is Highside."

The conversation between the two men flowed back and forth. Although the conversation seemed to be nothing more than a simple chat, Lloyd was actually trying to discern the truth.

To be honest, he had already thoroughly investigated William's background long before they agreed to cooperate. Therefore, it stood to reason that he had known that William was acquainted with Mr. Jackson. Hence, he had mentioned their relationship on purpose.

As for William being acquainted with Leanna, there was another factor between them—Aidan. The two of them had never met in private, aside from the few times they had met each other. So, in all likelihood, there was no connection between them.

Lloyd had previously suspected the relationship between William and Mr. Jackson. Nonetheless, the straightforward and candid manner in which William had answered his questions without hiding the fact that they were acquainted with each other made him relax and let his guard down.

During their conversation, Mr. Jackson would occasionally add a few words here and there. On the other hand, Leanna was completely unable to join in their conversation. She remained in her seat, bored out of her mind. She lowered her head and pulled at the tiny threads of lint that had gotten stuck to her clothes while she was carrying the miscellaneous items earlier.

William's gaze would inadvertently land on her whenever he was speaking. He seemed slightly absent-minded during those instances, but those moments were fleeting.

When their conversation was finally over, he climbed to his feet. "Then, I'll be taking my leave now."

Leanna was staring blankly into space when she suddenly heard him calling her name. Thus, she quickly got to her feet in response.

He glanced at her with a bland smile. "Please send my regards to President Pearson."

She nodded. "Of course."

Lloyd said, "I'll see you out."

When the two men left the room, Leanna gathered her thoughts.

Mr. Jackson leaned against his walking cane and said, "Young lady, why don't you accompany me on a stroll? I'll give you a tour. I'm sure they won't be doing anything of the sort."

She was intrigued by his offer, so she supported him by the arm and accompanied him for a stroll in the garden.

He told her about the history of this residence and what the buildings used to be in the past while they ambled along. He pointed at several statues nearby and explained, "Your father built that for you in the past. It's a miniature Disney castle. You used to love that place. There was a period when you spent all your time there, except during mealtimes and bedtime."

She glanced at the unfamiliar place. A vague image of a small castle flashed through her mind, but she could not recall anything else.

They continued to walk forward. He added, "Do you see that large tree? It used to be a greenhouse filled with various flower species that your mother used to cherish and nurture carefully. Some of them are notoriously hard to raise. There was once when your father made your mother angry. In order to cheer her up, you sneaked into the greenhouse and picked a bunch of flowers for her. She was so sad and angry at the same time."

She said nothing. That's… just asking for a beating.

In the middle of his chatter, he suddenly sighed to himself. "Things have changed."

A long while passed before she finally asked, "Was there a huge fire here?"

He replied, "It was caused by the explosion. The fire practically burned down everything and erased all traces in this place. Everything you see now has been reconstructed." As he said that, he turned to look at her. "Child, I want you to know that your biological parents loved you very much. Perhaps, there have been people silently watching over you and protecting you in places you don't know about." He quickly changed the subject without waiting for her to answer. "By the way, where is your mother's grave located? I wish to visit her."

When she heard those words, she fell silent for a moment before she responded. "I don't know." Then, she added, "She passed away when I was very young. I don't have any memory of her, and I don't know where her grave is located either."

He sighed. "How did she die?"