Shrewd Calculations

Sam Evans looked at his daughter, his lips trembling and his body shaking. He wiped his eyes hard and murmured, "Am I dreaming? Lana, what did you just call me?"

Lana Evans looked at Sam Evans, her disgust and resentment growing inside. She bit her lip, refusing to call him 'Dad' again, but with Susan Evans and Jasper Cheng urging her from behind, she braced herself and shouted loudly, "Dad!"

"Ah, my girl, Lana!" Sam Evans's eyes stung, and he couldn't hold back his tears.

"Look at you, why are you crying?" Susan Evans glared at Sam Evans from the side. "Sam Evans, you heartless man, always giving me the cold shoulder. See, if it weren't for me, how could I have persuaded our daughter to change her mind?"

As Susan Evans spoke, she grabbed Jasper Cheng with one hand and Lana Evans with the other, saying, "Sam, look, Jasper told me he’s changed his ways and will treat Lana well from now on—no more hitting her. Lana and Jasper will live a good life together. Your daughter is already married, and if you keep holding a grudge, aren’t you just making things harder for her?"

Jasper Cheng immediately tried to show his sincerity, nodding and bowing to Sam Evans, "Dad, I was immature before, hot-headed. If I ever offended you, I apologize. From now on, I’ll treat Lana well, you can trust me with her."

Lana Evans also spoke up for Jasper Cheng: "My husband treats me really well now."

Sam Evans was surrounded by the three of them, all talking at once, leaving him a bit dazed.

He was already soft-hearted, and now, with his wife and daughter coaxing him together and Jasper Cheng swearing up and down to do better, the anger in Sam Evans’s chest eased considerably.

He had only opposed the marriage because he worried his daughter wouldn’t be happy—he never thought Jasper Cheng was a good match.

But now, seeing both his wife and daughter say Jasper Cheng has changed, Sam Evans’s opposition had faded quite a bit.

After all, Lana Evans was already married. If Jasper Cheng could truly turn over a new leaf, it would be a good thing, and maybe they could live well together.

For a moment, Sam Evans didn’t know what to say. He just clung to Lana Evans’s sleeve, wiping his tears over and over.

Nearby, the Fourth Uncle’s family and Lingdang watched, speechless at the scene.

The way Susan Evans, Jasper Cheng, and Lana Evans acted made it obvious—they were just here to coax Sam Evans.

Jasper Cheng’s nature was like a dog that couldn’t stop eating shit; if it weren’t for wanting to climb up to the Prince Qin’s household, he’d never humble himself to speak kindly to Sam Evans.

Most likely, it was Susan Evans who persuaded him behind the scenes, telling Jasper Cheng not to carelessly offend his father-in-law. After all, Sam Evans had helped Su Li and her daughter in the past. Back when they were still living with the Evans family, if Sam hadn’t secretly supported them, Su Li and her daughter would have starved to death long ago—there’d be no today.

Su Li and Xiao Zetian were not the type to forgive easily, so if Jasper Cheng tried to plead with them, he’d probably never get through the door. The only way was to keep Sam Evans on his side, feed him sweet talk, and then use Sam to speak up when they needed something.

Susan Evans’s calculations were shrewd, and Jasper Cheng had figured it out too. Beating Lana Evans when things didn’t go his way wasn’t working anymore—he’d have to try a softer approach.

Susan Evans was clever, and the Fourth Uncle’s family and Lingdang weren’t fools either—they saw through their intentions completely.

But Sam Evans was too close to see the truth, and he wanted Lana Evans to be happy so badly that he believed most of what Susan Evans and the others said.

Yuan Jie and Mrs. Chen exchanged glances and sighed at the same time. Susan Evans was set on using Lana Evans to manipulate Sam Evans.

But this was something the Fourth Uncle’s family couldn’t say out loud.

Even if they did, it wouldn’t help—only hurt Sam Evans’s feelings and the harmony between brothers.

People always tend to believe what they want to believe. Sam Evans wanted to believe Jasper Cheng had truly changed, that Lana Evans would have a good life.

If you told him now that it was all a lie, he’d probably get angry with you.