Chapter 112 Custody Battle Over Justin
"Ethan's voice dripped with a stern warning, "How could a kindergarten with the highest safety standards in Silverlight City let a child leave early without notifying the family? If something happens to the child, the school cannot shirk responsibility."
"M... Mr. Douglas, the principal personally..." The teacher, visibly shaken, stammered as she began to speak.
"Get the principal here," Ethan commanded, his anger palpable, while simultaneously phoning Liam. "Check the surveillance around the kindergarten, see who took Justin away, and do it quickly."
Soon, the principal rushed out. "M... Mr. Douglas..."
"Is my kid something that just anyone can pick up and take away from your school?" Ethan's temperature was dangerously low. His usual cold demeanor now saturated with suppressed rage made him all the more intimidating.
"M... Mr. Douglas, your child?" The principal was stunned for a moment, then glanced at the record. "Are you referring to little Justin? Mr. Patrick Sr. came himself, said he was the child's grandfather, and came on behalf of the kid's father to pick him up."
Jasmine's grip on her phone tightened, her hand freezing in place. The Patrick Family... Mr. Patrick Sr.?
He'd come to take away Justin himself. What was he planning to do?
"There's no father, no grandfather for that child... Why would you let them take him without my consent? Why! You all know my cellphone number." Jasmine's voice was fueled by rising panic.
Ethan wrapped an arm around Jasmine, his tone commanding yet subdued. "The school better have a satisfactory explanation for this."
After speaking, he escorted a distraught Jasmine away. "Mr. Patrick Sr. acknowledges Justin as part of the Patrick Family, he won't harm him. Justin is clever, not even a kidnapper could lure him away. He wouldn't just go with a stranger, let's find the kid and hear his side of the story."
Jasmine's face was ashen, her body quivering non-stop, ultimately dropping to the ground in weakness, her eyes burning.
She was terrified, scared that the Patrick Family would truly fight her for Justin's custody.
"Jasmine, take a deep breath," Ethan coaxed, crouching in front of her with a soothing voice. "Look at me, Justin will be fine. Don't be afraid. As long as you don't agree, no one can take Justin away from you, trust me."
Jasmine's breaths were fast and shallow as she looked at Ethan, her eyes alight with an intense gaze.
Perhaps out of impulse, her mind went blank, Jasmine raised her arms to embrace Ethan and began to cry.
It must have been an impulsive act because she didn't realize the level of intimacy her behavior had reached.
After crying for a bit, Jasmine realized that Ethan hated it when women got too close.
She instinctively let go of Ethan, her face turning pale with fright.
Ethan didn't push her away. When she finally came to and almost fell to the ground, he steadied her by the waist. "Feeling better now?"
His voice was always so soothing.
To Jasmine, Ethan was like a lifeline in the depths of the ocean, always able to calm her down instantly, quelling her anxiety.
"I'm... I'm so sorry."
The principal on the other hand was scared stiff, noticing Jasmine and Ethan's overly affectionate interaction.
"Mr. Douglas... It's like this. We had the consent of Justin before allowing the other party to take him. We never anticipated... with Mr. Patrick Sr.'s status and social standing," the principal stammered his explanation. "Mr. Patrick Sr. said there's no need to inform Miss Wilson, and he had a paternity test in hand. Besides, Justin is quite sharp, he overcame any reading difficulties before he was four."
Justin was a rare prodigy. He had almost no trouble reading, except for some obscure words, around the age of four.
Richard was very invested in Justin's upbringing. With no preschool wanting Justin, he went ahead and taught him using a dictionary.
Now, nearly five and a half, Justin understood a paternity test and its implications.
"This incident is the school's responsibility. I've already contacted Mr. Patrick Sr.'s assistant. They're both at the Bellagio Hotel. Let's find the child first and ensure his safety. The school will do everything to rectify this mistake," pleaded the principal, nearly in tears. Offending Stellar Enterprises, the school's financial backer, was out of the question.
Ethan snorted coldly, took Jasmine by the hand, and led her to the car.
Liam's call came promptly. "Mr. Douglas, Bellagio Hotel. Mr. Patrick Sr. himself is in Silverlight City! And Justin’s with him, he wasn’t planning to hide it."
After the call, Ethan looked at Jasmine with a hint of worry.
Mr. Patrick Sr. wasn't trying to hide. Justin going willingly with Mr. Patrick Sr. was a dangerous sign.
The Patricks... they were sure to fight for custody of the child.
Jasmine stared numbly at her phone as it buzzed again. Henry was calling. "Jasmine! My granddad... he's taken Justin. I'm on my way over to the Bellagio Hotel now. Don't panic, Justin will be fine."
"Henry..." Jasmine's voice was hoarse. "You promised me, you wouldn't fight for Justin."
On the other end of the line, Henry fell silent. "Jasmine, I never intended to take Justin from you, he's yours. My only condition is that you should be mine too."
Subconsciously, Jasmine's fingers moved toward her mouth, tears welling up.
Ethan, quick as a flash, caught Jasmine's fingers and shook his head, frowning.
Jasmine gave Ethan a desperate look, at a loss for what to do.
How could she keep Justin?
"Jasmine, I'm not trying to threaten you," Henry continued, knowing full well that Jasmine and Ethan were together. "Just be clear about what you want. I'd rather you didn't get too close to Ethan."
His jealousy was a silent scream, especially after watching Jasmine drive away with Ethan. It drove him insane.
His words weren't meant for Jasmine alone, they were also a clear warning to Ethan.
Henry hung up, confident in the belief that Jasmine, with no other options, would comply.
What he didn't realize was that Jasmine and Ethan had already got the marriage certificate.
In his world, such a thing was unfathomable.
Neither he nor Ethan could marry Jasmine. The Douglas family was far too concerned with their public image compared to the Patrick family.
"Let's go get Justin," Ethan said, trying to calm her.
After all, Henry was Justin's biological father, and there wasn't much Ethan could say about it.
Jasmine's gaze dropped, her grip tightening on her phone.
Justin was Henry's child, an unchangeable fact.
The ties of blood were unbreakable, and sooner or later, Justin would be taken from her.
How long could Ethan support her?
After three years of marriage, where would she stand when it ended?
What about Justin?
"Mr. Douglas... there's no need to fight for Justin's custody," Jasmine spoke up, her voice ragged, as the car pulled into the Bellagio parking lot.
Getting involved in the custody battle would alert the Patrick family to their secret marriage.
SHC Group and Stellar Enterprises were strategic allies yet competitors, and her tarnished reputation, compounded by her previous engagement to Daniel, spelled potential trouble for Ethan, even staining his name in ways hard to erase.
That was something the Douglas family, under Howard's strict values, would never tolerate.
Such a scandal would jeopardize Ethan's standing at Stellar Enterprises.
Hence... She couldn't let Ethan get involved.
Ethan furrowed his brow, feeling an impulsive urge for the first time, a disregard for consequences that were foreign to him.
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