Chapter 110 Ethan Won't Let Jasmine See Henry
In the CEO's office, Jasmine's phone kept buzzing.
Ethan wasn’t pleased. Jasmine quickly set her phone to silent.
Ethan didn’t force Jasmine to turn off her device. As long as she didn’t answer, Henry would have to keep waiting.
Liam sent a message earlier, saying Henry was waiting downstairs to pick up Jasmine.
"Copy this document a hundred times," Ethan said, giving Jasmine a task.
Jasmine took the document, and glanced at it, an employee handbook. She questioned, "Mr. Douglas, are these for the entire staff?"
"Uh-huh," Ethan responded without expression.
"Wouldn’t it be easier to send a text message to the managers and have them pass it on?" Jasmine couldn't quite grasp why he wanted a hundred printed copies.
Ethan looked up from his papers, fixing his gaze on Jasmine.
He didn't need to say anything, Jasmine got the message.
"Right away, Mr. Douglas, I'm on it," she said, taking the papers out of the office.
She went to the copy area and started dutifully making copies.
In the office, Jasmine's cell phone kept vibrating on the desk, Henry's name flashing on the incoming call screen.
Ethan stood up, glanced over with a hint of a smirk, and turned to walk toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
He wouldn't touch Jasmine's phone, but leaving Henry annoyed downstairs was within his reach.
That day in Boston when he had called Jasmine, Henry dared to snatch her phone and hung up on Ethan.
‘An eye for an eye’ had always been Ethan's style.
...
Downstairs, Henry's mood darkened, his irritation growing by the second.
After several attempts without an answer from Jasmine, it was clear that Ethan was messing with him.
Frustrated, Henry dialed Ethan's number directly.
Ethan didn't pick up.
Henry's brow furrowed, his hand going up to rub the tension between his eyebrows.
Knowing Ethan as he did, Henry was certain that Ethan wouldn't go out of his way to spar over a woman without good reason.
If Ethan was behaving this way, it was practically a declaration of his intent to compete for Jasmine.
Henry was aware that Ethan knew about Daniel's private dealings with him and that the Patrick family had even hosted Carmen at the Hawaii Feast project bid.
The Hawaii project was a must-win for Ethan, but now Daniel was also throwing his hat in the ring.
After Daniel's recent run-in with the law and the bad press that followed, his reputation within Stellar Enterprises had taken a serious hit, and Ethan had him cornered. Daniel needed this project to regain his standing in the company.
Had the Patrick family been aiding Daniel, and was Ethan using Jasmine to send a warning?
After sitting silently in his car for a moment, Henry headed straight for Stellar Enterprises.
He needed to make it clear to Ethan that not everything was up for grabs or manipulation.
At least, he didn't want Jasmine to be used anymore or caught up in the Douglas family feud.
"Mr... Mr. Patrick, good to see you. Are you here to see Mr. Douglas?" stammered the receptionist.
"Right this way, please."
SHC Group is a strategic partner of Stellar Enterprises, the reception was obligated to treat Henry with respect, leading him toward the elevator instead of turning him away.
Meanwhile, Ethan had made his way to the copy area, finding Jasmine stationed by the copier.
"How many copies?" he asked.
"Thirty copies are out, still printing the rest," Jasmine hastily responded.
"Don't wait up for it. Liam will be back soon. Come with me," Ethan said, turning toward the elevator lobby.
"Mr. Douglas, is there an event we're attending?" Jasmine caught up to him, glancing at her notebook. She was sure there were no cocktail parties or engagements scheduled for that evening.
Without a word, Ethan led Jasmine down to the underground parking garage.
As Ethan and Jasmine's elevator doors closed, Henry emerged from another elevator.
"Sorry, Mr. Patrick, Mr. Douglas has already left. He just entered the elevator."
Annoyed and with a darkening expression, Henry turned and frantically pressed the elevator button.
Ethan!
Was this deliberate?
It seemed he had been far too lenient with Ethan over the years.
In the underground parking garage:
"Mr. Douglas, are... are you driving yourself?" Jasmine looked around, neither the driver nor Liam was in sight.
"Can you drive?" Ethan asked curtly.
Nervously, Jasmine shook her head. "No, I can't."
Noticing Jasmine opening the rear car door, Ethan's face darkened. "Come to the front!"
Jasmine hastily closed the door and scurried to the passenger seat.
"Mr. Douglas, where are we heading?" Jasmine asked, hoping to prepare in case they were meeting a client.
Ethan didn't reply and accelerated away.
"Mr. Douglas!" called the Manager at the elevator exit, flustered.
It was a step too late.
Ethan had calculated it perfectly, leaving Henry stepping on mines with each move.
Standing still, with a heavy air around him, Henry looked sour.
Ethan, always meddling more than he should.
"Has Mr. Douglas been quite busy lately?" Henry asked, his voice detached, showing no emotion.
The Manager nodded nervously. "I'm sorry, Mr. Patrick. Mr. Douglas has indeed been very occupied."
"Hmm..." Henry glanced at the time. "Since he's so busy, call Daniel. Tell him I'm interested in discussing the Hawaii project with him."
The Manager hesitated, his words faltering.
Henry was not pleased.
Everyone knew about the Douglas brothers, Ethan and Daniel, half-siblings who didn't get along.
"Mr. Patrick... should I give Mr. Douglas another call?" The manager, visibly anxious, took out his cellphone and dialed Ethan's number.
Henry didn't intervene. He was interested in gauging Ethan's reaction as well.
If Ethan was too obvious about it, there wouldn't be much left for him to hide.
Daniel, on the other hand, was much easier to manipulate than Ethan.
...
At Erin's villa.
"Gosh, look what you’ve done, my dress is ruined!" Erin stepped out of the car, her long, shapely legs descending in sky-high heels with impeccable grace.
She had expected Richard, who was there to receive her, to lend her a hand or at least lift the hem of her dress. Instead, Richard stood there, erect and stern-faced.
"Come over and help me with my dress!" Erin was dumbfounded by Richard's indifference. Could he be into men?
Her toned legs would make any guy take a second glance, yet he hadn’t budged.
His eyes were a mix of cleanliness and subtle impatience.
As if he was telling her to hurry up and let him finish his day.
"Ms. Erin, can I clock out?" Richard stepped forward, grabbed the hem of Erin’s dress into a bundle, and glanced at his watch.
He still had to take Justin to the hospital to see the doctor.
Exposing Erin's sculpted legs to everyone didn't sit right with Richard, so he loosened the grip on her dress to cover her thighs more appropriately.
Erin watched Richard's puzzling behavior with a smirk. "This dress is a handmade luxury custom piece, worth a million... It shouldn't be manhandled."
Richard looked down at the wad of fabric in his hand and abruptly released it.
He felt like Erin was setting him up.
As it turned out, she was right. The fabric shouldn’t have been grabbed, and the area he held was now noticeably wrinkled.
Taking a deep breath, Richard murmured, "Are you sure... you weren’t swindled?"
A million for this dress?
This was daylight robbery.
Erin eyed Richard meaningfully, her gaze piercing. "Stay with me tonight, and we'll call it even on the dress."
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