After speaking, Jane Sampson put down the microphone, ran back to the sofa, and pulled the mobile phone out of her purse. Sure enough, it was dead and powered off.
Picking up the charging cable, Jane Sampson returned to the landline, plugged her mobile phone in to charge, pressed the power button, and picked up the landline microphone to continue speaking with James Black. "It was powered off because the battery died. Iâve got it charging now."
"Hmm." James Black listened to her voice, which was trying its best to hide her emotions, and he couldnât even bring himself to scold her.
"Did you call me because of something urgent?" Jane Sampson asked. She wasnât aware that Bright Sampton had called James Black, and James didnât know about the matters concerning the Sampton Family. She wasnât planning to tell him, either.
As they spoke, the mobile phone powered on normally. Jane checked the text reminders of missed calls while the phone was off and calls missed before it powered off. She was startled. "You called me so many times? No wonder my phone shut itself off."
After dozens of calls, it was no surprise her phoneâs last bit of battery had been drained.
"Was there something urgent?" Jane Sampson asked.
"Bright Sampton just called me. I know about what happened this afternoon," James Black said. "I was worried about you."
The other person suddenly fell silent, seemingly unsure of how to respond.
"Sad, upsetâwhy didnât you call me?" James Black asked. "If Bright Sampton hadnât told me, were you planning not to tell me at all?"
After a long pause, Jane Sampson finally let out a short "Hmm." "Why let other people be unhappy just because Iâm unhappy? If itâs something upsetting, isnât it enough for me to bear it alone?"
"Jane Sampson, Iâm your husband." James Black lifted a hand and massaged his forehead. "Iâm not âother people.â"
James Blackâs words made Jane Sampson fall silent again.
James Blackâs tone turned slightly stern. "Talk!"
Jane Sampson clutched the microphone, her voice aggrieved. "Iâm already upset, and now youâre yelling at me~"
That one sentence made James Blackâs heart tighten. When he spoke again, his tone became so tender it was almost tangible.
"From now on, if anything happens, you have to call me," he instructed.
"Hmm," Jane Sampson agreed very obediently. Then she plopped herself straight onto the floor, leaned against the table, and continued her conversation with James Black. "Honestly, I wasnât even that upset. Just a little bit. When Grandma first told me about this, I already predicted how it would turn out when I refused, so this afternoonâs outcome wasnât all that surprising."
"If you donât want Julie Sampton to marry into the Chip Family, all you need is one word from you, and thereâs no way Julie will ever marry David Chip in this lifetime," James Black said. "Do you want that?"
"Whether she marries David Chip or not is her business and has nothing to do with me. I wonât help her, but if she has the ability to marry in, I wonât stop her either. I, Jane Sampson, absolutely refuse to do things that harm others without benefiting myself," Jane Sampson said with a cold laugh. "I wonât make myself the second Julie Sampton."
The implication was clear: James Black didnât need to get involved either.
"Oh, by the way, Mr. Sampton asked me to return the shares Grandpa and Grandma gave me. I agreed, so tomorrow I need to make an appointment with a lawyer to take care of the share transfer. But for now, letâs not tell Grandma," Jane Sampson said dully. "I donât want Grandma to be upset too."
"True. Having such a stupid son, who can be happy about this matter in the future anyway?" James Black rarely mocked or ridiculed anyone so harshly, but Father Sampton was likely the first person to earn that honor.