"It's… After giving birth to my brother, she suffered excessive blood loss."
Mr. Jackson frowned slightly. "You also have a younger brother?"
Leanna nodded.
"How old is he?"
"Nineteen. He'll be twenty this year."
He gripped his walking cane tightly, seemingly lost in thought.
At this moment, Lloyd walked over. "What were you talking about?"
Mr. Jackson collected his thoughts. "Nothing much. I was showing the girl around."
Lloyd smiled. "She lives here now. There will be many chances in the future. Besides, she can go anywhere she wishes to go. Nobody will stop her."
Mr. Jackson said nothing. He simply turned around and walked back in the direction he came from.
Leanna walked while supporting him, and Lloyd followed them from behind.
He slowly said, "Child, don't forget that you are also part of the Crossley Family now. You have all the rights to live in this house. Don't hesitate to call upon the servants if you ever need anything. If anybody refuses to listen to you, you should go to Lloyd. You can come to me if he cannot make the call. I'd like to see which servant would be so daring as to take my money but refuse to work. It's best to get rid of people like that as soon as possible."
On the surface, his words sounded as though he was talking to Leanna. However, they were actually meant for Lloyd. They also undoubtedly served as a form of warning.
Leanna softly said, "I understand. Thank you, Mr. Jackson."
Behind them, Lloyd kept the smile on his face and remained silent.
When they arrived in front of the main building, Mr. Jackson stopped and patted Leanna's hand. "Child, you should live here without worries. I'll be leaving now, but I'll come to visit you again in a few days."
"I'll see you off."
"No need." He waved his hand dismissively and turned to Lloyd. "Lloyd, why don't you see me off at the door? I'd like to speak to you a little longer."
Lloyd nodded lightly.
Mr. Jackson addressed Leanna again before he left. "Don't ever compromise when you shouldn't have to. If you ever suffer any grievances, you can come to me. This old man will stand up for you."
Leanna broke into a smile. "Yes, I will."
For the first time in her life, she was receiving love and concern from an elder. And it was all thanks to her deceased parents.
At this moment, she suddenly became curious about what kind of people they were.
After all, they were people who could make somebody as virtuous and respected as Mr. Jackson do so much for her. Not only did he go through the effort of visiting her twice, but he also did not hesitate to stand by her side and speak up for her, even at the risk of offending Lloyd.
It was not until the two men were far away that she slowly collected her thoughts and turned around to go upstairs.
She was preparing to leave the house after taking a shower when she happened to run into Georgina, who was also on the way out.
Georgina was carrying a limited-edition bag. She didn't even bother to spare a glance at Leanna as she bent down and entered the white Porsche parked in front of the house. The car soon sped away into the distance.
Meanwhile, Leanna slowly walked along the path. She looked at the time as she walked, calculating how long it would take for her to walk from the main building to the gates each day. In any case, walking a few extra steps was a good way for her to exercise her body.
On the other side, Georgina noticed a white Bentley parked by the side of the road as soon as her car drove through the gates of the Crossley Residence.
She instructed the driver to stop the car and looked back at the white Bentley. "Whose car is that?"
The driver shook his head. That car was not parked there a little while ago, so it must have arrived just a few moments earlier.
This villa district did not allow for online car-hailing services to enter the premises. Therefore, it was impossible for Leanna to call for this car.
She retracted her gaze and said lightly, "Let's wait and see."
It took approximately twelve minutes for Leanna to finally walk out.
When the person in the white Bentley saw her, he immediately opened the door, got out of the car, and bowed slightly toward her. "Miss McKinney."
She paused in surprise. "Who are you?"
The man replied, "President Pearson sent me. This is his gift to you."
She glanced at the car parked behind him, and couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile. "Thank you."
"Miss McKinney, please get into the car. I will send you to the studio."
Leanna was just about to climb into the car when she saw Georgina's car parked nearby. She knew precisely just when Georgina had left, so it was impossible for her to remain here until now. In that case, she must have done that on purpose.
When Leanna swept her gaze over the Porsche, Georgina immediately instructed the driver to drive away.
Meanwhile, Leanna got into the car with an indifferent expression and departed.
Aidan was right. Georgina currently held two of her weaknesses, so she did not dare to act as rashly as before. Nevertheless, that did not mean she would roll over like a meek little lamb. On the contrary, she had seen what Georgina could do, and those methods even extended toward Louis. Hence, she could not afford to lower her guard around Georgina.
It was almost noon by the time Leanna arrived at the studio.
A woman said, "Miss McKinney, you received a letter this morning. I placed it on your desk for you."
"Alright, thank you."
She walked into her office and closed the door behind her. She placed her purse down and picked up the envelope on her desk. Inside the envelope was an invitation to a design competition.
This competition was organized by an internationally influential jewelry organization and had been held for several decades. Moreover, those who participated in this competition were extremely famous designers.
Not long ago, she learned that this competition would be held in Highside this year. However, she never imagined that the organizers would send her an invitation. What's more, the judges this time were all big shots in the jewelry and fashion industry.
She would undoubtedly receive recognition if she received an award from this competition. At the same time, she would also rise to prominence on an international level.
It was an extremely rare opportunity.
She glanced at the date. The opening ceremony of this designer competition was going to be held in three days. At that time, all the designers and judges would be present. The organizers would also announce the competition rules during the event.
It looks like I'll be busy shortly.
When it was time to get off work, she finished her work ahead of schedule and prepared to visit the Pearson Group.
She walked out of the office and passed by the pantry, only to see Zoe drinking water inside the pantry. The sight stunned her for a moment. "Zoe, when did you get back?"
Zoe finished drinking her water and rested for a moment before she responded, "I just arrived."
"Wasn't it supposed to be for a week? Why did you return so quickly? What about Mrs. Hart? Is she feeling better now?"
Faced with a barrage of questions, Zoe answered calmly, "My mother simply sprained her foot. Besides, she couldn't stand staying at the hospital. She was already ready to go home after staying in the hospital for two days. Then, she said that she didn't need me anymore since she was already home and chased me out of the house." After she said that, she continued, "How was it? Has it been busy at the studio over the past two days?"
Leanna smiled. "It was okay."
Zoe knew that work would have been hectic despite Leanna's response. So, she winked and asked, "You're about to go on a date, right? It just so happens that I'm back, so hurry up and go."
Leanna said, "It's inconvenient to move around with your luggage. I'll send you back."
Zoe didn't think too much about those words. When she arrived at the entrance and saw Leanna walking toward the white Bentley, she couldn't help widening her eyes in surprise. "Damn! When did you buy that?"
Leanna chuckled awkwardly. "… I didn't buy it."
"So, it's President Pearson's gift to you!" Zoe remarked. "Not bad. That b*stard is finally less stingy now!"
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