Entering the living room, Cindy looked around but didn't see her grandfather. She did, however, see Jasper sitting stiffly on a sofa. Remembering Jasper's underhanded treatment of Darcy, she rolled her eyes dramatically. Shameless creep! The next second, the sofa cushion beside her sank. She glanced over to see her brother sitting down. Cindy rolled her eyes again. Shameless creep number two! A maid brought in coffee and served everyone. Jethro took a sip, his casual gaze drifting to the man across from him. "Jasper, congratulations. You're the talk of the industry lately. Quite the asset to the company."A flicker of something passed through Jasper's eyes as he also sipped his coffee. "It's nothing. Just doing what's expected as a member of the family." Cindy looked back and forth between them and pursed her lips. Hypocrites. She couldn't be bothered to deal with them. She rose and headed for the backyard garden. The more people she met, the sweeter and more down-to-earth the flowers seemed. Clara also felt awkward. She couldn't read her own son, and she was frustrated with her nephew but had no outlet. Since Arthur wasn't present, she didn't feel like playing the doting aunt. She simply followed her daughter towards the garden. Jethro merely raised an eyebrow at his mother and sister's departure, acting as if he hadn't noticed. "Jethro, if you'd rather not stay, you don't have to force yourself. I'm perfectly fine on my own," Jasper offered, as being around his cousin made his skin crawl. Jethro smiled, "I'm not forcing anything. Oh, by the way, I heard you were initially opposed to investing in AI R&D. What made you change your mind so suddenly?" Recently, Jasper had done a complete about-face in the media, waxing poetic about the future of AI and even claiming it would reshape the Blackwood Group and humanity's destiny. His change of stance was as swift as a chameleon's. Predictably, Jasper's expression tightened. He wasn't deaf to the sarcasm. His reply was smooth, betraying no guilt. "Times change, circumstances change. I've only recently come to fully appreciate AI's potential as the future direction. I simply adjusted our strategic planning accordingly." Jethro let out a low chuckle. Jasper's jaw clenched. A palpable tension began to thicken the air in the living room. Just then, the television in the background—turned on at a low volume because Arthur found the house too quiet—caught their attention. Unfortunately, it was replaying footage from the finals of the Aethelburg FinTech Innovation Challenge. On screen, Jasper looked calm and collected, speaking eloquently, the very picture of a polished young heir. Jethro crossed his long legs, propped his cheek on one hand, and asked on purpose, "Gotta say, you've got style. No wonder you've got fans. It's just—" He deliberately paused, "The content of that speech seems familiar. Did you write the script yourself?" "Does it matter?" Jasper deflected, his gaze steady and unreadable. Just as the atmosphere was reaching a breaking point, Arthur happened to walk in. Both Jethro and Jasper's expressions instantly shifted. They stood up in unison. "Grandpa." Arthur beamed. "What were you talking about? Looks pretty cheerful!" Cheerful... The butler standing nearby almost winced. Which eye of yours saw them looking cheerful? If you'd been a second later, these two would have been at each other's throats. Jasper opened his mouth to speak, but Jethro beat him to it, offering a bland smile. "Not much. We just happened to see Jasper's highlight reel on TV, and I was asking who wrote the speech." Arthur chuckled, "You're a lousy cousin if you don't even know. Even I know Jasper wrote it himself. He mentioned it in that magazine interview, didn't you, Jasper?" Jasper was silent for a moment, then forced himself to reply, "Yes." "Oh, so my cousin wrote it himself," Jethro said, dragging out the words. "Perfect timing, then. I have a question. The speech mentioned that the AI model uses a 'special interface design to ensure security.' Could you elaborate on what that special design entails?" Jasper's face went blank for a second. His hands, resting at his sides, slowly curled into fists. "What's wrong? Don't know?" Jethro pressed, clearly not letting up. "Or perhaps—you didn't write that speech at all?" A sneer twisted Jasper's lips. "You seem more interested in Stratagem Tech than I am. Do you care about the company—or someone in it?" Jethro's gaze sharpened. "You're changing the subject." "You—" "The fact is, you didn't write that speech. You hijacked someone else's work." "Don't slander me! I'm the head of the company. Do you think I have time to write speeches myself? Delegating to a subordinate is perfectly normal.""But your behavior wasn't honorable." "Hah. And you're the judge of that now?" "Enough! That's enough!" Arthur's cane came down hard on the marble floor with a deafeningthud as their argument escalated.