Chapter 134 Harper Warns Jasmine to Keep Quiet
The next day, Ethan woke up with a pounding headache.
Propping himself up, Ethan's face was grim as he scanned the empty side of the bed.
What on earth happened last night?
The hangover made Ethan feel rather queasy, so he rubbed his forehead, feeling under the weather.
Six years ago, he had been spiked, and now he couldn't believe he'd fallen into the same trap again.
"Ethan, you're awake." Harper emerged from the bathroom, holding a freshly rinsed towel. "Wipe your face..."
Her voice, tinged with shyness, was hoarse, and her cheeks were flushed intensely.
Ethan gave Harper a frosty glance and spoke icily. "Harper, I didn't pursue the matter from six years ago because too much time had passed. Do you take me for a fool?"
Being played time and again was unforgivable.
"Ethan..." Harper gasped, innocence plastered on her face. "Ethan, I don't know what you mean, it wasn't me, I was just... taking care of you last night."
"Huh, taking care of me? Am I supposed to be responsible for you now?" Ethan scoffed.
Harper looked down, shyly biting her lip. "We... we were supposed to get engaged, and six years ago..."
"Get out." Ethan cut her off, telling her to leave.
Harper paused, panic-stricken, her eyes brimming with tears. "Ethan, believe me..."
His mood was somber; he had no desire to repeat himself.
"Mr. Douglas!" Liam rushed back to the house, his voice sounding urgent.
"Ethan..." Harper was frightened by Ethan's anger, having never seen such a terrifying side to him.
"Harper... please leave now," Liam said, taking a sharp breath and nervously urging Harper to go. "Let's talk about this later."
After seeing Harper out, Liam shut the door tightly and returned trembling. "Mr. Douglas, it's my fault. I didn't properly instruct Jasmine... How do you plan to handle this?"
"If you spot a single cockroach, it indicates there are numerous others present. Start with Vittoria and don't let anyone off the hook!" Ethan got out of bed; his voice cold.
Liam’s legs went weak with fear, considering the intense events of the last night... Ethan's body was covered in scratches.
Who would have thought Harper, with her seemingly gentle demeanor, could be so wild?
Taking a deep breath, Liam wished he could just drop dead.
If Ethan really lost his temper, it could scare him to death.
"Douglas... Mr. Douglas... Vittoria was someone appointed by Mr. Douglas himself."
Vittoria indeed belonged to the chairman’s camp.
Ethan’s gaze fixed upon Liam with chilling intent.
Liam frantically lowered his head. "I... I will check now. Where did... Where did Jasmine go last night?"
Ethan furrowed his brow and remained silent.
After preparing fresh clothes for Ethan, Liam didn’t dare to ask any more questions and quickly left the room.
Ethan's presence at that moment was suffocating— it reminded Liam of six years ago.
Six years earlier, Ethan had been set up, and when he left the hotel, he was in the same state as he was now.
...
In the hotel's back garden.
Jasmine leaned in the gazebo, having slept fitfully for a while.
Her body felt feverish; last night's ordeal had probably led to a fever.
"Jasmine, Ethan has agreed to our engagement. You know what should and shouldn't be said about last night, right?" Harper came over and stood in front of Jasmine.
Rubbing her forehead with a headache, Jasmine said nothing.
"Clara's in Hawaii too. Heard she hit it off with Mr. Otis's mother, even gifted the old lady a set of jade jewelry worth millions," Harper reminded Jasmine. "So, this afternoon's bidding... Ethan might not beat Daniel."
If Daniel were to win this project, even if it didn't immediately threaten Ethan's position, it would build a solid foundation for himself.
In the eyes of the board members, Daniel lacked the same prowess as Ethan.
But if Daniel could secure this project, he would gain the board’s recognition.
Coupled with Clara's influence, Daniel could soon pose a direct threat to Ethan's position.
Jasmine's fingers clenched tightly, her head bowed, not uttering a word.
"Jasmine, can you please help me? I want to be there for Ethan too, but he's resisting me, thinking I'm manipulating him, which is so unfair." Harper affectionately wrapped her arms around Jasmine's arm. "Jasmine, can you help me, please?"
Jasmine instinctively pulled away from Harper, curling up her legs and holding herself tight, silent as ever.
"Do you know why Ethan dislikes me? Because six years ago, after we were tricked into being together, he's always thought I manipulated him. He's fastidious, and even with it being my first time, he still resents it so much after all these years, let alone..." Harper hinted. "Jasmine, I really have your best interest at heart. No matter what happened between you and Ethan last night, do you realize how terrible the consequences could be if he found out?"
With her eyes reddening, Jasmine just hugged herself, never responding.
"Three years ago, there was this actress, Xinyi Heo, a big shot at the time, who got frozen out by Ethan because she tried to schmooze up to him at a party. Rumor has it she's in a mental institution now, completely lost it," said Harper with an innocent expression as she relayed the ominous tale.
It was clear she was trying to scare Jasmine.
"Ethan thought the woman was filthy because she'd been with a bunch of rich tycoons, had countless sugar daddies, and even had a child."
Jasmine's fingers were tightly clenched in her palm, the skin breaking, stinging sharply with pain.
"Jasmine, I really like you, and I don’t want you to get hurt; you catch my drift?" Harper said patiently.
Jasmine's arms, hugging her knees, tightened.
What if Ethan found out about last night... Would he think it was a setup too?
She didn't want Ethan to dislike her.
Her eyes reddened, and Jasmine struggled to hold back tears.
"That day, I went to the daycare to pick up my cousin's kid and saw Justin. Justin is such a sweet boy, it's just heartbreaking to think of him growing up without his mom by his side," Harper dropped another bombshell.
"My sister... she's coming back, you know? She's got this heart condition and needs to be released on medical grounds."
Jasmine looked up sharply at Harper, a deep panic in her eyes.
Zelda was coming back...
Jasmine couldn't control the trembling that overtook her. Her darkest moments had mostly been courtesy of Zelda.
After this latest incident, which landed her in a holding cell, Zelda surely wouldn't overlook it.
Breathing heatedly, Jasmine hugged herself tightly, biting down hard on her lip corner.
She couldn't let Ethan hate her; she couldn't be without his protection...
She still needed Ethan.
So, Ethan must never find out what really happened last night.
"Jasmine! What are you doing hiding out here? Mr. Douglas was fuming, where did you run off to last night?" Liam came stomping over, his voice heavy with anger.
Upon seeing Harper, Liam snapped his mouth shut.
Harper cast a meaningful glance at Jasmine.
"I... I couldn't find Mr. Douglas last night..." Jasmine said softly, her voice hoarse.
Brown lifted the corners of her mouth in a relieved smile and left.
She knew Jasmine wouldn't dare tell anyone.
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