Chapter 149 Ethan Demands a Paternity Redo from Henry
Henry was using the project as leverage over Ethan.
If he couldn't press Ethan, he'd have to press Howard instead.
"Look, Henry, our families have always been close. Your grandfather and Ethan's grandfather were comrades-in-arms, bonded by brotherhood. It's only natural that our families work closely together," Howard spoke with a smile, his interest in the Boston mining venture evident. "Ethan, Henry is Justin's biological father. Hand the kid over to him."
Howard's words darkened the faces of the Brown family to an extreme, especially Zelda's.
She wasn't even married yet. She was just Henry's fiancee.
Jasmine already had Henry's child.
The Browns didn't dare to speak out now, for fear of worsening the conflict.
Henry clearly intended to protect his own bloodline, much to the disapproval of the Browns, who had to swallow their dissatisfaction.
Today, Zelda had accidentally injured Justin, and Lance still had to find a way to explain. At this moment, they could only suppress their anger.
Once Zelda truly married into the Patrick family and bore Henry a son, there would be no rush to deal with Justin.
"Mr. Ethan..." Jasmine stood timidly behind Ethan, gingerly tugging at the hem of his shirt, her heart pounding fiercely.
She couldn't let Ethan lose so much business over her.
Board members would start questioning him.
With Clara and Daniel already eyeing power, he couldn't afford to offend Henry at this time.
Henry's influence over Ethan's position at Stellar Enterprises was significant.
"He won't harm Justin. Please, give Justin to me... I'm sorry for the trouble," Jasmine whispered, her head down as she clutched Ethan's shirt tightly.
She was unwilling.
Ethan furrowed his brows, cradling Justin in one arm, soothingly ruffling her hair with the other. "Don't be afraid, I'm here, all right?"
Jasmine, with teary eyes, shook her head. "Don't... don't confront him, it's not worth it."
"Whether it's worth it or not, I decide." Ethan's voice was soft but filled with immense indulgence and tenderness.
Harper's eyes blazed with jealousy. She never knew Ethan had this gentle side of him.
"I can't give you the child, and Zelda has to publicly apologize and get out of Silverlight City—this is my final warning," Ethan turned back to look at Henry, his voice deep and firm.
The air was thick with tension as Henry and Ethan's gazes locked, each filled with an unspoken challenge.
Henry's expression was sour. "Ethan, it seems you're dead set on giving up SHC Group as a business partner."
"Short-term problems lead to long-term worries. Since SHC Group is entertaining other prospects, I see no need to continue our partnership. The losses will be shared, not shouldered by Stellar Enterprises alone," Ethan retorted with a sneer.
Henry thought he could use this to threaten Ethan. The Patrick family had made their fair share of profit from the collaboration.
Henry's face grew even darker. "Ethan, he's my son!"
"Ethan, give the kid back to Henry! What kind of father doesn't love his son? He's the boy's real dad," Howard quivered with anger, his fingers trembling.
Ethan seemed to have lost his sanity today.
Howard's voice was so loud that it startled Justin awake, the boy rubbing his eyes back to consciousness.
Ethan gave Howard a gloomy look, his eyes dark and brooding.
Howard paused, taken aback. His own son was frightening.
"Henry, until you and the Brown family call off the engagement, I won't allow you to see Justin. Zelda dared to hurt him even before marrying into the Patrick family. Imagine what she could do as Justin's stepmother. It's not hard to guess she might resort to something like pouring sulphuric acid or poisoning," Ethan said, his face grave. These words were meant for Henry as much as for Howard.
Over the years, Ethan had never directly confronted Howard about these issues.
He knew Howard wasn't fit to be a father.
Ever since his mother's death, Clara had harmed him countless times. Howard couldn't be truly unaware.
"There's a saying that goes 'with a stepmother comes a stepfather,' and it's worth heeding," Ethan warned Henry while comforting Justin.
Justin clung to Ethan's neck, whispering sleepily, "Daddy... I'm so tired."
"Sleep, my boy," Ethan soothed, gently patting Justin's back.
"Justin, come home with Daddy." Henry reached out for his son.
Justin looked back, staring blankly at Henry.
"Justin, I will protect you from now on, okay?" Henry coaxed. "I'm sorry, I should have looked after you better. I'll make things right about you getting hurt, is that okay?"
Justin looked warily between Ethan and Jasmine, unsure whether to trust him.
Jasmine said that Henry was his dad, but he liked Ethan more.
"Bad woman has been tormenting Mom, having people hit Mom, you're my dad—are you going to protect Mom, and make sure the bad guys get punished?" Justin asked carefully.
"Yes." Henry nodded.
At that moment, the Browns were seething with rage, especially Zelda.
"Jasmine, you temptress, just using this bastard to tie down Henry! It's not even certain if the child is Henry's. If you dare, let's have another paternity test!" Zelda outright refused to acknowledge the child as Henry's.
She didn't believe it.
"Shut up!" Henry snapped back at Zelda with a heavy tone of anger.
Zelda shuddered with fright and started to cry out of hurt feelings. "Henry, I'm your fiancee, how can you yell at me?"
Henry found Zelda extremely irritating. "Before I deal with you for hurting Justin, get out!"
Henry's demand for Zelda to leave was, in fact, giving the Browns a way out.
He was still overtly or covertly siding with the Browns, maintaining this marriage alliance.
Whether he was helpless or compelled by Mr. Patrick, it deeply hurt Jasmine's heart.
Initially, she thought if the Patricks insisted on fighting for Justin, she wouldn't mind conceding if she couldn't provide Justin with a proper education, hoping at least Henry would be kind to him.
Now it seemed, Ethan was right. With Zelda as a stepmother, how could she entrust her child to them.
"So even at this point, you still choose to protect her..." Jasmine's voice was hoarse with accusation. "Justin is your son, Zelda had someone harm him. It's just a minor injury now, but what if it were something more serious? That won't matter to you, right?"
Henry felt a tightness in his chest, realizing his decision had hurt Jasmine.
He intended to make it up to her, just not right now.
"Jasmine, I've told you, you just need to wait a few years," Henry whispered comfortingly.
"No need..." Jasmine turned away from Henry, disappointed.
Meanwhile, Lance and Zelda turned to leave in a huff, intent on departing first, and then reassessing their strategy.
"I'm giving the Browns three days," Ethan threatened as he looked at the family. "If there's no press conference admitting to Zelda's misdeeds, no sending her abroad or out of Silverlight City, then I'll hold a press conference myself. I have all the evidence in hand; don't believe me, just try me."
"Ethan!" Howard was furious.
Clara had indeed messed up first this time, leaving Howard angry but with little he could do about it.
It wasn't Douglas's father-son relationship that Howard was now considering, but rather Ethan's valuable contributions and abilities at Stellar Enterprises.
"Henry! Look at this, Ethan's actions toward our Brown family are also a challenge to the Patricks! I'm your fiancee, and this woman Jasmine, do you know how many men she's been with? I don't believe Justin is your child; I demand a paternity test!" Zelda said angrily.
Ethan looked at Henry with a low voice. "Then, we'll have the paternity test redone."
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