Chapter 122 Harper Unsettles Serena
At Stellar Enterprises.
Jasmine sat idly with her plate, picking at her fruit with little appetite.
"Eat up, you're too thin to handle the stress. Working for Mr. Douglas means you have to be ready for a rough ride," Liam whispered with a hint of sarcasm toward the boss.
Jasmine uttered a nonchalant "Oh" and nibbled on some more fruit.
She seemed to like only the cherries, strawberries, and peaches on her plate.
Henry's dish contained only plain boiled chicken breast, devoid of any fat.
With a hint of flirtation, he used his fork to snag some fruit from Jasmine's plate—a deliberate provocation aimed at Ethan.
Everyone knew Ethan was a germophobe, and this was Henry's way of challenging him—a challenge Ethan could never confront head-on.
"Word is Mr. Douglas is a germophobe. He hasn't touched a woman other than Harper in years, huh?" Henry pressed on as he saw Ethan's countenance darken.
"You shouldn’t speak while eating. It seems Mr. Patrick Sr.'s teachings were somewhat lax," Ethan frowned.
Jasmine's grip on her fork tightened momentarily at Ethan's lack of rebuttal about him and Harper—it seemed the rumors were true.
"Harper's a charming soul, docile and understated," Henry prodded nonchalantly.
"That's a pity then. Mr. Patrick is engaged to her sister. If it's such a loss, perhaps a proposition to the Browns might be in order," Ethan replied, setting his cup down and wiping his hands. "Enjoy your meal."
With that, he stood up and left.
"I—I've finished too. I should get back to work," Jasmine said, dropping her silverware and standing up abruptly.
Henry scowled. "You're not on the clock yet, are you?"
"I’m doing overtime," Jasmine retorted, eager to leave.
"How long are you planning to keep this up with me Jasmine?" Henry's grip tightened on her wrist.
Jasmine tried to pull her wrist away, her voice tinged with nervousness. "I'm... I'm not arguing with you."
Across the table, Liam choked on his food, and bolted from his chair hastily with an alert look in his eyes.
"Jasmine, the Browns visited Howard today. It's only a matter of time before Ethan marries Harper. If you stay at Stellar Enterprises, the Browns won’t let you off the hook so easily," Henry said, genuine concern lacing his tone.
"This has nothing to do with Mr. Patrick," Jasmine snapped, shaking off Henry's grasp, feeling a surge of irritation she couldn't quite understand.
She thought she had long since lost her temper, but that wasn't the case.
She simply didn't dare lose it.
She had no one to stand up for her. She couldn’t stand up for herself.
Henry’s brows furrowed, a hint of displeasure creeping into his features. He had probably indulged Jasmine too much lately, which had allowed her to forget her situation.
Jasmine's personality had been clear to him six years ago.
If she hadn’t been so stubborn, she wouldn't have chosen jail over him five years ago.
Sighing, Henry rubbed the center of his forehead.
What could he do? He was hopelessly fond of Jasmine's fiery nature.
If she lost all her edge, she wouldn't be the Jasmine he knew.
Henry wasn't in a rush. He had all the time in the world to wait for her to come to her senses.
There was no sanctuary for her outside of his world.
"You’ve been seen at Stellar Enterprises quite a lot lately, Mr. Patrick," Daniel remarked as he entered the dining area, clearly looking for Jasmine.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Henry leaned back in his chair, his voice a low rumble.
He would have to keep any problems to himself.
"Mr. Patrick Sr. would never approve of your involvement with Jasmine, and now that Zelda’s about to be released, do you think the Browns would bless your relationship?" Daniel’s fingers tightened into a fist, even though he was currently relying on Henry.
"In the face of absolute profit, the Browns have no say," Henry said, standing and moving closer to Daniel. "That's the biggest difference between you and your brother. You've never reached the heights Ethan has."
Henry's words were a sly provocation, deliberately aggravating the tension between Daniel and Ethan.
However, he was right. In the face of absolute profit, the Browns had no say.
If the Browns didn't agree with Henry and Jasmine's relationship, they could call off the engagement—and Henry was secretly hoping that they would be the ones to call it off.
Sadly, the Browns weren't about to cancel the engagement just because Henry had a mistress on the side. Everyone understood the nature of business marriages like these.
...
The Wilsons.
Karen looked visibly upset. "How on earth did Jasmine manage to ensnare Ethan and get him to protect her so fiercely?"
"Ethan's interest in Jasmine won't last," Serena said, standing at the doorway, her voice choked with emotion. "She got her current job through deplorable means. He won't keep her around for long. I really did faint all on my own that day, Evan. It wasn't our sister's fault, but since she's been released from jail, her attitude toward us is clearly vengeful."
Evan remained silent.
He that Jasmine was out for revenge.
She wanted revenge against the Wilsons and Daniel.
'If not for revenge, why else would she stay by Ethan's side and continue to cling to Henry?
‘Has she sunk so low now that she’s selling herself out and relying on Ethan and Henry to help her?' Ethan thought.
"Does she think Ethan will marry her?" Karen scoffed. "Forget the Douglases. Who in Silverlight City would dare to marry her now?"
"Ethan is not going to marry her," Harper declared as she entered the room, her smile sweet. "I'm engaged to Ethan."
Serena glanced at Harper.
She had heard rumors that the Browns had been in talks with Howard several times, intending a marriage alliance.
Howard was planning to get Ethan to marry the Browns' daughter.
The Browns had their plans set out loud and clear: their elder daughter would marry Ethan, and their younger daughter would marry Henry. They were intent on securing ties with two of the business world's giants.
"Miss Brown, your visit today..." Serena started to ask.
"I swung by Stellar Enterprises today, looking to catch up with Ethan, but I ran into Daniel instead. He must have just gotten in from the airport. Since we're all going to be family, I thought I might as well drop in to see you," Harper said with a polished courtesy.
P
She and Serena weren't exactly each other's biggest fans.
The Wilsons turned their noses up at the Browns for their lack of decorum, while the Browns dismissed the Wilsons for the heiress drama, a regular punchline in Silverlight City.
"Daniel?" Serena blinked, closing the distance to Harper in quick strides. "You saw Daniel at Stellar Enterprises?"
"Yeah." Harper looked like an angel. "You wouldn't believe it. Jasmine just stirred up a mess at the office today. Ethan's allergic to peanuts, and she unknowingly gave him peanut candy. They ended up rushing him to the hospital—it was infuriating."
Serena's breath hitched, her grip tightening on Harper's arm. "Jasmine caused Ethan to be hospitalized? How did the PR department and the executives handle it?"
Jasmine's blunder, Daniel's sudden return to Stellar Enterprises—Serena didn't need to think twice to connect the dots.
The Hawaii project was something Daniel had always prioritized. He was supposed to meet Otis today. Could he have really dropped everything and come back just because of Jasmine?
"They let her off easy with just a written apology," Harper said nonchalantly.
Fury welled up in Serena as she stormed out.
"Serena!" Evan rose to his feet, following her. "Where are you going?"
Serena paused to call Daniel.
At first, he didn't pick up.
On the second attempt, Daniel answered.
"Daniel, where are you?" Serena pressed, her voice controlled.
"I'm... at a hotel," Daniel lied. "I’m tied up with some stuff—what's up?"
"It’s nothing..." Serena's breath was shaky.
Daniel had lied to her, all because of Jasmine.
After Serena ended the call, Harper stood at the doorway, her face a picture of innocence. "Did I get it wrong?"
"Serena!"
In a fit of recklessness, Serena got in her car and sped toward Stellar Enterprises.
She had always been very headstrong.
"What's going on here?" Harper asked with a look of concern. "What happened to Serena?"
Evan hurried after Serena without offering an explanation.
Harper watched as the siblings drove off, one after the other, a smirk forming on her lips.
People said Serena was nothing but spiteful with no brains, and it seemed to be true.
Stellar Enterprises was about to get lively.
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