Chapter 456 How is she?
The vibe in the private room got icy real quick.
Jasper narrowed his eyes, a frosty look in his gaze. "Do you always gotta be so damn sharp-tongued?"
Adeline smirked. "How does Mr. Foster want me to talk then? About Luna joining my team, I didn't want her in the first place. You pushed me, so I let her in. You, of all people, should know what happens when you let someone useless into a high-stakes team. I wanna win, so besides giving Ms. Jones some easy tasks, what else could I do?"
Adeline's words shut Jasper up.
He had thought about these issues. But he figured with Adeline's skills, having Luna on the team wouldn't be a big deal. What he didn't see coming was Luna being so bad she couldn't even handle the basics.
He'd checked in on Luna's work, but every time, she'd smile and say everything was cool, that she was happy. So Jasper never thought Luna was struggling this much.
Thinking about it, Jasper sighed. "Yeah, this is kinda my fault. But now's not the time to point fingers."
Jasper leaned back, frowning at Adeline. "Jerry talked to me. He said this mess isn't totally unfixable. If it was just him knowing, he could ignore it. But since it blew up in a meeting and now there's a ton of online hate against you, if you still want the Foster Group's team in the competition..."
Jasper took a deep breath. "You gotta step down."
The room felt suffocating.
Adeline bit her lip, gripping her coffee cup so hard her knuckles went white.
Jasper said, "I know this is a tough ask."
Seeing her look so disappointed and holding back, Jasper felt a pang of guilt.
If there was another way, he wouldn't want to make her this upset. But the videos online couldn't be erased or explained away. Plus, everyone in the competition knew about the issues in Adeline's team. The best move was for Adeline to leave.
Jasper said, "Don't worry, even if you step down, the team's results after the competition will still count in our agreement."
Adeline closed her eyes and let out a bitter laugh. "Can I ask, if I step down, who's taking over?"
Jasper was quiet for a long time before he finally said, "Luna."
Adeline closed her eyes and laughed bitterly. So this was Luna's plan. She wanted to boot her out right before the competition and take her spot. If they won, everyone would say it was Luna's team, not Adeline's. Luna would get all the glory. So, Luna was after the championship honor all along, huh? And Jasper was playing right into her hands.
Thinking about it, Adeline sneered. "Mr. Foster, if you want your girlfriend to take the honor that was mine and win the championship, just say it."
Her words made Jasper's brows furrow deeply. "Adeline, don't act rashly. Letting Luna take over is the best move right now. She'll be the chief coordinator, handling the design concept. This way, it shuts up the critics, showing Luna was part of the core design, and it also takes some heat off you. You've seen the online comments."
"Do you think I give a damn?" Adeline snapped her eyes open. "Six years ago, you and Molly set up that car accident. Afterward, how did you paint me? I cheated, I'm a slut, and I eloped, causing the accident. Even left a fake suicide note asking you to be with Molly."
Adeline stared daggers at Jasper. "You think I still care about my reputation? You trashed it six years ago!"
The room's temperature dropped even more.
Jasper frowned. "Adeline, I've told you before, I didn't know about any of that; it was all Molly."
Adeline was livid. "Oh, so now that Molly's not in Radiance Springs, you just dump all the blame on her? Too bad for you, someone already showed me pics of Molly back in town. Mr. Foster, you should lie less. If Molly pops up, you won't be able to hide it."
With that, Adeline stood up. "I'll withdraw from the competition. Not for anything else, but because it's not just my effort—it's also Tim's, Rob's, and everyone else's."
"But," she added coldly, looking down at Jasper, "If my team wins the championship, our agreement is done."
She grabbed her handbag and walked out.
Jasper sat there, watching her leave with determination, and silently closed his eyes.
She was still the same, cold and ruthless.
Whether it was Molly or Luna, any malice from other women towards her, she blamed on him. In the past, he might've tried to explain. But now, what good would it do? She'd still leave. After the competition, she'd leave Radiance Springs with Blake and Lauren. No more contact. Letting her leave hating him was better than her leaving with regret.
Jasper opened his eyes, pulled out his phone, and dialed Ryan. "Find out where Molly is."
On the other end, Ryan frowned. "Molly's been MIA since Bennett died, remember? How do we track her now?"
Jasper said, "She's in Radiance Springs."
"Seriously?" Ryan was shocked but quickly nodded. "Okay, Mr. Foster, I'll get on it right away!"
Jasper sighed and asked, "How's she doing?"
Ryan replied, "Ms. Jones? She's doing great. The staff said she's in high spirits, singing and dancing at home."
Jasper frowned. "Anything else?"
Ryan added, "Ms. Jones told the staff she's about to become the most dazzling woman in Radiance Springs and she's super happy."
Jasper's frown deepened.
The decision for Adeline to step down and Luna to take over was just made by him and Jerry, and he hadn't even told Luna yet. How was she already celebrating?
Jasper held the phone, about to say something, when there was a commotion outside.
"That's her! The woman who bullied the boss's girlfriend!"
"She's so vicious; she burned the girl's stomach and didn't even apologize. Does she have any humanity?"
"Don't let her get away, surround her, make her feel what it's like to be scalded by hot water!"
The noisy voices outside made Jasper's heart race. He quickly hung up the phone and rushed out.
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