Chapter 140 Jasmine's Counterstrike
The man's comments were loud enough for those nearby to hear.
"Oh, isn't that Jasmine? The phony heiress from the true-and-false heiress case six years ago."
"Right, I hear her personal life is pretty messy, involved with several men and all."
"Jasmine, have you forgotten me?" The man taunted, looking at Jasmine. "Have you forgotten your old flame now that you’e cling onto Mr. Douglas? I was your first, after all." It was obvious that the man was there to trap Jasmine.
Before the banquet, Jasmine had anticipated the tricks Clara might use.
She would even exploit Jasmine to smear Ethan's reputation.
All eyes were on the scene, including Michael who had been conversing with Ethan, now stunned.
"Ethan, what's all this about?" an elder, familiar with Ethan, asked, bewildered.
"Mr. Douglas, how could you keep such a person as your assistant? Could she have deceived you?"
"Ethan, your choice of people really puts you in a tight spot. Why did you bring her along to such an important event, if not to disgrace yourself?" Clara, wearing exquisite high heels and a designer gown, approached with elegance and poise.
With her was the mother of Otis.
A distinguished businesswoman of Hawaii's older generation, Otis inherited everything from his mother, including taking over her business empire.
"Stellar Enterprises picks an assistant this carelessly?" It was clear that Otis’s mother was displeased with such a controversial figure attending the bidding event.
"Mother, there might be some misunderstanding here. This is Jasmine, the one I've mentioned to you years ago. She's also the one who selected the king crab gift," Otis hurried over to clarify for Jasmine.
With Ethan's connections, not many in the business circle would dare to slap him in the face like this. It was clear that this was a deliberate setup.
Elia gave Jasmine a once-over, and even though she recognized the malice behind the scenes, she thought that someone in Ethan's lofty position should be particularly discerning in their choices.
"Hello, Mrs. Horton," said Jasmine, fighting to control her anxiety and physical stiffness, as she stepped forward to greet Ethan's mother. "I'm very sorry for making a bad impression."
"Mr. Douglas, your standards for choosing an assistant must be pretty high, huh? They've got to be quite the player, right?" That man clearly intended to embarrass Ethan.
"Have the standards for the bidding conference dropped this low?" Ethan said with a deep, displeased voice.
Otis, seeing Ethan's anger, quickly had someone check the identity of the person who had spoken.
"Jasmine's reputation in Silverlight City is almost universally known; a woman so indiscreet, with a problematic style, and a jailbird to boot, she really cannot be presented in polite company. Ethan, you truly are thoughtless this time for bringing her here," Clara added, stirring the pot.
As long as Mrs. Phelps was upset with Ethan, Daniel would definitely be put in charge of this cooperation.
"Jasmine, have you forgotten about me? Did you slept with too many men?" The man continued to tease her with a smile.
"Sir," Jasmine asked after apologizing. "Do I have a birthmark on my left arm or my right arm?" staring down the man who had spoken.
The man was taken aback. "How would I know..."
"Didn't you claim to have slept with me? Do you use such attacks to belittle women, to downtrod them, in hopes of negating our abilities and contributions at work? Thinking you can erase all my professional efforts with your so-called indiscretions?" Jasmine spoke firmly and confidently.
She was Ethan's assistant, and therefore his public face. She couldn't allow Ethan's reputation to be stained.
"I am Mr. Douglas’s assistant. My job is to excel in my work, and all Mr. Douglas needs to see is my effort and exceptional performance, that's all. As for the filth and sleaze you speak of, it's the unclean soul who sees dirt everywhere."
Jasmine understood that Mrs. Phelps, a businesswoman of their era, had endured many pressures and slander that others had not.
Those men who were not her equal would disparage her accomplishments and abilities, and the women who were less than her would accuse her of using men to climb the ladder.
Today, Jasmine could actually thank Clara for giving her the chance to make a good impression in front of Elia.
"Now, answer me this, is my birthmark on my left arm, or on my right arm?" Jasmine's voice was low and serious. "If you can't answer, I'll pursue legal action against you for slander."
The man hesitated, his gaze instinctively shifting to Clara.
"Why are you looking at Mrs. Clara? Did she maliciously manipulated you to smear Mr. Douglas and sabotage this bidding partnership on purpose?" Jasmine looked at Clara with feigned panic. "Mrs. Clara, how could you do such a thing? Yes, Ethan is Mrs. Douglas's biological son, but your favoritism is just too much."
Clara only knew how to curry favor with Otis’s mother, yet she seemed to neglect digging deeper into his background. Otis’s mom had braved the business world alone, a woman holding up a family, all because Otis’s biological father had cheated and insisted on marrying his mistress, driving her and her child away.
"Jasmine! What nonsense are you spouting?" Clara exclaimed, stunned. Was this Jasmine? Had she lost her mind?
Having Jasmine's words thrown in her face, Clara was seething with rage, wishing she could tear Jasmine's mouth apart. "Wow, who knew you were so cunning, you little vixen. Trying to drive a wedge between our family? You, with your tarnished reputation, need someone else to smear it?"
Jasmine subconsciously glanced back at Ethan. Ethan's deep gaze met Jasmine's, and he nodded slightly.
Suddenly, Jasmine felt less anxious, knowing she had Ethan's support behind her.
"Yeah, I've been with you for so long, how would I know if your birthmark's on your left or right arm? I just remember you have one, who pays attention to which side it's on?" The man began to bluster.
"Oh." Jasmine turned her attention to Daniel, who had remained silent. "Mr. Daniel, do I have a birthmark on my arm?"
"Whom are you asking?!" Clara snapped at Jasmine. "Our Daniel would never touch a soiled woman like you."
Daniel looked pale, nearly colorless.
"Daniel, we were together for nearly five years, from freshman year of high school to sophomore year of college... I was once your publicly acknowledged fiancee. Don't you have anything to say in my defense?" Jasmine was being deliberate.
Since Clara intended to use her to smear Ethan's name, Jasmine was ready to splash the mud right back.
Jasmine calmly watched Daniel. She wanted to see how Daniel would go about smearing her name.
She wanted to see if Daniel would slander her in public, just like his mother. At that point, they could tell who had poor judgement.
Ethan was only her boss. As long as she was competent in her job, that was enough.
However, his taste in his private life, with his ex-boyfriend, was even more repulsive.
"Don't bring up that old stuff. Daniel was just fooled by you. You cheated on Daniel, messing around behind his back..."
"Enough." Daniel's deep voice interrupted Clara's words. “Jasmine… does not have a birthmark. Somebody is intentionally smearing her name. Let's leave it at that."
Taking a deep breath, Daniel glanced at Clara and awkwardly turned to leave.
What bothered him the most was the memory of Jasmine hooking up with another man in a hotel, an incident Daniel couldn't shake off. Now that Clara brought it up in front of so many people, he was understandably reluctant to discuss it.
"Mr. Otis, we've checked. This person wasn't invited to the event." Liam approached with the venue manager in tow.
The man's face turned pale, and in panic, he tried to flee.
Ethan reached out and grabbed the man's collar from behind, his expression turning ugly.
"Causing trouble at Mr. Otis's bidding event? This could be a serious matter."
Everyone around gasped. Ethan seemed really angry.
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