Chapter 150 Whom Will Justin Choose as Dad?
Henry's face turned sour as he glanced back at Zelda. "You think that I, Henry, would be foolish enough to acknowledge someone else's bastard as my son?"
Startled by Henry's fury, Zelda nervously clenched her fingers and took a step back. "What if... what if Jasmine is up to something, doing it on purpose?"
"If she had that cunning, would she be bullied by you?" Henry snapped coldly. "If the Browns don't want to continue having your daughter make a fool of herself in public, then better take her back and discipline her. She dares to harm my son even before marrying into the Patricks, who knows what foolish things she could do if she actually became part of the family?!"
Henry cursed Zelda in his mind for being a fool.
"Henry..." Zelda was somewhat panicked.
"If she does anything else to harm Jasmine and the child, I will call off the wedding immediately," Henry said with a stern voice.
Zelda looked at Henry in shock and then turned to glance at Lance.
Clearly unable to save their prides any longer, Lance snorted coldly and left without another word.
"Honey..." Zelda called out anxiously and chased after.
Seeing Ethan determined and fearing for his own health, Howard followed suit.
The issue could be addressed later at the family dinner.
Right now, Ethan was too heated to see the situation clearly. Once he cooled down, he would realize he should have listened.
...
In the treatment room, Harper looked at Ethan pitifully with tears in her e yes. "Ethan... please, for my sake, can you spare my sister and our family just this once? The Browns don't want to burn bridges..."
Harper was hinting to Ethan that the Browns also had some leverage over him.
The incident from six years ago could become a scandal in the media if Ethan refused to marry her.
With these scandalous revelations, Ethan's position on the corporate board was becoming increasingly perilous.
Clara and Daniel were hell-bent on finding his Achilles' heel.
Once the viper bites one's throat, there was no coming back.
"Your dignity?" Ethan scoffed. "As for your little schemes against me, I haven't even begun to settle the score with you."
Harper gasped, a chill running down her spine.
It seemed like Ethan was counting scores.
"Ethan, that's not what I meant, don't—don't do this," Harper implored with tears welling up in her eyes. "Let's just think this through, okay? We'll definitely give you a satisfactory answer."
"Harper…" Zelda cried out in fear, realizing Ethan was truly going to stand up for Jasmine and tear apart any pretense with the Brown family.
"Shut up," Harper barked, turning back anxiously to Jasmine. "For all the wrongs Zelda has done to you, as her sister, may I apologize on her behalf? What do you want me to do, should I kneel for you?"
With that, Harper moved to kneel before Jasmine.
"Harper! Don't do this, why should she..." Zelda frantically tried to stop Harper.
But Harper was already kneeling in front of Jasmine.
Jasmine felt her eyes burning, knowing they were trying to guilt-trip her.
Taking a deep breath, Jasmine spoke with a trembling voice, "It's not about you... Even if you kneel, it can't make up for the harm Zelda has done to me... I've knelt and begged her before, did she spare me?"
Zelda glared at Jasmine with hatred. "Are you dredging up the past now? It's been years, and you're still clinging to those grievances!"
"Incurable," Ethan said as he held Justin with one arm and grasped Jasmine's wrist, circumventing Harper to leave. "Tell your parents they have three days. I don't want them to witness what I'm capable of."
Zelda was beyond help, suffocatingly so.
Ethan didn't want Jasmine to have to deal with them anymore.
Seeing Zelda's face was like inflicting a second round of harm on Jasmine.
"Ethan!" Henry frowned, stepping in front of Ethan and Jasmine. "The kid, he's mine."
Ethan's brow furrowed, clearly not intending to let go.
"Are you sure?" Henry threatened, looking at Jasmine.
Justin's treatment, the expenses, and the connections to specialists all depended on Henry.
Jasmine looked anxiously at Ethan before lowering her head.
"Threatening her with the kid? From this point on, you don't deserve to be Justin's dad," Ethan warned Henry.
"Ethan, you have no say in my family matters! Justin is my son, that's a fact. Hand him over." Henry stood his ground against Ethan.
"You two are tugging at the kid without thinking about what he wants?" Ryan settled into a chair nearby, checking the time. "You've monopolized this public space for too long. It's time to leave."
Ethan glanced at Justin, then took him to leave the hospital.
"Justin, who do you want to go with?" Jasmine asked softly.
Ryan was right; they needed to consider the child's wishes.
Justin looked at Henry, then back at Ethan. One was his biological father, and the other was the dad he adored. He didn't know how to choose.
"Dad, will you marry Mom?" Justin asked Henry.
Henry was taken aback, unable to answer Justin's question directly.
He had told Jasmine countless times that he could give her everything but the title.
"Justin, the adult world is complicated. You'll understand when you grow up," Henry said gently, not wanting to lie to the child.
"The adult world is so complex, and I don't get it," Justin said sadly. "But Dad, all my friends' dads and moms are married. If you can't marry Mom, then my family isn't complete."
Henry paused, his throat bobbing, unable to speak.
"Dad, I'm just a kid, but even I know adults have responsibilities. Why can't you marry Mom?" Justin's voice was filled with urgency, a desperate plea for his dad to marry his mom and keep her safe.
Henry took a deep breath, explaining in a low voice, "Justin, your mom and I... We can't get married just yet. I still has things to take care of, but I promise to give you and your mom a home, okay?"
Justin shook his head. "That's not okay."
Seeing tears well up in Justin's eyes, Henry gripped his fingers tightly.
"Justin, come to me," Jasmine said, reaching out to take Justin into her arms. "I'm sorry, Justin. I can't give you a complete home, but... I will always love you, and I'll do everything to protect you. So, it's okay if we don't have your dad."
Justin turned to look at Ethan. "Dad..."
His voice was tentative as he called Ethan "Dad," lacking confidence.
Even his own father didn't want to marry his mom, he didn't know how Ethan would react. "Dad, will you marry Mom?"
If he couldn't marry his mother, he couldn't call him dad anymore.
In a few days, it's going to be Parents' Day at the preschool.
There was Parents' Day every month, where both parents are required to attend.
Every kid's parents would find time to be with their child on Parents' Day, except for Justin, who would sit in the corner watching the other kids play.
He only had his mother. He had no father.
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