Chapter 99 Paying the Price for Their Actions
Jasper gazed at Adeline's face, silent for a long while.
After a pause, the man glanced at her indifferently, his voice emotionless. "I have my plans."
"Mr. Foster."
Adeline took a deep breath. "I know about your longstanding feelings for Miss Collins. It's hard for you to let go and to act against her."
"Even if she's done something wrong, you may not want to punish her."
"But, she still made a mistake and must face the consequences."
"If it's too hard for you, you can hand over all the evidence to the authorities and let the police handle it."
The woman fixed her gaze on Jasper, pressing down the fury within, and deliberately slowed her voice. "Attempted murder won't cost her life–just a few years behind bars, that's all."
"Maybe by the time she gets out, Lauren will be grown up, able to stand up for herself."
"And all the problems will just disappear."
Taking a deep breath, she furrowed her brows and looked at him. "Why won't you just agree?"
Her words made Jasper's expression tighten over and over.
His movements as he applied the ointment grew rougher.
Adeline winced from the pain but persisted. "Why do you have to let Molly off the hook?"
"Is she, in your heart, more important than Lauren, your daughter?"
With a slap, Jasper released Adeline's hand and angrily flung the ointment into the kit.
The aluminum casing clashed loudly with the box.
"I guess you're not really in pain."
He gave her a cold glance and stood up abruptly.
The half-applied ointment on Adeline's hand lay incomplete, exposing most of the burn.
From a distance, Alice glanced over and approached carefully, intending to make amends and finish treating Adeline.
"No need for more ointment."
Jasper glanced at Alice dismissively. "Pack up the kit."
With a troubled look, Alice glanced at Adeline.
Adeline shook her head slightly and began re-wrapping her hand with a bandage nearby.
Adeline's stoicism only added to Jasper's irritation.
"Could you please show Miss Wilson and Bennett out, Butler?"
With that said, he strode briskly upstairs and left.
Adeline's lips twisted into a frosty smirk as she observed him walking away.
Why would he lose his temper and start showing people out if she hadn't hit a nerve?
She turned to glance at Lauren.
The little girl was munching on fried chicken, clearly delighted. However, she was startled by the sudden turmoil, her mouth stuffed and hanging open.
Ethan furrowed his brows, looking at Adeline. "Miss Wilson, this..."
The butler quickly said, "Miss Wilson, please don't put me in a tough spot."
"It's not your burden."
Adeline smiled faintly, then gestured to Bennett, "Let's go home!"
Bennett nodded understandingly, picking up his jacket and running over to Adeline.
The little one grasped Adeline's left hand. "Mommy, let's head out!"
"Mr. Foster's in a foul mood," Adeline remarked casually, glancing at Ethan. "I guess it's better not to push him to get me a job at Foster Enterprises."
Without waiting for Ethan's response, she took Bennett's hand and turned to leave.
Ethan furrowed his brows and cast a backward glance at Lauren. "Don't worry about it, just enjoy your meal."
"I'm gonna see what brand of crazy dads unleashed this time," he said, letting out a long sigh before heading upstairs.
Outside Blue Bay.
Bennett led Adeline to the curb.
Instead of hailing a cab, the little guy took Adeline's hand and pulled her into the corner drugstore.
"Do you have burn ointment?"
Little Mister Bennett ushered Adeline to the entrance and darted inside the pharmacy.
Standing at the door, Adeline watched Bennett through the glass, heaving a deep sigh.
Sometimes, it was hard for her to believe those three little angels, Bennett, Blake, and Lauren, were Jasper's flesh and blood.
That man didn't deserve such wonderful children.
"Mommy?"
Caught in her reverie, she saw Bennett holding the ointment as he emerged from the store.
The little man took Adeline's hand. "When we get home, I'll apply it for you!"
After a long silence, he looked up assertively and said, "Don't stoop to that jerk's level."
"Without him, we can still do anything we set our minds to!"
Adeline sighed and tightened her grip on Bennett's hand."I believe that."
She was sure they could overcome any challenge with her treasure by her side.
...
Worn out, Adeline applied the medicine and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Moonlight flooded the room.
Once Adeline was asleep, Bennett carefully got up, used his cell phone's light, and gently redressed her wound.
He applied the ointment meticulously, not wanting any negligence on Adeline's part to slow the healing.
As he lovingly spread the ointment, he silently vowed to make Jasper, that louse, pay.
"Jasper..."
Right as Bennett was finishing up, a sleepy Adeline mumbled something incoherent.
But Bennett heard her.
She was saying:
"Jasper, why did you abandon me?"
"Why does it have to be like this..." The little guy felt as if his heart had been harshly struck, aching painfully.
He couldn't fathom why Jasper could so easily dismiss his wonderful mommy.
Was Molly remarkable enough to make a scoundrel like Jasper abandon their mom?
"Mommy, I'm sorry."
After a moment, the kid took a deep breath and earnestly apologized to Adeline.
She might have easily forgotten Jasper if only she hadn't had the three of them.
But she did have them.
The three of them were like constant reminders, making her remember how much she once loved Jasper and the pain he had caused her.
"Blake, I want to drag Molly out into the open."
Having settled Adeline, Bennett stepped out onto the balcony with his phone.
Under the cool moonlight, he furrowed his little brow deeply. "I need to understand... the schemes that scumbag had back then."
Blake was silent for a moment on the other end of the call.
"Didn't mommy say to let go of the past?"
"That's her decision." Bennett gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles whitening. "Now I want to dig deeper."
"Mommy had no one to depend on before and suffered so much at the hands of Jasper and Molly."
"But now she has us."
"I'm going to make them pay for what they did."
"But Mommy went back this time for revenge too."
"No."
Bennett inhaled sharply. "What I want isn't revenge."
"It's to have them admit their despicable acts."
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