Chapter 107 Jasmine Became Ethan's Personal Assistant
"Ma'am, you're awake."
At 7:30 in the morning, Nanny woke Jasmine up.
Startled, Jasmine sat up, looking anxiously around her.
When had she come back?
Did Ethan carry her?
"Where... Where is Mr. Douglas?" Jasmine whispered.
"He's in the dining room," Nanny replied with a smile.
Jasmine got out of bed nervously and rushed to wash up before running out, muttering, "Sor... sorry."
"Time for breakfast," Ethan spoke indifferently, his expression unchanged.
Sitting down with her head bowed, Jasmine noticed that the bite marks on her fingers had been treated and were now covered with a bandage.
"Mr. Douglas, about your partnership in New York..." Jasmine started hesitantly.
"This afternoon, no rush." Ethan noticed Jasmine tended to bite herself when nervous, whether her hand or her lip.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to cause you trouble," Jasmine said, feeling guilty.
"Then stay away from Henry," Ethan replied with disdain as he put down his coffee cup.
Jasmine couldn't figure Ethan out, unsure if he was angry or not.
She wanted to apologize again, but Ethan spoke first, "Eat."
Tears welled up in Jasmine's eyes as she nodded.
Once Justin's situation stabilized, she planned to leave as soon as possible, not wanting to be a burden to Ethan any longer.
After finishing her silent meal, Jasmine wanted to head to the office.
"This is for you." Ethan slid a new phone across the table to Jasmine.
"I'm sorry..." Jasmine choked up, she'd lost her phone again.
"Remember our arrangement. We're in this together. If there's trouble, you come to me first instead of acting on your own," Ethan said, his voice calm yet heavy.
Last night, Jasmine had been scared, and Ethan hadn't blamed her right away.
Now that it was morning and things had settled, he had to set things straight.
Jasmine should have understood Henry's intentions toward her.
If she did, she should keep her distance.
"I'm sorry..." Jasmine gripped her fingers tightly.
She must be... disliked by Ethan now.
That was it, she was always disliked by others.
"It's not that you did anything wrong. Emily is your friend, and your concern for her was natural. Next time, you should choose me, not Henry." Ethan stood up and walked into his wardrobe. "Come help me pick out a tie."
Jasmine sniffled and hurried after him.
Ethan glanced at his suit color and reached for a tie in a matching shade. "Will this work?"
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. He had to admit his life assistant had a decent taste in aesthetics.
At the very least, Jasmine had picked out something he had taken a liking to instantly.
"Can you tie a tie?" Ethan inquired.
Jasmine nodded, speaking softly. "I used to help Daniel—" She stopped abruptly.
Jasmine stood up on her tiptoes and started tying Ethan's tie.
Perhaps it was the proximity that made Ethan's stature seem even more imposing, his normally cool and distinguished features turned visibly darker.
"I'm sorry," Jasmine apologized instinctively, realizing she had said something inappropriate.
"Let's head to the office," Ethan said with a deep voice.
Head bowed, Jasmine left the room, feeling a wave of disappointment. She had upset Ethan again.
After Jasmine had left, Ethan furrowed his brows, rubbing his temples.
Was it because he hadn't been around women for so many years that not only did he not mind Jasmine's closeness, but he even...
In the moment she had gotten on her tiptoes to adjust his tie, he had almost...
Ethan exited the room with a gloomy expression, the air around him was heavy with tension.
"Mr. Douglas, you made a fine tie choice today." Liam greeted him with a big, naive grin despite the dark circles under his eyes.
Ethan, looking even more somber than Liam's dark circles, ignored him and got straight into the car.
Liam was puzzled. Was Mr. Douglas having a case of morning anger?
"Mr. Douglas, Jasmine dropped the charges, and Daniel's been released. Mr. Howard took him home. With the heat still on him, he'll probably lay low for a while," Liam reported cautiously.
"When did Daniel and Jasmine get to know each other?" Ethan asked indifferently.
"Weren't they known for being childhood sweethearts? They grew up together. Each other's first love? Remember that night when Daniel, then eighteen, braved the storm to deliver Jasmine some homemade birthday chocolate? Which teenage girl wouldn't be touched? They were each other's first love, so who knows what's Daniel thinking. Has love turned to hate?"
Oblivious to the rising tension, Liam continued eagerly, "You can shut up now," Ethan cut him off, his expression unreadable.
Liam's mouth hung open in confusion, hadn't Ethan been the one asking?
A long silence filled the car before Ethan spoke again, his voice carried a hint of disdain. "Childish."
"Uh?" Liam had forgotten what he had just said.
Who was childish? What was childish?
...
Jasmine had weathered three grueling days at the office, enduring the relentless snickers and sneers of countless colleagues as if she were deaf to their cruel jests.
"Jasmine, just because your review period is up doesn't mean you're guaranteed a spot here," Daria, her boss, summoned her into the office, eyeing the evaluation form Liam handed over. "A perfect score? Liam thinks pretty highly of you, doesn't he?"
Jasmine looked up at Daria in surprise. Liam gave her a perfect score?
She thought Liam didn’t like her, that he wouldn’t rate her so generously, but...
"Some golden boy from upstairs probably got a messy little arrangement with Assistant Liam. Bet the bedroom acrobatics are top-notch too," Daria's assistant sneered under their breath.
"Didn't you hear? She's been through the entire circuit of silver-spooned brats."
Jasmine stared silently at her job offer for a long while.
If she couldn't stay at the company, she wouldn't care about their gossip.
Now, as Ethan's personal assistant, such slander could tarnish his reputation.
As a personal assistant, she couldn't let her boss suffer the slightest harm.
"When I was with them, were you standing by the bed?" Jasmine said, taking a deep breath before confronting the assistant.
The assistant was visibly taken aback, at a loss under Jasmine's questioning.
"Everyone knows about you. You've experienced plenty. The famous Jasmine, the convict, is quite remarkable. You stole a rich girl's identity for twenty years, that's you, right?"
Jasmine picked up her job offer, her voice hoarse. "We're colleagues. Slandering me isn't just tarnishing the company's image, but also your own. Defame me without proof, and I could sue you."
"You want to file a lawsuit now? I can get you the evidence. All those filthy rumors spread in the group chat, I've got screenshots," Liam interjected, leaning against the door frame, his voice deep.
Daria's assistant looked frantic, their eyes darting towards Daria. "Ms. Daria."
"Liam, we're all colleagues here, no need for that," Daria spoke with a smile, getting up to smooth things over.
Liam said nothing, his gaze lingering on Jasmine.
"I have the right to sue," Jasmine stated faintly.
"Fine, I'll call the police for you. Spreading lewd rumors and slandering, if the group has more than five hundred members, that's a jailable offense," Liam declared, dialing the police, his eyes fixed on the assistant. "Your rumor-mongering could land you in jail, best case scenario, you'll end up just another convict."
Liam didn't want to meddle, but for some reason, Mr. Douglas, benevolent as ever, had tasked him with helping Jasmine.
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