A few people waited for a while, then Charlotte Chester turned sideways and spoke to Sage standing in front of her.
Just as Sage was about to leave, Aiden Jiang entered the dining room with a serious expression.
His gaze swept across the room and he said directly, "Who went to my study today?"
Everyone was taken aback.
"What’s wrong?" Charlotte Chester put down the chopsticks she had just picked up, "Is something missing?"
"No, not that!" Aiden Jiang’s expression was grim, "The Ancient Chess Manual that I obtained with great difficulty was splashed with water and ruined."
Charlotte Chester’s face changed as well, and she looked across at the three people sitting opposite her.
"Sage went there, right?" Zuri Ginger glanced at Sage, who had her head lowered, and inquired, "I saw you hurriedly coming down from the third floor at noon, was it you?"
"I was there to clean the study," Sage glanced at her, pursed her lips tightly, moved her gaze from Bob Ginger’s face to Mia Ginger’s, calming herself as she saw no reaction from her, seemingly making up her mind, she lowered her head and said softly, "Sir, I..."
Two voices suddenly sounded.
Mia Ginger looked oddly at Bob Ginger, who had loudly confessed, then looked at Sage, who was surprised, and fell silent.
She still remembered the scene she saw at noon and knew that it was likely Sage who had caused the mishap while cleaning.
Sage had glanced at her a couple more times earlier, with an imperceptible hint of pleading in her expression, clearly hoping she could lend a hand.
She originally intended to take the blame herself.
Aiden Jiang had been treating her very well lately, and although the manual was precious, it couldn’t compare to a beloved daughter.
At most, she would be scolded a couple of times.
But it was different for Sage.
Even if Aiden Jiang were generous, Charlotte Chester wouldn’t be so easygoing.
What was Bob Ginger thinking?
"It was my carelessness," Bob Ginger looked awkwardly at Aiden Jiang, speaking softly, "I was bored, went to the study to find a book to read, accidentally spilled water on it, didn’t mean to, was planning to tell after dinner."
"How could you be so careless?" Charlotte Chester glared at him, annoyed, "Be more careful in the future, don’t casually go to your dad’s study! Don’t you have a study of your own?"
"I know." Bob Ginger lowered his head.
"You’ve got to change this clumsy habit!" Aiden Jiang said sternly, still feeling pained.
But he ultimately felt helpless.
The child had confessed, and it wasn’t intentional, what else could he do?
Aiden Jiang pulled out a chair and sat down.
Mia Ginger looked up at Sage, and seeing her visibly relax, she too smiled slightly and felt at ease.
Aiden Jiang, Charlotte Chester, and Mia Ginger went upstairs to rest one after another.
In the living room, Bob Ginger sat on the sofa, idly switching television channels.
Zuri Ginger sat next to him, after a while, unable to hold back, she asked, "Was it really you who ruined dad’s chess manual?"
"No." Bob Ginger said plainly.
"Then why take the blame!" Zuri Ginger paused, unable to help asking.
Charlotte Chester was not the type to tolerate nonsense from anyone, even if she wasn’t harsh or abusive towards the staff, she never hesitated to punish them when it was deserved.
Why would Bob Ginger take the blame for a young maid, was he insane?
"Sister, I’m not taking the blame," Bob Ginger turned off the TV with a snap, suddenly turned to look at her, and said impatiently, "Do you want to frame Mia Ginger again? She’s already pitiful enough, even if you don’t sympathize with her, you don’t have to take out your grievances on her, what did she do wrong?!"
"What?!" Zuri Ginger was stunned for a moment, unable to react.
"You know it in your heart." Bob Ginger didn’t want to say more, he directly stood up and went upstairs.
"Know what?!" Zuri Ginger grabbed him, looking incredulous, after a while, with a shocked expression, she asked, "Do you think I bribed Sage to frame Mia Ginger?"
"I hope you won’t do this again in the future, really, it’s infuriating!"
"I’m infuriating?!" Zuri Ginger almost seemed like she was seeing him for the first time, exhaled and said, "It wasn’t me."
"Fine, it’s me, alright?" Bob Ginger turned cold, "Or is it Mia Ginger? As soon as Sage spoke, she was eager to say something! Or is it Sage? She’s always been steady and careful, how could she make such a low-level mistake!"
"Who doesn’t make mistakes!" Zuri Ginger laughed in exasperation, "How can you be so unreasonable? Why would I frame Mia Ginger?"
"Jealousy, weren’t you the one who said it yourself last time?" Bob Ginger looked at her with helplessness, "At your birthday party, you had an incident, I know you must be very upset. But no matter what, these things have nothing to do with Mia Ginger, you can’t vent your unhappiness on her!"
"I didn’t!" Zuri Ginger’s face darkened, "How many times do I have to say it? It wasn’t me!"
"It was me!" Bob Ginger shook off her hand and said deliberately and slowly, "It was me! I was the one jealous and framing her, alright? Sister, you’ve really disappointed me, I don’t want to argue with you, even if you did wrong I won’t report it to mom and dad, but I can’t just watch you continue to be wrong."
Bob Ginger looked down at her from above, "Think about it yourself."
Exasperated, he turned and went upstairs.