Ice and Fire novel Chapter 19

Half an hour later, the butler hurriedly walked into the living room. Seeing him come back, Lucia stepped forward, seized his arm and asked,"Who is it? Have you found out? What's the reason behind it?"

The butler glanced at Lucia but did not say a word. He walked to Andrew, looked into his eyes, and said,"I've found out."

"Then why not speak it out?" said Andrew.

"Because, because..." said the butler hesitatingly. He seemed a bit worried, with his eyes darting towards Andrew from time to time.

"Say it." Andrew commanded him.

"The person who cancelled Mr. Ye's application for governorship was...was Jackson," said the butler. He then looked at Andrew, afraid that he would be angry.

"What? Jackson?" Andrew couldn't believe his ears. John was Jackson's nephew. Why would Jackson damage John's future?

"What...what did you say?" Lucia was a little frightened. She asked,"You mean Jackson gave the order?"

The butler looked at Lucia and nodded. He was sure of the answer. At first, he also couldn't believe it when he got the news. But he had confirmed the report several times before coming back to tell Andrew.

Lucia became even more agitated. She hastily walked to Andrew and said,"Grandpa, how could it be Jackson? John is his nephew. Why would he do this?"

Lucia couldn't make sense of it.

Andrew was also lost in thought. What was Jackson, his beloved grandson, up to? Why would he go against his nephew? If he was just having fun, it was okay. But he knew what kind of person his grandson was. He was a person who always stood by his word. But why did he do it this time?

After a while, Lucia suddenly said,"I get it. It must be because of Cherry."

What Lucia said confused Andrew even more. What on earth was going on?

Lucia continued,"All this has been done by Cherry. She is a flirt. She had once seduced John, but she then left him and married Jackson. It must be her who has turned Jackson against his nephew. Grandpa, I'm sure Cherry is to blame."

Lucia's hatred for Cherry increased by the moment. What a shameless woman she was! Lucia hadn't objected to her marriage with Jackson, but she hadn't imagined that Cherry would use him against John. She must be tired of living!

Andrew was still lost in thought. He couldn't understand why his grandson would give an order that damages John's future. What Lucia said made sense, and he was convinced by it, since he really couldn't find any other reason that would explain what had happened.

At that moment, Andrew saw Derek in the courtyard. What was this bloke doing, coming back to the quarters at this time?

"Derek," shouted Andrew.

Derek, standing in the courtyard, heard him. He looked into the window and saw Andrew. In a happy voice, he hastily greeted,"How are you, Grandpa Andrew?"

"Come over. I have something to ask you." commanded Andrew.

"Yes," replied Derek. He was a bit confused, and wondered what Andrew would ask him, since Jackson was not home.

With these doubt on his mind, Derek timidly entered the Chu home.

After walking into the living room, Derek saw Lucia and Edwin. He greeted them politely.

Lucia took no notice of him. Currently, the matter of her son was the most important issue, and she was not in the mood to acknowledge greetings.

Edwin gently nodded his head in response to Derek.

Then Derek went near Andrew and respectfully said,"Grandpa, do you have anything to ask me?"

"Why have you come back alone? Where is Jackson?" asked Andrew.

"Oh, I came back to take something and I will be gone soon. Jackson is still at the barracks. He has been a bit busy recently, and he won't be coming back for some time," replied Derek, politely. He saw the stiffness on Andrew's face, so he guessed that he was not in a good mood.

Andrew nodded. Before he could speak, Lucia interjected and asked Derek,"Derek, tell me, was Cherry the woman behind Jackson, who got him to give the order to cancel John's application for governorship?"

Hearing this, Derek understood what had happened. Lucia and Edwin were at the Chu residence because John's application for governorship had been cancelled. It seemed that everyone had already heard about it.

Derek didn't answer her, but looked at Andrew. Like Jackson, he could afford not to take notice of Lucia and Edwin, but he couldn't ignore Andrew. After all, he was the elder of the Chu Clan.