He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 332

"Mom, it's great that you have that kind of awareness. But what I mean is, put aside any ulterior motives and genuinely befriend Juniper."

Helena paused, looking at Caleb in confusion.

Caleb rubbed his temples. "Juniper is very naive. If you treat her with genuine sincerity, she'll return it in full. I have a feeling we're going to need her help again in the future. Gideon is ruthlessly ambitious. We can't survive on the meager profits in front of us forever. He's always watching from above, waiting to strike. We need to build an escape route."

Helena sighed. "I've been in this social circle for so long, I've forgotten what it feels like to genuinely connect with someone. This world is just a constant competition of who can show off the most. Everyone wants to step on someone else's neck."

Speaking of sincerity, Helena grew uneasy. When she was young, she had truly been sincere, willing to sacrifice everything for her husband. But after catching him cheating countless times, her heart turned to ice. She learned that men couldn't be trusted, and her so-called friends in her social circle would only kick her when she was down.

When Gideon was first brought into the family, she was constantly pointed at and gossiped about during social gatherings. Not a single one of her friends stood up for her. She had seen the cold reality of human nature. After enduring so much, asking her to offer genuine sincerity was incredibly difficult.

But Caleb insisted, "I know this is hard for you. But trust me. Spend more time with Juniper, and you'll understand."

Helena always listened to him. She nodded. "Alright."

She stroked the multi-million-dollar bag in front of her, her tone growing earnest. "Honestly, that day at the auction house, when all those people were laughing at me, my face was burning. Nobody likes being mocked. But seeing how calm Juniper was, I decided I had to try and trust her. When they made the second cut into that raw stone, my heart was in my throat. It's been a long time since I felt that kind of nervous anticipation—even more tense than the time I caught your father cheating."

Caleb's mouth twitched. He rubbed his temples again. "Alright, just do as I say."

Helena stood up, knowing he didn't want to hear her ramble. She gave a light huff and walked out.

Caleb lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and decided to visit Juniper's place personally.

Since returning the night before, Juniper had been asleep.

She slept until noon. When she heard the doorbell ring and saw Caleb standing outside, she was quite surprised.

"Mr. Xavier."

Caleb walked in with a lunchbox, his eyes scanning the room. "You didn't answer your phone. I was worried something had happened to you."

Juniper hadn't expected her boss to show up at her door. She felt a bit embarrassed. "I was just too tired and overslept."

She looked noticeably thinner, a layer of exhaustion shadowing her features.

Caleb squatted down to play with the puppy, but his peripheral vision stayed locked on Juniper.

He picked the puppy up. "The auction house is giving you a few days off. I never properly thanked you for what happened last time. My mother insisted I come personally to show our gratitude. She originally wanted to give you an Imperial Green peace-buckle pendant, but you refused it. So, she had me bring something else."

He pulled out a pair of earrings. They were uniquely designed—two interlocking peace-buckles. Each buckle featured vibrant, golden-silk green ribbons of color, and the clarity of the surrounding jade reached the glassy tier.

While slightly less prestigious than Imperial Green, a single piece could easily fetch over a million dollars. With such excellent symbolism and craftsmanship, combined with the fact that they were smaller in size, this wasn't something you could just buy for a million. Fitted with gorgeous 18K gold clasps, they could be worn as earrings or separated into two distinct pendants.

By giving this gift, Caleb wasn't just trying to win over Juniper.

He came here knowing Nelson would show up.

"Juniper, this was all the material we could salvage from that piece of jade. There's almost no rough stone left in this exact shade. These earrings are the only ones made from it. I also brought two adjustable chains. You can wear them as pendants if you prefer. The peace-buckle represents unity and mutual protection..."

Before he could finish, Nelson snatched one of the earrings, threaded it onto one of the chains Caleb had brought, and casually clasped it around his own neck.

Caleb silently lowered his eyes. Hook, line, and sinker.