The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

The Jacobs Family estate.

Mr. Jacobs had returned from the hospital, and Sarah Lynch was there with her parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Lynch looked at their daughter, their eyes filled with disappointment.

Mrs. Lynch questioned her, "How could you have the nerve to do something like this? Never mind ruining your own future, you could have destroyed your grandfather’s career as well!"

"But nothing happened, did it?" Sarah said. "I didn’t leak any secrets. If I had, would I still be standing here perfectly fine?"

"As for Grandfather..." She looked at the old man sitting in the pear wood chair and lowered her head. "Grandfather, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong."

Mr. Lynch continued his questioning. "Why did you spend so much of Sean Sinclair’s money? Wasn’t the money we gave you enough?"

"How could that possibly be enough?" Sarah retorted. "Things aren’t like they used to be. Everything costs money, and what you give me is only enough to cover my basic living expenses."

Mrs. Lynch said, "So now it’s your father’s and my fault. We just don’t work hard enough to send you three million a month."

Sarah said angrily, "I didn’t say that."

Mrs. Lynch replied, "You may not have said it, but that doesn’t mean you weren’t thinking it."

Sarah had spent little time with her parents and wasn’t particularly close to them. Now, faced with their questions and accusations, her first instinct was to hide behind her grandfather.

"I was raised by Grandfather. If anyone’s going to scold me, it should be him."

Rage flared in Mr. Lynch’s heart.

’Was it that they didn’t want to raise their own child?’

’It was the child who didn’t choose them.’

When Sarah was young, she showed early signs of intelligence, and Mr. Jacobs had proposed raising her himself. Her parents had been hesitant at first, but ultimately decided to let Sarah choose.

As a child, Sarah had said, "Mom, Dad, you’re not as powerful as Grandfather. He’s the one who can help me. I want to go live with Grandfather."

Even then, they felt their child was heading down the wrong path. They wondered if there was a problem with their own parenting and thought that perhaps she would be better off with Mr. Jacobs.

Who knew that the more he raised her, the more arrogant and clueless she would become.

’See? Now she’s really gone and caused a disaster.’

Mr. Lynch said, "You’ve been removed from the proprietary chip project and you can’t get back into the institute. We’re here to take you with us."

"I’m not going to the Northwest with you," Sarah immediately refused.

Mr. Jacobs also spoke up. "Sarah’s a young woman. That place is no-go for her."

"Dad," Mrs. Lynch said with a frown.

Mr. Lynch added, "Dad, you spoil her too much."

In truth, Mr. Jacobs disliked his son-in-law. He could have easily gotten him a position at the institute back then, but the man didn’t know what was good for him and insisted on going to the Northwest.

"I’m the one who spoiled her, so if something happens, it’s my responsibility to handle it. You two should just worry about yourselves." Mr. Jacobs’s face was stern. "All these years, and your professional titles haven’t changed one bit."

Mr. and Mrs. Lynch were so thoroughly berated they couldn’t even lift their heads.

Mr. Lynch said, "Sarah’s only been released, she hasn’t been cleared of suspicion. Dad, what do we do now?"

Mrs. Lynch also wore a worried expression.

Even though their daughter wasn’t very close to them, she was still their child. No matter what, parents always care most about their children.

Mr. Jacobs turned to Sarah. "How good is your relationship with that boy from the Grant family?"

Sarah had a good idea what her grandfather was getting at. Julian Grant’s family background was anything but simple.

Although they had left politics for business, the Grant Family’s connections were mostly with the rich and powerful, especially since they were in City B, the political center of the country.

"Julian pretty much gives me anything I ask for, and I also know his sister, Stella Grant. We have a good relationship too." Sarah didn’t overstate her case.

Mr. Jacobs’s eyes darted. "Alright then. You arrange a meeting for me with Julian Grant."

"Okay, Grandfather!" Sarah’s face lit up with joy, but it quickly fell again.

Mr. Jacobs asked, "What is it now?"

Sarah said, "The institute... Mom and Dad are right, I can’t get back in."

"There’s more than one research institute in City A."

"But none of the others are as good as this one," Sarah said. "Grandfather, didn’t you always say that whatever you do, you should strive to be the best?"

Mr. Jacobs retorted, "Do you have the ability for that?"

Sarah was speechless. "..."

"Grandfather!"

"Alright, alright, just lay low for a while." Mr. Jacobs was worried himself, still trying to figure out how to deal with the questioning and investigation from the institute.

"I have something else to ask you."

Sarah saw her grandfather’s heavy gaze, and her heart skipped a beat. "What is it?"

"What’s the deal with you and Sean Sinclair?" Mr. Jacobs had already learned from his butler’s investigation that Sean and Leila Jennings were husband and wife. "Did you know he’s married? And that his wife is Leila Jennings?"

"I..." Facing the grandfather who had raised her, Sarah didn’t dare lie.

When Mr. Lynch heard this, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He raised his voice, "You’re involved with a married man?"

Mr. Jacobs snapped, "Louder. Why don’t you say it a little louder? You want everyone to know, don’t you?"

A ball of fury was lodged in Mr. Lynch’s chest. Mrs. Lynch’s gaze on her daughter became complicated as she quickly reached out to soothe her husband.

"Sarah, is it true?"

"Mom, Dad, you don’t know the whole story. How can you look at me like that?" Sarah explained, "Yes, I knew Sean was married. But Sean doesn’t love Leila. He only married her to make me angry, to see if I would come back for him. Now that I’m back, Sean will divorce her."

Mr. Lynch almost fainted from anger. "Then you should have waited until they were divorced! You shouldn’t have gotten involved with him while he was still married, let alone spend his money! That’s marital property, don’t you know that?"

Sarah knew.

’She had learned from Spencer Shelby that Sean’s wife was an ordinary person, an orphan even. She thought that no matter how capable Leila was, she’d never find out about any of this.’

’Who would have thought that Leila Jennings had another identity? And Nathaniel Cole even printed out the information for everyone to see. Leila must know now.’

’Now she was also worried that Leila would sue her.’

’But the thought that Sean would be there to hold up the sky if it fell made her fearless again.’

’It’s not like she asked for those things. Sean was the one who insisted on giving them to her.’

"What’s spent is spent. Sean hasn’t said anything, Grandfather hasn’t said anything, so what right do you have to say anything?"

Mr. Jacobs said, "I want to say something, but I don’t know where to start. Like you said, what’s spent is spent. There’s no use dwelling on the past. But are you sure Sean will get a divorce? If he gets divorced now, he stands to lose more than just a little."

Sarah wasn’t sure.

’How could she dare admit that Sean’s feelings for Leila were now unclear, and that he was wavering about her, too?’

Mrs. Lynch said, "If Sean Sinclair really liked you, why hasn’t he come to see you since you were released yesterday? Why hasn’t he even called?"

Sarah was rendered speechless.

’Are these two really my parents? They just keep poking at my sore spots.’

After a moment’s thought, she said, "Sean is just too busy. After losing the bid, the company’s senior management must be giving him a hard time. He’ll contact me when he’s done."

Sarah picked up her phone. Staring at the messages she’d sent Sean that remained unanswered, she began to feel uneasy.

Just then, the butler led some people from the institute over.

"Mr. Jacobs, you’re requested at the institute."

Mr. Jacobs’s expression darkened. ’What’s coming has finally come.’