Chapter 130 Jasmine Surprises Ethan Again
"Ethan, I heard Clara and Daniel arrived early in Hawaii. Our senior brother said their assistant delivered a gift worth three million. I know you don't want to lose this project to them, after all..." Harper sighed, his face full of concern for Ethan. "Jasmine, what gift have you prepared for Otis?"
Harper wanted to see Jasmine make a fool of herself.
If the value and prestige of her gift were less than what Daniel and Clara prepared for Otis Phelps, she would definitely be the laughingstock.
"King crabs," Jasmine said in a low voice.
"What?" Harper had expected something modest from Jasmine, but still, hearing 'King crabs,' he thought he had misheard.
"King crabs..." Jasmine repeated.
"..." Harper was stunned for a moment, then covered his mouth and chuckled. "Jasmine, are you serious?"
After laughing at Jasmine, Harper quickly turned to Ethan. "Ethan, King crabs? That's not nearly good enough. Our gift can't be less than Daniel's. Luckily, I have a backup gift prepared; otherwise, we'd be the butt of the joke."
Relieved, Harper scolded Jasmine playfully. "Next time you prepare a gift, ask me first; I'll help you choose something appropriate, okay?"
Jasmine bowed her head, silent.
She felt that men like Otis Phelps, with their wealth, were beyond caring about the cost of things. She'd put a lot of effort into sourcing the King crabs.
"The King crabs prepared by Jasmine are pretty costly," Ethan said soberly, clearly displeased.
"Oh? How much for the crabs?" Harper asked, smiling, curious to hear how much could make Ethan consider crabs expensive.
"Three hundred each," Jasmine murmured, hesitant to meet Ethan's gaze.
Harper probably thought this was the funniest thing she’d heard all day, and she couldn't help but laugh aloud. "Jasmine, you're too sweet."
"Do you really think Otis Phelps cares about the price? Would a billionaire be concerned about the monetary value? It's the thought that counts," Ethan sternly cautioned Harper to stop mocking Jasmine.
Harper's laughter faded quickly, and she turned to greet Otis Phelps, who was emerging from the hotel.
"You're not on your best form today, I’m docking a day's pay,” Ethan jokingly “threatened” Jasmine.
Hadn't he noticed that Harper was almost leaning on him just moments ago?
Jasmine felt wronged and asked softly, "Mr. Douglas, since when are you allergic to women?"
This detail hadn’t come up in the training; they only mentioned Ethan's serious germaphobia.
"Before boarding the plane," Ethan said in a hushed tone, snorting dismissively, and headed towards where Otis Phelps was.
Jasmine stood frozen in place.
Allergic to women, just before the flight?
"Otis, it's presumptuous of you to come early," Ethan said as he went up to shake hands with Otis Phelps.
Otis gave Ethan his due respect, having come to the hotel personally. "Not at all, I'm eager to meet with you, Mr. Douglas," he assured.
After exchanging formalities, they shifted to complimenting Harper. "Miss Harper reached out to me half a month in advance to ensure I'd make time. I've set aside my whole day for you two."
It was apparent that Otis Phelps had seen the news online, as the Douglas Family had already acknowledged Harper as their daughter-in-law.
"Mr. Otis, you’re too kind. Miss Harper has been dedicated to organizing this, and to me, she's like a sister. When she gets married, I'll make sure she has a generous dowry," Ethan politely said.
Otis Phelps was momentarily stunned, glancing at Harper in surprise. Sister?
Hadn't Howard stated in front of the press that their families were to be united? Could it be... without Ethan's consent?
Interesting.
"Ha, Miss Harper is a great girl. Ever since college, I've always admired her," Otis Phelps said with a laugh, skillfully changing the subject.
Harper's face was pale, her fingers clenched tightly.
"I rushed over this time without preparing a grand gift. Jasmine had someone send over the King crabs in advance. Did your mother receive them? Were they to her satisfaction?" Ethan asked indifferently, his aloof character as consistent as ever.
Upon hearing Ethan call her name, Jasmine walked over in total confusion, speaking awkwardly. "Mr. Otis, it's been a while."
Otis Phelps paused halfway, the smile in his eyes slowly freezing over before turning into shock. "Jasmine?"
Jasmine offered an embarrassed smile.
Harper was also stunned. Jasmine knew Otis Phelps? "Otis, you know Jasmine?"
"Jasmine is an alumna, a genius from the finance department. She was the top-scoring student admitted to our department, and as the Student Union President, I personally welcomed her." Otis Phelps spoke with a happy surprise. "What a coincidence. Jasmine and Mr. Douglas, this is..."
Ethan narrowed his eyes at Jasmine, a deep look in his gaze. She indeed always brought surprises. "She's my assistant."
"To have our department's gifted young woman work as an assistant, only Mr. Douglas could pull that off." Otis Phelps laughed heartily, clearly having dropped any reservations or guards he had against Ethan. "Jasmine, whatever salary Ethan's giving you, how about I double it?"
Jasmine, somewhat embarrassed, kept her head down and didn't speak.
Otis Phelps had gone abroad to study in the second half of his senior year and had only recently returned to take over the family business. He probably didn't know what she had gone through.
The two years she knew Otis Phelps were her most glorious times.
"It seems like Mr. Otis is trying to poach my employee already. Seems like I'll have to be creative to keep her around," Ethan said with a smile, clearly marking his territory.
Otis Phelps caught the implication in Ethan's words, glanced at Harper, and then at Jasmine, and said nothing.
They were all savvy business foxes, fully aware of the unspoken truths.
"So, it was Jasmine who picked out the crabs. No wonder my mother loved them so much, couldn't stop praising them. To have King crabs of this quality in this season really shows effort," Otis Phelps said cheerfully, looking for topics to chat with Jasmine.
Meanwhile, Harper, who had arranged the meeting with Otis Phelps under the pretense of being his 'junior sister,' grew more awkward by the moment.
Casting a resentful look at Jasmine, Harper felt increasingly that Jasmine was a threat in every way.
As the eldest Miss Brown, Harper had always carried herself with an air of arrogance since she was young. She would not allow anyone to stand in her way, especially not another woman attempting to take what she considered hers.
"Mr. Douglas, would you mind terribly if Jasmine rode with my car? It's been a good six or seven years, and today I'm just delighted," Otis Phelps requested Jasmine's company.
Harper smiled. "Of course, that's perfectly fine. I bet Jasmine has missed you as her mentor."
Given Otis Phelps had put it that way, Ethan definitely couldn't snub his request without causing offense.
Privately, Harper was pleased, at least finding a way to get rid of Jasmine, who she saw as a nuisance.
Now, she could have Ethan all to herself.
Without Jasmine, Harper believed Ethan still had a special regard for her.
Before Jasmine came into the picture, Ethan had expressed remorse for past events, committing to take responsibility and to help the Brown family in business whenever possible.
"Ethan, what do you think?" Harper asked with a smile, sensing Ethan's mood was somewhat subdued.
Otis Phelps and Jasmine waited for Ethan's response.
"Mr. Douglas, Mr. Otis and I indeed... have not seen each other in quite some time. We should catch up," said Jasmine, breaking the slight tension and volunteering to ride in Otis Phelps' car.
Ethan's expression darkened, and he shot Jasmine a stealthy glare. It seemed that docking a day's pay was turning out to be too lenient a punishment.
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